Sparring

The two pulled apart, Hui and Gaara standing in a standoff, both like taut strings, ready to spring into action.

There seemed to be several different chakras in the vicinity. Hui knew the number of observers had increased, though she couldn't tell if they were simply too afraid of Gaara to intervene.

"We agreed this was just a spar, you have to go easy on me!" Hui called out, though her words were meant for the ears of those watching from the shadows.

Gaara nodded, not making the first move. Hui chuckled softly and launched an attack at him.

As expected, it was easily blocked by sand. Hui shifted her angle of attack, but was blocked again. Even as she continuously increased her speed, the sand surrounding Gaara effortlessly shielded him.

A spark of excitement lit up Hui's eyes. Gaara's strength had to be beyond that of a genin, and he wasn't even six years old yet.

Gaara's eyes tracked Hui, catching the smile at the corner of her lips. She really wasn't afraid at all. But after defending for so long, it was time to counterattack.

Hui Youling saw the sand lash out at her. Fortunately, she sensed the shift in Gaara's chakra flow and retreated early, narrowly dodging his strike.

The sand pursued her relentlessly, shifting and coiling toward Hui Youling. Guided by Gaara's will, it moved as if it were an extension of his own body.

The sand was incredibly fast and could change shape at will, but Hui could perceive the flow of chakra and predict the sand's trajectory, keeping it from ever touching her.

Hui spun across the field, leaping to dodge wave after wave of sand. Her body was as light as the wind, moving with fluid agility as she tumbled and jumped. The smile on her lips widened, nearly breaking into a laugh.

She leaped lightly, landing on the sand Gaara had used to attack. Gaara narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist; the sand surged to envelop Hui Youling. She formed hand seals in a blur, and in the blink of an eye, the sand wrapped around her—only for her to vanish with a poof into a log.

Gaara was taken aback. No one had ever possessed such quick reflexes before; those others would only tremble and cower the moment they saw the sand rushing toward them.

Before Gaara could recover from his surprise, he realized Hui had appeared behind him. The sand moved automatically to block her strike. He furrowed his brow and turned to look at her, catching the smile on her face as she lowered her voice, her tone light and playful. "You really are fast. But this level of skill won't catch me, Gaara."

Confusion flickered in Gaara's eyes. The Hui Youling before him was very different from usual; even her smile seemed almost pathological. The battle intent in her eyes was something he had never seen before—it was aggressive, and the gentle girl he knew was nowhere to be found.

Seeing Gaara distracted, Hui dropped low and kicked at his calf, but the sand intercepted her faster than before. Gaara regained his focus and hurriedly controlled the sand to attack Hui Youling, who performed several backflips to evade.

For a moment, the two were at a stalemate, neither able to land a hit on the other. Yet, the longer they fought, the happier Hui became. "Haha, so you really are this strong, Gaara!"

In truth, Hui Youling could have fought Gaara without relying on taijutsu, but if she displayed too much power, she feared the observers would grow suspicious. She didn't want to invite trouble this early; it would be truly unpleasant if they were to stop her.

However, the fact that she could avoid being harmed by Gaara had already left the observers staring in shock. Even a chunin might not be able to achieve such a feat. To the watchers, it was like witnessing two monsters fighting, and the pathological expression on Hui Youling's face made her look like a lunatic.

In reality, the situation had reached this point because Gaara was holding back to avoid hurting Hui, and Hui Youling was also restraining herself out of caution—a fact none of the observers could have imagined.

After fighting for a long time, Gaara's own battle spirit was ignited by Hui Youling. He looked at her with surprise, a voice in his heart whispering that she was his kind. This was a real battle—exhilarating and full of surprises. The gloom in his heart seemed to be swept away; for once, he wasn't fighting to kill.

Gaara didn't intend to stay in this stalemate any longer. He stopped holding back, slowly raising both hands, his eyes locked on Hui Youling as a genuine, contented smile touched his lips.

The next instant, Hui Youling felt chakra flowing beneath her feet. It rippled like a whirlpool, expanding to engulf the entire field. Gaara had injected so much chakra into the ground that she jumped away in alarm.

At that very moment, a ring of sand surged up from the ground, three times the height of an adult. Hui Youling, caught in mid-air, noticed the environment growing dim. She looked around and realized she was surrounded; the rising sand had sealed off all exits.

On the other side, the watching ninja stared in terror, their pupils trembling with fear. Their breathing hitched, and their lips turned pale and purple. They stood rigid, watching as a massive wave of sand closed in on Hui Youling to form an impenetrable fortress.

One observer tumbled from behind his hiding spot with a loud thud, but the sound was completely ignored amidst the roar of the battle. He gasped for air, his chest heaving, veins bulging on his forehead as cold sweat poured down. A voice in his heart screamed: Run!

Hui narrowed her eyes, noting the sand closing in. It looked like a total containment. She wasn't confident she could break through a fortress of sand, and if she continued to hide her strength, she was bound to be captured. But how could this battle end so abruptly? Gaara was finally taking it seriously.

Hui curled her lips and formed hand seals with a speed faster than ever before. "Wind Style: Gale Dash!"

A whirlwind gathered rapidly beneath her feet, and a gust of wind propelled Hui Youling high into the air. The sand continued to close in, but Hui sensed the speed of Gaara's chakra and pushed her own output to the limit, hoping to leap out of the circle before the sand sealed shut.

She thought she might escape, but another burst of chakra erupted behind her. Hui turned to see another wall of sand rising, rolling toward her like a tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path. Knowing she couldn't outrun it, she quickly formed hand seals.

Before long, she was completely engulfed by the sand and pinned in mid-air. The sand continued to wrap around her, and though Hui struggled, she truly couldn't break free.

She hadn't expected Gaara's chakra to be so vast, or for it to respond so fluidly to his will. Even while using one ninjutsu, he could simultaneously manipulate chakra to launch another attack. This was far beyond the level of simple multitasking.

Hui activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to observe Gaara. His chakra had suddenly become chaotic. Though his face remained expressionless, staring blankly in her direction, she knew that hidden within his eyes was the thrill of slaughter.

Hui Youling was suspended in the air, wrapped in sand, with dust and debris still floating in the air around her. The pillar of sand held her fast, with loose grains constantly sliding down. Her entire body was encased, leaving only her head exposed.

The two stared at each other from a distance, neither making a move. Hui sensed that the other chakras nearby were also in turmoil; the observers seemed to be trembling with fear.

The watchers looked at Gaara with sheer terror. Their expressions were hidden behind masks, but their bodies shook uncontrollably, and a cold sweat trickled down their necks. Even though they knew Hui Youling might be killed, seeing the scene unfold left them paralyzed with dread. The realization hammered home in their minds: Gaara was a monster.