"Gaara! Drop the sand shield, now!" Temari shouted urgently.
Just before his mind completely shut down, Gaara instinctively dispersed the wall of sand in front of him. The sudden sound reached his ears and snapped him back to consciousness, if only slightly.
A large hand suddenly gripped his neck and yanked him violently away, dragging him deeper into the forest.
Seeing Hyuga Gakuya trying to take Gaara, Kankuro and Temari immediately moved to stop him.
But Hinata, Shino, and the others stepped in to block their path.
"Beast Mimicry Technique: Man-Beast Clone!"
Kiba dropped to all fours while Akamaru leapt onto his back. With a puff of smoke, Akamaru transformed into Kiba's double.
"Parasitic Insects!"
A swarm of black insects shot toward Kankuro.
"Gentle Fist!"
Hinata silently flanked Temari from behind, coordinating with Kiba to form a pincer attack.
Meanwhile, Gakuya had dragged Gaara to a distance. With a powerful motion, he hurled him at a tree. The impact shattered the sand armor around Gaara's body.
The pain jolted Gaara further awake. The earlier attack had injured him more than expected, though it wasn't enough to render him completely incapacitated.
He rose to his feet, blood smeared across his lips, which he licked with a crazed expression.
"You've pissed me off."
Under his control, a massive amount of sand rose into the sky, forming a thick gray sand cloud overhead.
"Sand Drizzle!"
From the swirling mass above, countless razor-sharp sand bullets rained down on Gakuya.
He raised both hands toward the sky.
"Sound Style: Sky Shatter."
A massive soundwave burst forth in a fan shape from his palms, tearing through the falling sand projectiles and scattering the sand cloud above.
In an instant, the entire Forest of Death was filled with flying dust and debris.
Outside the forest, Jiraiya looked up at the sky, frowning.
"That… was from a genin?"
The proctors monitoring the exam also noticed the cloud of sand dispersing and stared in disbelief, mouths agape.
"Sand Coffin!"
Gaara whispered, and waves of sand surged toward Gakuya like a tsunami.
He leapt up into the trees, gracefully weaving between trunks and branches to evade the encroaching sand.
"Sand Hands!"
The pursuing sand morphed into three giant hands, each swiping from a different angle to grab him.
Gakuya seized the moment, thrusting his arms into one of the sand hands. Before Gaara could crush his limbs, a surge of sonic force burst out, obliterating the sandy grasp entirely.
In a flash, Gakuya appeared behind Gaara using the Body Flicker Technique and slammed a powerful punch into his back, shattering the newly-formed sand shield and sending him flying.
Gaara crashed into a tree, tumbling to the ground. He struggled to rise, but the blow had rattled his nervous system. He could barely stand.
"AAAHH!!"
Gaara screamed in fury as sand spiraled around him, encasing his entire body.
So... he's the Jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Beast?
"Sealing Technique!"
Gakuya pressed a glowing blue palm against Gaara's back. The tailed beast chakra that had just begun to surge was instantly forced back into suppression. Deprived of its power, Gaara collapsed unconscious on the ground.
Gakuya had deliberately suppressed his power to the level he had when he first joined the Anbu. Even then, subduing Gaara hadn't been easy.
He hoisted Gaara over his shoulder and began walking back the way he came.
...
Elsewhere, Shino's insects had crawled over Kankuro's puppet. Any attempt to manipulate it with chakra would be instantly neutralized.
Kankuro had no choice but to fight in close quarters, something he was clearly unskilled at.
Temari, while strong for a genin, was clearly being overwhelmed. She managed to hold her own, but both Hinata and Kiba were steadily pushing her back.
Her body was already covered in scratches and claw marks. It wouldn't be long before she lost entirely.
"We need to wrap this up fast. I doubt Mokushuu can hold on much longer."
Though Hyuga Gakuya had demonstrated terrifying strength, they all suspected he wouldn't stand a chance against that murderous monster.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, Gakuya's voice rang out again as he stepped into view, carrying the unconscious Gaara over his shoulder.
Kankuro and Temari stared in shock.
He lost? Gaara... actually lost?
How's that possible? He has the power of a tailed beast!
"Is that monster dead?" Kiba asked, wide-eyed in disbelief.
"No. Just unconscious," Shino replied calmly, noting Gaara's steady breathing.
Gakuya tossed Gaara to Temari and the others. "I'm in a good mood today. I'll let you all go. Take your teammate and get out of here."
Temari quickly caught her brother while Kankuro grabbed his puppet and bolted, not daring to look back in case Gakuya changed his mind.
"Hold it," Gakuya suddenly called out.
The siblings froze and slowly turned around.
"Relax. Nothing serious. Just letting you know—my seal will keep him knocked out for a few days. You'll need to take care of him until then."
He lightly kicked the Heaven Scroll that a Rain ninja had dropped toward them.
"Take this with you."
Temari bowed deeply. "Thank you."
Gakuya gave a soft smile. "No problem."
Temari gave him one last, lingering glance before turning to leave.
Hinata peeked at him from the side, her cheeks flushed.
So handsome… and so kind.
She quickly shook her head, scolding herself.
No! I can't be thinking about romance. Not until I've avenged my clan…
As the Sand siblings disappeared into the distance, Gakuya turned back to the Konoha team.
"Did you guys collect both the Heaven and Earth scrolls? Sorry I kind of gave your prize away just now," he said with an apologetic smile.
"We already have both. And honestly, we should be thanking you for saving us," Kiba said quickly, shaking his head.
Hinata nodded shyly. "Thank you."
Shino also bowed slightly in gratitude.
Gakuya waved a hand. "Don't mention it. I just can't stand people who kill without reason. I'm heading to the central tower anyway—want to come with?"
...
"Sorry to trouble you," they said as they bowed again. They understood well—after such an intense battle, their team was running on fumes. Encountering another team now could mean disaster.
"It's nothing. I'll make lunch. After a fight like that, we deserve a break. We can head to the tower tomorrow."
"I'll help," Hinata offered.
"Perfect. With your Byakugan, we'll find fish in no time."
"Uh... I'm not that useful," Hinata mumbled, flustered.
Shino stepped forward to help too, but Kiba held him back, whispering in his ear,
"Come on, man. You really think he's helping us just because Hinata lent a hand earlier? He's clearly into her. Don't ruin their moment."
...
Gakuya brought Hinata to a nearby stream to catch fish.
"Hinata, use your Byakugan to scan the water for fish," he said casually. He couldn't exactly reveal his Rinnegan's abilities in front of her.
"Okay."
Hinata activated her Byakugan, scanning the river. "Over there!" she pointed.
Gakuya waded into the water, plunged his hands in—and a moment later, several stunned grass carp floated to the surface.
He walked to the center of the river, picked them up, and brought them back.
"Here. Gut them and clean them, would you?"
"O-okay." Hinata shyly took the fish and began cleaning them by the water.
Gakuya knelt beside her, giving instructions. Sometimes he guided her hands directly, and their fingers touched—leaving Hinata blushing like a kettle ready to boil over.
When they finished, Gakuya laid the fish on leaves, watching her quietly.
"Hinata-chan, you're incredibly capable. Why don't you have more confidence in yourself?"
Hinata lowered her head. "I... I just feel like I'm bad at everything."
"I don't see it that way." His voice softened. "You're kind, considerate, and gentle. Even in this short time, I can tell—you'll make a wonderful wife someday."
Hinata blushed furiously. "R-really?"
Gakuya turned his head slightly and gave her a warm smile.
"Of course. So believe in yourself, okay?"
Moved by his words, Hinata smiled back and nodded earnestly. "Mm!"
"Alright, let's head back."
As he followed behind her, Gakuya massaged his face with a sigh.
Acting this nice all the time is exhausting… I swear my facial muscles are going numb from all the fake smiling.
They returned to the camp with the cleaned fish. Shino and Kiba had already built a fire and set up a simple shelter.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo