My Techniques are a bit off

Main World – Sunagakure Village, Three Days Before the Start of the New Fourth Great Ninja War, Morning, in the Kazekage's Office

"This chakra…"

Rasa looked up toward the window, sensing a familiar chakra presence plainly waiting at the edge of the village.

He's come back, huh?

He felt a slight pang. If Gaara had simply left and never returned—whether he died out there or whatever else happened—Rasa wouldn't have had to think about it anymore. Losing his child didn't weigh on him as much as one might expect.

After all, for the sake of the village, he had forced his beloved wife to bear child after child, hoping to create a jinchūriki, which ultimately resulted in her death.

A ninja is someone who endures everything.

Swoosh!

An Anbu landed, about to speak, but Rasa stood and motioned for silence, then removed his Kazekage robe and vanished from the office. Riding his Gold Dust, he flew toward the village entrance.

Before long, he saw his son standing there atop a wave of sand.

Down below, many of Sunagakure's shinobi had gathered, buzzing with chatter. They fell silent the moment the Kazekage appeared.

Swish—

Only the ever-present winds of the Land of Wind rustled the sand around them, echoing in Rasa's ears.

"You shouldn't have come back," Rasa said, gaze complicated, as he took in the determination on Gaara's face.

Gaara met his father's eyes head-on. "I have a reason I must return."

"Lord Fourth Kazekage," he announced, voice echoing clearly. "Please step down from your position."

Uproar rippled through the gathered shinobi for a moment, but no one spoke out against him. It was, after all, the Fourth Kazekage's plan—Konoha's Collapse—that had pushed their already impoverished village to the brink. Their defeat and subsequent reparations had left scars that no one would soon forget. If not for the fact that no one else could replace Rasa's ability to refine gold dust, he would have been ousted long ago.

(In the Main World, the Konoha Crush Plan wasn't all pinned on Orochimaru. At most, they blamed him for abandoning them during the actual battle, so it wasn't considered a scheme against Sunagakure.)

Over the past two years, Gaara had done exceptionally well, completing numerous tough missions and helping countless fellow shinobi. In the eyes of most villagers, he was already the undisputed candidate for the next Kazekage. Having him challenge the unfit Fourth Kazekage for leadership was hardly something they'd find objectionable.

Noticing that hardly anyone in the village seemed opposed, Rasa's expression dimmed slightly.

"You've really grown, Gaara."

Then he raised his hand. "If you want to replace me, you'll have to surpass me first."

A massive, oppressive surge of Gold Dust came crashing forward.

Swoosh!

Gaara lifted a hand in response, sending out a wave of sand. His control over sand was in no way inferior to his father's, even if Gold Dust was heavier and could weigh down Gaara's sand. Ultimately, though, he was certain he could win. In the future, Gaara (Final-Chapter Gaara) had easily defeated the reanimated version of Rasa.

But to truly become the next Kazekage, Gaara had to settle things quickly with the unqualified current Kazekage.

Shukaku, I'm counting on you.

Hmph.

Shukaku let out a displeased snort but still lent Gaara its power. After Link had "trimmed" it once, the beast had half-reluctantly worked out a set of conditions for cooperating with its jinchūriki—provided Gaara never let it face that "demon brat" again. Of course, Shukaku was feeding him power laced with its own will, capable of corroding a normal jinchūriki's mind.

Yet in the past two years, it had gradually made peace with Gaara. Though it never held back its barbed words, Shukaku actually respected him deep down.

Don't forget, next time you and I go give that jerk a lesson!

As Shukaku threatened internally, Gaara silently focused on controlling the colossal wall of sand—immense, blotting out the sun—that crashed at his father. He had to be extra precise to avoid killing Rasa, who had decided in the last instant to drop his guard and accept death.

He's already using the Feigning Sleep Technique? No, wait—this power… Could Gaara have…?

Rasa's face showed shock. There's a big difference between merely suppressing a Tailed Beast's unwieldy power and wielding it so well that the human, not the beast, maintains control. That power would be unimaginable.

Boom!

Though Rasa's Gold Dust was immense in volume, it crumbled beneath the tidal wave of Gaara's sand like a child's sandcastle hit by ocean surf. The father-son duel ended in seconds.

"Phew…"

As Rasa fell unconscious, Gaara dispersed his borrowed power. He mentally thanked Shukaku, then dropped lightly in front of the villagers.

"Lord Gaara—!"

"Lord Gaara!"

"Lord Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage!!"

Growing up in a harsh, poverty-stricken environment, the people of Sunagakure welcomed a stronger leader from among their own without question.

Gaara's face was calm, but inwardly he marveled. The power he'd just commanded had deftly avoided striking his father in that final moment, when Rasa had resigned himself to die.

Mother…

…

Main World – Konohagakure Village, One Day Before the New Fourth Great Ninja War, Afternoon, at the Hokage's Residence

"As I thought, they still haven't fully grown in."

Link gazed at his gap-toothed reflection in the mirror, then tried to grin. Maybe he could change his persona—if he couldn't be "Aizen," he could try playing "Blackbeard." But he was too used to being cool and composed; he just couldn't force that wild, domineering style.

"All right. Time to activate my backup plan." He began recalling the correct usage of the standard Transformation Technique.

If he used someone else's chakra, with none of his own mixed in, he could cast ninjutsu in its original form—meaning he could execute a legitimate, uncorrupted version of the Transformation Technique.

Then, even if he didn't fight personally—Sasuke alone was more than enough to take on the Five Kage, letting them feel the pressure of a Perfect Susanoo—he could still pull off his intimidation act. The Black Shadow Army could handle the allied forces, while Utakata supplied him chakra to maintain a proper Transformation Technique.

He could still play the cool villain without issue.

Therefore, to ensure the transformation wouldn't fail, he needed to brush up. After using mutated ninjutsu for so long, one could get lazy—just pour in chakra and poof, there's your effect. Traditional jutsu required more finesse. The Transformation Technique might be basic, but using it well and maintaining it flawlessly without revealing any gaps was tricky.

Of course, he'd wear a mask and cloak as insurance. If the transformation slipped at a critical moment, he could still hide his missing teeth.

Knock-knock-knock!

Someone rapped on the door, and Utakata's voice called from outside. "Time to go."

The Allied Shinobi Forces had already gathered at the Graveyard Mountains a few days ago.

Even though Earth Dragon had decent mobility, they still couldn't just show up at the last second. They had to head out early.

Link took a deep breath, pulled on his mask, and regarded his reflection one last time:

(For all this time, I've walked on thin ice. Will I make it across…?)

~~~

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