Xiao Yun in Peril

Konoha Grand Hotel, thirty-second floor

This was where Konoha had arranged lodging for the Kage of every village. Every room was decorated in utmost luxury.

A strange scene was unfolding in the Kazekage's room. Five minutes earlier, Kakashi had been desperately begging the Kazekage to spare Xiao Yun's life.

After Gaara was defeated, the Kazekage had then desperately begged Kakashi to have the Konoha ninja spare Gaara's life.

Kakashi had not been smug for long before the situation reversed. Gaara, who had just been beaten half to death, suddenly vanished. Not long afterward, he reassembled his body with Sand Release and stood up again.

However, the Gaara who rose again had become exceptionally terrifying. The left half was his original face and body, while the right half had turned into a horrifying tanuki monster, complete with a long tail. He looked utterly chilling.

Not only that, the aura of this half-human, half-demon monster was overwhelmingly powerful, utterly incomparable to the Gaara from before.

It was over!

Xiao Yun and his group were finished!

"Kazekage-sama, I think it would be best for us to value peace!"

Kakashi said with a fawning smile.

"Hmph! Once they enter the Forest of Death, they will rely on their own abilities. Life and death will be left to fate."

The Fourth Kazekage put away his earlier fawning expression and spoke righteously.

Kakashi: ...

"Third Hokage-sama, should we cut off the livestream?" the beautiful secretary asked awkwardly.

The Third Hokage's ancient, impassive face visibly twitched. After a long silence, he said, "Cut it off. We can't let those poor bastards watch the livestream for free every day."

"Yes!"

Inside the Forest of Death

"Gaara, you're too weak. A bunch of Genin actually forced you into this state. If not for me, you really would have been beaten to death by that watermelon head."

The monster on the right side of Gaara's body cackled. Its voice sounded like metal scraping against glass, making everyone's skin crawl.

Gaara did not respond. He merely stared at Rock Lee with chilling eyes, a bloodthirsty smile appearing on the left half of his face.

"Watermelon head, you're quite good! You're the first man to make me bleed."

"How should I repay you? Let me think. Should I drain all your blood and take it back to make fine wine, or invite everyone here to have a taste? Cackle, cackle, cackle!"

Gaara let out an incomparably sinister laugh.

All the Konoha ninja felt their hearts sink to the bottom. What kind of monster was this guy?

He had not died even after that!

"Gaara, stop showing off. Kill them. Your body can't withstand partial Tailed Beast transformation for long."

The monster on the right spoke.

"Die."

Gaara did not dare delay. He extended his left hand, and a blood-red spear of sand slowly formed in his grasp. An aura of death coiled around the sand spear.

Everyone's pupils shrank as they looked at the spear in Gaara's hand, their eyes filled with fear.

"A Tailed Beast transformation?"

As a Naruto fan, Xiao Yun naturally knew who had saved Gaara.

"No choice. I'll have to use that move."

Xiao Yun looked reluctantly at Naruto. Clearly, he intended to borrow the power of the Nine-Tails within Naruto.

However, this Master-Servant Symbiotic Life-Generating Technique was extremely harmful to the servant. According to the system, using this technique too often would damage Naruto's nervous system. He might even become mentally ill.

"Naruto."

Xiao Yun gently stroked Naruto's mop of blond hair.

"Uncle, Auntie, I'm not afraid. Even if we die, our family will die together."

Although he could sense immense danger, there was not the slightest trace of fear in Naruto's eyes.

"Silly child, how could Uncle let you die? Don't worry. Uncle will take care of you for the rest of your life, even if you become an idiot."

Everyone stared at Xiao Yun in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

"Uncle, I..."

Naruto was deeply moved. Tears glimmered in his large eyes.

Ninja Technique—Master-Servant Symbiotic Life-Generating Technique

Naruto's eyes suddenly went blank. His formerly bright gaze instantly froze, and his entire body became as stiff as a wooden chicken.

Boom!

Orange-red Chakra instantly enveloped Xiao Yun's entire body. His eyes turned blood-red, the nails on his hands gradually lengthened, and even his handsome face—second only to Hao the Most Handsome of Blue Star—became incomparably eerie. No matter how one looked at him, he resembled a demon fox.

"Yumi, Naruto is in your care. Get as far away as you can. Don't worry about me! Go!"

Xiao Yun felt maddening killing intent spreading through his mind, as though he would lose control of himself the next moment.

Hyuga Yumi stared blankly at the man before her. The more she looked, the more unfamiliar he seemed. This aura was too astonishing, no weaker than Rock Lee's had been earlier.

But the more powerful a ninja technique was, the stronger its backlash usually was. If she abandoned him and fled alone, it would be fine if Xiao Yun defeated Gaara. But if he failed, then they would truly be dead.

Besides, everyone in her team was either injured or poisoned. How could she possibly take them away? If they encountered an enemy, would they not be walking straight into death?

"Xiao Yun, I'm not leaving!"

Hyuga Yumi shook her head.

"Im... impossible!"

The monster on the right side of Gaara's body widened its eyes, looking at Xiao Yun as if it had seen a ghost.

"Shukaku, what's wrong with Xiao Yun?"

Gaara also sensed an intense threat from Xiao Yun.

"Why does he have Nine-Tails Chakra on him?"

Shukaku let out a shriek.

"The Nine-Tails?"

Gaara squeezed his left eyeball toward the left and looked at the right half of his body in confusion.

"It's the boss among us nine Tailed Beasts. Gaara, strike first!"

Shukaku shouted.

Hah!

Gaara did not dare delay. With all his strength, he hurled the sand spear in his left hand viciously toward Xiao Yun.

"Move!"

Feeling the spear's overwhelming force, Xiao Yun shoved the others aside, brought his palms together, and caught the spear.

"Explode!"

Gaara and Shukaku shouted at the same time.

Bang!

The sand spear instantly burst with golden light before exploding in the next instant. Dust filled the sky and blotted out the sun, swallowing Xiao Yun.

"He's not dead. Be careful, Gaara."

Shukaku's eerie yellow eyes searched everywhere for Xiao Yun's figure.

"Hmph, hmph."

Gaara, however, looked completely confident. He stared coldly at the center of the explosion, a cruel smile curling at his lips.

As the smoke dispersed, the violent explosion had left Xiao Yun covered in blood. Yet there was not a hint of fear in his eyes. Instead, he had become even more crazed.

"Hahaha, I'll kill you! Kill you all!"

Xiao Yun cackled madly, his voice no longer sounding like his own.

Sand Binding

A curtain of sand ten times larger than before surged in from all directions. Xiao Yun could not dodge in time and was wrapped within it.

Sand Seal

Strange runes spread across the layers of sand, and Xiao Yun's Chakra was drawn out at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Sand Burial

With Shukaku's immense Chakra supporting him, Gaara unleashed a full Sand Release gift package on Xiao Yun in one go.

"Xiao Yun!"

Hyuga Yumi's face turned pale. She watched as Xiao Yun was slowly dragged underground by Gaara's Sand Binding. No matter how hard Xiao Yun struggled, he could not break free. It seemed Gaara intended to bury Xiao Yun deep beneath the earth and turn him into nourishment for the land...