Fierce Battle with Gaara

"Wood Style: Tree Barrier Jutsu!"

Lin Mu, having just arrived on the battlefield, saw Sasuke Uchiha in imminent danger.

He immediately pressed his palms together and, without a moment's hesitation, unleashed his newly mastered ninjutsu.

"Bang!"

Gaara's monstrous right claw slammed directly into the Tree Barrier.

But something astonishing happened.

One had to realize that a full-force strike from Gaara could snap a tree several meters thick right in half.

Yet, this thin wooden wall only suffered a few cracks!

The crowd gasped in awe at the wall's formidable defensive power, but only Lin Mu turned pale.

The monstrous strength of Gaara, who had unleashed the power of Shukaku, was simply too great.

The defensive power of the Tree Barrier was built upon the intensity of the chakra he channeled into it.

Although the Wood Style: Tree Barrier had blocked Gaara's claw, it had also drained a massive amount of Lin Mu's chakra!

Lin Mu exhaled slightly, his gaze sharpening. Instead of waiting for Gaara to counterattack, he took the initiative and lunged toward him.

"Wood Style: Cutting Technique!"

Lin Mu roared in his heart as his chakra surged wildly.

Sharp wooden spikes appeared all over Lin Mu's arms and fists.

Those wooden spikes even possessed a metallic, razor-sharp edge!

However, Gaara was currently using the power of Shukaku; his consciousness was clouded, and his heart was shrouded in killing intent and darkness.

"Kill!"

Gaara did not recognize Lin Mu's face, but that did not hinder his violent assault.

Sand condensed upon his claws, making their power even more devastating.

Sshhh—

The sharp wooden spikes on Lin Mu's fist pierced directly into Gaara's claw.

The Shukaku claw attached to Gaara's body was instantly punctured, and sand scattered from the limb, drifting slowly to the ground.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Gaara let out a painful roar.

Although the claw was made of condensed sand, he still felt pain when it was injured.

But would a beast that had lost its reason care about such pain?

The power of his claw did not diminish as it slammed straight into Lin Mu's chest.

The impact to his chest made the world go dark for Lin Mu, as if his internal organs had all been churned together.

Lin Mu's body flew backward like a cannonball, slamming heavily into a giant tree dozens of meters away.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Lin Mu's expression was grim; he had underestimated the power of a Tailed Beast!

He had thought that with his Wood Style Body, strengthened multiple times, and the high offensive power of the Wood Style: Cutting Technique, he could go toe-to-toe with Gaara.

But now it seemed that idea was far too naive.

His Wood Style: Cutting Technique could indeed injure Gaara, without a doubt.

But the damage Gaara dealt to him was far greater than the damage he could inflict upon Gaara!

His first clash with Gaara had left him at a disadvantage.

I was careless...

However, Lin Mu did not panic. If it had been an ordinary person, a hit like that would have resulted in death or severe injury.

But Lin Mu was different; the Wood Style chakra within him surged frantically, and the injuries caused by that last blow were already healing rapidly!

Cannot be healed!

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

He only needed to consume chakra to heal his wounds at an incredibly fast speed.

Seeing Lin Mu climb back up from the ground, Sasuke Uchiha, who was slumped on a tree branch and unable to move, was filled with shock.

He naturally knew Lin Mu; at the Ninja Academy, he had been nothing more than an average student.

Even he would have found it difficult to withstand that claw strike from Gaara.

Yet, Lin Mu had emerged from that strike completely unscathed!

"How is this possible? How could Lin Mu's strength be so formidable?"

After rising to his feet, Lin Mu did not immediately lunge at Gaara again.

Although he had been at a disadvantage during that last exchange, he had roughly grasped Gaara's current condition.

It was actually somewhat similar to his own Wood Style Body.

Gaara used sand to condense the Shukaku Body, and ordinary attacks could not penetrate the sand's defense at all.

Even if the attack was powerful enough, like the Chidori just used by Sasuke Uchiha or the Wood Style: Cutting Technique used by Lin Mu.

They could scatter Gaara's Sand Body, but Gaara could still use chakra to re-condense the sand and recover from his injuries.

He would only feel the pain of being wounded!

"Gaara, you really are a monster..."

Lin Mu gasped; although he hadn't sustained any real injuries just now, the pain was very real.

This time, Lin Mu got smart.

He used the Wood Style: Cutting Technique again, but only extended a one-meter wooden spike from his wrists.

At the same time, he used a large amount of chakra to reinforce it, making it harder and more durable.

Then, Lin Mu circulated chakra throughout his entire body, covering his whole frame.

He transformed the surface of his entire body into wood.

Once this process was complete, Lin Mu felt his combat power reach a new level.

His attack power, defense, and speed had all improved further, but the downside was that it consumed a massive amount of chakra.

Fortunately, the Wood Style Body had an astonishing amount of chakra, otherwise, he truly couldn't have withstood such consumption.

This process sounded long, but it had only taken a few seconds.

After recovering from his injuries, Gaara let out a sharp roar and lunged at Lin Mu.

Lin Mu did not meet him head-on; he knew his own strength was no match for Gaara at this moment.

He leaped up to dodge Gaara's attack, then stomped his feet hard against a tree branch, using the momentum to charge toward Gaara.

Gaara's previous claw strike had missed, and his form was not yet stable.

Lin Mu seized this opportunity, instantly closing the distance and driving the wooden spike in his hand directly into Gaara's shoulder.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Gaara let out another painful roar, but Lin Mu showed no mercy, twisting the wooden spike to widen the wound on his shoulder.

Whoosh—

With his monster-like shoulder under attack, Gaara's entire right arm fell away, turning into sand and revealing his original arm underneath.

Having gained the upper hand with a single strike, Lin Mu did not linger and retreated immediately.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

Gaara struggled to suppress the pain, channeling chakra to his shoulder as sand flowed out from the gourd on his back, gradually condensing into the shape of an arm.

But this time, the condensation was much slower than before, and many parts crumbled back into sand even after forming.

Gaara's chakra... was running out!

Seeing Gaara's current state, Lin Mu felt a surge of joy; if he were fighting Gaara at his peak, the outcome would still be uncertain.

However, although Gaara had knocked down Sasuke Uchiha, he had also consumed a massive amount of chakra himself.

The current Gaara was no longer a match for Lin Mu!

Lin Mu remained vigilant, carefully observing Gaara's state, and discovered that Gaara was panting heavily, with sand constantly falling from his body—he was truly at the end of his rope.