"What?"
Kankuro and Temari were shocked. They had never seen anyone survive being enveloped by Gaara's sand.
Gaara frowned, surprised that his previous attack had no effect.
"Sister." Hinata ran over from a distance, throwing herself into Kaguya's arms, her eyes red.
"I'm fine, don't worry," Kaguya patted her head, smiling. "Go stand over there."
"Okay," Hinata softly replied and obediently returned to stand beside Kiba and Shino.
"I thought you were stronger than this," Kaguya laughed lightly.
"Idiot, is she trying to provoke Gaara?" Temari said angrily.
Sure enough, Gaara's face darkened at Kaguya's words. He raised his arm lightly and then slammed it down onto the ground.
"Quicksand Waterfall Flow."
With Gaara's low shout, the ground suddenly shattered, the rocks and soil instantly pulverized into sand.
In no time, the solid ground turned into rolling quicksand, covering an area of hundreds of meters, creating a sea of sand. The sand sea not only surrounded Kaguya but also affected the others around.
"Gaara, stop!" Kankuro shouted.
Gaara ignored him, acting as if he didn't hear anything.
"Damn it," Temari grabbed Kankuro's hand with one hand and pulled out her fan with the other. She swung it with force, creating a gust of wind infused with chakra, using it to escape the range of the attack.
Kiba and the others weren't as lucky. Their feet were already stuck in the quicksand, sinking deeper with each passing moment. The surrounding area had turned into a sea of sand, leaving them no place to escape.
Kaguya wanted to save them, but a sand wall appeared in front of her. When she turned around, she saw a massive wave of quicksand, twenty to thirty meters high, rising behind her, rushing towards her like a tsunami.
Just as the sand wave was about to engulf Kaguya, she extended her white arm towards the overwhelming wave.
"What is she doing? Is she an idiot?" Temari, having pulled Kankuro out of the quicksand, looked back and saw Kaguya's strange hand gesture. She said angrily, "Does she think she can defeat Gaara?"
"Boom!" At that moment, a loud explosion sounded.
Temari's eyes widened in shock.
The tsunami-like sand wave instantly shattered, bursting apart, with sand scattering everywhere. In front of Kaguya, the sand had disappeared, revealing a deep trench in the ground, exposing the rock beneath.
Even with the protection of his sand shield, Gaara was blown away by the immense repulsive force. The sand armor on his body cracked.
"What is this?" Temari was stunned by the scene. She knew how powerful Gaara's move was, impossible for a human to resist. Yet, it seemed like Kaguya had dispersed the giant sand wave with a wave of her hand.
They didn't know that this was Kaguya's Tenseigan repulsive force, no weaker than the Shinra Tensei of the Rinnegan.
Kaguya let out a sigh of relief. The repulsive force of the Tenseigan didn't consume much chakra, but dealing with such a large object still required a significant amount.
Gaara staggered to his feet, sand falling off his body. Although Kaguya's attack hadn't been aimed directly at him, he had still been affected, and his sand armor was shattered, leaving him injured.
Gaara wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a sinister smile spreading across his face, his eyes bloodshot. An enormous aura burst forth from him.
The right side of his face began to swell and take on the form of a tailed beast.
"Could it be..." Kankuro's pupils shrank as he shouted, "Gaara, stop!"
Gaara was showing signs of transforming into a tailed beast. The injury and the scent of blood had triggered the beast inside him. Once he transformed, the situation would spiral out of control, endangering not only the Chunin Exam but also their lives.
At that moment, a figure flashed toward Gaara like lightning. With a fox mask and silver hair fluttering in the wind, it was Kaguya.
Sensing the threat, a large amount of sand surged up before Gaara, forming a tailed beast shape and spreading its arms to block her. It was the Shukaku Shield, known as the strongest defense.
Kaguya struck with her hand, and the repulsive force exploded, hitting the shield. The center of the Shukaku Shield dented but didn't shatter.
It truly was the strongest defense. Even the Tenseigan's repulsive force couldn't completely break it, but Kaguya's insufficient chakra was also a factor.
Unable to break through Gaara's defense, Kaguya resorted to another technique. This technique was immensely powerful but also consumed a large amount of chakra.
It was...
"All-Killing Ash Bones."
A bone extended from Kaguya's palm, white and chilling, aimed at the Shukaku Shield.
The Shukaku Shield, known as the strongest defense, seemed like butter as the long bone pierced through it.
"What?" Kankuro was shocked. He had seen Gaara use this defense and knew how incredibly tough it was. Now, it crumbled like butter before Kaguya.
What happened next shocked him even more.
After being pierced, the Shukaku Shield began to disintegrate, like weathered rock, crumbling into dust with the wind.
What kind of jutsu was this?
Meanwhile, Gaara's half-transformed body took on the form of a tailed beast, his aura surging. Chakra was pouring out of him. If not stopped, he would fully transform into a tailed beast.
A white figure appeared in front of him, with a fox mask, long hair fluttering, and clothes billowing—it was Kaguya.
Kaguya extended her left arm, palm together in a grasping motion.
Gaara felt an overwhelming pressure, as if he had fallen into a quagmire, unable to move.
With her right palm, Kaguya extended another bone, aiming at the half-transformed Gaara below.