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"Hmph, once Gaara uses his absolute defense, you'll never be able to hurt him!" Kankuro thought to himself as he stood aside, watching the scene unfold. His face showed disdain for Sasuke.
However, Sasuke ignored Kankuro's silent provocation. He held the long sword in his hand, calmly staring at the sand shield that was beginning to form in front of him.
"Gaara's absolute defense involves mobilizing all the sand in his body to form a shield. The density of these sands varies, which makes their hardness different. This is what makes it an absolute defense," Temari explained in detail from the side.
"So that's how it works..." Before Sasuke could finish speaking, he dashed towards Gaara like a bolt of blue lightning.
Seeing this, Gaara sneered, "Hmph, even if you're faster, so what? My absolute defense isn't something you can break easily!"
Sasuke, however, paid no attention to Gaara's words. He gripped his sword, now infused with lightning chakra, and struck Gaara with the force of a thunderstorm.
'Puff!'
The only sound heard was the sharp insertion of the blade as Sasuke's sword pierced through Gaara's right chest without any resistance. Clearly, the so-called absolute defense was nothing more than a joke in the face of Sasuke's overwhelming power.
'Tick!'
A drop of blood dripped from Sasuke's sword, landing on Gaara's hand.
"Blood... my blood..." Kankuro muttered in astonishment.
"Could it be that Gaara is injured?" Temari shouted in disbelief.
At that moment, Sasuke pulled his sword from Gaara's body, the blood on the blade clearly visible, telling the story of the battle that had just occurred. Sasuke casually waved his sword, splashing the blood onto the ground, creating a gruesome, eerie picture.
But then, something unexpected happened!
A sturdy arm suddenly emerged from Gaara's sand shield. The arm was a strange yellow color, covered in mysterious violet tattoos that looked particularly eerie and terrifying. As the surrounding sand gradually dispersed, Gaara's figure appeared before everyone.
Half of Gaara's face had completely transformed into Shukaku's, twisted and grotesque, exuding a menacing aura. There was no doubt—he had entered the tailed beast state, achieving an unprecedented level of control!
Recalling the first time he saw this, Kankuro felt a chill run through him, making it difficult to even swallow his food. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he stood on the sidelines, thinking to himself.
Meanwhile, Neji, who was hidden nearby, quietly activated his Byakugan and carefully observed everything in front of him. His eyes showed a trace of determination. "Sure enough, this person is the One-Tailed Jinchuriki of the Sand Village. That ominous chakra and this bizarre transformation... it has to be."
Though it was his first time witnessing a Jinchuriki fully transform into their tailed beast, the powerful aura and overwhelming sense of danger were deeply etched into Neji's mind.
'Sasuke, Sasuke, how are you going to handle this now?' Neji's eyes were fixed on Sasuke.
Once injured, Gaara would fall into the tailed beast state. Sasuke stared at Gaara's half-human, half-demon form and thought to himself, 'How ugly! Among the many Jinchuriki, only Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is even remotely handsome. The rest are just hideous!'
"Blood... my blood... I will kill you!" Gaara roared, charging at Sasuke like a mad beast.
"Oh, really? Didn't anyone tell you that the Sharingan is the tailed beast's worst enemy?" Sasuke shook his head in mock pity, then resolutely activated his Sharingan. The three-tomoe Sharingan instantly lit up, unleashing a powerful genjutsu.
Gaara, caught in the genjutsu, froze in place.
"How is this possible? Gaara was subdued so easily!" Kankuro exclaimed in surprise. "Even a powerful jonin would struggle to control Gaara in this form, let alone a mere genin!"
Temari was equally astonished. 'Could it be that Sasuke's strength has already surpassed that of a jonin?!'
As Gaara was completely controlled by Sasuke's genjutsu, Sasuke took the opportunity to enter Gaara's inner space. Gaara's inner space was strikingly similar to Naruto's, with a wet surface of water and a massive cage holding the One-Tail.
'Is this the One-Tail? What's the difference?' Sasuke thought to himself as he observed the One-Tail in front of him. "It just has less chakra than the Nine-Tails," he muttered softly.
Upon hearing Sasuke dare to compare him unfavorably to the Nine-Tails, Shukaku roared in fury, "You ignorant little brat! How dare you say I'm inferior to that stinking fox? I am Shukaku of the Sand! Unseal me now!"
"Unsealing isn't a problem, but..." Sasuke put on a sly smile, his expression filled with ill intent, like a cunning trickster.
"As long as you're willing to release a little of your chakra for me to study, everything can be discussed," Sasuke said, his voice smooth and deceptive.
Unfortunately for Shukaku, as a tailed beast, he had no understanding of human cunning and had never experienced the harsh realities of the world.
"No problem! As long as you unseal me, I'll give you as much chakra as you want!" Shukaku eagerly agreed, unaware that he was walking right into Sasuke's trap.
Shukaku began to release his chakra without hesitation. The powerful energy surged forth, seemingly endless.