In Osamu’s former homeland, there was a group of people who braved lifeless deserts with mortal bodies, successfully restoring 118 million mu of desertified land.
They planted their footprints deep into the folds of the Gobi, erecting their silhouettes as landmarks in the wasteland.
Trudging across scalding gravel, they carved out narrow spaces for life to endure.
From spring to winter, from youth to graying hair.
And now, the straw checkerboards they had laid out countless times made their appearance amidst the deserts of the Land of Wind.
Osamu directed Gaara to use sand to hold the sweet willow branches, arranging them in crisscrossing square grids across the wasteland at the edge of Sunagakure.
He taught him to observe the shape of the sand after strong winds passed and had him thrust his hands into the gravel inside the straw checkerboards to feel the subtle moisture beneath.
Gaara’s unusual behavior caught Rasa’s attention, but after hearing the reports from the Sunagakure shinobi, Rasa merely assumed Gaara was trying to escape reality by finding a new pastime to kill time, so he left him to his own devices.
Osamu floated by Gaara’s side, watching him follow his instructions by using a watering can to blast open holes in the sand inside the straw checkerboards, quickly planting seedlings of sweet willow into the damp holes.
“That should be deep enough.” Osamu smiled and patted the boy’s head.
“You must be tired.
Take a brief rest and recover your Chakra.” He had been here for nearly a month.
During that time, the System had returned once to set up a disguise, ensuring that only Gaara could see his presence.
As for why he was reduced to a floating soul, the System’s little ball of light had hesitated for a long time before murmuring in a barely audible whisper, “Nagato split off a piece of the Gedo Mazo…
and soaked the dead Danzo in liquid Chakra…” Osamu: …?
Hold on, bro, is that even normal?
Because the Gedo Mazo was connected to the power system of the Naruto world and possessed faint laws of nature, it interfered with the teleportation process.
The System’s little ball could only crouch day after day beside that severed piece of the Gedo Mazo, waiting for an opportunity to steal the physical body.
This was bound to be a long-term undertaking.
Nagato had developed an obsession with “Elder Danzo, who foresaw the future and died in despair,” and practically every day he spoke all sorts of nonsense to the thoroughly dead corpse, ignoring even messages sent by Uchiha Obito.
The System’s little ball was truly out of options.
When the host baby first transmigrated, the body had been mis-targeted, but the soul had already completed its physical adaptation.
In other words, the host baby could only continue his journey using Danzo Shimura’s body.
After spending several days and nights alongside cute little Gaara, Osamu finally calmed the negative emotions brought on by his sudden transmigration.
Now able to speak peacefully with the System’s little ball, he told it not to worry; he was quite happy staying by Gaara’s side.
With Grandpa Zang’s companionship and guidance, Gaara experienced a sense of warmth and peace he had never known before.
Once he began learning sand stabilization and afforestation, his attention was successfully diverted.
He no longer obsessed over whether his father cared about him or how the villagers viewed him; instead, he squatted beside the straw checkerboards every day, staring at the tiny spots of green surviving amidst the gravel.
To prevent his efforts from being ruined, Gaara even learned to exploit his reputation as a “monster” among the villagers, declaring that anyone who dared mess with his things would die.
No one possessed the risky spirit to doubt whether he would actually follow through.
Thus, those strange grids remained undisturbed on the outskirts of the village.
During the day, after completing their sand-fixation studies, Osamu would hold the child at night, telling him all kinds of myths and legends, teaching him to read, and interweaving everyday life skills and scientific knowledge.
Just as his elder sister had taught him in his past life.
There was nothing here that could be called systematic education, so Osamu could only wrack his brains to recall his own learning process from childhood.
The knowledge he imparted and the concepts he outlined unfolded an unprecedented, clear, and logical world before Gaara’s eyes.
The young boy began learning to think along Osamu’s lines, occasionally sharing his own creative ideas or inquiring about Ah Zang’s thoughts and views.
“Humans are living beings born into this world, and so are the Tailed Beasts.
Birds, beasts, ghosts, and spirits—all have their own thoughts and feelings,” Osamu murmured, gently rocking the exhausted Gaara in his arms in his usual mild tone.
“This world does not belong to humans alone.
If humans want to live well, they must learn to respond to the earth, the sky, and nature itself.” “People fear the immense power of the Tailed Beasts, yet crave that power for themselves.
They need Jinchuriki to bear the seal of the Tailed Beasts, yet cast the Jinchuriki out of human society and heap blame upon them.” Under the tranquil night sky, the old man’s voice seemed naturally endowed with the power to soothe the soul.
“I know the road to achieving peace is extraordinarily difficult, Gaara.” Looking at the boy who could barely keep his eyes open yet forced himself to stay awake, Osamu gently patted his back, helping him relax into a light sleep.
“But I believe in you.
You are a good child with a pure and tender heart.” “So I hope you come to realize that Tailed Beasts are living beings born into this world just like humans.
They have their own personalities and thoughts.
As long as you embrace it with a sincere and tender heart, Shukaku will become a reliable partner, a confidant, and a gentle elder.” “I look forward to seeing you perform such a miracle.” “Just like the nine sweet willow plants that have survived inside those straw checkerboards.” Gaara fell completely into the deep sea of slumber—