Chapter 32: Clash in the ForestThe Sand Siblings Appear
The three Sand siblings emerged from the forest shadows, their eyes fixed on Ryuzen.
He studied them briefly—Kankuro and Temari first, noting their dismissive expressions. Then his gaze settled on Gaara.
The red-haired boy stood with arms crossed, a massive gourd strapped to his back. Short red hair framed a face marked by dark circles and the kanji for "love" carved into his forehead. His eyes held no emotion—only the cold promise of death and hatred.
Ryuzen raised the Heaven scroll, shaking it slightly. "You want this?"
Kankuro stepped forward, glancing at Hinata and Shino. Recognition flickered in his eyes—the Hyūga and Aburame symbols were unmistakable even to foreign shinobi. His initial disdain tempered slightly.
"Considering you're Konoha ninja, I'll give you a chance." His voice carried calculated superiority. "Hand over the Heaven scroll. Maybe we'll let you live."
"I'm going to kill them."
Gaara's flat declaration cut through Kankuro's negotiation like a blade.
Kankuro's expression tightened. He leaned close to Gaara's ear, whispering urgently. "Gaara, these are Konoha ninja. One is Hyūga, one is Aburame—both major clans. Killing them will cause problems. It could affect our mission. Just take the scroll and—"
Gaara ignored him completely.
His arms lowered. His right hand rose, palm facing Team 8.
"I want to kill everyone I see."
Team 8 Responds
While Kankuro scrambled to contain his brother, Team 8 conferred in low tones.
Shino's voice carried unusual weight. "Ryuzen. My insects say the red-haired one is extremely dangerous. The killing intent radiating from him... it's overwhelming."
Ryuzen tucked the Heaven scroll into his kimono. "Prepare for battle."
Hinata and Shino tensed.
"Once it starts—Hinata, take the woman. Shino, the man. The red-haired one is mine."
"Yes."
They responded without hesitation.
First Exchange
"Sand Coffin!"
Yellow sand erupted from beneath their feet, forming grasping hands that lunged for their calves.
But chakra had already gathered beneath all three.
The moment the sand moved, they vanished.
BOOM—
The explosion echoed through the forest.
Kankuro and Temari stared in horror as Ryuzen materialized before them, seemingly from nowhere. A fist-sized hole had appeared in the sand wall that should have protected Gaara.
Even Gaara's expression shifted slightly—surprise flickering across features usually carved from stone.
This one... was different.
"Armament—"
Ryuzen's kick lashed out. His shoe and entire lower leg had turned black, coated in that strange substance.
Sand rose instinctively to block.
The wall exploded like a balloon pierced by a needle.
Ryuzen's foot connected solidly with Gaara's abdomen.
WHOOSH—
Gaara—who had never learned to dodge, who had never needed to—rocketed backward like a missile, his body crashing through foliage.
"Impossible!"
Kankuro and Temari's screams merged into one.
In all their lives, they had never seen Gaara struck. Never. The invincible brother, the monster who killed without effort, had been kicked away like common trash.
But ninja instincts overrode shock. Weapons rose. They moved to attack.
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
BANG—
Temari, raising her giant fan for a Wind Release attack, caught movement from the corner of her eye. Twisted air roared toward her like an invisible cannon. She barely swung her three-star fan into position before impact.
The force drove her back several meters, feet sliding through forest debris.
BUZZ—
A massive cloud of insects swarmed Kankuro.
They flowed past Ryuzen like living tide, forcing Kankuro to retreat, to defend, to abandon any thought of attacking.
Shino stood with hands in pockets, voice flat. "Your opponent is me."
Hinata settled into Gentle Fist stance, Byakugan active, blocking Temari's path to Ryuzen. "I won't let you near Ryuzen-kun."
Kankuro and Temari looked at the two blocking them, then at the silver-haired boy who had kicked their brother across the forest.
Understanding dawned painfully.
They'd hit a wall. An iron wall.
These Konoha genin were nothing like the opponents they'd faced before. Damn it. Their father had warned them—Konoha was a cradle of geniuses. First that Uchiha Sasuke they'd observed, and now this unknown silver-haired boy...
Names Exchanged
Gaara emerged from the undergrowth where he'd landed.
His sand armor had shattered across his abdomen, yellow sand already flowing to repair the damage. His expression remained blank, but something burned behind those dead eyes.
"Your name."
"Yagyu Ryuzen." He studied Gaara's reforming armor with professional interest. The kick had carried Armament Haki reinforcement—enough force to shatter a tree thick as three men. Yet Gaara's automatic defense had absorbed it.
Impressive. But not insurmountable.
"Yagyu Ryuzen." Gaara repeated the name like a prayer. Like a death sentence. "I'll remember it. Killing you will prove my existence."
Ryuzen's right hand settled on his sword hilt. "I'm not that important. And whether you can kill me... remains to be seen."
"Armament..."
His blade began to leave its sheath.
"—Iai Slash."
SWISH—
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