Blockhead

Gaara steadied himself, looking toward the spot where he had just been standing.

Under Zeyu's attack, the ground had been blasted into a massive crater. Zeyu slowly stood up in the center of the pit, locking eyes with Gaara.

Behind them, Hinata and the other two gasped in disbelief as they watched the scene unfold.

Just moments ago, Gaara had nearly killed all three of them by himself, not to mention the other two, yet now he had been beaten into the dirt by Zeyu alone.

Seeing the flicker of fear in Gaara's eyes, Zeyu suddenly found it laughable.

The once arrogant and untouchable Gaara was actually afraid now.

He couldn't help but chuckle, teasing him, "Yo, even Gaara knows how to be afraid?"

Gaara gritted his teeth and clenched his fists upon hearing this, but he remained silent and did not attack.

Zeyu stretched his neck and continued, "It must be nice, having an older brother and sister to protect you, allowing you to walk away unscathed even when your life is in danger."

Gaara glanced back at Temari and Kankuro. Kankuro had already helped Temari up; both looked disheveled, and hearing Zeyu's words, they looked over as well.

Zeyu's expression turned serious as he stared at Gaara again. "But you don't value your family at all. You even want to use the power your mother gave you to hurt them. You don't care about them in the slightest."

"You really are asking for a beating."

Gaara was startled by these words, and he blurted out, "Mother? What do you mean?"

Zeyu gave a light laugh and replied, "Heh, do you really think the One-Tail Shukaku inside you would go to such lengths to protect a little brat like you? That is your mother's power."

As he spoke, Zeyu assumed a combat stance, his right fist clenched tight. His chakra erupted, radiating an astonishing aura.

"Your brain is truly dull, Gaara!"

Gaara was still pondering Zeyu's words, and when faced with the overwhelming pressure of Zeyu's aura, he instinctively raised his arms to cross them in front of his chest.

The sand around him gathered together. Feeling an unprecedented sense of crisis from Zeyu's intimidation, the sand swirled frantically.

It slowly formed a humanoid shape that crouched behind Zeyu, wrapping its arms around Gaara to shield him underneath.

Behind them, Temari and Kankuro widened their eyes at the sight, gasping softly.

"That is... Mother?"

Gaara looked up at the giant's face, his pupils trembling as tears streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto the sand below.

He reached his hands toward the giant above, wanting to touch its face, his eyes filled with hot tears and his hands trembling uncontrollably.

But Zeyu didn't care about any of that. He dropped his body low and charged forward, his hand turning into a palm as he struck directly at the giant's lower back.

Under this blow, the sand-formed giant cracked with countless fissures, unable to maintain its shape, and collapsed with a roar.

The woman's face above cracked into several pieces, sand pouring out from the gaps before the whole structure crumbled.

Seeing this, Gaara completely broke down. He stared with wide eyes, clutching his head with both hands and roaring in fury.

By now, Zeyu had broken through the sand and reached Gaara. Just as his palm was about to strike Gaara's head, he clenched his fist and slammed it into Gaara's face, roaring at the same time.

"You idiot!"

Gaara was sent flying, soaring a great distance until he crashed into a tree, snapping the trunk in two and sending dust billowing as he hit the ground.

However, while he was in the air, the gourd on his back turned into sand to cushion his fall.

Gaara only had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he landed and sat on the ground.

Temari and Kankuro shouted Gaara's name in alarm.

Zeyu, having just sent Gaara flying, was buried under the collapsed sand. With a burst of chakra, he erupted from the center of the pile, sending sand flying high into the air as he leaped out.

Hearing the commotion, Temari realized things were going poorly. Gritting her teeth, she took her Giant Folding Fan and stepped forward, swinging it with all her might.

"Ninja Art: Sickle Weasel Technique!"

A wide-range barrage of rotating wind blades surged toward Zeyu, who had just landed.

Zeyu realized Hinata and the others were still behind him and cursed under his breath.

He sprinted toward them, sliding to a halt in front of the trio.

"Hide behind me, now!"

The three, who had been somewhat dazed, were snapped back to reality by Zeyu's shout.

They quickly scrambled to hide behind him.

Zeyu bit his finger and slammed his hand onto the ground.

"Summoning: Rashomon!"

A massive iron gate rose from the ground, its design grotesque, the face carved into the door looking like a Rakshasa from the depths of hell.

After the gate rose, a gale arrived, only to be blocked by the massive structure.

The few people behind the gate remained unscathed, while the trees to the side were stripped bare, some of the thinner ones snapped clean in half.

Once the wind died down, Zeyu closed his eyes and activated his sensory abilities.

"Tch, he really ran away. Forget it."

He immediately deactivated his Lightning Armor, and the Rashomon in front of him vanished into a puff of white smoke with a "poof."

Hinata stepped forward, concerned.

"Zeyu, are you alright?"

Seeing the adorable Hinata, Zeyu's mood improved significantly.

He stepped forward and pulled Hinata into a hug, saying, "Are you okay, Hinata? You scared me to death just now."

He then released her and began checking her over. "Are you hurt? Is anything bothering you?"

"I'm fine, I'm perfectly okay. Thank you, Zeyu," Hinata said, feeling a bit embarrassed as Zeyu circled around her.

Kiba walked over, patted Zeyu on the shoulder, and said, "Yo, Zeyu, I didn't expect you to be so strong. Thanks a lot!" "Woof!" Akamaru barked happily as well.

Hearing Kiba's voice, Zeyu stopped what he was doing. His face darkened as he slowly turned to look at Kiba, his pupils pitch-black and widened to their limit.

Kiba jumped in fright, a chill running down his spine.

"W-what's wrong?" Kiba asked cautiously.

Zeyu stepped forward, grabbed Kiba by the collar with both hands, and shook him violently, shouting in anger, "What's wrong? You have the nerve to ask what's wrong? What did I say before the exam started? Are you blind to the giant gourd Gaara was carrying on his back?"

"Getting everyone to come over was your idea, wasn't it? Huh? If you want to go looking for death, don't drag my Hinata and Shino into it. Go find your own death in style if you want, but don't come grinning at me now. I haven't even settled the score with you yet, and you have the audacity to ask me what's wrong?"

"Apologize to Hinata and Shino right now! Hurry up!"

Zeyu shook Kiba as he shouted. Kiba was already dizzy, his eyes spinning in circles, his body swaying unsteadily.

"Yes, yes, I apologize. I'm sorry, Zeyu. I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm sorry, Shino," he said, his head bobbing back and forth.

Zeyu let go of Kiba and stood to the side, arms crossed, fuming as he glared with gritted teeth.

Kiba spun in place for a moment before his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Hinata was amused by Zeyu's behavior. She stepped forward, grabbed his arm, leaned against his back, and whispered, "Zeyu, calm down. We're all good friends, after all."

Zeyu looked at Hinata, and when she smiled at him, most of his anger instantly evaporated.

"Hmph, since Hinata has forgiven you, I'll reluctantly forgive you too."

He immediately turned and hugged Hinata, taking in her scent, and his mood lifted as he began to smile.

Kiba had mostly recovered by then, and upon hearing that Zeyu had forgiven him, he thanked him immediately.

Zeyu turned to look at Shino and asked, "What about you, Shino?" Kiba also looked toward Shino.

Shino was stunned, a warmth spreading through his heart.

"Thank you, Zeyu."

He looked at Kiba and said, "I forgive you too. Just be more careful next time."

Tears streamed down Kiba's face as he said, "Thank you, Shino. Thank you, Hinata. Thank you, Zeyu. I'm sorry for what I put you through."

The four of them stood there, Zeyu and Hinata embracing while the other two stood by, feeling the warmth of their bond and smiling. Shino watched as Kiba sat on the ground, moved to tears.

A short while later, Megumi and Shota arrived, looking on at the scene with confusion.

"What's going on?"