Gaara lay on the ground, half his body already fully transformed into a sandy-yellow monster. One enormous beast claw dug deep into the soil, and the eye belonging to Shukaku brimmed with madness and brutality.
The surrounding trees cracked shrilly under the pressure of the chakra he unconsciously released, toppling in swaths.
"Is this... Sunagakure's secret weapon?"
Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand as fear spread through his heart.
Chidori was useless. Taijutsu was useless. Even the Sharingan couldn't see through this monster's weaknesses.
Just as Sasuke began to despair, a wildly out-of-place voice suddenly rang out.
"Yo, you've even got a second transformation?"
Son Goten stood with his arms folded on a branch that hadn't yet collapsed, studying the monster below with keen interest.
He even rubbed his chin, appraising it as though he were picking out a watermelon at the market.
"That's a pretty interesting look. Seems intimidating enough, but it's so drab. Why's it all made of sand?"
Son Goten curled his lip in disgust. "Doesn't that feel dirty? You're shedding grit everywhere. How do you bathe when you get home?"
At those words, Temari, who had been preparing to flee nearby, nearly slipped and fell.
She stared wide-eyed at Son Goten as though he were insane. "That's Shukaku! A Tailed Beast! Do you have any idea what you're saying? Run!"
"Run for what?"
Son Goten gave her a puzzled look. "We haven't settled our score yet. Besides, ugly as this thing is, I'm pretty interested in its transformation ability."
Just then, Gaara below suddenly let out a piercing scream.
"Aaaah! Sleep! All of you, die!"
Bang! An enormous cloud of white smoke burst outward, and the terrifying blast of air uprooted every tree within dozens of meters.
Sasuke had