"Anyone who harms Lord Wen Lan…
anyone who harms those close to Lord Wen Lan—
I will not forgive a single one of them!"
Haku's voice was icy cold as he stepped into the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.
Gaara waved his right hand.
Sand instantly condensed into a sharp blade that swept toward the mirrors.
The ice crystals trembled violently, cracks spreading across their surfaces—
but the fractures quickly repaired themselves.
Haku's body merged with the mirrors, moving rapidly between them.
His reflections multiplied and twisted, layer upon layer, as if countless versions of him had stepped out from a frozen world of mirrors—
like demons emerging from another realm.
"You won't escape!"
Haku continuously launched senbon and kunai at Gaara's vital points.
But every single attack was automatically blocked by the sand surrounding Gaara.
For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.
Haku quickly realized this.
So he shouted:
"Everyone, retreat immediately!"
Shikamaru understood his intention at once.
"Move! Now!"
Without hesitation, the group began running for their lives.
Gaara's eyes narrowed.
He sensed Haku's true purpose—
this fight had never been about victory.
It was about buying time.
The core of the ice mirrors began to resonate.
Frost spread across the ground at visible speed, and tiny crystals formed in the air.
But there was no way Gaara would let them escape so easily.
He needed blood—
and shattered flesh—
to satisfy the storm inside him.
"You…
not…
one…
of you…
will escape!"
He let out an inhuman roar.
A crimson tailed-beast cloak erupted around his body.
Within a one-kilometer radius, the earth itself began to shift, transforming into rolling waves of sand.
Ninjutsu — Quicksand Waterfall Flow!
"Die!
All of you—
Sand Burial!"
A massive tide of sand surged like a furious ocean, swallowing everything in its path.
Haku's figure shot out from the mirrors and fled immediately.
The sand waves roared behind him.
His body skimmed across the ground like drifting snow as his hands rapidly formed seals.
"Ice Release — Twin Dragon Blizzard!"
Two tornadoes erupted, blasting surrounding sand away.
Cold wind and pressure sliced through the storm, tearing open a narrow escape path.
Haku and the others rushed through the opening.
He remained at the rear of the group, repeatedly turning back to release Ice Release techniques to slow the pursuit.
Behind them, Gaara followed relentlessly.
Countless grains of sand twisted together into a gigantic sand hand that slammed down toward the fleeing group.
Suddenly—the sharp crackle of lightning split the air.
Two figures dashed forward from ahead of the group, racing straight past them.
"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
The two attacks struck the massive sand hand simultaneously.
The collision exploded with blinding light and spiraling chakra, shattering the sand apart and tearing open a gap.
The two figures landed on the ground.
Naruto and Sasuke.
"Sasuke! Naruto!"
Shikamaru and the others stared in shock.
They never expected reinforcements at this moment.
Naruto flashed a confident grin and tilted his head in what he thought was a cool pose.
"Sasuke, Sakura, and I noticed fighting over here—and Haku's Ice Release—so we came to check it out."
Sasuke snorted, lightning still crackling in his hand.
"Enough talking.
We'll handle this guy."
At that moment, sand slowly gathered together, forming Gaara's figure once again.
His expression was even more twisted than before.
After so long without killing anyone, his frustration had reached its peak.
"You will all die!
Every single one of you!"
"Don't act recklessly!" Haku shouted.
"He's a Jinchūriki!"
"A Jinchūriki, huh…"
Naruto paused for a second—
then broke into a wide grin.
He looked directly at Gaara.
"Like you're the only one."
His bright blue eyes gradually turned red.
His round pupils sharpened into slits.
A crimson tailed-beast cloak erupted around his body, just like Gaara's.
Inside his mind, a deep voice echoed.
[Kid, don't push it too far.
You can use my power now, but once the first tail fully forms, you'll lose control.]
Kurama.
Naruto clenched his teeth.
[I know.
But I'm not going to stand here and watch my friends die.]
His body lowered.
He dropped onto all fours like a wild beast.
His fangs sharpened.
His nails lengthened.
The red chakra cloak flickered around him like living fire.
"I'll back you up," Sasuke said, stepping beside him.
He closed his eyes briefly—
then opened them again.
Scarlet light flared.
His three-tomoe Sharingan spun into existence.
"I'll take the lead!" Naruto roared.
He launched forward like a feral animal, crimson chakra exploding outward in waves.
Inside Gaara, another voice screamed.
[It's that thing!
That filthy fox!
Kill him!
Kill it!]
The One-Tail, Shukaku, howled in rage.
Its fury further destabilized Gaara's mind.
Gaara released a monstrous roar.
His body began to twist.
The right side of his face was covered in sand, forming the grotesque features of a tanuki.
His right arm transformed into a massive sand claw that swung down toward Naruto.
Partial Transformation.
Naruto rolled aside just in time.
The ground where he had stood exploded into a deep crater.
Sasuke seized the opening.
Lightning gathered in his hand again.
He lunged toward Gaara's flank.
A sand shield formed instantly to block him—
but just as Chidori was about to strike—
dozens of sand spears erupted outward from the shield.
Desert Wave!
Sasuke instantly changed tactics.
He flashed aside, circling behind Gaara and thrusting Chidori toward his back.
But the attack pierced only flowing sand.
Gaara's real body had already leapt into the air.
His transformed sand arm crashed downward toward Sasuke.
"Not happening!"
Naruto charged in from the side.
His crimson chakra claw slammed into the massive sand hand.
The collision exploded, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
Sasuke used the momentum to retreat, eyes locked on Gaara's movements.
The moment Gaara landed—
a sand tail whipped out, aiming straight for Naruto's throat.
Naruto's slit pupils tightened.
He raised his clawed hand to block.
Chakra surged violently.
Claw and sand collided in a shower of sparks.
Using the rebound force, Naruto flipped into the air.
His right leg swung in a powerful arc.
The tailed-beast cloak condensed into a solid crimson tail that lashed out.
Gaara's pupils shrank.
His sand armor thickened instantly—
yet he was still blasted backward, carving a deep trench into the ground.
Sasuke formed hand seals.
"Fire Release — Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared forward, engulfing the battlefield in blazing heat.
Gaara struggled to rise.
Inside him, Shukaku's roar grew increasingly frenzied.
"Not enough!
Still not enough!
Kill them all!"
A gigantic sand vortex formed in the sky.
Countless streams of sand twisted into blades and rained down like a storm.
Sand Shower!
Kurama's voice thundered in Naruto's mind.
[That damn tanuki is driving this!
End this quickly—it's destabilizing the host!]
Naruto's expression hardened.
He rapidly formed hand seals.
Massive chakra surged through him like a rising tide.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
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