Rustle, rustle, rustle~~~
Shukaku's mountain-like body crumbled apart before the naked eye like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun, scattering into fine sand that filled the sky!
In the blink of an eye, only a solitary sand dune remained at the center of the arena.
The top of the dune burst open with a "puff."
Gaara staggered out of it, his heavy eyelids lifting to reveal a dazed expression.
"Awake now?"
He had slept quite well. In fact, he had never slept so comfortably before.
But the terrifying barrage of fists in his dream, powerful enough to topple mountains and split the earth, and Shukaku's despairing howls as it was beaten around like a sandbag—why had they felt so real?
It left him deeply bewildered. Could anyone truly possess such terrifying power?
The monster inside him had actually hidden within his body out of fear of that person.
He had never encountered that before!
Hey! Weren't you the one who clamored day and night to come out?
You kept me from sleeping properly!
So why were you scared now?
Coward!
Suddenly, he jerked his head up, his gaze locking tightly onto that blond figure.
This guy... this guy!
The destructive power contained within that tiny body had completely overturned his understanding of the world!
If... if—
"Release the formation!" Genma Shiranui pressed his hands down in a seal.
Buzz—
The purple-flame barrier that covered the sky silently dissipated.
Blue daylight returned to the world, yet it illuminated a frozen, deathly silence.
Naruto looked around.
Where were the cheers? The shouts?
There were over a thousand people in the stadium, yet the entire place was absolutely silent—so silent one could hear a pin drop!
Genma Shiranui's gaze instantly sharpened like an eagle's as he warily scanned the surroundings.
It turned