Ranmaru walked cautiously toward the direction of the continuous roaring sounds.
In no time, Ranmaru saw Gaara continuously striking a cage completely made of stone pillars.
This cage made entirely of stone pillars wasn't meant to truly imprison Gaara, only to restrict him.
After all, if they really wanted to trap Gaara, they could just seal his chakra.
Ranmaru looked up at the stone pillar opposite him, which had already begun to show numerous cracks under Gaara's assault.
Evidently, this stone prison trapping Gaara probably wouldn't hold for much longer.
"I should wait until the prison breaks before making my move."
Ranmaru's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he recalled the methods of the other Seven Swordsmen, muttering to himself.
Following the methods of people like Zabuza Momochi, they would typically wait for Gaara to break through the cage before attacking and defeating him.
Then, they would throw the unconscious or exhausted Gaara back and rebuild the prison using Earth Release ninjutsu.
CRACK!
Just as Ranmaru was thinking, the already cracked stone pillars completely shattered under Gaara's assault, emitting a huge roar.
Gaara carried a chaotic and violent aura, his eyes flashing with intense killing intent as he stepped out of the cage.
When Gaara walked out of the cage and saw the child-like Ranmaru standing not far away, he paused for a moment.
He wasn't stunned because Ranmaru was a child, but because Gaara had seen Ranmaru before.
The figure of a young man with a casual expression sitting atop the Three-Tails once again appeared in Gaara's mind.
And at that time, Ranmaru had been standing beside that figure.
Thinking of this, Gaara let out a low laugh.
Sand Hand!
A hand completely made of sand shot out from in front of Gaara, extending forward with great force.
In an instant, this hand made entirely of sand appeared before Ranmaru.
The Sand Hand clenched tightly, grabbing Ranmaru firmly in its grasp.
Seeing that he had captured his opponent so easily, Gaara was momentarily stunned, then quickly formed hand seals with both hands.
Sand Coffin!
Whoosh!
The Sand Hand that was gripping Ranmaru instantly turned into a large amount of sand, completely enveloping Ranmaru.
As the sand surrounded him, darkness and a suffocating sensation washed over Ranmaru, causing his expression to change.
Cursed Seal Stage One!
A violent aura erupted from Ranmaru's body, and his entire body began to swell in an instant.
The sand restraining Ranmaru started to tremble continuously, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Sand Burial!!
Gaara's eyes widened as he raised both hands and pressed them to the ground.
A large amount of violent sand surged from Gaara's gourd, continuously pressing toward the sand-encased Ranmaru!
A seriousness never before seen appeared in Gaara's eyes.
The reason he kept challenging these people from the Hidden Mist Village was not only to vent his violent emotions but also to see that young man again.
Because in that young man, Gaara had seen a certain hope—a hope to completely escape the name of "monster."
Gaara could clearly feel that when Shukaku saw that young man, it actually felt fear!
However, after several consecutive rampages, aside from being continuously defeated, he hadn't managed to attract that young man's attention at all.
This made the emotionally unstable Gaara even more irritable.
And now, Ranmaru, who had once stood beside that young man, gave Gaara hope again.
If he defeated or killed Ranmaru, that man would surely appear!
Thinking of this, the killing intent around Gaara grew even more intense.
"Oh, to use such a technique right from the start."
Suigetsu Hōzuki's face showed a surprised expression as he spoke in astonishment.
"Does this kid Ranmaru have a grudge against the Gaara in front of him?"
A low laugh came from beside them, and Kisame Hoshigaki showed an interested expression on his face.
At the center of the battlefield.
Although a large amount of sand was continuously pressing toward the center, the figure in the middle showed no change at all, not even a single trace of blood seeping from the sand.
A violent aura erupted from the center, and under this aura, a large amount of sand was blasted open, splashing in all directions.
Ranmaru's enlarged body appeared in everyone's view.
Seeing this, Gaara's pupils contracted, and he was about to make a move.
The next instant, a fierce wind blew toward him, and in the blink of an eye, Ranmaru appeared before Gaara.
Ranmaru raised his fist and instantly struck Gaara's chest.
A terrifying force erupted, piercing through Gaara's chest.
However, Gaara, with his entire arm pierced, didn't bleed at all. Instead, he slowly turned to sand and fell to the ground.
Ranmaru's expression remained unchanged as his originally clear eyes instantly turned red.
Found!
With a light stomp of his foot, Ranmaru's body instantly moved sideways, appearing on a flat area with a small amount of sand.
Ranmaru raised his foot and stomped down hard!
A loud muffled sound came from the ground, and the next instant, the ground around Ranmaru began to crack rapidly.
Gaara, who had been hidden underground, was shaken out again, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Hehe! Die!"
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Gaara let out a low laugh and shouted with killing intent.
Quicksand Waterfall!
At Gaara's command, the ground quickly began to turn to sand, almost instantly becoming a small desert in the blink of an eye.
Countless violent sands swept forth, forming a wave of quicksand that continuously pressed toward Ranmaru layer by layer.
Ranmaru pushed off with his feet, trying to leave the spot, but the desert beneath him suddenly sank. With no foothold, half of Ranmaru's body fell into the desert.
Surprise appeared on Ranmaru's face because this was a technique Gaara had never used before.
However, although he was surprised, Ranmaru's expression remained unusually calm. He raised his fist and punched the incoming violent sand.
A terrifying force accompanied by a strong gust of wind instantly blasted the incoming sand apart.
Ranmaru continuously threw punches, his terrifying strength seemingly endless as it poured forward.
The layers of violent sand summoned by Gaara were all blasted apart by the powerful strength before they could even get close to Ranmaru.
At this moment, the Seven Swordsmen, who had been watching the show, showed expressions of astonishment in their eyes as they witnessed this scene.
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