For a brief moment, the entire arena fell silent.
It was the kind of silence that pressed heavily against the chest, suffocating and cold. Every spectator held their breath as if even the slightest sound would shatter the fragile tension hanging in the air.
If that crushing blow had struck an ordinary person, their skull would have shattered instantly. Death would have come without mercy.
But Gaara was no ordinary human.
His face turned deathly pale. His pupils trembled violently as confusion flickered across his expression. For a split second, he didn't seem to understand what had happened.
Then—
Crunch.
Crunch!!!
The freshly reformed Sand Armor covering his head cracked apart once more. It shattered like fragile pottery, fragments sliding slowly down his face. A thin trail of blood emerged from his forehead, weaving its way downward—between his eyes, over the bridge of his nose, past his lips—before dripping from his chin onto the arena floor.
Gaara stared at it.
"What… what is this?"
His voice trembled.
"This… is my blood?"
He lifted a shaking hand to his face. His fingers came away red.
"Too much… there's too much blood!"
His expression twisted grotesquely. Fear and rage tangled together, distorting his features beyond recognition. Something deep within him began to stir—something ancient, violent, and hungry.
Gaara screamed.
It wasn't the cry of a boy. It was the howl of a beast being unchained.
His body began to transform.
Sand swirled around him violently, rising like a storm. Half of his body disintegrated into shifting grains before reshaping into something monstrous. His human face seemed split in two—one side contorted with human fury, the other consumed by the cold, merciless eye of a demon.
Horns sprouted from the monstrous half of his head, curved and jagged like those of a demonic tanuki. His right arm expanded grotesquely, swelling into a massive claw of compacted sand—an enormous Sand Monster Arm radiating terrifying power.
A suffocating aura spread across the arena.
Many of the spectators shivered involuntarily.
"What is that?!"
"The monster inside Gaara… is it losing control?!"
Up in the Kage viewing platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply. His aged eyes narrowed as he glanced sideways.
"Kazekage-dono," he said calmly, though concern was evident in his voice, "should we stop this match?"
"If this continues, the Tailed Beast inside Gaara may fully awaken."
Beside him, Kazekage Rasa watched with an unreadable expression. Then, to everyone's surprise, he gave a cold, almost mocking smile.
"There is no need."
He folded his arms.
"The real battle has only just begun."
Hiruzen sighed softly. He had heard the rumors. Rasa's treatment of his own son was no secret in certain circles.
He said nothing more.
Below, Baki's face paled.
"This is bad," he muttered. "Gaara is completely losing himself. This is what happens when he can't suppress it…"
Temari clenched her fists nervously. "Baki-sensei, what do we do?!"
Kankuro swallowed hard. "Should we intervene?!"
Baki glanced toward Rasa again. Receiving no signal, he shook his head grimly.
"The Kazekage has given no orders. We wait."
Then his gaze shifted to Naruto.
"In this state… Uzumaki Naruto has no chance of winning."
In the arena, Naruto stared at Gaara's transformed body.
"What the heck is this thing?" he muttered. "Half human… half monster?"
Gaara's laughter echoed wildly.
"I'll kill you…!"
"Only then will my existence have meaning!"
"I'll kill you completely!!!"
Suddenly, the monstrous arm descended.
The gigantic Sand Hand slammed downward with crushing force.
Naruto leapt aside just in time. The impact shattered the arena floor, cracks spidering across the stone as debris exploded outward.
"Such insane power…"
Gaara's attacks grew more violent, more erratic.
"Sand Monster Claw!"
The sand arm extended unnaturally, stretching like a living creature. Faster. Longer. Deadlier.
Boom!!!
This time, the strike grazed Naruto, sending him skidding across the broken arena.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
His hands flashed through seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a thunderous pop, hundreds—no, thousands—of Shadow Clones flooded the battlefield.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
"He still has that much chakra?!"
"He's already fought two rounds!"
"He's a monster too!"
The clones roared in unison.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutting Technique!"
Thousands of razor-sharp wind blades tore across the arena. The air howled violently as the ground was ripped apart, deep fissures forming everywhere.
The Sand Monster Arm was shredded under the relentless assault.
Sand scattered in every direction.
Gaara stared in disbelief.
"How… how does he still have this much power?!"
"Will I… lose?"
"No! Impossible!"
Enraged, Gaara's monstrous form surged.
"Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough!"
A massive desert tempest roared to life. Sand filled the sky. The arena vanished beneath a suffocating storm that devoured everything in its path.
More than half of Naruto's clones disappeared instantly.
But the remaining clones retaliated.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Though individually weaker, their numbers were overwhelming. Hundreds unleashed the technique simultaneously. The combined force clashed directly against Gaara's sandstorm.
The center of the arena collapsed entirely.
A massive crater formed where the two forces collided.
Gaara panted heavily.
"To struggle this much… and still not win…"
He glared at Naruto.
"Who are you?!"
Naruto stepped forward through the dust.
"You wanna know who I am?"
He pointed at himself proudly.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"And I'm going to become a Hokage who surpasses every Hokage before me!"
"Now it's my turn!"
Naruto and his remaining clones attacked from all directions.
"Four-Way Shuriken Jutsu!"
Shuriken rained down mercilessly, piercing Gaara's transformed body.
Then came the close combat.
"Leaf Storm!"
"Leaf Hurricane!"
"Leaf Powerful Whirlwind!"
"Storm Palm!"
"Hurricane Punch!"
"Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Cutting Technique!"
The battlefield became a blur of relentless assaults. Taijutsu and ninjutsu blended seamlessly. Naruto and his clones moved like a coordinated army, striking from every angle.
Gaara had nowhere to escape.
Each blow hammered into his unstable form.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The combined force was overwhelming—like an entire battalion pressing forward without mercy.
Gaara roared in pain.
Sand splintered off his body.
Cracks spread across the monstrous exterior.
Yet still, he endured.
When the dust settled once more, over a hundred Shadow Clones remained standing around him.
Naruto stepped forward, breathing hard but smiling confidently.
Gaara's monstrous form trembled.
For the first time in his life…
Fear flickered in his eyes.
Not fear of pain.
But fear of being defeated.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)