"That monster over there carrying a gourd has some seriously revolting chakra. That kid Sasuke's probably going to get beaten to death, huh?"
Shengu Xuan stood at the edge of the wrecked arena, sensing the spine-chilling, evil chakra coming from the forest outside the village. An intrigued smile curled his lips.
He knew that chakra belonged to Sunagakure's ultimate weapon-the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara!
"Watching that monster go berserk sounds more interesting than watching those old bones play with mud on the rooftop. While I'm at it... I'll use him as a punching bag and stretch my muscles."
Shengu Xuan snapped his fingers. Deep in his eyes, the Rabbit Talisman emblem, representing ultimate speed, blazed to life!
Whoosh!
His body instantly became a blurred afterimage, breaking the sound barrier and trailing a ring of visible white sonic vapor as he raced toward the forest outside the village. The Sound Ninja and Konoha Ninja fighting along the way felt only a gale roaring past; they never even caught sight of Shengu Xuan's shadow.
Meanwhile, deep in the Forest of Death outside Konoha.
"Chidori!!!"
Accompanied by the shrill crackle of lightning like a thousand birds chirping, Sasuke Uchiha gathered dazzling blue lightning in his right hand and charged at the monster ahead like an arrow loosed from a bow. His Sharingan locked onto his target's vital spot as he pushed his speed and explosive power to their limits.
Squelch!
With its terrifying piercing power, Chidori drove straight into the monster's shoulder! Blood instantly sprayed out!
Yet there was not a trace of joy on Sasuke's face. Instead, it was filled with utter horror!
Because the monster he had struck could no longer be called "human" at all.
The right half of Gaara's body was completely covered in a thick layer of sand marked