Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
If we hit 150 PW I post a extra chapter.
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Enjoy the chapter!
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Following Deidara's evasive maneuver, the silence in the stadium lasted for barely a fraction of a second.
The small clay sculpture the Stone ninja had molded in mid-air began to expand at a staggering speed, absorbing its user's chakra until it took the form of a massive white owl with rugged plumage. The creature beat its clay wings with a powerful whistle, generating an ascending air current that lifted Deidara several dozen meters above the direct reach of Gaara's three sand and crystal serpents.
The massive columns of crystal and sand slammed into the reinforced stone ground with a heavy, dull thud that shook the lower section of the stands, kicking up a dense cloud of dust and glittering shards that hovered in the desert breeze. From above, his long blonde bangs fluttering in the wind and covering the left half of his face, Deidara observed the impact with a broad, arrogant smirk.
"Not bad for starters, Gaara! But if you think you can reach me from down there at this distance, you're dead wrong!" Deidara shouted, his mocking voice echoing throughout the entire colosseum. "Let's see how you handle things when I step up the level! Behold the true beauty of Art!"
Without wasting a single moment, Deidara plunged both hands into the canvas pouches strapped to his waist. The mouth-like openings on his palms eagerly devoured a significantly larger amount of white clay, preparing for his art.
The veins on his forearms bulged beneath his skin as he kneaded the mixture. Within seconds, Deidara extended his arms forward and spat out a gigantic white mass that molded itself in mid-air into a winged dragon with a long neck, a sleek tail, and cavernous jaws. The clay creature began circling autonomously above the colosseum, serving as a defensive platform and aerial artillery while Deidara stationed himself atop the owl's back.
Below, in the very center of the ring, Gaara slowly looked up. His face remained impassive; his green eyes, framed by the dark circles that accentuated his cold gaze, showed not the slightest flicker of concern at his opponent's aerial display. His hands began to move smoothly as the sand surrounding him matched his motion.
"A larger target in the sky will not grant you victory," Gaara murmured in his calm, measured voice. "It only means you are an easier target to hit."
Without weaving a single hand seal, Gaara extended both hands toward the heavens, slowly opening his palms. The mass of sand infused with crystal shards resting at his feet instantly responded to his chakra's call. The ground groaned as dozens of sharp projectiles and spears of pure crystal formed on the surface and launched into the sky at an angle, piercing the air like a deadly ascending shower.
"Too slow! C2: Clay Dragon!" Deidara yelled with maniacal enthusiasm.
The clay dragon opened its jaws and began spitting a continuous barrage of small, winged missile-shaped clay sculptures. The explosive creations dove in a blinding streak, intercepting Gaara's shower of crystal spears mid-air.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A sequence of violent, consecutive explosions shook the foundations of the entire stadium. The destructive power of the C2 projectiles was brutally superior to the simple birds used in his initial assault.
Each detonation generated a sphere of orange flame and an expanding shockwave that rattled the metal railings, cracked the stone slabs of the arena floor, and blasted waves of scorching air toward the front rows of the audience, forcing hundreds of spectators to shield their faces with their arms even as a chakra barrier covered them.
Gaara was forced to move his feet. He knew perfectly well that the intensity of the C2's concentrated fire was not something he could simply absorb by standing still in the center of the ring without testing the structural limits of his automatic defenses.
Taking several steps back with refined agility, he manipulated the thin layer of sand beneath his sandals to create a sliding flow that propelled him at high speed along the perimeter of the arena, dodging the direct points of impact.
However, the rain of missiles from the clay dragon showed no sign of stopping. Every time Gaara erected an inclined wall of crystal to deflect a lateral blast, the vibrations from the consecutive impacts cracked the outer layer of the mineral, forcing him to constantly reconstitute the crystalline mass.
In the VIP box, the Fourth Raikage, A, observed the frantic exchange with narrowed yellow eyes and broad arms crossed over his chest.
"That kid knows how to use his tactical advantage," A noted in a deep tone, his attention fixed on the battle. "He's taking advantage of his aerial coverage and the destructive power of his clay to force the Sand boy to drain his chakra on continuous defense. If Daigo's student stays trapped in a defensive posture, the pressure and heat will eventually wear down his concentration."
"Don't underestimate him," Minato Namikaze chimed in with serenity, maintaining his elegant posture and a calm smile as his blue eyes analyzed the trajectory of the projectiles.
"Unlike a conventional shinobi, the density of his crystal and the fluidity of his sand do not require complex hand seals. His control is almost organic. Deidara, on the other hand, is investing a massive amount of clay and chakra into every single one of those creations. Both are well aware that this is merely the first match of the grand finals; neither can afford to reach complete exhaustion this early."
In the air, Deidara's breathing was becoming slightly heavier. Although his offense appeared dominant from the crowd's perspective, his hands worked tirelessly inside his clay pouches, and Gaara's serene composure—dodging with pinpoint precision amid the explosions—was beginning to erode his patience.
'Damn it... the old man warned me that the crystal defense the Kazekage taught him was tough, but this is ridiculous,' Deidara thought, gritting his teeth as his palms furiously kneaded more material. 'My C2 explosions barely slow his movements for a few seconds, and that protective sand rebuilds the crystal almost instantly. If I keep draining my reserves like this, I'll run out of clay before I can show this guy what true art really is.'
Below, amid the thick smoke and falling sparks from the aerial detonations, Gaara arrived at the exact same strategic conclusion. He fixed his gaze on the flight path of the owl carrying Deidara and the position of the clay dragon acting as his attack platform.
'His supply of clay in those pouches is limited,' Gaara analyzed in the quiet of his mind, calculating his opponent's consumption. 'His style relies entirely on maintaining distance in the air to avoid exposure to my sand. If I maintain this pattern of dodging and attrition, he will be forced to resort to a large-scale attack to try and destroy me in a single strike. I have to force that moment now.'
Gaara stopped at the eastern edge of the arena floor. He crossed the fingers of his right hand into a basic seal and channeled his chakra into the ground. The mass of crystal-infused sand surrounding him did not rise into a defensive wall; instead, it spread out into a dense carpet that covered almost the entire surface of the ring, rendering the terrain highly unstable, glittering, and treacherous for any ground combat.
From above, Deidara noticed the transformation of the ground and instantly grasped Gaara's intent.
"Trying to take over the entire field so I have nowhere to land? How naive of you!" Deidara yelled, throwing his arms into the air with an exaggerated gesture. "I already told you, Gaara! Art is a fleeting explosion! If I can't break through that annoying defense of yours piece by piece, I'll blow you to a thousand pieces all at once!"
The gigantic clay dragon began to emit an intense white glow as Deidara poured a massive amount of his remaining chakra into the core of his creation. The dragon folded its wings violently and changed course, initiating a high-speed suicide dive directly toward the center of the ring where Gaara stood waiting.
"Behold my masterpiece! The ultimate art of this battle!" Deidara shouted with a unhinged laugh, bringing his index and middle fingers together on both hands in the detonation seal. "C2: Grand Detonation!"
The clay dragon crashed headlong into the center of the sand and crystal field.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A blinding white flash consumed the entire ring in a fraction of a second. The explosion reached a level of destructive magnitude never before witnessed in any of the tournament's previous fights. A massive column of fire, extreme heat, and compressed air surged into the colosseum sky, pulverizing the stone perimeter walls and straining the chakra barriers that the Sand ninja squads barely managed to keep active to protect the audience.
The blast produced a roar so deafening that the vast majority of spectators in the stands were forced to cover their ears, terrified by the sheer force of the shockwave. Gusts of scorching wind and debris swept across the field from end to end, raising an impenetrable curtain of smoke, dust, ash, and shattered crystal shards that completely blanketed the entire combat area.
For a long time, no one in the colosseum could make out anything inside the ring. A deathly silence reclaimed the crowd in the stands, broken only by the crackle of settling debris following the explosion.
In the sky, Deidara's clay owl slowly glided in descending circles. The Stone ninja was breathing with visible difficulty; cold beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and the sleeves of his tactical tunic were torn from the violence of the shockwave he had unleashed.
"Ha... hahah... I hit him dead on!" Deidara celebrated, his voice raspy from exertion as he stared into the overwhelming dust cloud. "No one... absolutely no one can walk away unscathed from a direct hit from the C2 Dragon at that distance!"
However, as the warm desert breeze slowly began to clear the curtain of smoke at the center of the ring, a human figure began to emerge from the dust.
There stood Gaara. He remained standing, his back turned toward Deidara's position, seemingly encased in a thin layer of heat-refractory crystal that appeared to have absorbed the brunt of the blast. Yet, the figure remained completely rigid, making no movement and uttering no sound.
Deidara savored his victory for a brief second, but suddenly, the Stone ninja's highly trained shinobi instincts set off a blaring alarm in the back of his mind. A chilling sensation ran down his spine, and the hair on his arms stood on end.
'Jump! Jump right now!' every nerve in his body screamed in pure panic.
Deidara tried to react and leap backward off the back of his clay owl, but the warning from his senses came a split second too late.
The figure of Gaara standing in the center of the field began to crack with a sharp, crystalline screech. It was not a body of flesh and bone: the structure crumbled entirely into glittering blocks, revealing it to be a Crystal Kage Bunshin (Crystal Clone), strategically deployed the precise second the blinding light of the initial explosion had erased all visibility on the field.
"What... how is this possible...?" Deidara gasped, his eyes wide with shock.
CRASH!
The dense carpet of sand and crystal covering the arena floor burst open directly beneath Deidara's owl. The real Gaara had never been on the surface during the Grand Detonation; he had taken refuge deep underground using his manipulation to construct a protective capsule capable of completely isolating him from the extreme heat and shockwave, emerging unscathed except for minor scratches on his forearms and a fine layer of dust on his clothes.
Two massive arms of sand intertwined with crystal needles erupted from the ground like giant pincers, moving at a terrifying speed. Before Deidara could complete his evasive leap from the back of his clay mount, the hands clamped violently around his arms, trapping him with crushing pressure at his wrists, forearms, and elbows.
"Damn it!" Deidara roared in fury, attempting to channel chakra through the mouths on his palms to disrupt the sand's structure, but the thousands of crystal shards embedded throughout the mass cut directly into his arms, tearing the skin of his hands at the slightest tug.
Gaara emerged completely from the earth atop a floating crystal platform. His green eyes locked onto Deidara with absolute coldness, devoid of any hesitation or tactical doubt.
"You grew arrogant," Gaara declared in a calm, steady voice. "You thought the scale of your explosions was the only thing dictating the pace of this battle."
Deidara thrashed in pure desperation, but the sand's grip tightened further, crushing the leather of his gloves and the flesh underneath.
"During the preliminary phase..." Gaara continued, stepping forward on the platform as he raised his right hand and began closing his fingers with terrifying slowness, "...you used your explosive traps to inflict severe injuries upon the body of my brother, Kankurō. I warned you before the referee gave the signal to start that you would not leave this arena unscathed, and I also use the exact same tactic on you."
Gaara fixed his relentless gaze on the Stone ninja's shocked eyes.
"Today, I give you a taste of your own medicine," Gaara declared. "Sabaku Kyū!"
The sand and crystal encasing both of Deidara's arms compacted instantly with the crushing force of a solid block of steel.
"AAAAGGGHHH!" Deidara screamed in unbearable agony.
In an act of pure survival instinct and desperate reflex, Deidara forced a final surge of explosive chakra into his right arm, violently twisting his shoulder and pulling back with all his body weight to break free at the absolute last millisecond. Although he managed to tear his right arm loose, the friction shredded the skin of his wrist and dislocated his elbow with a sickening pop. His left arm, however, was not so fortunate.
The mass of crystal and sand snapped completely shut around Deidara's left limb.
CRACK!
A sickening crunch of pulverized bone echoed across the entire colosseum. Deidara's left arm was utterly destroyed and crushed by the unrelenting pressure of Gaara's jutsu, mercilessly shattering muscle, nerves, and bone structure.
The Stone ninja unleashed a second blood-curdling shriek, falling to his knees upon the sand while clutching the ruined stump of his left shoulder with his mangled right hand, blood pouring out and staining the sparkling crystal floor crimson.
A murmur of sheer shock and horror rippled through every corner of the Grand Colosseum's stands. Nobles from various provinces, civilians, and even seasoned shinobi from the Great Nations leapt to their feet, stunned by the brutality, coldness, and precision of the counterattack executed by Daigo's pupil. The violence of the outcome left the crowd breathless.
Gaara, showing no mercy, raised his right hand once more. The sand around him began to coalesce again, sharpening into a massive crystal spear destined to deliver the final blow and stake his opponent to the arena floor for what he had done to his brother.
However, before the spear could launch, a figure appeared in a blur of speed directly in the line of fire between the two competitors.
The Jonin supervisor of the match stepped in, extending both arms to his sides and glaring at Gaara with extreme severity.
"Enough!" the proctor commanded, his powerful voice ringing throughout the ring. "The match is over!"
Gaara halted the mass of sand mere millimeters from the proctor's face. He held his raised fist for a second before slowly lowering his arm, causing the sand and crystal to dissolve and collapse back to the ground as harmless grains.
The instructor turned quickly to assess Deidara's condition, who lay on the ground breathing shallowly, pale from massive blood loss and traumatic shock, utterly incapable of standing or continuing to fight without imminent risk to his life.
The supervisor raised his right hand toward the Sand village contestant.
"By verified physical inability of the opponent to continue, the winner of the first match of the finals is... Gaara of Sunagakure!" the Jonin announced to the entire stadium.
The stunned silence over the stands shattered into a million pieces. The Sunagakure crowd erupted into a thunderous roar of cheers, applause, and chanting. The shouts celebrating the Kazekage's nephew and student made the entire colosseum structure vibrate, proudly marking Sand's first official victory in the tournament.
Two Sand medical ninja immediately leaped onto the field carrying a stretcher and blood-stanching seals to treat Deidara's severe injuries and rush him to the stadium's medical facility.
In the VIP box, the atmosphere was dense and heavily strained.
Ōnoki, hovering to the left of the ceremonial throne, clenched his fists behind his back so tightly that his knuckles were stark white. His wrinkled eyes flashed with suppressed rage as he watched his star pupil being carried away bleeding, maimed, and defeated in the very first round before the eyes of all the Great Nations.
Daigo settled comfortably into his Kazekage throne. He shifted his gaze slightly toward the Tsuchikage and, without saying a word, offered him a subtle smile marked by calm satisfaction and a quiet, strategic mockery that needed no explanation.
Old Ōnoki, grinding his jaw in deep bitterness, abruptly snapped his gaze away, refusing to give Daigo the satisfaction of seeing his frustration spoken out loud.
In the center of the ring, Gaara turned around in silence. He adjusted the strap of his gourd over his shoulder and began walking slowly back toward the competitors' tunnel, leaving behind Sunagakure's first victory and setting the stage for the battles yet to come.