Before Richard could reach the arena, Gaara and the Sand ninja had already engaged Uzuki Yugao and Sasuke in battle.
Gaara, partially transformed and driven by bloodlust, attacked Sasuke with feral intensity while Baki, Kankuro, and Temari confronted Yugao. Despite Sasuke's successful strike with the Vibranium sword moments earlier, the Sand shinobi remained confident in Gaara's abilities. After all, he was Sunagakure's "ultimate weapon"—if a mere Konoha genin could defeat him, it would be a devastating blow to their village's reputation.
The combined assault from Baki and the siblings quickly put Yugao in a precarious position. Though armed with her indestructible Vibranium sword and Richard's Tiger Hunt techniques, her special jōnin abilities were still outmatched by the three opponents.
Baki himself was an elite jōnin—his position as Gaara's instructor spoke to his capabilities. Moreover, Kankuro and Temari's fighting styles perfectly countered Yugao's close-combat approach. Both Konoha-style swordsmanship and Tiger Hunt required proximity, while the siblings specialized in mid-to-long-range attacks. Simply put, as long as they fought intelligently, Yugao would never reach them.
Within moments, she found herself at an absolute disadvantage. Just as Baki prepared to end her life with his Wind Style: Wind Blade, a figure plummeted from the sky like lightning, intercepting him with a kick that sent the Sand jōnin flying dozens of meters away.
It was Richard.
"Three against one woman? Is this Sunagakure's idea of honor?" he asked Kankuro and Temari, his tone casual but cutting.
Witnessing Richard's lightning descent and effortless dismissal of their teacher, both siblings immediately tensed. While they'd approached Yugao with relative confidence, their expressions now reflected utmost seriousness. They knew Baki's capabilities intimately—yet he hadn't even had time to react before being kicked aside by this newcomer.
After exchanging glances, the siblings attacked simultaneously. Temari raised her massive iron fan and swung it forcefully toward Richard.
"Wind Style: Sickle Weasel Technique!"
A barrage of invisible, razor-sharp wind blades flew toward Richard and Yugao at high velocity. Though only C-rank, the technique provided both offense and defense with considerable power. Beyond the invisible cutting edges, the resulting windstorm could create vacuum pockets that neutralized fire jutsu, sound-based attacks, and explosives—or simply blow away incoming projectiles.
As Temari unleashed her jutsu, Richard moved with supernatural speed to Yugao's side and casually snapped his fingers.
"Aeroga! Cyclone!"
A rotating vortex over two meters in diameter instantly formed around Richard and Yugao, enveloping them completely. The furiously spinning tornado acted as an impenetrable barrier, deflecting all incoming wind blades and neutralizing the storm.
But Richard wasn't finished. The protective tornado began expanding visibly—from its initial two-meter diameter to twenty or thirty meters in seconds, continuing to grow until it encompassed the entire arena. Gaara and Sasuke, the recently displaced Baki, and the Sand siblings all retreated hastily to the stands as the tornado continued its expansion.
"What kind of wind jutsu is this?" Temari gasped, staring at the colossal vortex with astonishment.
Wind-style techniques were Sunagakure's specialty, yet no one had ever witnessed a tornado of such magnitude. The vortex generated immense suction, lifting unconscious spectators from their seats as if they weighed nothing. Just before they would have been drawn into its devastating current, the massive tornado vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
Though no casualties resulted, the arena lay in ruins, with spider-web cracks spreading across the surrounding walls. Had the tornado persisted for even a few more seconds, the entire structure would have collapsed.
When the vortex dissipated, the Sound ninja battling Kakashi, Guy, and others immediately withdrew. Though they'd never seen such a catastrophic technique before, one thing was clear—the man who created it wasn't someone they could challenge. Neither were Kakashi and Guy, or even the ANBU reinforcements who had arrived.
Without hesitation, the Sound ninja retreated, disappearing to wreak havoc elsewhere in the village.
Richard ignored their departure and turned to Yugao. "Go help the villagers. Leave these four to me."
"Understood," she replied without hesitation, recognizing her limitations. The previous confrontation had demonstrated that even genin like Temari and Kankuro presented significant challenges—let alone Baki, whose Wind Blade would have killed her if Richard hadn't intervened.
After acknowledging Richard's instruction, Yugao immediately used the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from the arena.
Once she departed, Richard flew to Sasuke's side. "You should join the others defending the village against the Sound and Sand forces."
"I can stay and help you," Sasuke replied quickly.
"Do I look like I need help?" Richard countered.
Sasuke fell silent but remained rooted in place, his eyes fixed on Gaara's transformed state.
Seeing Sasuke's stubborn stance, Richard sighed. "Since you won't leave, then stay and watch."
Dismissing the young Uchiha, he addressed Gaara directly: "Release the One-Tail from your body. Otherwise, you'll die where you stand."
Before Gaara could respond, Richard withdrew Masamune—from his system inventory.
The moment the blade manifested, Richard's aura transformed completely. An invisible yet undeniable wave of terrifying pressure instantly blanketed everyone present. Sasuke, Kakashi, and the other Konoha shinobi felt it, as did Gaara and the Sand ninja—even the spectators who had succumbed to the genjutsu suddenly awakened, jolted from their slumber by the overwhelming sense of dread.
By drawing Masamune, Richard had ceased suppressing his true power. He had revealed his authentic self.
Sasuke and Kakashi stared at him in shock. They never imagined that Richard—typically so conversational and approachable—could emanate such frightening presence. Even Gaara, who had partially lost his sanity to the transformation, now regarded Richard with disbelief, his consciousness momentarily restored by the sheer force of Richard's killing intent.
Who is he? the Sand shinobi wondered. When did Konoha acquire someone so terrifying?
Richard's released aura created such pressure that even Orochimaru and the Third Hokage paused their rooftop battle to glance toward him.
Didn't he say he wouldn't interfere? Orochimaru thought, frowning as he watched Richard levitate before Gaara and the others, Masamune drawn.
Of everyone present, Orochimaru best understood Richard's capabilities. He had experienced the power of Richard's Judgement Cut End firsthand after employing his ultimate technique—the Eight Branches Jutsu—only to see it destroyed by Richard's overwhelming attack.
The Third Hokage likewise frowned, though for different reasons. He wondered about Richard's motives for helping Konoha. If Richard had simply been protecting Yugao, that would be understandable—but she had departed, yet Richard remained. He could easily have stood aside and done nothing.
Ignoring their scrutiny, Richard pointed Masamune at the partially transformed Gaara.
"Since you refuse to release Shukaku willingly, don't blame me for being... persuasive."
In a flash, he appeared before Gaara.
"Judgment Cut End!"
Four lightning-quick slashes manifested instantaneously, converging on Gaara. Though the blades hadn't yet connected, Gaara felt the overwhelming presence of death closing around him.
Before he could react, Shukaku desperately seized control of his body, attempting to evade Richard's attack radius. But Richard's strike proved faster than even the Tailed Beast's reflexes.
Masamune sliced cleanly through Gaara's transformed state, leaving four precise wounds across his body. The cuts forced Gaara back to his human form while simultaneously inflicting non-lethal—but extensive—injuries across his torso.
"This is my final warning," Richard declared to the wounded Gaara. "Either release Shukaku willingly, or I'll carve you into pieces."
For Richard, defeating or even killing Gaara would be trivial. But Gaara wasn't his target—he wanted to face Shukaku directly. Though he had already battled, defeated, and subjugated the Three-Tails, each Tailed Beast offered a different challenge.
Hearing Richard's ultimatum, Gaara began transforming again—this time more rapidly and completely than before. Within seconds, everything except his legs had assumed Shukaku's appearance, creating a miniature version of the One-Tailed Beast.
Just as he prepared to complete the transformation, Richard added, "Take it to the forest beyond the arena."
Though not a Konoha shinobi, Richard had no desire to see innocent spectators perish due to Gaara's full transformation.
Gaara paused momentarily at the instruction, then turned and fled the arena. Temari, Kankuro, and Baki followed without hesitation.
After traveling more than ten kilometers into the forest surrounding Konoha, Gaara halted. An enormous cloud of white smoke instantly enveloped him. When it cleared, the immense form of Shukaku towered among the trees.
Richard hovered hundreds of meters away, observing the massive tanuki with interest. Compared to the Three-Tails, Shukaku possessed a certain peculiar charm.
Under Richard's watchful gaze, Gaara's upper body emerged from Shukaku's forehead. His hands formed signs as he prepared to execute the Feigning Sleep Technique.
Though Shukaku had physically manifested, it wasn't yet the true One-Tailed Beast—Gaara still maintained control. Only when he induced deep sleep would Shukaku fully awaken. Even then, it would technically be Gaara's Tailed Beast Transformation rather than Shukaku's complete form. Without Gaara having fully synchronized with his Tailed Beast, this represented an imperfect transformation.
Nevertheless, this partial manifestation, achieved through possession and the Feigning Sleep Technique, could still harness most of Shukaku's formidable power.
After performing the technique, Gaara immediately fell into deep slumber. Shukaku seized control instantly.
The One-Tailed Beast wasted no time. Opening its massive jaws, it slapped its right paw against its distended belly.
"Wind Style: Air Bullet!"
A colossal sphere of compressed air, saturated with dense chakra, erupted from Shukaku's mouth, hurtling toward Richard at tremendous speed.
Though the Air Bullet possessed devastating power, Richard remained unimpressed. As the projectile approached, he lazily raised Masamune and delivered a casual slash.
BOOM! BOOM!
The Air Bullet split in two, the halves passing harmlessly on either side of Richard before crashing into the forest behind him, creating massive craters in the landscape.