Boom!
As though sensing a lethal threat, the gourd on Gaara's back automatically spewed out a great mass of yellow sand, forming an impenetrable defensive barrier before him!
Just a look?
Seeing their little brother's sand automatically move to protect him, Temari and Kankuro were horrified. They immediately drew the iron fan and puppet from their backs.
But the instant they moved-
Gekkō Raito gave a light, seemingly casual wave of his left hand.
Crack, crack, crack-!!
Without warning, a terrifying chill erupted from beneath the ground, instantly devouring the warmth around them.
When Temari and Kankuro felt their feet grow heavy and looked down, they discovered to their horror that thick, solid ice had already encased both their legs!
And as though alive, the ice kept creeping up their calves. The piercing cold threatened to freeze their blood.
Terrified, the two looked up at the boy.
White mist swirled around Gekkō Raito, and even the ground beneath his feet had developed a layer of glittering frost.
Behind him, a thin coating of white frost also covered the hilt of his still-sheathed sword.
"If I were you, I wouldn't move."
Gekkō Raito's voice was calm as still water, yet it chilled them more than the cold filling the air.
Temari and Kankuro were already drenched in cold sweat. The gulf between their strength was enough to make them despair.
"You asked my name just now?"
Gekkō Raito looked past the two ice statues, fixing his gaze on Gaara, who was wrapped in layer upon layer of sand.
"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?"
"Gaara of the Sand."
Gaara stared fixedly at the boy before him. Shukaku was raging inside him, and his instincts told him that this boy might be every bit as dangerous