Gaara steadied himself and looked toward where he had just been.
Zeyu's attack had blasted a huge crater into the ground. Zeyu slowly rose to his feet at its center and met Gaara's gaze.
Hinata and the other two behind him looked over and cried out in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Gaara had nearly killed all three of them by himself just moments ago. Now, with two more people there, Zeyu had still beaten him down all alone.
Zeyu looked at the fear in Gaara's eyes and suddenly found it ridiculous.
Gaara, who had seemed so invincible just moments ago, was actually afraid now.
Unable to resist a quiet chuckle, he teased him.
"Well, well. Gaara can be scared too?"
Gaara clenched his teeth and balled his fists, but he didn't attack. He remained silent.
Zeyu rolled his neck and continued.
"You're lucky, having an older brother and sister to protect you. Even when your life's in danger, you can still get away unscathed."
Gaara glanced at Temari and Kankuro behind him. Kankuro had already helped Temari to her feet. Both of them looked battered, and they turned to look at Zeyu when they heard his words.
Zeyu's expression turned serious. Staring at Gaara, he continued.
"But you don't care about your family at all. You even tried to use the power your mother gave you to hurt them. You never cared about them."
"You really are asking for a beating."
Gaara was startled by what he heard, then blurted out a question.
"Mother? What do you mean?"
Zeyu chuckled and replied.
"Heh. Do you really think the One-Tail, Shukaku, inside you would go to all that trouble to protect a little brat like you? That's your mother's power."
As he spoke, Zeyu took a fighting stance, clenched his right fist, and let his chakra erupt from his body, releasing an astonishing aura.
"You really are as thickheaded as they come, Gaara!"
Still pondering Zeyu's words, Gaara instinctively raised his arms and crossed them in front of himself as Zeyu's overwhelming aura bore down on him.
The sand around him gathered as well. Facing Zeyu's pressure, it sensed a danger unlike anything before and swirled together frantically.
It gradually took human shape, crouching with its back to Zeyu and wrapping both arms around Gaara to shield him.
Temari and Kankuro stared wide-eyed at the sight. A quiet voice slipped from Temari's lips.
"Is that... Mother?"
Gaara looked up at the giant's face, his eyes trembling with shock. Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes and fell onto the sand below.
He reached both hands toward the giant above him, wanting to touch its face. Tears flowed from his eyes, and his hands trembled.
But Zeyu wasn't going to hold back. He ducked and charged straight in, turning his hand into a palm and striking the giant in the lower back.
The sand giant cracked in countless places from the blow. Its shape gave way, and it crashed to the ground.
Several cracks split the woman's face above them. Sand poured forcefully through the gaps before the whole figure collapsed.
Gaara broke down at the sight. Eyes wide, he clutched his head and roared in fury.
Zeyu had already broken through the sand and reached Gaara. Just as his palm was about to poke Gaara in the head, he clenched his fist and punched him in the face, roaring at the same time.
"You idiot!"
Gaara was sent flying a long way, crashing into a tree. The trunk snapped, and the tree fell with a cloud of dust.
But while he was in the air, the gourd on his back turned to sand and cushioned his fall.
Blood trickled from the corner of Gaara's mouth. He landed and dropped onto his backside.
Temari and Kankuro shouted Gaara's name.
Zeyu had just knocked Gaara away when the collapsing sand buried him. His chakra burst out, sending a tall plume of sand into the air from the middle of the pile, and Zeyu leaped out.
Temari heard the commotion and realized things were going badly. Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward with the Giant Folding Fan and swung it with all her strength.
"Ninja Art: Sickle Weasel Technique!"
A wide barrage of spinning wind blades swept toward Zeyu, who had just landed.
Zeyu remembered that Hinata and the others were still behind him and realized the danger.
He hurried toward Hinata and slid to a stop in front of the three.
"Get behind me, quickly!"
Zeyu's shout snapped the three out of their daze.
They quickly ducked behind him.
Zeyu bit his finger, then slapped his hand against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon!"
A huge iron gate burst up from the ground, its bizarre design bearing a face like a demon from hell.
The gate had barely risen when the gale struck, blocked by the massive doors.
The people behind the gate were unharmed. The trees nearby had been stripped bare by the wind, and some of the thinner ones had been cut clean through.
Once the gale died down, Zeyu closed his eyes and used his sensory abilities.
"Tch, they really did get away. Whatever."
He immediately deactivated Lightning Armor, and the Rashomon in front of him vanished in a puff of smoke.
Hinata hurried over, concern in her voice.
"Zeyu, are you all right?"
Seeing Hinata's adorable face lifted his spirits.
He stepped forward and hugged her.
"Hinata, are you okay? You scared me half to death."
Then he let go of Hinata and examined her.
"Are you hurt? Does anything feel wrong?"
"I'm fine, thank you, Zeyu." Hinata felt a little embarrassed as Zeyu fussed over her.
Kiba came over and patted Zeyu on the shoulder.
"Hey, Zeyu, I had no idea you were this strong. Thanks!" Akamaru barked happily.
At the sound of Kiba's voice, Zeyu stopped and slowly turned to look at him, his face darkening. His eyes were pitch-black and wide.
Kiba flinched, a chill running down his back.
"W-what's wrong?" Kiba asked cautiously.
Zeyu stepped forward, grabbed Kiba by the collar with both hands, and shook him furiously as he shouted.
"What's wrong? You have the nerve to ask what's wrong? What did I tell you before the exam started? How could you not notice Gaara carrying that huge gourd on his back?"
"Was it your idea to bring everyone over here? Huh? If you want to get yourself killed, don't drag my Hinata and Shino into it. Go get yourself killed on your own. And now you have the nerve to come up to me with a big smile and start chatting? I haven't even settled the score with you yet, and you're asking what's wrong?"
"Apologize to Hinata and Shino right now! Quickly! Now!"
Zeyu shouted as he shook Kiba, who had already grown dizzy. His eyes spun in circles, and his whole body swayed.
"Y-yes, I'll apologize. I'm sorry, Zeyu. I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm sorry, Shino," he said, his head wobbling as he spoke.
Zeyu let go of Kiba and stood nearby, fuming with his arms crossed. He gritted his teeth and glared.
Kiba spun in circles where he stood, then lost his balance and dropped onto his backside.
Zeyu's antics made Hinata laugh. She stepped over, took hold of his arm, and leaned against his back as she spoke softly.
"Zeyu, calm down. We're all good friends."
Zeyu looked at Hinata. She smiled at him, and most of his anger instantly faded.
"Hmph. Since Hinata has forgiven you, I'll forgive you too, I suppose."
Then he turned and hugged Hinata. Breathing in her scent lifted his spirits, and he smiled.
By then, Kiba had mostly recovered. Hearing that Zeyu had forgiven him, he immediately thanked him.
Zeyu turned to Shino and asked,
"What about you, Shino?" Kiba looked at Shino too.
Shino was taken aback, feeling a warm rush in his heart.
"Thank you, Zeyu."
He looked at Kiba and said, "I forgive you too. Just be more careful next time."
Tears welled in Kiba's eyes as he said,
"Thank you, Shino. Thank you, Hinata. Thank you, Zeyu. I'm sorry, all of you."
The four stood there together. Zeyu and Hinata hugged while carrying the other two on their backs, all of them grinning as they felt each other's warmth. Shino looked at Kiba, who sat on the ground, overcome with gratitude.
Before long, Megumi and Shota arrived too. Seeing the scene, they couldn't help feeling confused.
"What's going on?"