Arriving nearby, Rasa and Gaara halted mid-air, supported by the platform of Gold Dust. Staring down at Akimichi Tatsuya, who had successfully sealed the Dragon Vein below, Rasa's expression was extremely grave. According to Sunagakure's intelligence, the man before him was absurdly powerful. Moreover, Konoha and Suna were currently allied villages; rashly initiating conflict could easily ignite friction between the two major powers.
"Lord Fourth Kazekage," Tatsuya acknowledged Rasa and Gaara's arrival with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, offering a slight bow. What luck, he thought wryly, running into the Kazekage himself, accompanied by the village's Jinchuriki, out here. Although he suspected they hadn't come with friendly intentions, he was still on their territory, and maintaining basic respect was appropriate.
"Akimichi Tatsuya," Rasa narrowed his eyes, looking down imperiously from his elevated position. "This is the Land of Wind. By openly stealing the Dragon Vein here, are you showing complete disregard for Sunagakure?"
"Stealing? Lord Kazekage must be joking," Tatsuya replied, a faint smile touching his lips. "Her Majesty Queen Sara of the ancient kingdom of Roran is right here. I simply conducted a fair trade with her." As he spoke, his gaze lingered more intently on Gaara.
In his previous life, Tatsuya recalled, the Gaara who had undergone Naruto's 'Talk-no-Jutsu Baptism' became one of his favorite characters. To fully awaken from such a desperate childhood indicated that deep down, Gaara had always yearned for the light. Involuntarily, Tatsuya's gaze towards the young boy softened, a stark contrast to his earlier cool demeanor. This subtle shift didn't escape Rasa's notice, causing him to frown slightly in confusion.
However, the current Gaara was incapable of perceiving such nuances. "I'll kill you!" he growled, his eyes burning with murderous intent as he stared fixedly at Tatsuya. Without further warning, he attacked.
Countless particles of sand rapidly converged before Gaara, then rained down densely towards Tatsuya below – Sand Shuriken.
Tatsuya frowned slightly as the shower of sand and rock descended. It was an attack with an extremely wide range, encompassing not only him but also Toma, Sara, and the others positioned behind him.
"Take them away first," Tatsuya instructed Suijin, who was nearby with the Roran group. As he spoke, Tatsuya's hands flew through seals before pressing lightly onto the ground. A massive earthen wall erupted before him.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dense barrage of sand shuriken hammered against the earth wall, creating a continuous series of explosions. When the assault subsided, the wall remained standing, unharmed. Behind it, Suijin was already beginning to escort Sara and the others away from the immediate area.
"I'll kill you all!" Floating on the Gold Dust platform, Gaara saw the group escaping. The violent, murderous rage in his eyes intensified. He leaped from the platform, and countless grains of sand began pouring from the gourd on his back. The sand quickly enveloped his entire right arm, solidifying into a gigantic, monstrous beast claw made of sand.
Rasa watched his son leap into the fray, his own brow furrowed tightly, but he made no move to intervene. Neither he nor the other Sunagakure ninja paid any heed to Suijin, Sara, and the fleeing Roran remnants. At this moment, their entire focus was locked onto Tatsuya. His reputation throughout the ninja world was such that they couldn't afford not to be vigilant.
BOOM!
Gaara reached the earth wall and shattered it instantly with a single strike of his massive sand claw.
As debris flew, Tatsuya's figure was revealed standing calmly behind the demolished wall. He remained perfectly still, showing absolutely no intention of dodging.
Seeing this, a flicker of hesitation crossed Gaara's savage eyes, but his claw continued its trajectory, smashing directly towards Tatsuya.
They closed the distance in an instant.
Swish~
Just then, Tatsuya's figure suddenly blurred, reappearing directly in front of Gaara's face. His right hand shot out with unerring precision, closing around Gaara's throat.
Sand instantly swirled and solidified before Gaara, attempting to block the attack, but it was utterly useless.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the hastily formed sand shield shattered under Tatsuya's grip. His fingers closed gently but firmly around Gaara's neck. Simultaneously, his left hand casually caught and secured Gaara's sand-transformed right arm.
Just like that, Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchuriki was captured, held effortlessly by Tatsuya.
Witnessing this, Rasa and the assembled Sunagakure ninja were momentarily stunned. They had anticipated Tatsuya's strength, but this display was far too easy, almost nonchalant. Gaara, host of the One-Tail Shukaku, was a textbook example of a ninja who debuted near their peak potential. His battle against Kimimaro, in some respects, had already approached Kage-level prowess. Although younger now than during the Konoha Chunin Exams, his abilities, honed under Rasa's direct training, were already considerable.
Held firmly by the throat, Gaara's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, as if he hadn't yet fully processed the reality of being so easily subdued.
BANG!
Suddenly, an immense storm of sand erupted violently, swirling madly towards Tatsuya.
Seeing this, Rasa's expression shifted; he instantly recognized what was happening but still did not interfere.
"KILL YOU!"
A deep, hoarse voice, thick with malice – the voice of the One-Tail Shukaku – echoed from within the tempest of swirling sand that threatened to engulf both Tatsuya and Gaara. Tatsuya immediately released his grip and leaped backwards, retreating swiftly.
Rumble rumble~
The churning maelstrom of sand surged forward like a tidal wave. Tatsuya launched himself high into the air.
From his vantage point above, Tatsuya watched as Gaara's small figure underwent a drastic transformation below. Within moments, a colossal creature composed entirely of sand – resembling a giant, brown sand-tanuki – took shape before everyone's eyes. Behind it, a massive tail, dozens of meters long, rose high into the air. Under Tatsuya's simple provocation, Gaara had directly transformed into Shukaku's complete, Tailed Beast form.
"Tsk tsk! What a stupid cat, indeed!" Tatsuya observed the fully manifested One-Tail Shukaku below, still utterly unfazed. He clicked his tongue dismissively.
"FOOLISH HUMAN! I'LL KILL YOU!" Enraged by Tatsuya's blatant disrespect, the notoriously violent and irritable Shukaku instantly went berserk. It threw back its massive head and opened its jaws wide. A huge sphere of compressed wind immediately blasted forth, shooting towards Tatsuya in the air.
Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!
The attack was incredibly fast and immensely powerful. Faced with such a potent, wide-range assault, an ordinary ninja would have no chance of dodging.
Tatsuya, however, was far from ordinary.
Swish~
His figure flickered in mid-air, and in the next instant, he reappeared safely on the ground below. For someone like Tatsuya, whose mastery of both taijutsu and ninjutsu was formidable, such an attack was fundamentally ineffective.
"Picking on the little guy, huh? Let's try that too!" Tatsuya smirked, glancing up at the rampaging Shukaku. He brought his hands together in a seal, and his body instantly began to expand at an astonishing rate.
The Akimichi clan's Hiden technique: Expansion Jutsu!
Within moments, a giant, towering over twenty meters tall, stood upon the battlefield.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His transformation complete, the giant Tatsuya broke into a ground-shaking run, charging directly towards the One-Tail Shukaku.
Seeing Tatsuya enlarge himself and prepare to clash head-on with Shukaku, Rasa and the watching Sunagakure ninja all wore expressions of utmost gravity. So this is Konoha's Hiden user, Akimichi Tatsuya, Rasa thought grimly. His strength is truly terrifying!
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