After finishing their meal at the ramen shop, Gaara walked behind Naruto as the whisker-boy led Hinata to the gates of her home. After waves of good-byes, the moon-eyes girl crept inside while the boys walked off toward the Suna genin's hotel. Naruto offered a stay at his apartment, but Gaara firmly declined—

What's the point of staying the night at someone's house when you can never sleep?

The next morning, all those who made it on to the second round arrived at the Forest of Death by dawn. Anko Mitarashi—proctor of the second round—briefed everyone on their objective. Before entering the forest, all teams were given either a heaven or an earth scroll. Once inside, the genin must take the other scroll from another team. Only those that make it to the tower in the center of the forest with both scrolls will advance to the next stage of the exams.

After nearly an hour of running through the forest, Gaara's team ran into some people from the Hidden Rain Village. The team wanted to fight to settle a grudge about which village was stronger.

The monster inside yearned for blood, so Gaara obligated to fight alone. His older sister and older brother didn't seem to care, though they remained cautious and prepared—

For they knew just how unpredictable Gaara's monster could be.

Nonetheless, Gaara's sand protected the Sand Siblings from any jutsu that the Rain shinobi tried to throw their way. Nothing could get through the impenetrable sand barrier. Some shuriken were sucked into the sand and thrown back a moment later. When it became evident that they were out of tricks, Gaara finally decided to put an end to their miserable lives.

With a simple raise of his arms, the sand quickly surrounded the three Rain shinobi, leaving them nowhere to run. All he had to do was squeeze his hand and they would be—

STOP!

Reluctantly doing so, Gaara forced the sand to halt any movements around the trio. What are you—

She's here, the monster insisted. The Byakugan Princess.

Byakugan Princess? Gaara repeated in confusion. You mean Hinata?

Hiding in those bushes, the monster claimed. Don't let her see us kill.

Although he found the request completely insane—because the monster is always finding an excuse to kill—Gaara slightly adverted his gaze to the side. In truth, he could sense Hinata's chakra nearby among those he assumed was her teammates. He knew it was hers because it was so bright and inviting—

Just like the moon on nights he becomes too much to handle.

Adverting his gaze back to the three genin, Gaara declared, "You are lucky. He doesn't want her to see us kill."

As an alternative, the sand surrounded their necks, only choking them until they lost their breath, making them unconscious. Waiting, just to be sure the Rain shinobi had no 'surprising' tricks, Gaara called out, "Byakugan Princess, you and your teammates may come out now. No harm will come to any of you."

Hearing the faint sound of harsh whispers, Hinata emerged from the bushes with the smile that made him feel so differently. Why was that?

"Hi, Gaara," she greeted so warmly. "I'm glad you're safe."

Watching as his sand gathered the Rain shinobi's scroll, Gaara wondered, "Do you need this one? I can find another one if needed."

"My team has the scrolls we need," Hinata reassured kindly. "We're traveling to the tower now, same as you."

Ask her to join you.

Protect her.

For once listening to the inner monster, Gaara offered, "Do you and your team want to join us?"

"Gaara—"

Stifling the protest with a simple glare, Gaara adverted his attention back to the Hyuga girl. "If you lead my team to the tower," he negotiated, "I'll protect your team from any harm that may come our way."

Pretending to think about it for just a second, Hinata nodded eagerly. "Sounds like a fair trade," she agreed. "Follow me."