So, who's coming first? Gaara thought, not overestimating himself enough to attack first.
Though the two rogue ninjas were jōnin, they still treated him with caution due to his technique, but that was all.
Soon enough, Gaara saw the kenjutsu maniac make the first move, charging at him from the front.
Here he comes.
The man swiped his blade down toward Gaara. Without hesitation, Gaara sidestepped, unwilling to risk blocking with his body. Before the man could press the attack, Gaara's sand barrier had already risen, covering his neck, down to his right shoulder and waist.
Shit, he's fast! Gaara thought, a flicker of panic rising. But he quickly regained composure—this much was still manageable.
Taking advantage of the second he had before the man could react, Gaara went for a palm strike aimed at his opponent's ribcage. But just as quickly, the man took a step back, slashing his blade at Gaara's hand.
Without missing a beat, Gaara summoned sand arms to assist in blocking, realizing this would not be an easy fight.
With the sand left arm, Gaara deflected the blade, then continued his close combat assault with his palm. However, the man stood his ground, effortlessly deflecting all four of Gaara's attacks as if they were nothing more than child's play. Sweat began to bead on Gaara's forehead.
He couldn't see a path to victory.
The situation worsened when Gaara found himself struggling against the maniac's relentless attacks. Out of nowhere, the taijutsu specialist—his partner—joined the fray with almost supernatural speed. Reflexes kicked in, and Gaara's sand barrier shot up from his back, just in time to block the incoming strikes.
But that wasn't all. The taijutsu fighter quickly launched a barrage of punches from multiple angles, and Gaara couldn't predict them all. Fortunately, the hardened sand barrier held strong against the onslaught.
To make matters worse, the kenjutsu maniac began praising his partner's taijutsu, further exacerbating the pressure on Gaara.
At this point, Gaara's martial arts were useless. All he could do was reinforce his sand barrier with earth-infused chakra to make it thicker and more resilient.
"Hahaha! Now you're hiding like a turtle in your shell? Where's your pride?" the kenjutsu maniac taunted, clearly enjoying the situation.
Gaara couldn't find an opening to land a hit. He was stuck in a defensive position.
"Just keep hiding that way. I'd love to see your face when I break your absolute defense," the taijutsu specialist said, stepping back and giving the kenjutsu maniac space to perform hand signs.
"Lightning Style—Lightning Thunder Clap!"
Boom!
Gaara could already feel the intense impact of the lightning as it struck his sand, causing the barrier to shake violently.
"I'm not done yet!!" the maniac shouted.
"Lightning Style—Multiple Lightning Thunder Claps!"
Shit, reinforce, reinforce, reinforce! Gaara panicked, trying to strengthen his sand barrier in time for the next strike.
In the blink of an eye, ten lightning bolts surrounded Gaara's defense cocoon, unleashing their fury all at once.
Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang...
Gaara was shaken to his core, but the barrier still held, though he could feel it weakening with each successive strike.
"Still standing, huh? Lord Gaara?" the kenjutsu maniac mocked.
Another attack? Does this bastard have infinite chakra or something? Gaara thought, sensing the man gathering chakra at an alarming rate.
Gaara was now a stationary target.
His moment of hesitation was brief, but it was enough. His hands moved swiftly as his mind raced.
"Sand Style—Sand Storm!" Gaara called, followed by, "Sand Barrage!!"
The sand in the area was immediately thrown into chaos. A massive sand tsunami rose up, flooding the battlefield and kicking up enough dust to obscure vision and disrupt the flow of chakra.
"Resistance is futile!!" Gaara heard the maniac taunt from above. Somehow, he had leaped high into the air and was now suspended, his presence amplified by the roar of lightning crackling in his hands.
"Lightning Style..." the man began, preparing another devastating attack.