Dosu vs. Gaara

Gaara was excited too.

Ye must be watching me from somewhere. I'll beat him and show Ye how strong I am!

Kankuro and Temari felt even more confident.

Gaara's up. There's no way he'll lose. He'll definitely kill him!

Gaara flipped onto the battlefield.

"Let the fight begin!"

Gekko Hayate called out. He could sense the murderous intent pouring off both contestants, but it was none of his concern. They were ninja from other villages. What did it matter to him if they fought to the death?

"Sand Hand!"

Sand poured from the gourd on Gaara's back, forming a giant hand that reached for Dosu.

Dosu made no move to dodge. He let the sand swallow him whole.

"Gaara's won!" Kankuro shouted.

He had never seen anyone survive being caught in Gaara's sand.

Gaara clenched his fist, but what happened next took him by surprise.

There was no sound of bones breaking. Dosu thrust out a hand, scattering all the sand.

"Lord Orochimaru changed me. I'm nothing like I used to be!"

So fast!

Dosu charged. Before anyone could react, he was already in front of Gaara.

Sand Gravel rose on its own and blocked him.

"If that's all you've got, then die!"

An ear-splitting shriek rang out from Dosu's hand. Gaara clapped his hands over his ears in pain.

Dosu threw a punch, but sand still rose around Gaara to stop it.

"He can't even focus on defending himself. How is he still blocking me?"

Dosu was a little surprised.

"Quicksand Waterfall!"

A vast wave of sand rose behind Gaara, casting the entire battlefield into shadow.

Fear gripped the spectators. At the slightest disturbance, they felt ready to run, afraid they would be buried there too.

The Jonin took positions around the arena and signaled for the crowd to stay calm. They would stop anything that came their way.

That amount of Chakra is ridiculous, Kakashi thought. Turning all the ground in the arena into sand took an enormous amount of Chakra. The old him would have been green with envy.

"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"

Gaara brought his hands together, crushing everything buried in the sand.

"I now declare Gaara the—"

"Wait!"

Something unidentifiable struggled free of the sand.

"I'm not dead yet."

Dosu's voice came out low and hoarse.

What kind of monster was he? Machinery covered half his face, his body looked mechanical, and Gaara's sand seemed to have twisted his limbs to impossible angles.

Then they snapped back into place, and he became a monster crawling on all fours.

"I'll kill you!"

"Sand Shield!"

At the sight of him, Gaara's sand instantly formed a sphere around him.

But Dosu was nothing like he had been before. He reached out with both hands and tore the sand shield apart.

Gaara was exposed inside, and Dosu lunged in to bite him.

"You have no idea what I'm willing to do now that I've come back from hell!"

A massive current burst from Dosu's body. The white flash was so bright that no one could keep their eyes open.

"Gaara!" Temari cried, moving to jump down.

A Jonin immediately blocked her. "The match isn't over. You're not allowed onto the battlefield!"

"What the hell are you saying?"

Temari reached for her Three-Star Fan.

The light faded. Gaara lay on the ground, his body charred beyond recognition.

"Gaara loses—"

"I haven't lost!"

Could you at least let me finish? Gekko Hayate thought.

"You've done it now. You've made me angry!" The sand coating Gaara's body slowly fell away. It had shielded him from much of the damage.

The electricity had slipped through gaps in his sand armor and entered his body.

What do we do? Gaara's about to lose control! Temari thought. If Gaara erupted here, it would ruin their plan.

"Temple of Nirvana Technique!"

Pure white feathers drifted down from the sky. Sleepiness swept over the people in the stands, and they slowly collapsed.

Possession Form!

Half of Gaara's body had transformed into Shukaku's. He swung a massive palm at Dosu.

Dosu was slammed into the wall so hard he was embedded in it, though he did not appear to be injured.

"The One-Tail Jinchuriki!"

Even the dullest Jonin present knew this was no ordinary match.

Dosu spat out a few strange little parts.

"I'll kill him anyway!"

His face twisted into a manic grin. He charged forward, then abruptly changed direction and fled the battlefield.

Gaara stared after him, dumbfounded.

"Protect the spectators!"

The Sunagakure ninja below the stands had revealed themselves too.

The Jonin held back as much as they could to avoid hurting the spectators.

"Kankuro, carry Gaara!"

"Won't he kill me?" Kankuro asked, frightened.

"Now!" Temari roared with the authority of an elder sister.

Kankuro reluctantly hoisted Gaara onto his back.

The two used the Body Flicker Technique to leave at once. They needed to release Gaara into Konoha and cause a major disturbance.

"Kazekage, what is the meaning of this?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, looking at the Kunai pressed against his throat.

"Lord Hokage!" Uchiha Itachi could barely restrain himself.

"Don't worry about me. Help the villagers first. I'll be fine!" Hiruzen Sarutobi waved Uchiha Itachi away.

Uchiha Itachi left. There was no telling how many Sand Ninja were hiding in the village. He had to bring the situation under control before dealing with the Kazekage.

Smoke rose, obscuring everyone's view. The "Kazekage" dragged Hiruzen Sarutobi onto the roof.

"Kazekage, are you trying to start a war?"

"Teacher Sarutobi, take another look. Who am I?" The familiar voice made Hiruzen Sarutobi shudder. It belonged to one of his wayward students.

Hiruzen Sarutobi broke free and leaped to the opposite side of the roof.

"Four Violet Flames Formation!"

Violet walls rose around Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Anbu Ninja nearby had no idea how to get through them.

"I never thought it would be you, Orochimaru. You actually dared to come back!"

The Kazekage removed his disguise, revealing a pale face.

"Orochimaru, is killing me your only goal?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke calmly. He doubted Orochimaru would go to such lengths just to kill him.

"This world needs to be reshaped. It needs a new order, a new culture! As the greatest representative of the old guard, Konoha must be reformed from the inside out!"

"My path to reform will be much smoother without you, Teacher Sarutobi," Orochimaru said.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I will never allow you to destroy Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi tore off his cloak, revealing the battle armor beneath.