Boom!
Without hesitation, Sasuke's Chidori tore through Gaara's sand shield and struck him directly.
Chidori was powerful, but Sasuke knew Gaara had another layer of defense… his sand armor, the ultimate shield protecting his body.
Sasuke wasn't careless. He ensured this attack hit its mark, fully expecting resistance.
Crack, crack!
The next moment, cracks appeared on Gaara's body, rapidly spreading until his entire body fractured.
Crack, crack!
Then, Gaara shattered completely!
'Huh?'
'He shattered?'
'Superficial cracks were one thing, but how could his actual body break apart?'
Realizing something was wrong, Sasuke tried to retreat.
However, before he could move, the ground beneath him shifted, and sand coiled around his feet, locking him in place.
"This is…"
Sasuke turned his head, only to see the broken remains of 'Gaara' dissolve into sand. From a different spot on the sandy ground, a figure slowly emerged, which is none other than Gaara himself.
"Damn it!"
Sasuke wasn't a fool, he caught on quickly.
Gaara had played him. The apparent urgency, the sand shield, the staged defeat… all of it was part of an elaborate trap. Even Shukaku's action in their earlier mental battle was orchestrated to lull Sasuke into overconfidence.
Gaara wasn't just acting in haste, and he was expertly baiting Sasuke. After all, Gaara had teamed up with Naruto before and had mastered the art of deception. How could he not see through Sasuke's schemes?
"You're such an amateur. What's there to be angry about? You're just too weak."
Gaara taunted, smirking as he reversed their roles, now standing victorious.
"Brilliant!"
Deidara, observing from the sidelines, was thoroughly entertained. The layers of strategy and counter-strategy made the fight exhilarating.
'Are all the new generation this crafty?'
Deidara wondered, momentarily reflecting on his own comparatively straightforward methods.
"Don't be distracted!"
Sasori said in his usual serious tone, his eyes not leaving the mysterious black-robed figure.
It was unclear whether Sasori had seen through the subtleties of Gaara and Sasuke's fight or if his attention was entirely on the black-robed figure.
"Fine, fine, I get it." Deidara relented, albeit reluctantly.
Meanwhile, the sand coiling around Sasuke's legs tightened. It must be known that Gaara's sand wasn't just ordinary grains, but a weapon designed to kill.
Once someone was caught in it, the outcome was usually fatal.
"Why are you still struggling? Do you want to lose your legs?"
Gaara narrowed his eyes, confused by Sasuke's persistent resistance.
Like Deidara, Gaara couldn't understand why Sasuke kept fighting.
Raising his left hand as a warning, Gaara said coldly, "If you don't stop now, don't blame me for what happens next!"
With the sand binding Sasuke's legs, as long as Gaara squeezed his hand, the pressure would crush Sasuke's legs instantly.
However, Sasuke continued to struggle, showing no signs of yielding.
Seeing this, Gaara snorted coldly.
"Don't think that just because Naruto favors you, I'll go easy on you!"
"Sand Burial!"
With that, Gaara clenched his left hand tightly.
Bang!
The sand contracted violently, and Gaara had anticipated Sasuke's legs being crushed to pieces.
But this was just his fantasy.
Because deep down, Gaara knew Sasuke wasn't reckless enough to struggle without a plan.
The real question was: What's Sasuke's countermeasure?
Just when Gaara stared at Sasuke, Sasuke made a drastic move… he drew his Kusanagi Sword and severed both of his own lower legs in one swift motion. Using the momentum of his struggle, he propelled himself forward, straight toward Gaara.
'Sure enough, Sasuke has a way to solve the Sand Burial. As long as he cuts off...'
'Wait, cut off his legs?'
'Self-mutilation?'
'What the hell is this!'
'What kind of logic was this?'
'Did he believe that taking the initiative would somehow rob the me of my victory?'
'What could Sasuke possibly gain from such an extreme measure?'
'It's just a spar, is there a need to be that serious?'
"It's over. You've lost!"
With a flash of silver, Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword was placed on Gaara's neck.
Electricity crackled ominously along the blade, its deadly power undeniable.
'I'm afraid Sand Armor wouldn't be able to withstand such an attack.'
"… I've lost!"
Gaara admitted, letting out a deep breath. There was no hesitation in his tone.
It wasn't like he could 'self-destruct' by beheading himself to avoid defeat. After all, this was just a sparring match, and there was no need to take things so far.
"Man, this is insane!"
Deidara exclaimed from the sidelines, utterly shocked by Sasuke's boldness.
He had almost written off the match, only to witness Sasuke amputate his own legs to gain an advantage. The sheer ruthlessness and nerve required for such a move were beyond comprehension.
Deidara couldn't even call him a monster, as that would be an insult to monsters.
"You did the right thing by conceding."
Sasuke said with a smug grin, though beads of sweat rolled down his face, and even his clothes were soaked.
Despite his outward bravado, the agony of severing his own legs was excruciating. He had managed to suppress any screams, but his body couldn't hide the truth of what he had endured.
"Sasuke, you didn't have to go this far."
Gaara said with a sigh. He didn't see Sasuke's actions as heroic or impressive… just utterly insane.
Naruto's words echoed in Gaara's mind, 'As long as there's life, there's hope'.
But Sasuke seemed to have no regard for that philosophy, recklessly destroying his own 'future'.
'Without his legs, Sasuke's ability to pursue vengeance would be severely limited. It was simply foolish.'
However, Gaara could say more, the black-robed figure made her move.
In an instant, the black-robed figure appeared at Sasuke's severed legs. With a wave of her hand, the sand binding Sasuke's legs dissipated effortlessly, revealing the cleanly sliced lower limbs.
"What!?"
Gaara was stunned. He didn't expect his control over the sand had been completely overridden.
But before he could question it, the black-robed figure approached Sasuke, then took out a bottle of viscous green liquid. She carefully applied it to both the severed ends of Sasuke's legs and reattached the limbs.
After holding the pieces in place for about ten seconds, she stepped back.
To everyone's astonishment, Sasuke's legs remained firmly in place, as if fused together.
Not only that, but when Sasuke tentatively moved his thigh, the lower leg responded naturally.
Within less than a minute, Sasuke was standing, jumping, and moving as though nothing had happened.
"How is this possible..."
Gaara was completely stunned. The scene before him was beyond comprehension.
'Who is this black-robed figure?'
Gaara wasn't alone in his disbelief.
Sasori, who had been silently observing, also found himself deeply unsettled. The black-robed figure's actions were not just impressive… they were terrifying.
First, she had effortlessly disrupted Gaara's sand manipulation, a feat that required breaking through a layer of Chakra encryption. Sand control, like puppetry, involved intricate Chakra techniques that weren't easily interfered with. Sasori can do it too, but he knew it won't be as fast.
Second, the green liquid was unlike anything Sasori had ever encountered. As someone who had spent years perfecting human puppetry and even created the immensely powerful Sandaime Kazekage puppet, he had always relied on mechanical joints for easy replacement.
Watching the scene unfold, Sasori began to doubt his own eyes.
Sasori even suspected that the scene in front of him was just a Genjutsu.