We burst through the tree line and landed on the edge of a massive, devastated clearing. The trees had been uprooted, the ground was shredded, and craters littered the landscape.
In the center of the destruction, Sasuke Uchiha was on his knees.
He was clutching his neck, his face contorted in absolute agony. The Curse Mark—Orochimaru's toxic parting gift—was spreading across his skin in ugly, jagged black flames. He was paralyzed, his chakra completely drained from overusing the Chidori.
Looming over him was a nightmare.
Gaara was no longer human. The right half of his body was completely encased in thick, grotesque sand. A massive, deformed, clawed arm hung from his shoulder, and half of his face had transformed into the demonic, grinning visage of the One-Tailed Shukaku. One golden, star-shaped eye stared down at Sasuke with pure, unadulterated bloodlust.
"You... you are weak!" Gaara's voice was distorted, a horrifying blend of a young boy and an ancient demon. "Mother wants your blood, Uchiha! Your death will prove my existence!"
Gaara raised his massive, monstrous sand claw, preparing to crush Sasuke into paste.
"Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked in terror.
"Doom. Intercept," I commanded coldly.
ROOOOAR!
Doom didn't hesitate. He launched himself off the tree branch like a fired missile. He crossed the clearing in a fraction of a second, his jaws opening wide.
Just as Gaara brought his massive claw down, Doom slammed into him from the side.
CRASH.
The sheer kinetic force of the A-Rank hellhound threw the partially transformed Jinchuriki off his feet. Doom's jaws clamped down hard on Gaara's monstrous sand arm. Hellfire erupted from the hound's mouth, superheating the sand instantly, turning the point of contact into glowing, molten glass.
"GAAAAH!" Gaara screamed, the heat bypassing his automatic defense and actually burning the demon's chakra. He violently swung his arm, throwing Doom off him, but the hellhound landed gracefully on his paws, sliding to a halt in front of Sasuke, snarling fiercely.
I dropped down from the trees, landing right next to Doom, with Naruto crashing into the dirt beside me.
"Sasuke! Are you okay?!" Naruto yelled, running over to the paralyzed Uchiha.
"You... idiots," Sasuke wheezed, glaring at us through the pain of the Curse Mark. "I told you... to stay out of this..."
"Shut up, edge-lord. You're bleeding out on the dirt," I sighed, pulling a kunai from my pouch. "Leave the heavy lifting to the professionals."
Gaara staggered to his feet. He clutched his partially melted sand arm. His golden, demonic eye snapped toward me.
He froze.
The memory of the hospital room flashed through his fractured mind. The crushing weight of the Haki. The absolute, terrifying dominance that had shattered his Sand Shield with a single punch.
"You..." Gaara hissed, taking a step back, a mix of pure terror and boiling demonic rage warring in his eyes. "You... the monster..."
"I prefer 'Kenji'," I corrected, coating my kunai in [Armament Haki], turning the blade jet-black. "But if you insist, I can play the monster. You didn't learn your lesson in the hospital, Gaara. I told you what would happen if you made a mess."
Gaara clutched his head, his screams echoing through the forest. The terror I instilled in him was actually making him lose control faster. The Shukaku sensed his host's fear and used it to push further to the surface.
"NO! I am the strongest! I WILL KILL YOU!"
Sand erupted from the ground in a massive geyser. The forest shook violently as more and more sand gathered around Gaara's body. The transformation was accelerating. A massive, thick tail of sand slammed into the ground, completely obliterating the trees behind him.
"He's getting bigger!" Naruto yelled, backing up as the sheer wind pressure of the transformation pushed us back.
"Naruto," I said, keeping my eyes locked on the growing beast. "Remember that summoning jutsu Jiraiya taught you? The one you used to summon the teacup toad?"
"Yeah!"
"Use it now. Put some actual chakra into it this time. We need something big to distract him while I figure out how to crack his shell."
"Right!" Naruto bit his thumb, the Kyuubi's red chakra suddenly flaring around him as he realized the life-or-death stakes. He slammed his hands together.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Naruto slammed his palm onto the dirt. A massive array of black ink spread outward.
POOF!
A huge cloud of white smoke erupted, blocking our view of Gaara.
I smirked. Finally. Gamabunta.
The smoke cleared.
Sitting on the ground, wearing a tiny blue jacket and smoking a minuscule cigarette, was a toad the size of a bulldog.
"Yo," Gamakichi croaked. "You guys got any snacks? It's crazy out here."
Naruto stared at the toad. I stared at the toad. Doom sniffed the toad, contemplating if it was an appetizer.
"Naruto," I said, my voice completely deadpan. "Did you seriously just summon the exact same useless amphibian you summoned yesterday, just slightly larger?"
"I MESSED UP!" Naruto screamed, grabbing his hair in pure panic. "THE CHAKRA SLIPPED! I'M SORRY!"
ROOOAAAAR!
The ground shattered.
Standing before us was no longer a boy. It was the complete, fully manifested form of the One-Tailed Shukaku. A massive, towering tanuki made of sand, adorned with blue cursed seal markings. Its sheer size cast a shadow over the entire forest.
The Shukaku let out a maniacal, booming laugh that shook the leaves from the trees.
"FINALLY! I AM FREEEEE! BLOOD! I WANT TO TASTE BLOOD!"
Author's Note:
Want to read advanced chapter with image illustrations subscribe to my patreon.
👉 patreon.com/evilUchiha