Satoru slowly jumped down from the tree, walking toward Gaara without haste.
Hozuki and Shiro emerged from the shadows, standing behind Satoru.
"It's you," I said, staring at the black-robed young man not far away. Gaara's beastly eyes flickered sharply. He hadn't expected to see him again.
Kankuro and Temari, who stood beside Gaara, also looked at Satoru with mild surprise. They hadn't anticipated meeting him again so soon. However, this time, Gaara's bloodlust was palpable—he wouldn't let anyone who provoked him escape unscathed.
"Fancy meeting you again," Satoru said casually, waving his bandaged arm as though greeting an old friend.
This was no coincidence.
"Good," Gaara responded coldly, his inorganic eyes staring icily at Satoru. "I need more blood."
As his words fell, the sand around him began to swirl and coalesce ominously.
"I really don't like meaningless exercises," Satoru muttered to himself, his tone calm. "What a nuisance."
Despite his relaxed demeanor, every muscle in his body was ready, poised for action. His pale blue eyes remained steady and unshaken.
Gaara's eyes narrowed, and the sand around him shot forward, forming a massive hand to strike at Satoru.
"Tsk, such poor patience!" Satoru remarked with a faint smile, skillfully dodging Gaara's attacks. His movements were swift and deliberate.
He reached into his pouch, retrieving a handful of shuriken. "Brush, brush!" The blades flew, gleaming coldly, toward Gaara.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The sharp clang of metal rang out as the shuriken were intercepted by a barrier of sand.
"As I said," Kankuro declared confidently from the sidelines, "Gaara's defense is absolute. No one can defeat him."
To Kankuro, Satoru was already a dead man walking. He shook his head, almost pitying the inevitable loss of life.
"By the way," Satoru said nonchalantly, turning his head slightly. "There are two more people here." He gestured toward Kankuro and Temari with mock sincerity. "Your presence is so minimal I nearly missed you. My apologies."
His cheerful tone only served to irritate Kankuro and Temari further. Temari glared at him, her anger flaring visibly.
Who is this guy? Why is he so infuriating?
Kankuro remained quiet but couldn't help feeling surprised by Satoru's calmness in the face of Gaara. Did he not realize the danger he was in? Or was he simply fearless?
Meanwhile, Shiro and Hozuki silently observed the confrontation, absorbing every detail. Satoru had briefed them on Gaara's strengths and weaknesses earlier; there was no way they'd forgotten.
Satoru always had a plan. Though his strength remained somewhat of a mystery, both Shiro and Hozuki trusted his instincts implicitly. He never acted recklessly.
"Tsk, this is too much," Satoru grumbled theatrically. "I'm working so hard over here, and you two are just standing there watching the show?"
Turning toward Shiro and Hozuki, he added, "Don't you think this is a perfect opportunity for real combat? They're excellent opponents. Show me how your training has paid off!"
"..." Shiro and Hozuki exchanged a glance, momentarily silent. It wasn't the first time Satoru had dragged them into a fight, but they knew he wasn't wrong—this was a good opportunity.
Without another word, Shiro moved to confront Kankuro, while Hozuki squared off against Temari.
"Let's see what you've got," Kankuro said, breaking the silence as he faced Shiro. Hozuki, on the other hand, and Temari exchanged no pre-battle declarations—their fight began immediately, both moving with precision.
"Mm-hmm, perfect!" Satoru nodded approvingly, his short white hair glinting in the sunlight.
"Damn it," Gaara growled, his anger mounting. "Are you ignoring me? I'll tear you apart!"
His eyes glinted dangerously as he formed quick hand seals. "Sand Binding!"
The surrounding sand surged forward in a massive wave, aiming to envelop and crush Satoru.
"Is this the famous Sand Binding?" Satoru smirked, dodging swiftly, his movements leaving behind faint afterimages. "Tsk, too slow!"
Forming hand seals of his own, Satoru unleashed a fire technique. "Fire Release: Flame Burst!"
A searing blaze shot toward Gaara, its intense heat palpable even from a distance. The Sand Shield rose instinctively, blocking the flames—but something was off.
Gaara's eyes narrowed as he noticed the sand growing hot, retaining the fire's temperature. How? How was the heat penetrating his defense?
On the sidelines, Satoru silently evaluated Gaara's attack and defense. He'd pinpointed the limits of Gaara's so-called absolute defense. If an attack was fast and strong enough, it could break through. Still, Satoru wasn't in a rush to act.
Instead, he turned his attention to Shiro and Hozuki's battles. "Hahaha, you're so slow!" Satoru called out teasingly. "Are you even trying?"
Hozuki twitched slightly at the jab. "The fight just started," he muttered. "And we're younger than these guys!"
Shiro remained focused, ignoring Satoru's banter. He maintained his calm, methodically countering Kankuro's puppet attacks.
"By the way," Satoru chimed in, addressing Hozuki mid-battle. "Her offensive technique relies on wind manipulation. She uses a fan to create storms that trap opponents in countless invisible vacuum blades. It lasts a while, too. Be careful."
Temari froze briefly, glancing at Satoru in disbelief. How did he know? Was it just from observation?
With renewed confidence, Hozuki adjusted his strategy, closing the distance between himself and Temari with lightning-fast footwork. She faltered, retreating under the pressure of his unrelenting assault.
From the corner of her eye, Temari caught sight of Satoru's calm figure, arms crossed, as he continued observing. A lingering sense of shock filled her—how could he maintain such sharp focus while fighting Gaara?
On the other side, Satoru turned his gaze to Shiro and Kankuro. "Watch out for the bayonets at the ends of his puppet's limbs," Satoru advised Shiro coolly. "They're his trump card for surprise attacks."
His voice was casual, but his analysis was razor-sharp, leaving even Kankuro unsettled. How much more did this man know?
>>>>>
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