Chapter 184 Masked Man

In the arena, yellow sand filled the sky and the wind howled. Gaara was surrounded by violent chakra, and the sand swirled under his feet, forming a huge sand hand, which slapped Naruto fiercely.

Naruto did not dare to be careless. The Nine-Tails' chakra surged in his body and enveloped him in golden light.

He formed seals with his hands and roared:

"The art of multiple shadow clones!"

In an instant, hundreds of Naruto clones appeared in the arena and surrounded Gaara. The clones rushed towards Gaara one after another, trying to suppress his offensive with the advantage of numbers.

Gaara's eyes were cold, and his face showed no emotion. He manipulated the gravel, turning it into countless sharp blades, and defeated Naruto's clones one by one. The golden light and the yellow gravel intertwined, and the explosions continued, and the entire arena was like a battlefield.

"It's useless. You can't understand the pain in my heart!" Gaara's voice was icy cold, filled with endless sadness and anger. "I will kill you, and then let the whole world feel my pain!"

Naruto gritted his teeth, he felt the bottomless despair and loneliness in Gaara. He didn't want to fight, nor did he want to hurt Gaara, but he couldn't just sit there and watch.

"Gaara, I know you're in pain, but it's not your fault!" Naruto shouted, "You are not alone, there are many people who care about you and are willing to be your friends!"

Gaara turned a deaf ear to him. He put his hands together and launched an even more powerful attack:

"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"

Huge waves of sand surged out from under Gaara's feet and swept towards Naruto like a tsunami.

Naruto stood alone in front of Sunami, his figure looking particularly small.

At the critical moment, Kakashi appeared in front of Naruto. He formed a seal with one hand, and lightning flashed: "Raikiri!"

A sharp thunder roared, and the lightning in Kakashi's hand turned into a sharp blade, splitting the sand waves in the middle, creating a way out for Naruto.

"Teacher Kakashi!" Naruto shouted in surprise.

Kakashi turned to look at Naruto, his eyes full of worry and encouragement:

"Naruto, I'll leave Gaara to you. I trust you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi turned to face Gaara and said in a deep voice:

"Gaara, stop it, your opponent is not Naruto, but the darkness in your own heart!"

"Shut up!" Gaara yelled, "You don't understand anything!"

Gaara attacked again, and this time, he wrapped himself in a huge ball of sand, turning into a huge monster, rushing towards Kakashi and Naruto.

"Oh no, it's Shukaku's power!" Kakashi's face changed, and he realized that Gaara had been completely controlled by Shukaku.

Facing the aggressive Shukaku, Kakashi did not dare to be careless. He formed seals with his hands, ready to fight with all his strength.

Just then, a black shadow suddenly appeared in front of Kakashi and Naruto.

The shadow was wearing a black windbreaker and an orange swirling mask, with only his scarlet eyes showing.

"Stop it, Gaara." The masked man's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of majesty.

Gaara's movements paused slightly, and he seemed to react to the masked man's voice.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked warily. He felt a strong sense of oppression from the masked man, and he was definitely not an ordinary person.

The masked man ignored Kakashi. He turned to look at Gaara and softened his tone:

"Gaara, the power within you is the Tailed Beast, it will devour your mind and turn you into a monster."

"Shut up!" Gaara roared again, controlling the sand and attacking the masked man.

However, the masked man stood there motionless, allowing the sand to pass through his body, as if he was just an illusory shadow.

"Gaara, calm down and listen to me." The masked man's voice seemed to have a magical power that could penetrate Gaara's anger and despair. "I was once tortured by the power of the tailed beast like you, but I eventually defeated it and found my true self."

Gaara's movements slowed down again and he seemed to begin to waver.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Gaara asked, with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"I want to tell you that you are not alone. There are many people like you who are suffering and lonely." The masked man's voice was full of sincerity. "But we cannot be bound by the past. We must believe in the future and believe in hope!"

The masked man's words were like a flash of lightning, illuminating the darkness deep in Gaara's heart. He slowly raised his head and looked at Kakashi and Naruto, and for the first time, a trace of confusion and struggle appeared in his eyes.

"I...what should I do?" Gaara's voice trembled, he was like a lost child, longing for guidance.

"Gaara, the power in your body is very strong, but it can also be used to protect you and the people you care about." Kakashi stepped forward and said earnestly, "Your life has just begun. Don't be bound by the past. Believe in yourself, and you will definitely find your own path!"

"Believe in yourself..." Gaara murmured to himself. He slowly closed his eyes, as if thinking about Kakashi's words.

At this moment, a more evil chakra suddenly descended into the arena, pushing the originally tense atmosphere to a climax. A figure wearing a black robe with red clouds slowly descended from the sky. He had dazzling silver-white hair, his pale skin was covered with traces of time, and his pair of reincarnation eyes flashed with a cold light.

"Ban..." The masked man's voice was full of shock and disbelief.

"Long time no see, Obito." Madara's voice was low and hoarse, like a call from hell, "It seems that you have betrayed me and chose to side with the people of Konoha."

"Obito? How could that be?" Kakashi thought to himself.

"Madara, why did you do this?" Obito asked, "Why did you start a war? Why did you hurt innocent people?"

"War... harm..." A hint of mockery flashed in Madara's eyes, "This world is already full of pain and despair. Only Infinite Tsukuyomi can bring true happiness to everyone!"

"You are wrong, Madara!" Kakashi stood up and said, "Infinite Tsukuyomi is just your wishful thinking. It will only imprison everyone in a false illusion. That is not true happiness!"

"Hmph, ignorant!" Madara snorted coldly, "Let me see the power of you ants!"

Madara formed seals with his hands, and a devastating chakra burst out from his body. The entire arena was instantly engulfed by the violent energy.