The Dominance of Close-Quarters Combat

At that moment, a thought arose in Zhi Ge's mind.

This was the existence he truly feared! He knew Gaara was genuinely powerful!

After taking a deep look at Gaara, he immediately realized this was not an opponent he could handle so casually.

Just then, Gaara suddenly swept an arm. A brown, sandy aura seemed to envelop him, and then Gaara's body slowly vanished from where he stood.

Gaara moved far too fast! So fast that Zhi Ge had no time to react at all.

This time, Gaara did not hold back as he had during their first meeting. He directly kicked fiercely at Zhi Ge's chest.

Boom!!!

That kick slammed Zhi Ge's body straight into the ground!

Gaara stood where he was, looking down at Zhi Ge from above.

At that moment, Kankuro finally caught up.

"Gaara, leave this brat to me," Kankuro said respectfully to Gaara.

"Get out of my way! You disgraceful fool!"

Gaara glared at Kankuro and spoke coldly.

Kankuro could not help shrinking his neck before obediently retreating to the side.

For some reason, Gaara gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.

But Kankuro also knew that he was no match for Gaara.

Even though he was Gaara's older brother, Gaara did not have the slightest affection for him. He certainly would not hold back in a fight, so Kankuro chose to endure.

He glanced at Zhi Ge lying on the ground, then turned and left.

"Tch! I was only careless for a moment! You don't really think you can beat me, do you?!"

Zhi Ge's face was filled with displeasure.

Gaara cast Zhi Ge an indifferent glance, then made a provocative gesture.

"Looks like you don't understand what respect is at all! In that case! Rubber Straight Punch!!!"

Zhi Ge sprang into the air and threw a Rubber Straight Punch at Gaara.

Gaara snorted coldly and directly reached out to catch Zhi Ge's incoming fist.

As Gaara clenched his hand, he pulled Zhi Ge right to his side.

His strength was immense. Zhi Ge's fist felt as though it were locked in iron pincers; no matter how he struggled, he could not break free.

Gaara twisted hard, yet did not hear the familiar sound he expected.

Gaara looked at Zhi Ge, frowning coldly.

"Do you have no bones? If it were anyone else, that twist would have at least shattered their bones," Gaara said flatly.

After saying that, Gaara swung his arm and flung Zhi Ge aside.

With a loud bang, Zhi Ge's body crashed into a large tree, bounced off it, and fell to the ground.

Feeling the pain coursing through his body, Zhi Ge gritted his teeth. Yet he still did not dare act recklessly and could only endure the agony as he got to his feet.

Damn it! What kind of monster is Gaara? How could he be this strong? Is it because his body is so powerful? No! That can't be it! No matter how strong he is, he's still only a ninja!

Could it be... does he have some mysterious power within him? But how could such a power exist inside his body?

Zhi Ge could not make sense of it no matter how hard he thought.

By then, Gaara had already walked up to Zhi Ge.

Zhi Ge jumped in fright and hurriedly took two steps back.

"Brat! Let me tell you, you have no chance of escaping now!!! I'll kill you today!!!"

After saying that, Gaara suddenly raised his fist and brought it down on Zhi Ge's head like a hammer.

Rubber Balloon!!!

Gaara's fist came down, only to strike Zhi Ge's bloated stomach, which had transformed into a balloon.

All its force was instantly dispersed completely, causing no real damage to Zhi Ge at all.

"Interesting. You really are a troublesome opponent!"

Gaara looked at Zhi Ge, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly into a sinister smile.

"Hmph! This is my signature technique. Do you think your little tricks can beat me?!"

Zhi Ge snorted coldly, then charged forward again.

Gaara snorted and raised both fists.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gaara's and Zhi Ge's fists collided in midair. Two incomparably powerful gusts formed streams of air that made the surrounding trees rustle violently.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Muffled impacts rang out one after another, making the entire forest tremble.

Gaara's and Zhi Ge's strength clashed fiercely in midair.

Explosive blasts kept ringing through the air.

However, Zhi Ge seemed to discover one of Gaara's weaknesses during the fight.

Although this guy was extraordinarily powerful, he did not seem skilled at close-range combat.

Although Gaara was somewhat stronger than Kankuro, he was not stronger by much.

As a result, Gaara would be at a disadvantage when fighting a taijutsu expert like Zhi Ge at close range.

Gaara also knew his own disadvantage, so whenever Zhi Ge got close, he would quickly evade and avoid clashing with him head-on as much as possible.

But Zhi Ge specialized in taijutsu and was highly proficient in this kind of close combat, so it was not easy for Gaara to evade his attacks.

Boom!!!

A tremendous crash rang out. Gaara failed to dodge in time and was sent flying by Zhi Ge, smashing into a tree.

Thud!

Gaara landed on his back, his body hitting the ground heavily.

"How could this happen... Gaara is actually being suppressed?" Kankuro's eyes were full of disbelief.

"You actually dared to kick me?"

Just then, Gaara abruptly rose to his feet. He stared darkly at Zhi Ge, his body radiating a powerful aura.

Gaara's aura grew increasingly terrifying. Even Kankuro felt his heart tremble.

He looked at Gaara in shock, unable to understand why Gaara's presence had suddenly become so terrifying. Could he be awakening his other self?!

Sand Shuriken!!!

Gaara stood up, and nine shuriken formed from gathered sand immediately appeared around him.

The instant his words fell, they shot toward Zhi Ge.

This was one of Gaara's best ninjutsu techniques. Its power was immense; even ordinary ninja would be easily killed by it.

But Zhi Ge did not dodge. Instead, he clenched his right hand into a fist as large as a casserole and held it before his chest.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The nine shuriken struck Zhi Ge's fist, then shattered one after another and vanished.

Zhi Ge's fist was completely unscathed. Only a few grains of sand slipped through the gaps between his fingers.

"That's impossible!"

Kankuro stared at Zhi Ge in shock, his face full of disbelief.

Gaara's Sand Shuriken could not harm this guy in the slightest. How was that possible?