Karura

was the wife of Sunagakure's Fourth Kazekage: Rasa.

Background
Karura bore Rasa three children: Temari and Kankurō prior to being pregnant with their youngest child: Gaara. Apparently against her husband's wishes, Karura was forced to allow the tailed beast Shukaku to be sealed within their unborn son. This came at a very steep cost as Gaara's premature birth was also marked by her untimely death. Before her death, however, with her medical team unable to save her, and her heart rate failing rapidly, Karura requested to see her child. Seeing how small and feeble the young Gaara was, Karura declared her desire to protect him at all cost as she cradled him before passing away.

Personality
Karura was a kind and gentle woman who cared deeply for her family.

Appearance
Karura had shoulder-length, sandy-brown hair which framed her kind-looking face, and indigo-coloured eyes. She wore a simple outfit along with a long, light yellow scarf draped loosely around her neck.

Abilities
Through her strong will to protect her premature son, Karura was able to imbue her chakra into Gaara's sand. This causes it to automatically move to protect him whenever he is in danger; even from himself. When the shield is in full effect, Gaara's sand takes on Karura's appearance.

Legacy
Originally, due to his maternal uncle Yashamaru reluctantly lying to his nephew on his brother in law's behalf to test him, Gaara was under the impression that Karura was sacrificed to ensure he became a jinchūriki and that her final words were of him to become the tool of her revenge on Sunagakure. She supposedly named him after the phrase. This caused Gaara to develop a warped ideology of love. But during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Gaara learned the truth of his father's deception and how Karura truly died. Because of her dying wish to protect her son, both the Fourth Kazekage and Yashamaru believe that her will now lives on in the sand that protects Gaara rather than being a manifestation of Shukaku's chakra.

Trivia

 * Karura's name is written with three kanji: the kanji for, the kanji for , and the kanji for . The last kanji is the same as the final kanji in Gaara's name and can be taken as an abbreviation of the word or the word . Together, the name can be interpreted as "the demon who adds to the flow [of sand or hatred]".
 * When written as 迦楼羅, "karura" is the Japanese name for Garuda.
 * In chapters 547 and 548, Karura's name is written as 加瑠羅 instead of 加流羅. Both 瑠 and 流 can be used to write the Japanese word for, a semi-precious stone with strong symbolic value in Buddhism. It is thought to have healing and strengthening properties and represents Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Buddha of Medicine, known as in Japan.

Quotes

 * (To Gaara) "What a small, feeble child… No matter what happens, I'll always protect you! Gaara…!"