C145 Who Is It? Who Is It?

The sound sent shivers down the spine, making one's hair stand on end!

"Yes!"

At the sound of that voice, Kankurō, who was poised to strike, instantly withdrew. Naruto, seizing the moment, had his twenty-plus clones work in unison to change course, managing to rescue the Konoha Pill from Kankurō's grasp.

Stunned, he turned to look at the speaker, Gaara. Who was this person who could make the normally haughty Kankurō submit with a single word?

Simultaneously, a blue figure deftly dropped from the trees.

It was Sasuke.

He had been there all along, concealed in the background. It seemed Gaara had sensed Sasuke's presence, which was why he had held back.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out uncontrollably.

Sasuke paid him no mind, his gaze fixed coolly on Gaara. Instinctively, Sasuke knew this person was formidable.

"Sakura!"

Within moments of Sasuke's arrival, Sakura joined them, to Naruto's great delight.

Sakura, seemingly oblivious to Naruto, went straight to Sasuke's side, her eyes filled with affection.

Team 7 was now complete.

"Gaara!"

Seeing this, Temari and Kankurō turned to Gaara, looking to him for a decision in this critical moment.

Yet Gaara appeared not to notice them, his gaze piercing through the trio and fixing on the alley's corner. Something there, something terrifying, made even Shukaku within him tremble with dread.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Gaara murmured, paying no mind to anyone else. Clearly, what truly alarmed him wasn't Naruto with his multitude of clones, nor Sasuke with his activated Sharingan, but the enigmatic figure who had appeared at the alley's entrance.

The sheer terror emanating from this mysterious individual had jolted Shukaku awake within Gaara. For the first time since becoming a Jinchūriki, Gaara could feel Shukaku's fear.

Before, he had been supremely arrogant, never considering anyone a threat.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Temari and the others also sensed Gaara's unease and swiftly turned their eyes in the direction of his intense stare.

Even Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were brimming with curiosity, their eyes tracking Gaara's gaze.

Just then, a child around five or six years old emerged from around the corner.

Clad in the attire of a Grass Ninja and sporting their distinctive headband, it was clear he was one of their ninjas.

He strolled by with an air of nonchalance, seemingly oblivious to their presence. As he sauntered past Gaara, he cast a brief glance his way. Kankurō, with his keen perception, immediately noticed Gaara's body tremble for a split second.

Furthermore, as soon as the boy appeared, the alley was enveloped in an oppressive aura. Everyone felt as though a massive weight bore down on them, their hearts heavy and their breaths short.

Kankurō also observed that the ambient barking of dogs had ceased, and the air itself felt as if it had solidified into steel.

Normalcy returned to the alley only after the boy had departed.

"This is the presence of a formidable one!"

Kankurō was inwardly astounded.

"Who is he, to elicit such a reaction from me?"

Juumonji was filled with intense curiosity.

"This is... fear..."

Gaara was bewildered and somewhat in disbelief. As the child had passed by, the Jigaku within him had stirred with an emotion of fear.