Bleach x Naruto: Shinigami in Konoha

JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED 30+ CHAPTERS. Two members on my patreon get a free book each month. A lucky draw,it can be you.

Currently at CHAPTER 111 on Patreon.

Five chapters every two days on Patreon.

One chapter everyday on webnovel.

patreon.com/FrancisMW

"I look forward to welcoming you as member"

ENJOY THE BENEFITS.

Sasuke Uchiha walked slowly into the air before Gaara, the quicksand storm beneath his feet unable to touch him at all.

Everyone, including Gaara, was slightly stunned. Originally, Ōnoki was about to question Minato after seeing that Sasuke could fly, but he hesitated after observing that Sasuke was walking in the air—not flying by lightening his body like with the Light-Weight Rock Technique.

Minato was also taken aback. In the ninja world, the ability to fly is exceedingly rare. So far, only Ōnoki's Earth Release: Light and Heavy Rock Technique is known to allow flight, yet Sasuke's current feat was clearly different—it was as if he were forming solid footholds out of thin air.

"I don't get it. You've been the one attacking me, haven't you? Then why are you the one getting angry? Since that's the case… I'll show you my methods." Sasuke frowned slightly, then extended one hand toward Gaara.

"Carriage of thunder, gap of the spinning wheel. Divide this light into six: Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō."

Six beams of golden light instantly manifested and shot toward Gaara, pinning his body in place and restricting his movements entirely.

It was coming.

The audience fell silent with awe, eyes locked on Sasuke, attempting to grasp the nature of his strange powers.

Gaara was immobilized by the six light rods of Rikujōkōrō. Because he had already expended considerable chakra during his massive Quicksand Waterfall Flow, he could not suppress the binding Kidō as Tayuya had with her curse seal.

Sasuke continued without hesitation. "Hadō #73, Sōren Sōkatsui."

To avoid killing Gaara outright, Sasuke omitted the incantation.

The sand on the ground seemed to sense Gaara's danger. Before Sasuke even finished the spell, the sand surged over and surrounded Gaara, rapidly forming a dense sphere to shield him.

A massive torrent of blue flame burst forth and slammed into the sphere of sand, blasting a hole open. Gaara's figure was exposed again. His sand armor shattered, and both his arms suffered burns from the explosion.

"Blood...! My blood!"

Gaara stared wide-eyed at his injuries, stunned and shaken. Panic flashed in his eyes. It was the first time in his life he had seen his own blood. Normally, no matter what he did, the sand in his gourd would always intercept danger before it could touch him.

"AHHHH!!!"

Gaara shrieked, and sand from the arena clung to his body. One of his eyes twisted into a yellow, cross-pupilled shape.

The sand formed a monstrous arm that extended from his right side and connected with his gourd. It was thick and grotesque—part of the Shukaku's possession state beginning to manifest.

Ninjas from the other villages looked on thoughtfully. Seeing Gaara's transformation, the Kazekage, Rasa, cursed silently. He had originally hoped that Gaara would showcase the strength of Sunagakure, but now Gaara's status as a jinchūriki had been exposed prematurely.

He had thought Gaara's standard strength would be enough for the Chūnin Exams, never expecting so many "monsters" to emerge. Now he had drawn unwanted attention.

"What a disgrace," Rasa muttered darkly.

Temari and Kankurō moved to jump from the stands to stop the fight, but the proctoring staff blocked them. Unlike in the original timeline, there was no mass hypnosis via Kabuto's Temple of Nirvana technique this time.

"Gaara forfeits! Stop the match immediately!"

Gaara's Jonin leader, Baki, shouted urgently.

Shiranui Genma moved to intervene—but Sasuke ignored him, acting as if he hadn't heard at all.

Gaara's chakra was nearly depleted. Sasuke prepared to end it in one final move.

"Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

From Sasuke's right hand, a massive beam of silver-white lightning roared out, engulfing Gaara entirely. He had just entered the initial phase of Shukaku's possession state and hadn't even had time to respond when the brilliant beam struck him.

All the sand surrounding Gaara surged like a sentient being. Shukaku, suppressed deep within Gaara, retreated. The possession ceased. Gaara returned to his original form.

BOOM!!!

A colossal explosion rocked the arena. As the white light faded, a sand colossus stood protectively in front of Gaara.

"…What… is this?" Rasa's pupils shrank as he finally saw the shape clearly. Though composed entirely of sand, he recognized it instantly.

"There's chakra in this sand that doesn't belong to you," Sasuke said quietly, gazing at the towering figure. "It seems your mother really did love you. I don't know the details, but she left her chakra in this sand—to protect you. Isn't that enough to prove how much she cared?"

Sasuke's tone was low and steady, but even he was clearly affected by what he saw.

Just as his attack was about to strike Gaara, a half-bodied sand woman appeared and shielded him. The defense, strong enough to block the Kazekage's attacks, held firm even against Sasuke's Kidō-enhanced strike.

Gaara looked up and saw a woman's face formed from sand. He had seen that face before, in old family photos. It resembled his uncle, Yashamaru.

"The thing called love... it means being willing to sacrifice everything for the one you cherish," Sasuke murmured. "I think your mother loved you dearly. That sand carries her will. Even in death, she wanted to protect you."

Sasuke's words echoed the beliefs that once anchored Gaara's soul. A single tear fell from the corner of Gaara's eye.

But in the next moment, another memory overwhelmed him.

"She never wanted to give birth to you. She sacrificed herself for this village, and in the end... cursed it. She wanted the village to die."

Yashamaru's dying confession replayed in Gaara's mind—his uncle's cruel words piercing like kunai.

"Since then, a wound formed in your heart that can never heal. Your name—Gaara—means 'the demon who loves only himself.' You live only for yourself, you kill to find meaning in your existence."

"She didn't name you out of love. She gave you that name so the villagers would always remember her resentment. She never loved you at all."

That memory shredded any clarity Gaara had gained. His expression twisted once more, descending into madness.

"You're all lying to me!! My name is Gaara—the demon who loves only himself! Everyone hates me, and I hate this entire world! Killing is the only way I can feel alive! Everything else is a lie!"

JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED 30+ CHAPTERS. Two members on my patreon get a free book each month. A lucky draw,it can be you.

Currently at CHAPTER 111 on Patreon.

Five chapters every two days on Patreon.

One chapter everyday on webnovel.

patreon.com/FrancisMW

"I look forward to welcoming you as member"

ENJOY THE BENEFITS.