Chapter 40: Gaara of the Sand!

"Urgh..."

Gaara clutched his head again, seemingly in pain, as he hissed, "Blood... I want blood!"

He had just returned from a failed attempt to kill the one he fought during the Chunin Exam Preliminaries in the hospital.

Now, he was seething with anger and bloodlust.

Tsuna noticed that Gaara wasn't in the right state of mind and frowned.

"...That sand," Tsuna murmured, watching the sand slowly spill out of the gourd.

He could feel a faint vibration, one he was familiar with, "But the vibration is a lot quieter than both earth or metal..."

To bend something, Tsuna needed to sense its vibration, which acted like a signal for him to connect with.

If the signal was strong, connecting and bending it would be easier, requiring only focus and movement.

However, the signal he felt from the sand was so weak that he could barely establish a connection.

"I know sand manipulation is possible, but..."

He quickly assessed the situation.

Gaara's unstable state made him unpredictable and dangerous. 

"Alright, let's see if I can do this," Tsuna muttered, focusing his mind on the faint vibration of the sand.

In Avatar, Tsuna knew some people from the desert could bend sand to their will. However, they were already familiar with its characteristics since sand had always been part of their life.

"That means it should also be possible for me as long as I get to know its characteristics..."

Tsuna's eyes gleamed with a cunning light as he took out a pair of metal chopsticks.

Raising his hand towards Gaara and aiming the chopsticks at the guy he spoke, "Listen, kid, I don't want to play your game. There's something I don't want to give up by getting involved in this shit you're playing at..."

He didn't want to be tailed again and unable to train his earthbending.

Since he might have to stay around longer, it would be a waste of time to not be able to train freely.

Although he could still technically train his metalbending, he still needed to work on the foundation of his bending.

"...I have to reach the state where I can bend earth with just my mind without that fancy movement for it to be actually useful," Tsuna murmured to himself.

However, instead of responding, Gaara's eyes, filled with bloodlust, locked onto Tsuna.

"..."

The sand around him swirled menacingly.

"Blood!"

Gaara hissed as he waved his hand toward Tsuna, who frowned deeper.

[Sand Release: Sand Waterfall!]

A massive avalanche suddenly was created, overwhelming the small alleyway as it rushed toward Tsuna, trying to swallow him whole as he muttered, "...I guess I gotta do it the hard way, huh?"

Tsuna then waved his arm forward as he slammed his feet.

[Earth Bending Technique: Rock Wall!]

A colossal wall of earth rose up before him, a shield against the oncoming onslaught.

BOOM!

The avalanche of sand crashed into the barrier with a deafening roar, engulfing it before collapsing into a cloud of dust.

However, Tsuna's figure was already up in the air with a block of earth on his feet as he floated in the air, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

[Earth Bending Technique: Leviation!]

"...You're still not gonna talk?"

Tsuna's voice cut through the tension as he flicked his arm, sending a pair of metal chopsticks slicing through the air toward Gaara.

The redhead's eyes narrowed, a wild intensity gleaming in his gaze.

Sand swirled around Gaara, deflecting the chopsticks effortlessly as he raised his hand, murmuring, "Sabaku!"

[Sand Release: Sand Burial!]

A torrent of sand surged from the ground, hurtling toward Tsuna with crushing force.

However, instead of just dodging the attack and going on a defensive...

Tsuna used the earth block beneath his feet as a launching pad, he propelled himself toward Gaara

"...!"

This seemed to surprise Gaara, who let go of his hand clutching his head to control the sand as it followed right behind Tsuna.

"Seems like you truly are not in your right mind," Tsuna muttered, eyeing Gaara warily as the redhead growled in response.

"I want your blood!"

"...You're not even a vampire. Why do you want my blood?" 

Tsuna retorted, his voice laced with disbelief.

With a swift motion, he swung his leg toward Gaara's face, the redhead responding with an aggressive growl as a torrent of sand sharply attacked him.

"Tch...!"

Tsuna's clicked his tongue in annoyance as he dodged a sand attack from below Gaara's feet and simultaneously evaded another strike from behind.

"You should watch your side," he warned, clasping his hands together in a cross.

With a piercing sound, a pair of chopsticks shot forth from the ground, aimed directly at Gaara from both sides.

[Metal Bending Technique: Metal Projectiles!]

"...!"

Gaara felt alarmed as the large sand rushing at Tsuna abruptly stopped. Sands started to swirl around him forming a defensive barrier to deflect the chopsticks.

However...

"Of course you'd react..."

"...!"

Gaara's eyes widened in disbelief as Tsuna appeared before him in a blur.

A sharp agony coursed through his abdomen as he was sent hurtling backward, crashing through the ground with a resounding impact.

"Keuhak!"

A groan of pain escaped Gaara's lips as he tasted blood in his mouth.

Grimacing, he glared at Tsuna, who now held the two chopsticks once more, "You... purposely held back your speed from the beginning..."

"Seems like you've regained your mind a bit..."

"..."

Tsuna chuckled and didn't deny it as Gaara slowly rose to his feet.

His sand slowly blended into his body as armor, feeling pressured by this random stranger he met in a quiet alleyway.

[Sand Release: Sand Armor!]

It required a lot of chakra to use, but Gaara couldn't care less. He felt even more threatened this time by Tsuna than when he was fighting Lee!

Different than Lee's attack, which aimed only to defeat him, Tsuna's attack seemed intended to completely shut him down.

The force behind that kick might be weaker than Lee's, but it struck his solar plexus with brutal force!

And the pain still pulsed through Gaara's stomach.

"I'll fucking kill you!"

Gaara's intent to kill surged, fueled by a deep-seated rage, as he raised his hand to command the swirling sand.

However...

"Those sands are not yours anymore..."

Tsuna's voice was calm yet it sent a chill down Gaara's spine, his instincts screaming at him to flee.

He watched in dread as Tsuna raised his hand and executed a swift motion with a slam.

"...!"

Gaara suddenly felt heavy as the sand armor in his body pinned him down. He glared at Tsuna venomously while the guy just casually approached him.

"What... have you done, you bastard!?"

"Well, if looks could kill..."

Tsuna chuckled as one of his hands remained in a grabbing motion.

[Sand Bending Technique: Sand Manipulation!]

Different from both earth and metal, which were rigid and solid, sand was granular and loose, highly mobile and fluid-like.

Bending sand was like bending countless tiny grains in constant motion, and it required precision!

It might be difficult for others to do it on their first try, but Tsuna was no stranger to precision.

However, despite all that, a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he focused on the connection needed to bend the sand.

"...Hmm, I need to train more," Tsuna muttered to himself while looking at Gaara amusedly.

He then chuckled, "I might have to need a clue on why you attacked me but... Thanks to you, I've learned a new skill. So, I suppose I owe you a favor now keke..."

"It's time for you to sleep..."

He murmured as he slowly approached Gaara.

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