"No choice, I have to rely on myself!"
The thick mist began to spread again. Shadow Zabuza, who had been heavily damaged, had mostly recovered within the shadows, so she let him out to create the Hidden Mist.
Shadow Deer Tube, Shadow Zabuza, and Shadow Haku charged forward without holding back, and even Kano's main body was ruthlessly casting Ninjutsu.
The powerful assault pinned Gaara to the ground, leaving him only able to protect his vital points.
The three Shadow Ninjas were all controlled by Kano, and their coordination was absolutely seamless, beating Gaara half-dead like a bouncing ball.
Seeing no way to fight back, Gaara encased himself in a solid sphere of sand. It was incredibly tough; only Shadow Zabuza and Shadow Deer Tube could even make a dent in it, and even then, just barely.
"Damn, how is Gaara's health so high!"
The Tailed Beast not only provided him with massive amounts of Chakra but also granted him high-speed regeneration. Combined with the fact that Gaara himself was a tank, he was absurdly durable!
Don't tell me that in the original story, Sasuke's Chidori could break his defense, but Zabuza's kubikiribōchō and Shadow Deer Tube's thick water pipe couldn't!
If this continues, he'll eventually undergo full Tailed Beast Transformation!
Once he fully transforms, it'll be impossible to fight! Moreover, with so many people at the venue, if they all die, Konoha is finished. There are several Daimyo here!
"Kano, let's continue our slaughter! To kill you, I'm willing to give up everything!"
"You talk about slaughter, but show your face if you have the guts! Naruto! Come help me!"
Gaara was like a madman, spewing trash talk through the thick sand. Kano couldn't stand listening to it. Damn, even after trying to kill him, they couldn't stop this guy's trash-talking.
Seeing Gaara's Tailed Beast transformation progressing—he was already halfway there—it would be trouble if this crisis wasn't resolved soon.
Why was Naruto able to beat him back to normal in the original story, while he just got more violent the more Kano fought him? She couldn't just kill him; if she killed him and the Ichibi popped out directly, things would be totally screwed.
A Jinchuriki still has the ability to restrict a Tailed Beast, unless they are a Perfect Jinchuriki like Naruto or Killer Bee in the future.
A plan had already formed in Kano's mind.
"Naruto, help!"
Kano shouted for help. Hearing her cry, Naruto immediately snapped out of the genjutsu and dove into the mist toward the sound.
"Don't be afraid, Luna-chan, I'm coming to save you!"
He instantly released three Shadow Clones, guarding Kano's side and watching the surroundings.
Finally, through the mist, he discovered Gaara.
"What kind of monster is this!"
"It's an existence similar to the fox inside your belly. I can't handle it, so I can only rely on you."
It wasn't exactly that she couldn't handle Gaara, she just couldn't beat Shukaku. Killing Gaara would be easy, but beating him until he lost the will to fight was quite difficult.
Feeling Kano's sincere reliance on him, Naruto's nose instantly perked up, and he patted his chest, promising:
"Leave it to me! I will definitely defeat him!"
"Don't rush in yet. Fighting here will involve many ordinary people; we have to find a way to get away from the arena. Naruto, help me pin him down!"
Pulling out the hunting flute, Kano couldn't swing it normally, but Shadow Deer Tube, who had the strongest Taijutsu on the field, could!
Dropping the water pipe, he swung the hunting flute with both hands, slamming it down directly onto Gaara, who was being pinned to the ground!
Normally, the conch at the front of the hunting flute was the outlet for music, but in emergencies, Kano would crawl inside to avoid damage.
Because this instrument was indestructible.
And now, this was the third use for the hunting flute's conch: Sealing Jutsu! It couldn't be broken from the outside, and naturally, it couldn't be broken from the inside either!
"Sealing Jutsu: Great Conch!"
Since Gaara was still a child, he could be stuffed inside with a bit of force; an adult wouldn't fit.
"Naruto, help me block him, don't let him out!"
"Okay!"
Three or four Shadow Clones plus the main body rushed up to block the conch's opening. Although they couldn't see Gaara, they could hear him cursing very filthily.
"It's blocked tight, guaranteed he won't get out! What's next?" After saying that, Naruto's clones threw a couple of punches toward Gaara inside the conch. "Behave yourself, stop moving around."
"You lost a bet to me before and owe me a request. Now, only you, Naruto, can defeat him using your newly learned ultimate move! I won't let you lose out either; if you defeat him, I'll give you a reward. When you get back, I'll agree to go on a date with you for a day."
"Yay! I'll definitely beat him! But why wait until I get back..."
Before Naruto could finish, Shadow Deer Tube swung the large water pipe like a golf club, sending the hunting flute—along with Gaara inside and Naruto blocking the door—flying!
A trail of sand streaked across the sky.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
"Sorry, Naruto."
Watching Naruto take flight, Kano stuck out her tongue in apology. She felt truly sorry for him and decided to make it up to him properly afterward.
Orochimaru was being handled by the Third Hokage, and Gaara was being handled by Naruto. Kano could now go on a rampage against the remaining small fry.
"I must have a huge harvest today! Save those from Konoha, and kill those from Otogakure and Sunagakure!"
Kano's three Shadow Ninjas immediately flew out, charging forward with murderous intent.
"Where's that guy Naruto?"
Sasuke also arrived at Kano's side. He had heard Kano's cry for help earlier, but he had been held back by enemies and had only just managed to kill them and rush over to support her.
Logically, if Naruto heard Kano's cry, he would have rushed to save her even if he took a knife to the back. But Naruto was nowhere to be seen near Kano, which was very strange.
"Naruto went alone to deal with the most troublesome enemy."
"Why didn't you stop him! He's the weakest of the three of us! What if he's in danger?"
"I'm the one who sent him. That enemy is too dangerous; even Hokage-sama would find him difficult to deal with."
Sasuke's temper immediately flared up.
"And you still let him go? Just because he likes you, you'd send him to his death?!"
"Don't get excited yet. There's a monster inside that Gaara. If that monster were released here, everyone would die. So I had Naruto take him far away from here."
"But you can't sacrifice Naruto for the sake of others! He's your comrade!"
"Listen to me first. The Summoning Jutsu Naruto just learned can deal with the enemy. I only sent him because I'm sure he can win. Don't underestimate Naruto; in terms of apparent combat power, he's the strongest of the three of us right now! By the way, your apparent combat power is the weakest among us."
"How could it be that guy!" He accepted losing to Kano, but losing to Naruto was impossible. He also caught the implication in Kano's words and followed up: "You said apparent combat power? What about if you include hidden combat power?"
"Naruto is first, you are second, and I'm the weakest one."
"How is that possible? Kano, are you being modest and playing weak again?"
"I'm telling the truth. Believe it or not. Naruto is in that direction right now. In a while, you'll see how intense the battle over there is; neither you nor I can interfere. But if you want to go over, I won't stop you. Just stay safe."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but he still intended to go. Although he trusted Kano's judgment, he was still worried about Naruto.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!