Just as Mamoru breathed a sigh of relief, a dense "rustling" sound came from the surroundings.
The sand scattered everywhere seemed to have gained life, taking to the air and transforming into countless sand hands, grabbing at Mamoru from all directions.
Mamoru jumped back repeatedly, flying higher into the sky. Those sand hands pursued relentlessly, crazily extending, trying to catch him. Only when he flew far away, out of the sand hands' attack range, did the sand fall back powerlessly.
At the same time, Shukaku's body below was repairing at a visible speed. Sand grains gathered, and in the blink of an eye, it was restored to its original state.
It slapped the ground with both hands and suddenly leaped up from the earth.
With a boom, it landed steadily.
At this time, its forehead area squirmed, and Gaara's upper body emerged from within.
Gaara looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring at Mamoru in the distance, his face full of madness.
"This is my return gift. Let me show you the true power of the incarnation of sand!"
Mamoru gazed ahead, taking in the sight of Gaara appearing, his brow furrowed slightly as a hint of confusion flashed in his heart—actively exposing a weakness?
He saw Gaara struggling to form hand seals. A few seconds later, his head dropped, and he actually fell straight asleep.
Then, Shukaku's eyes, which had been slightly dim, suddenly spun, their color deepening instantly, emitting an even more violent aura—the real Shukaku had awakened.
"Ahhhh!" A sharp, piercing cry resounded.
The real Shukaku roared at the sky, sound waves rolling out, "I can finally come out!"
Mamoru couldn't help but knit his brows. The pressure released by the real Shukaku was too strong, like a physical mountain pressing on his chest.
Compared to the one Gaara was controlling, it was a completely different concept. Its strength could be said to have increased geometrically.
The last time he felt this way was from the 'Mamoru' phantom created by Yakumo.
"Hahahaha..."
Shukaku let out a cheerful yet cruel laugh, its gaze instantly locking onto Mamoru directly in front of it, pointing a finger at him.
"Found the person I want to kill right away!"
Mamoru reacted the moment the other party's killing intent locked onto him.
"Fuga."
Chakra surged wildly between his hands, rapidly condensing into a burning flame longbow and a scorching arrow. As the bow opened, flames surged, aiming far at the massive enemy ahead.
Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!
Shukaku's belly suddenly bulged, and it didn't hesitate to slap its own belly with a claw. A wind sphere containing terrifying wind-attribute Chakra, like a cannonball from a barrel, shot out from its mouth, aimed straight at Mamoru.
Almost at the same time, Mamoru's fingertips loosened, and the flame arrow shot from the string.
The two collided violently in mid-air in an instant.
Boom!!!
A massive shockwave and a scorching heat wave erupted instantly, the roar resounding over the entire Konoha sky.
Finally, the attacks from both sides canceled each other out in the air, turning into a chaotic energy turbulence.
However, before the explosive air waves could completely dissipate, Shukaku had already slapped its belly again.
Whoosh!
Another Drilling Air Bullet shot out, even faster.
A look of surprise flashed across Mamoru's face and his figure blurred instantly as he used teleportation to leave his original spot.
Boom!
The Drilling Air Bullet hit the cluster of buildings at the edge of the village. The terrifying wind pressure instantly tore apart all buildings within range, debris flying in all directions like a rainstorm.
Mamoru's figure appeared in another part of the sky. Witnessing the tragic scene in the distance, the corners of his eyes couldn't stop twitching.
If a few more of these damn things came, half the village would be leveled.
"This is great, it's just too great! Hahaha!"
Seeing the destruction it caused, Shukaku danced with excitement.
"You one-tailed piece of trash, all you can do is cause destruction!" Mamoru's figure flashed to a spot not far in front of Shukaku, speaking out in mockery.
"Ha!?" Shukaku's movements froze, its eyes bulging wide. "You dare call me a piece of trash? Brat, I'll kill you!"
Here it comes.
Mamoru knew the other party had taken the bait, and his figure immediately rose, flying rapidly toward the sky above.
"Die!"
A massive Drilling Air Bullet, carrying Shukaku's anger, shot toward him. Mamoru's flying figure vanished instantly, and the Drilling Air Bullet missed again.
But this was just the beginning. Shukaku was completely enraged. It kept slapping its belly, one Drilling Air Bullet after another shooting out like a machine gun, but they were all dodged by that nimble, flickering figure in the sky.
Mamoru constantly maneuvered in the air, relying on speed to evade, and if he really couldn't dodge, he immediately used teleportation.
While dodging, he cursed in his heart, 'Damn it, using this kind of ultimate move as a basic attack, isn't that a bit too much? And this is only One-Tail.'
However, just dodging is not a solution after all.
Although Shukaku's combat power has increased, Gaara on its forehead is exposed, which in a way exposes its weakness. It's not as safe as when he was huddled inside Shukaku before. Honestly, for Mamoru, this actually provides an opportunity.
Shukaku was like a tireless war machine, its claws repeatedly slapping its belly, firing Drilling Air Bullets like they were free. Huge wind-attribute Chakra shockwaves kept exploding in the sky, the roars rising one after another, the scene being quite spectacular.
Mamoru had no heart to admire this 'grand sight'. He focused all his attention on the Shukaku below, his brain working rapidly.
Wait for the Tailed Beast to exhaust its Chakra?
As soon as this thought arose, he immediately crushed it. Competing in consumption with a monster that has a nearly infinite amount of Chakra is simply an act of suicide.
There's no other way, he has to go all out.
If this continues, he'll be the one to run out of Chakra first.