Gaara's gaze sharpened slightly as he formed hand seals:
"Sand Shuriken!"
Sand grains filling the air condensed into countless shuriken, shooting toward Kimimaro like a torrential downpour!
Kimimaro remained where he stood, merely whirling the bone spike in his hand into a curtain of light.
Clang, clang, clang, clang-!
Every sand shuriken was blocked. Not a single one struck him!
Just then, the ground beneath Kimimaro suddenly softened, and sand bound his feet like a swamp!
"Sand Binding Prison!"
Gaara clenched one hand, and the sand instantly tightened, seeking to drag Kimimaro underground. A trace of coldness flashed through Kimimaro's eyes as he abruptly exerted force through his legs-
Crack!
The layer of sand binding him was shattered by sheer force!
His figure flashed, crossing ten meters in an instant as the bone spike in his hand thrust straight at Gaara's face!
"So fast!"
Gaara hurriedly controlled the sand to form a shield in front of him.
Shhk-!
The bone spike pierced half an inch into the sand shield, but could go no farther!
Kimimaro pulled back, but Gaara's sand was already pursuing him like tentacles. Their figures darted past each other across the arena, the sounds of sand and bone colliding ringing out incessantly.
Gaara's sand combined offense and defense, shifting in countless ways; Kimimaro's bone spikes were incomparably sharp, his movements ghostlike.
For a time, they were actually evenly matched!
"He can actually hold his own against Big Brother Kimimaro..." Karin was a little surprised.
Haku watched for a moment and said softly, "That Jinchūriki's control over sand really is exquisite, but Kimimaro hasn't shown his true abilities yet."
In the arena, Gaara's prolonged attacks failed to prevail, and the viciousness in his eyes gradually intensified:
"Your bones... are harder than steel."
"Not hard enough," Kimimaro suddenly said.