Chapter 130 steps away from the Konoha Crush to revisit Gaara's boyhood. Numb to bodily harm thanks to Shukaku, the child is taught by his uncle about a wound no sand can block, then betrayed by the very person who claimed to love him.
Since Shukaku's shield spared him from ever feeling a bodily injury, the young Gaara pressed his uncle Yashamaru to explain what pain actually was. As Yashamaru groped for words, Gaara decided the ache he carried must live in his heart. Drawing a line between hurt of the body and hurt of the spirit, Yashamaru said the latter could be mended by love alone, and he told the boy that he was cherished both by himself and by Gaara's mother, who had spent her life sealing Shukaku away inside him.
Encouraged, Gaara set out to gather fresh affection that might drive the ache away, yet found none at all, his own father the Kazekage included. The cruel turn lands one night as the brooding boy is ambushed by an attacker. He downs the assailant with ease, only to discover in horror that the masked figure had been Yashamaru.

Naruto vs Luffy with the twist nobody asked for: Luffy tickled Hinata on date night, and she kind of liked it. We break down the whole fight and commit to a winner....

Naruto built the transformation jutsu himself, and the Hidden Leaf has been quietly not talking about it ever since. The story behind our 90s R&B record about the Naruko question everybody dodges....
The flashback lays out the roots of the loneliness that shadows Gaara throughout the Konoha Crush arc. It sits in volume 15 and first saw print in Japan during the summer of 2002.
The chapter flashes back to Gaara's childhood, showing his uncle Yashamaru teaching him about emotional pain and love before betraying him.
Since Shukaku's shield keeps Gaara from ever feeling a bodily injury, he presses his uncle Yashamaru to explain what pain is, and concludes that the ache he carries must live in his heart.
Yashamaru tells Gaara that hurt of the spirit can only be mended by love, and that Gaara is cherished both by himself and by Gaara's late mother, who sealed Shukaku inside him.
Yashamaru ambushes Gaara one night as a masked attacker, and Gaara defeats him easily, only to discover in horror that the assailant was Yashamaru all along.
"Love…!!" is part of the Konoha Crush arc, collected in volume 15, and first appeared in Japan in the summer of 2002.
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View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Naruto anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
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