Soon, it was Takeru and Gaara's turn to face off. Because of the earlier match between Naruto and Neji, Gaara's blood was currently boiling, and he could barely contain his killing intent.
"Takeru-nii, do your best!" Knowing Takeru was next to face Gaara, Ui quickly cheered.
Kankuro in the distance watched Takeru with mixed feelings, but he believed Gaara was invincible. At the very least, no one in this Chunin Exams could be his opponent.
As for Temari, she was somewhat worried. She feared Gaara might lose control now, forgetting their mission. After all, their current task wasn't just to pass the Chunin Exams, but to wait for the signal and carry out their assignment...
However, neither Takeru nor Gaara cared about these matters at the moment.
Having watched from above for a while, Takeru felt his hands itch for a fight. Although Gaara seemed somewhat weak now, he could still provide some entertainment.
Gaara, looking at Takeru, exuded an intense murderous aura, appearing extremely unstable. This was largely due to the earlier stimulation from Guy and Lee, which troubled Temari, who feared things might get out of hand.
But trying to persuade him now was useless. The current Gaara wouldn't listen, and if irritated, he wouldn't care that Temari was his sister.
"You two, please come down." Seeing both Takeru and Gaara had come to the arena, Genma spoke softly.
Lee and Kiba in the audience watched Takeru facing off against Gaara, silently cheering for Takeru. However, Lee didn't hold much hope, as even after opening five gates, he couldn't defeat Gaara. He feared Takeru would also struggle.
"Takeru, do your best!" Karin in the audience excitedly shouted, completely ignoring the surrounding gazes.
Aside from Orochimaru, who knew Takeru's strength, and Ui's group, others favored Gaara more.
"I didn't expect to face you so soon. I hope you don't disappoint me." Looking at Gaara, Takeru said with a smile.
"That's what I want to say!" Looking at Takeru, Gaara trembled uncontrollably, eager to begin.
"Begin!" Seeing both ready, Genma quickly announced and jumped back.
As Genma retreated, a large amount of sand flowed from the gourd on Gaara's back.
Takeru, his previously smiling expression slowly faded. His immense Aura surged forth, and with his will, a massive amount of malicious Aura flooded toward Gaara.
Sensing the malicious Aura Takeru released, Gaara was stunned. The malice Takeru exuded faintly surpassed the evil aura of Shukaku. In other words, Takeru seemed even more malevolent than the One-Tail. This discovery left him in disbelief.
"Come on, don't hold back. Otherwise... you'll die." Looking at Gaara, Takeru's expression turned extremely terrifying.
Especially in Gaara's eyes, under the influence of Takeru's Aura, the world darkened, and the surroundings seemed enveloped in an abnormally terrifying bloody scene.
"Thump! Thump!" Under this terrifying murderous malice, Gaara's heart pounded violently, and he felt as if he might lose consciousness.
Even the sand floating in the air seemed to lose vitality, falling to the ground.
'What is this? It feels so terrible.' Genma nearby was also affected by Takeru's Aura, feeling a chill and discomfort. He instinctively stepped back to distance himself from Takeru, and his Chakra sped up, making him feel slightly better.
"This is Takeru-nii's Aura? It's really powerful!" Ui above quickly used Gyo' and saw Takeru's Aura was like a vast ocean. If her own Aura was a cup of water, Takeru's was probably a river...
'What's happening? Gaara seems... seems afraid...' Seeing the expression on Gaara's face, Temari and Kankuro were stunned, their hearts feeling like a level 12 typhoon had struck...
'As terrifying as ever. I hope he doesn't disrupt my plans.' Orochimaru also watched Takeru intently, silently praying.
"What's wrong with him? Why isn't he attacking?" Naruto in the audience looked puzzledly at the motionless Takeru and Gaara.
Shikamaru also felt puzzled, but considering Takeru's mysteriousness, he sensed this wasn't simple. He glanced at Ui, having just heard an unfamiliar term: 'Aura?'
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to attack?" Seeing Gaara still motionless, Takeru spoke again.
Hearing Takeru, Gaara remained unresponsive, still trapped in that terrifying malice.
After all, although Gaara's heart was filled with violent emotions, his mind wasn't fully mature yet. Facing an aura seemingly even more malevolent than his own left him at a loss.
"Is this all? If you won't attack, then I will." Seeing Gaara still hadn't reacted, Takeru said flatly.
With that, Takeru slowly walked step by step toward Gaara, soon reaching a distance of less than a meter. Yet, Gaara remained motionless as Takeru approached.
Then, Takeru raised his arm and threw a punch directly at Gaara's face.
"Idiot! I don't know what's wrong with Gaara, but an attack like that definitely can't hurt him!" Seeing Takeru attack like that, Temari and Kankuro asserted.
Boom!!
With an explosive sound, they were shocked to see Gaara's Sand Shield shattered by Takeru's punch. The fist mercilessly struck Gaara's face, sending him flying.
"Impossible!" The suddenness left Kankuro in the audience standing up, his expression losing composure.
'Gaara's Sand Shield was shattered!' Temari in the competitor's area watched the flying Gaara in disbelief.
"Awesome! Go Takeru!" Unlike Temari and Kankuro's shock, Karin cheered excitedly.
"What a terrifying attack!" Seeing the Sand Shield he couldn't break shattered by Takeru's simple punch, Lee was astonished.
Guy also narrowed his eyes, 'With such strength and having obtained the Eight Gates, if Takeru mastered it and turned against Konoha, his threat would be extremely high.'
'How is this possible? A simple punch shattered Gaara's Sand Shield!' Baki couldn't help but gulp, sensing things were getting serious.
If such an attack hit Temari, Kankuro, or even himself, they'd probably be done in one hit.
Meanwhile, Gaara quickly stood up. The Sand Armor on his face continuously fell off, clearly broken by Takeru's punch, which had shattered both his Sand Shield and Sand Armor.
The pain brought Gaara's consciousness back to reality. Clutching his slightly swollen face, this was the first time since birth he felt physical pain. The sensation was novel and maddening.
"Well, are you clear-headed now? Next time, the attack won't be so light." Seeing Gaara's seemingly clearer gaze, Takeru said flatly.
"Damn it!" Sensing Takeru's disdainful gaze, Gaara instinctively grew furious.
"Sand Coffin!" With that thought, he extended his hand toward Takeru. Quickly, a large amount of sand, following Gaara's will, surrounded and bound Takeru.
Since Takeru simply stood with his arms crossed, watching Gaara, the sand easily enveloped him.
As the sand covered him, Takeru remained calm, doing just one thing: manifesting his Twilight Armor. The reason was purely to avoid ruining his clothes, and there was also a slim chance Gaara could shatter the armor.
"Why didn't he dodge?!" Those in the competitor's area noticed Takeru hadn't moved at all and were stunned.
Ui and Ritsu were also puzzled but sensible, choosing to trust Takeru's abilities.
"It's over. Too arrogant." Seeing this, Temari mentally mourned for Takeru...
"Takeru!" Lee also watched nervously as the sand enveloped Takeru. After all, his own right arm and leg were crippled by this very attack. If not for Takeru's treatment, he would have been permanently disabled.