The super geniuses from Konoha and Suna have arrived! The final showdown begins! The audience's thunderous cheers, like a mountain tsunami, almost tore the roof off.
Naruto bathed in the uproar, looking around and waving, scattering the glory of the sun.
On the other side, Gaara's violent eyes were locked onto Naruto, a crazed, ferocious grin spreading across his face. The fierce killing intent in his eyes seemed to freeze the air. Each time this dazzling blonde kid appeared, he provoked and trampled on the fragile boundaries of Gaara's sanity. Only by completely crushing him could Gaara prove his own existence! The bloodthirsty beast, previously suppressed, could now finally break free of its chains, no longer bound by any cage. He had waited too long for this moment!
Sensing Gaara's heart-stopping killing intent, Genma Shiranui's brow furrowed, his breathing momentarily hitched. Glancing at the other contestant, the blonde boy remained composed, confidently smiling, not taking anything seriously. Truly deserving of the title, "Genius is merely my threshold, Mr." The duel between these two would likely be exceptionally spectacular.
After announcing the rules robotically, he shouted: "Begin!"
The moment his voice fell, he swiftly retreated, subtly landing in a prime viewing spot within the arena.
Naruto's gaze locked onto his opponent. The little redhead's large gourd had already been uncorked, and countless fine grains of sand were drifting out. In previous matches, Gaara had used this very sand. It must be controlled by chakra.
Then let's try this move!
Naruto's thoughts raced, an idea forming.
Suddenly,
"Ugh—!"
Gaara abruptly clutched his forehead, crying out in pain: "N-don't be angry! Mother!!"
"Huh?" Naruto's face was a question mark. Mother? Who's this kid calling?
"Hey, Gaara, are you alright?" Driven by a humanitarian spirit, Naruto voiced his concern.
Gaara ignored him, his body strangely stiff and trembling.
Abruptly—
He lifted his head like a beast, his heavily dark-ringed eyes filled with madness: "I'll kill you! I—will—kill—you—!"
"Oh?" Naruto stood tall and imposing, a confident smile spreading across his lips: "Kill me? The King of Hell probably wouldn't dare take me. He's afraid I'd go down there, kick him off, and take his throne."
This guy... is definitely not normal!
Right, a jinchuriki. Loneliness, solitude, cold stares, and the temptation of a Tailed Beast. With all that, how could one not go mad? Someone normal like himself seemed to be the rare case. This Gaara... would probably be a minor antagonist on his protagonist's journey!
Since that's the case... Naruto had no intention of indulging Gaara. His gaze sharpened, his palms instantly clasped together before his chest, his fingers a blur of motion.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
He opened his mouth and spat out a terrifying volume of water, far exceeding that of a lake. The massive tide transformed into a surging deluge, sweeping towards Gaara, who was still trembling in pain, with an overwhelming force.
"To use such a terrifying Water Style in a place without water, is this still a genin?" Genma Shiranui, in the VIP viewing area, felt a tremor in his heart. He instantly used Shunshin to quickly move to higher ground for refuge!
Looking back at Gaara, his sand instinctively reacted faster than his consciousness! The previously dispersed sand instantly coalesced into a gigantic sphere, tightly protecting him within. The entire enclosed arena instantly became a purgatory ravaged by torrents, massive waves repeatedly crashing and tearing! Only Naruto could be seen standing alone atop a high wall, looking down like a deity upon the surging flood.
Once the chaos subsided, the arena had become a small, vast lake!
Naruto leaped down from the high wall, his sharp gaze penetrating the water's surface. Gaara and his sand sphere weren't floating; instead, they lay dormant at the bottom of the deep water, like a sunken ship's anchor.
Gulp~
Beneath the water, a wisp of bubbles emerged from the surface of the sand sphere. The outer shell cracked, and Gaara emerged, attempting to surface.
But, the sand, thoroughly soaked by the flood, was like lead, too heavy for him to control as easily as his own arm. This was the deadly purpose of Naruto's Water Style—to practically cripple his sand-control!
Heh heh, never seen this much water in the desert, have you?
Moreover, a wisp of Naruto's chakra tendril was subtly permeating the viscous, wet sand. Upon contact, he distinctly sensed a fiercely protective will—not the will of a Tailed Beast, but a human-like will. Is this the 'Mother' Gaara spoke of? An ordinary person would probably struggle to snatch control of the sand from this will, but he, Naruto, was a cheat, both in terms of chakra quantity and chakra control!
Gaara barely managed to stand firm on the waves, attempting to manipulate the sand. But then, he was suddenly shocked to realize that the soaked sand no longer responded to his call?
The next second, what he saw made his eyes split and his liver and guts burn with fury! All the sand, in a mad scramble, rushed towards that little blonde! And it even swirled around him, forming a giant sand sphere of loyal protection?!
"Mother...?" Gaara felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his soul violently shaken! That 'Mother's Love Sand' that had been imprinted as an instinct since birth, constantly guarding his life like a shadow, was now protecting his mortal enemy? This had never happened before!
"You... don't love me anymore...?" Gaara swayed precariously, his last remaining pillar of faith... seemed to be collapsing with a roar!
Naruto almost couldn't hold back his laughter at these words: "Cough, sorry! Your mom now—loves me!"
Buzz—
Gaara's mind went blank, his entire world shattered! The line of sanity in his pupils... snapped!
The Sand Shinobi Asura completely sank into a sea of blood: "Unforgivable! Unforgivable!!! The one who stole my mother... must pay with their life!!!"
"Aargh!!!"
Gaara let out a beastly howl, saliva flying!
Accompanied by the roar, his body violently swelled and distorted. Sandy-yellow beast markings, like a curse, crawled over his entire body, instantly transforming him into a hideous half-human, half-sand monster!
A storm of shock erupted in the audience, the uproar shaking heaven and earth!
"Come on!" There was no fear in Naruto's eyes, only burning battle intent! He had little interest in the little redhead's original body; the little redhead's own strength was barely worth a glance. What truly made his gaze burn... was the ancient beast locked within that monstrous shell! That was... a 'prey' worth exploring.
However, this half-finished product in front of him wasn't enough! Naruto's lips curled into a faint smile: "Hey, is that all you've got? The way your mother protects me... is far more loyal than you are!"
These words, like a poisoned blade, severed Gaara's last shred of sanity.
"Roar—!!!"
Accompanied by a beastly roar, RUMBLE!!!
A sandstorm instantly exploded, white smoke filling the entire arena. The smoke was too thick; it was impossible to see what was happening inside.
Suddenly, a giant claw inscribed with profound cursed markings tore through the smoke! Then, a colossal mountain of yellow sand and resentment, madly piled together, appeared, instantly overshadowing the sky and earth, its single tail sweeping through the air!
The Sand Disaster, Shukaku the One-Tail! Has descended!
Naruto nodded, a faint smile on his face, radiating endless confidence and composure.
Heh, even a Tailed Beast has come out. Then I'll show some real skill too!