One Jutsu

"Don't get too confident, Gaara. You haven't won yet."

One of the shinobi spoke up, his voice sharp. At his command, the others began making hand signs. As their leader started weaving seals, five of them positioned themselves around Gaara in a pentagon formation, while the remaining three took higher vantage points on nearby platforms.

They're trying to trap me, Gaara thought, his eyes narrowing in on their movements.

The five shinobi now made their own hand signs, and soon, they all completed the same technique in unison.

"Earth Dragon!"

Five earth dragons swirled into existence, each heading toward Gaara with deadly intent.

With his usual grace, Gaara nimbly jumped, ducked, and side-stepped, evading the incoming attacks. But as the assault continued, the dragons' speed increased. Meanwhile, the three wind-style users above him began launching pressured air bullets, targeting him from above.

Gaara had no choice but to focus on blocking and dodging, his sand shield holding steady as most of the earth dragons were deflected. However, his attention was split. While his sand was effective against the dragons, his true focus was on the shinobi that could pose the greatest threat—the leader of the group, likely a high-ranked chunin, and the jōnin standing to the side, waiting for an opening to intervene.

Gaara kept track of their movements, dodging and parrying with ease, until...

"Wind Style..."

The three wind chunin spoke in unison, their voices carrying the weight of intent.

"...Wind Cyclone!"

In an instant, Gaara was enclosed by three powerful cyclones, each one roaring with destructive force. Thinking quickly, Gaara raised a sand cocoon around himself. To his surprise, the cyclones were not meant to damage him directly. Instead, they formed sharp wind blades within their swirling currents, designed to trap him.

As the realization hit, the leader of the shinobi surged forward with incredible speed, almost catching Gaara off guard. But Gaara had already tagged his movements.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The leader's fireball shot toward Gaara, who was already trapped in the cyclone. The fireball combined with the wind's pressure to make the air unbearable, while the wind's force started to drain Gaara's oxygen.

How didn't I notice this? A distraction? I'm still too inexperienced.

Gaara's frustration bubbled up as he tried to move, but his feet were now trapped in quicksand.

"I'm not done yet!" the leader shouted, pushing his advantage.

"Multiple Wind Scythes!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom!

The attacks hit, kicking up a cloud of dust so thick that Gaara didn't have a chance to create an earth clone in time.

The shinobi panted for breath, their guards raised, watching intently for any sign of Gaara's downfall.

As the dust settled, they saw the results of their combined assault. At the center of the destruction stood a massive dome, clearly constructed of layered sand and earth, reinforced together. They realized with grim certainty that their attacks had failed.

Gaara wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, a sand shower descended on the leader, who tried desperately to block and deflect the attack. But Gaara wasn't finished.

In an instant, a massive sand storm erupted around all nine of the shinobi, trapping them within its fury. They tried to jump, dodge, and run, but the storm was relentless. Tentacles made of sand lashed out and pulled them into the heart of the storm.

Their bodies flailed, but their efforts were in vain. As the storm raged, their upper bodies were exposed, struggling against the overwhelming force. Gaara stood at the eye of the storm, calmly watching them as they were pulled deeper into the sand's grasp.

Raising both hands, Gaara weaved a quick sign.

"Sand Cyclone!"

In a single, devastating move, Gaara unleashed a whirlwind of sand that engulfed the entire area. The sand storm intensified, and with a final, crushing force, all nine chunin-level shinobi were knocked unconscious.

Gaara stood victorious, though he knew this battle was just one of many. His expression remained calm as he surveyed the battlefield, his sand still swirling around him, ready for whatever came next.