Naruto understood very clearly that he could not defeat Gaara alone in his current condition.
If he wanted to win, he would have to rely on the power of the Nine-Tails.
However, he had not yet reached the stage of true Tailed Beast Transformation.
At most, he could barely draw on a small portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Whether the Nine-Tails would lend him its power depended entirely on its mood.
Especially since Naruto's life was not in immediate danger, the Nine-Tails had no reason to cooperate.
This was precisely why Sora disliked the power of jinchuriki.
Because it was not truly their own power.
It was unreliable and dangerous, and at any moment it could turn into a death sentence.
Just like now.
If the Nine-Tails refused to help, Naruto had no other options.
"No time!"
Seeing Gaara charging toward him, Naruto clenched his teeth and prepared to dodge.
At that moment, a fierce gust of wind suddenly erupted from behind Gaara.
Gaara instantly reacted, clapping his hands together and severing the Shukaku's Hand that was strangling Sakura.
Another sand arm immediately formed, and Gaara crossed his arms to block.
Bang!
Gaara was blasted backward more than ten meters before crashing into a tree.
However, he was not injured.
"After the initial Tailed Beast Transformation created that sand defense, even Monster Strength Fist can't injure him."
Sora thought as he landed lightly on the ground and stared at Gaara, whose body was now mostly covered in sand.
"You finally appeared," Gaara said excitedly. "I thought you were afraid of me and wouldn't come."
"I said before that we would settle everything during the Chunin Exams," Sora replied calmly.
To be honest, there was never much personal hatred between them. Aside from a single mission conflict, there had been no true hostility.
What Sora felt now was not anger.
It was pure battle intent.
"I can't wait," Gaara said as he clenched his hand.
Sand suddenly erupted around Sora, binding him instantly.
"After the Tailed Beast Transformation, the power and speed of his sand have increased significantly," Sora noted inwardly.
Gaara's strength continued to rise as the transformation progressed.
"Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral!"
Boom!
The sand crushed Sora completely.
But instead of blood, water burst out.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A massive water dragon descended from the sky and smashed directly into Gaara's sand armor.
Immediately, portions of the sand began to fall away, and Gaara's body became noticeably heavier.
"You haven't mastered Wind Nature Transformation yet, so Water Release is your sand's natural enemy," Sora said.
"And this is Konaha, not the desert where we fought before. There may not be rivers here, but the moisture in the air is more than enough to support Water Release."
Sora stepped forward and struck Gaara with another punch.
"Monster Strength Fist!"
The impact exploded.
Large amounts of sand were blasted away from Gaara's body, and he was thrown dozens of meters across the battlefield.
While Sora and Gaara fought fiercely, Naruto and Sasuke managed to rescue Sakura.
However, neither of them could help.
Sasuke had already exhausted himself from overusing Chidori and the Curse Mark.
Naruto had nearly drained all his chakra during his battle with Sora and was badly injured.
And Sakura simply lacked the power to intervene.
They could only watch.
"This is almost the same as before," Temari murmured while watching the battle. "Another fight between them. But this time Gaara has become a monster. You cannot win."
"Ha!"
Gaara suddenly widened his eyes in fury.
The sand covering his body shifted again.
A tail made of sand grew from behind him.
Now he looked exactly like a miniature version of Shukaku.
"Die!"
Gaara waved his hands, and countless Sand Shuriken filled the sky, sealing every direction of escape for Sora.
"I told you," Sora said calmly, "this is not the desert, and I am not the same person I was before. Ninjutsu counters exist. If used correctly, the weak can defeat the strong.
Right now my strength is greater than yours, and I also possess the elemental advantage. Gaara, show me the true power of a jinchuriki."
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Sora thrust both hands forward.
Water began swirling violently around him before erupting into a massive torrent like a crashing waterfall.
The enormous wave smashed through the Sand Shuriken and surged directly toward Gaara.
"Sand Waterfall Torrent!"
Gaara slammed his hands against the ground.
The endless sand rose like massive waves, forming a defensive wall like a flood barrier.
But Sora's expression remained calm.
"I told you already. Sand that has not incorporated Wind Nature Transformation cannot resist my Water Release. I have mastered the nature transformation of water."
"Break!"
The waterfall surged with even greater force.
Boom!
The sand barrier collapsed, and the torrent crashed directly into Gaara, sending him flying again.
Naruto and Sasuke stared in disbelief.
"Even when we combined our full strength, we couldn't defeat him," Sasuke thought bitterly.
"But Sora pushed Gaara into this state within just a few moves. Is the gap between us really that large?"
Temari covered her mouth in shock.
"Gaara actually…"
She could hardly believe that Gaara, who was nearly in his full transformation, was still losing.
"ROAR!"
Gaara roared from within the torrent.
Boom!
His body suddenly expanded.
In an instant, he transformed into a colossal creature even larger than Gamabunta.
Gaara had reached the final stage of his Tailed Beast Transformation.
"How interesting," Gaara said from the top of Shukaku's head, his eyes empty and terrifying. "You are strong. Then I will show you the true power of the Sand Shukaku."
"Fake Sleep Technique."
Gaara's body suddenly collapsed as if he had fallen asleep.
At the same moment, Shukaku's eyes rolled once before becoming filled with ferocity.
"Wahahaha!" Shukaku roared wildly. "I'm finally free! I'm going to kill a lot of people!"
"So this is Shukaku," Sora muttered as he stood atop a tall tree.
A fully transformed jinchuriki was a terrifying existence.
The chakra of a tailed beast was unimaginably vast.
Any simple ninjutsu used by such a creature would become devastating.
"I see a little ant," Shukaku said gleefully as it stared at Sora.
"I'm going to kill you."
Shukaku slapped its own belly and unleashed a technique.
"Wind Release: Drill Air Bullet!"
If a human used this technique, it would only create a wind sphere about one meter wide.
But when Shukaku used it, the wind projectile expanded to nearly eight meters in diameter.
Getting hit by it would be extremely dangerous.
...
Author's Note:
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1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
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5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
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