Trap

"Don't panic! He's using Wind Style, so we'll use Wind Style too!"

Soon, dozens of Sand Ninja, each wielding a Giant Fan just like Temari did during the Chunin Exams in the original story, quickly arrived at the front lines.

"Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

These Sand Ninja swung their Giant Fans with all their might in unison, creating a massive barrage of Wind Blades that sliced through the incoming sandstorm.

However, the fact that it took so many Sand Ninja to block a jutsu cast by Chiba alone spoke volumes in itself.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Chiba didn't care that his jutsu had been blocked. Instead, he created thousands of Shadow Clones in one breath. Like a thousand green meteors, they descended upon Sunagakure from every direction.

"That's the Second Hokage's Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Isn't that a Forbidden Jutsu of the Leaf? How did a member of the Hyuga Clan learn it, and how does he possess such a massive amount of Chakra?"

"Stop talking nonsense and attack!"

"That's right! Shadow Clones dissipate the moment they take damage. In the end, he's just wasting his Chakra for nothing."

"Hmph, to dare to take on the entire Sunagakure alone—how foolish!"

The Sand Ninja were initially stunned by Chiba's ability to manifest thousands of Shadow Clones.

Recovering quickly, they launched a variety of joint attacks, attempting to intercept Chiba and his thousands of Shadow Clones.

However—

"Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Spin Palm!"

Chiba and his thousands of Shadow Clones began to spin rapidly in mid-air.

First, thousands of small Green Tornadoes formed around each of them, followed immediately by thousands of larger White Tornadoes that extended outward from the green ones.

The positions of these Shadow Clones seemed perfectly calculated, covering the entire front of Sunagakure within the range of their "Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Spin Palm."

And then!

The various attacks unleashed by the Sand Ninja were all swept into the White Tornadoes, failing to cause even the slightest ripple.

On the contrary, under the onslaught of thousands of White Tornadoes descending from the sky, all the Sand Ninja in the area—and even the ring of Rocky Cliffs protecting the village behind them—found themselves in grave danger.

"Rise!"

At the critical moment, Rasa, clad in the Kazekage Ceremonial Robe, could no longer hold back. Arriving in the air on a flying platform made of gold dust, he utilized his Kekkei Genkai, "Magnet Style: Gold Dust," to raise a massive Gold Dust Wall from the ground, shielding all the Sand Ninja.

"BOOM!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the Gold Dust Wall collapsed, and the thousands of White Tornadoes on the opposite side vanished along with it.

At the same time!

"Whether it's a trap or the real body, let me test it out."

Chiba arrived at a position about twenty meters in front of Gaara, who had remained motionless the entire time, and casually threw a shuriken infused with chakra: "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The next moment, a dense swarm of shuriken surged toward Gaara.

However, Gaara still didn't move in the slightest, letting these shuriken pierce his body.

Soon, the "Gaara" whose body was almost entirely covered in shuriken went "Peng" and dissipated into a cloud of smoke.

"Shadow Clone?"

Seeing this, Chiba was not surprised: They really aren't stupid enough to deliver the prey directly to me.

Even if the Leaf and the Sand Ninja didn't yet know that Chiba could directly absorb chakra, they should have been clear that since he intended to obtain the chakra of the One-Tail Shukaku, he must have had the corresponding confidence.

Even if Sunagakure was confident, sending Gaara directly to Chiba was far too reckless.

It was precisely because he understood this that Chiba had not activated the Tenseigan Chakra Mode until now, and why he had only tested the waters from a distance earlier instead of rushing forward.

"Gold Dust Hand!"

At this moment, a giant hand made of gold dust slammed down toward Chiba.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

After Chiba quickly formed hand seals, an earth wall about 50 meters high, constructed from yellow sand and underground soil, rose from the ground to block the Gold Dust Hand.

"Gold Dust Shower!"

Soon, Rasa, standing on a Gold Dust Carpet, floated in the air and condensed a dense rain of gold dust, which surged straight toward the top of Chiba's head.

"Who gave you permission to stand above me?"

Chiba's body rose into the air, and all the Gold Dust Rain was repelled by a force of repulsion before it could get near him.

Even Rasa was inevitably sent flying back over a hundred meters by this force of repulsion; he almost failed to maintain his Gold Dust Carpet and nearly fell to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Rasa's expression was grim.

He had originally thought the news from the Leaf side was exaggerated, but he hadn't expected this naturally evil Hyuga brat before him to be so troublesome.

Furthermore, the latter did not seem to have activated that so-called Tenseigan Chakra Mode yet.

But what truly caught Rasa off guard was—

"Since Gaara isn't here, I'll have to change my plan slightly."

As soon as Chiba finished speaking, he went "Peng" and vanished into a puff of smoke.

"A Shadow Clone?"

Rasa's expression grew increasingly unsightly.

To think he had been fighting Hyuga Chiba's Shadow Clone this whole time, and he hadn't even gained the upper hand?

The most critical point was, if that was just Hyuga Chiba's Shadow Clone, then where was his Main Body?

Inside Sunagakure!

In a hidden corner.

"It really was a trap."

After receiving the memories from his Shadow Clone, Chiba's Main Body—now disguised via Transformation Jutsu as an ordinary Sunagakure civilian who wouldn't draw a second glance in a crowd—muttered to himself.

His gaze, however, was fixed on the familiar figure standing in front of the Kazekage's Office Building ahead.

"Lord Gaara, the Kazekage has ordered that you cannot leave the Kazekage's Office Building!"

A Sunagakure Jonin spoke to Gaara with a look of anxiety.

"Lord Gaara, Hyuga Chiba of Konohagakure's Hyuga Clan has awakened the Tenseigan, known as the God's Eye, and his target is very likely the monster inside you—the Sand Shukaku?"

Another Sunagakure ninja also tried to persuade Gaara with a look of urgency.

Four other Sunagakure ninjas stood by; though they didn't speak, their expressions were heavy and filled with worry.

Because not long ago, in order to protect Gaara as much as possible, the Kazekage had ordered him to stay inside the Kazekage's Office Building and assigned many Sunagakure ninjas to guard him.

Yet, they hadn't expected Gaara to run out on his own.

"Shut up!"

Gaara pressed his right hand against his head, his expression pained. His cold voice was filled with killing intent: "If you keep making noise, I will kill you."

Without waiting for a response from the six surrounding Sunagakure ninjas, Gaara pressed down slightly with his right hand, his face twisting in pain as he whispered, "Mother, don't be impatient. I will kill that guy from Konohagakure right away."