He was drawing with sand when the door knocked that night.
His uncle hurried to the door to answer it. A kunoichi stood on the other side, casting a cautious glance at the small child who sat in the corner of the room. She spoke in a hushed tone to Yashamaru, gesturing toward the gates of the village.
"There's some sort of… monster about three miles away," she told the man. "We wouldn't ask you- we know you have your hands full right now- but we need any help to ensure the monster doesn't reach the village." Yashamaru nodded, reassuring her that it was no trouble and that he would join them soon.
He shut the door, turning around to tell Gaara that he would be leaving for a while. When he saw the boy standing right behind him, looking up curiously, the man started. "Wha-what is it?" he asked, the small traces of fear in his voice.
"I… I heard my name," the child replied. "I heard her say it."
Yashamaru's forehead crinkled in confusion. "We weren't discussing you. She never said your name," he told Gaara.
Gaara shook his head furtively. "No- I heard her! She said 'bakemono' twice."
Understanding lit Yashamaru's eyes and smoothed the wrinkles above his eyes. "That's not your name. Your name is Gaara."
"That's what everyone calls me."
Yashamaru knelt down to muss Gaara's hair, smiling softly at him. "It doesn't matter what they say," he said. "That's not who you are. You're Gaara."
The small boy smiled and nodded as his uncle stood and walked away to go ready himself for battle.
