Chapter 41: Sand Ninja!
"Putting sand around your body as armor was quite lucky for me..."
Tsuna silently thought as he approached Gaara, who was persistently struggling to get away. He knew he couldn't kill Gaara here, especially when his mission was just within reach.
"...But I could put you to sleep, right?"
Tsuna grinned, startling Gaara, who felt thoroughly alarmed by that annoying grin.
However, just as he was about to put Gaara to sleep...
"...!"
Tsuna's hand suddenly trembled, and his other hand immediately clutched his head.
It felt as if a desperate voice were echoing inside his head, like a cornered mother shielding her baby.
Fierce and protective!
It was strangely familiar to him, reminding Tsuna of this body's own mother from his memories.
The pain intensified as he suddenly felt like he was seeing a silhouette in his mind.
"Gaara!"
A shout rang out, startling him.
With a jolt, Tsuna's eyes snapped open, and he instinctively dodged, using his earth bending to propel himself away from danger.
Thud!
He narrowly avoided a barrage of kunai that struck the ground where he had just been standing.
Tsuna frowned, spotting three new arrivals who had intervened.
"...What a lovely group of people," he muttered exhaustively, seeing the newcomers.
It was Baki, Temari, and Kankuro who arrived just in time!
Temari spread open her giant fan and growled at Tsuna, "Who are you, you bastard?"
"...Was he able to overwhelm Gaara?"
Kankuro looked at Gaara before turning to Tsuna, who frowned at their arrival.
[Puppet Style Technique]
Kankuro pulled the puppet from his back and channeled his chakra, bringing it to life.
Silently, he thought, "This guy... He's dangerous!"
Baki immediately went to Gaara, noticing the teen venomously glaring at Tsuna. He could see Gaara was not in the right state of mind and was in deep pain.
"I mean, you guys can leave if you want, to be honest..." Tsuna casually remarked, which made Temari angrily shout, "Who'd believe such nonsense, you bastard!"
Baki also cursed under his breath, "Fuck, this might turn out worse than I anticipated..."
"..."
Tsuna scratched his head speechlessly at the sight of these people overcomplicating simple things as he muttered, "Are we really going to do this?"
"Gaara, you can't make more commotion from here on!"
"Kill... I need to kill that fucker..."
Gaara seethed with deep, seething anger.
"Shit!"
Baki clenched his fist.
Even he would find it hard to drag Gaara away by force since Gaara might even attack him.
However...
As Gaara wobbly stood up, Baki's eyes lit up.
"He's badly hurt somehow... Then, I can take him out of here forcefully!"
It would hurt him, but it wouldn't be life-threatening.
"But..."
Baki's eyes dimmed as he turned to look at Tsuna.
He wasn't sure if this guy would let them escape.
"I can't allow these two to buy me some time. It will only kill them..." Baki silently thought, realizing that Gaara was overwhelmed by this guy, who was unscathed in doing so.
That could only meant that he was not an opponent Temari and Kankuro could handle.
"Do it, Baki-sensei," Temari's voice cut through his thoughts.
She glared at Tsuna angrily and warily. She knew exactly what Baki was thinking.
"We might die, but..."
Temari tightened her grip on her fan, her determination unwavering.
They couldn't even defeat Gaara, much less someone who had defeated Gaara.
"Our mission is far more important!"
Kankuro nodded in agreement, silently acknowledging the gravity of their situation. They knew they wouldn't stand a chance against Tsuna, but they had to try.
"...I see, I'll be back after I'm done with Gaara," Baki said, his voice resolute.
In an instant, he and Gaara vanished, leaving behind a vengeful scream from Gaara and frustration aimed at Baki for dragging him away.
"That's truly amazing..." Tsuna calmly spoke as he slowly walked up to them.
He seemed amused by this as he closed his eyes, "...to sacrifice yourself for your brother, quite commendable, I'd say."
"Though, I gotta say I'm quite in a rush. So let's finish this quickly..."
Tsuna continued as his eyes went cold, sensing multiple presences hiding around them, secretly lurking.
He silently thought, "Fuck, there goes my training plan."
"You bastard!"
Kankuro shouted as he swung his arm, sending his puppet forward.
Its arm reached outward toward Tsuna, and a small needle-like knife suddenly appeared, aiming to stab him.
"Hmm, a poison needle, huh?"
Tsuna noticed a strange liquid coming out of the needle as he suddenly stomped his feet on the ground, triggering a violent earthquake.
[Earth Bending Technique: Earthquake!]
The tremors caught Kankuro and Temari off guard, causing them to lose their balance.
This prompted Temari to leap away, narrowing her eyes at Tsuna, "Is he an earth-release ninja?"
"Then..."
While floating up in the air, Temari sharply rotated her body, channeling her chakra into her fan. With a swift swing, she shouted, "Kankuro, get out!"
[Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Technique]
A powerful, slicing gust of wind burst forward from her fan, aimed at Tsuna's figure.
"Too slow!"
Tsuna coldly watched this as he dashed toward Kankuro's struggling form, attempting to regain his footing.
The slicing wind struck the ground where Tsuna had just been standing, leaving behind deep marks as it sliced through the air with a menacing sound.
"He's targeting Kankuro!"
Temari widened her eyes, suddenly alarmed.
"It's not over yet, you bastard!"
Kankuro clenched his jaw, holding his ground as he manipulated his puppet that was connected through a thread of chakra, persistently directing it toward Tsuna.
Observing the incoming puppet, Tsuna remained nonchalant as it drew nearer.
Kankuro sneered, "You think you're tough? Underestimating me will cost you your life..."
He had prepared a surprise attack beneath his puppet in case Tsuna managed to evade the arm holding the needle.
However...
"You talk too much..."
Kankuro heard Tsuna's cold retort, which immediately angered him. Veins bulged out of his forehead as he began to shout, "You motherfu...!?"
However...
Before Kankuro could finish his sentence, his eyes widened in shock. With a single motion, Tsuna swatted his hand, causing the ground to rupture violently.
[Earth Bending Technique: Earth Crusher!]
The earth surged upward, engulfing Kankuro's puppet with a resounding crash.
The crushing defeat of his puppet left Kankuro dumbfounded, his mouth agape in disbelief. "What... the hell?"
"You think you have time to be surprised?"
"Huh?"
But before he could process what happened, Tsuna was already closing in on him with alarming speed.
"I gotta get away from this crazy motherfucker!"
Panic surged through Kankuro as he cursed under his breath, attempting to flee.
He immediately put strength into his feet, trying to get away.
"...!"
However, Tsuna's smirk sent a chill down Kankuro's spine, and he felt an irresistible force pushing him forward.
[Earth Bending Technique: Reverse Earth Launch!]
Kankuro's heart skipped a beat as he saw the ground shift beneath him, launching him towards Tsuna with unsettling force.
"Shit shit shit!"
Panic surged through him as he hurtled forward, his mind racing with fear and uncertainty.
As he drew closer to Tsuna, time seemed to slow down as his life flashed before his eyes, seeing himself getting closer and closer to Tsuna.
He muttered under his breath,"...Am I going to die?"
"Who knows?"
"Y-you bastard..."
Tsuna's soft yet cold voice was the last thing Kankuro heard as a sharp pain shot through Kankuro's face.
Then...
...nothing but darkness enveloped him, swallowing him whole.
"Kankuro!"
Temari landed on the ground, her eyes flaring with anger as she saw her brother collapse with a thud.
She glared at Tsuna, her fury evident as she cursed, "You bastard, I'm gonna kill you!"
"Ironically, both of your brothers said the same thing..."
Tsuna chuckled before turning to face Temari, who resembled a cornered beast as he continued, "But what happened to them now?"
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