Seeing the Hidden Grass team clash with the Hidden Sand team, Yakumo's side didn't rush to act.
Yakumo, in particular, alternated her gaze between Chino and Ryuzetsu, who was slowly stepping onto the battlefield.
Tenten asked, "Should we make a move?"
Yakumo shook her head.
Tenten was puzzled. "Why not? With Hidden Sand's team helping, this is a perfect chance to take out the Hidden Grass team!"
Yakumo said, "Something feels off."
Shion nodded in agreement. "Same here."
Tenten, curious, asked, "What's off?"
Yakumo explained in a low voice, "Chino's supposed to be the strongest in the Hidden Grass team, right? So why isn't she the captain?"
"That Ryuzetsu gives me a strange feeling!"
Though Shion lacked Yakumo's keen observational skills, as a priestess, her instincts were even sharper than Yakumo's analysis.
"That's true, it is weird!" Tenten admitted, now also sensing something odd about the Hidden Grass team's structure.
Typically, a team's captain should be its strongest member, yet it was clearly Ryuzetsu giving orders in the Hidden Grass team.
Yakumo's group wasn't the only one to notice this.
Temari shouted to Kankuro, who had stepped into the field, "Kankuro, be careful!"
Kankuro waved dismissively. "Relax!"
Standing in the central clearing, Ryuzetsu said to Kankuro, "I'll go all out. Be careful!"
"Hmph, you're the one who needs to be careful!" Kankuro raised both hands, and with the flicker of chakra threads, his puppets Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander appeared before him.
Ryuzetsu, who had secretly pushed her Twelve Palaces to its limit, vanished with a whoosh.
Kankuro froze. "Where'd she go?"
Before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his jaw, and his entire body was sent flying.
After landing an uppercut that knocked Kankuro into the air, Ryuzetsu didn't pause. With a stomp, a boom echoed, and she charged toward Gaara with a whistling force!
"So fast!" Temari gasped, her earlier ease vanishing as she stepped back, swinging her iron fan fiercely.
Gaara's expression froze. He dropped his crossed arms, extended his right hand, and made a gripping motion toward Ryuzetsu.
Whoosh!
Instantly, the sand from the gourd on his back surged out, flooding toward Ryuzetsu like a tidal wave!
Facing the oncoming sand, Ryuzetsu didn't slow down—she sped up, charging head-on into the sea of sand!
"What!?" Yakumo, Shion, and Tenten were stunned.
Though they suspected Ryuzetsu, as captain, wouldn't be weak, they never imagined her speed could rival Chino's, who was already an outlier among Hidden Grass shinobi.
Catching the shock on everyone's faces, Chino smirked, thinking, Surprised, huh? Ryuzetsu's Bloodline Limit is an exceptionally powerful Yang Release chakra, with even greater compatibility with the Twelve Palaces than mine. Underestimating her comes at a cost!
Boom!
As if to confirm Chino's thoughts, a massive explosion rang out as Ryuzetsu's fist punched through the sand barrier!
"How is that possible?" Temari's face paled, her eyes wide with disbelief.
It was the first time she'd seen someone dare to meet Gaara's sand head-on with a fist—and even more shocking, they succeeded in breaking through!
Emerging from the sand, Ryuzetsu's momentum didn't falter as she charged straight at Gaara.
Gaara retreated while manipulating the sand with both hands, trying to block her.
Temari, now at a safer distance, completed her hand seals and, anticipating Ryuzetsu's path, unleashed a Wind Release ninjutsu.
Having trained under Shinji, Ryuzetsu knew the principle of striking while the momentum was strong. Facing the dual blockade of sand and wind, she didn't dodge. Instead, she gritted her teeth, pushing her speed even higher, passing through the wind blades' range before they could fully hit, and crashed into Gaara's sand barrier like a cannonball.
Boom!
Another massive explosion rang out as Gaara's precisely controlled sand failed to stop Ryuzetsu, shattering under her force.
Amid the scattering sand, Ryuzetsu's figure flickered, finally closing in on Gaara and swinging a fierce punch!
Thud!
With a low, muffled sound, Gaara was sent flying by Ryuzetsu's fist!
Huff… Huff…
The battlefield fell silent, save for Ryuzetsu's soft panting after landing the blow.
Kankuro's puppets remained untouched, yet he was knocked away. Gaara, struck and sent crashing into a tree, and Temari, now at a distance, watched with caution and wariness.
Yakumo and her team grew solemn.
They hadn't expected Hidden Grass's participants to hide someone like Ryuzetsu, a powerhouse alongside Chino and Koshi Shinji.
"Damn it!" Kankuro struggled to get up but failed after several attempts.
Temari, from afar, shouted anxiously, "Gaara, Kankuro, are you okay?"
Rustle… Rustle…
A faint sound drew everyone's attention. They looked toward its source and were shocked to realize it came from Gaara's body. Upon closer inspection, they saw it was the sound of sand peeling off him.
Undoubtedly, this was Gaara's Sand Armor.
But for the Sand Armor to start crumbling after just one hit shocked Temari, who knew its strength well.
As the Sand Armor gradually fell away, Gaara looked eerily menacing. He stood silently, his eyes locked on Ryuzetsu.
In that moment, Ryuzetsu felt a chilling sensation, as if a wild beast were sizing her up.
"Oh no!" Temari, seeing Gaara's state, feared he might lose control as he had in the past, entering a frenzied state where he couldn't distinguish friend from foe. She retreated further.
Whoosh!
Sand surged toward Gaara from all directions like a tide. In moments, a massive amount gathered around him.
The sand seemed alive, part forming a spherical shield that fully encased Gaara, while another part shaped into two giant sand hands, slowly spreading open!
Seeing this, Ryuzetsu turned and ran, pausing only to cut the chakra thread holding her teammate Tsubaki before taking them along.
Chino, without a word, followed Ryuzetsu.
Seeing the Hidden Grass team flee so decisively, not only Gaara but even Yakumo and her team were left staring in disbelief. They hadn't expected Ryuzetsu, who moments ago was so aggressive, to escape so swiftly.