Chapter 100: The Leaves' Genin - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

## Chapter 100: The Leaves' Genin How powerful is the Nine-Tails' strength, truly? In the original work, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Hiashi Hyuga donned the armor of the demon fox, one empty palm strike was enough to deflect the Ten-Tails' tail. The potency of the Nine-Tails' chakra lies not only in its sheer volume but also in its quality. Without utilizing senjutsu, Hinata's power is only slightly inferior to Hiashi's. The disparity lay in her mastery of Gentle Fist and her practical combat experience. If Hinata were to combine the Nine-Tails' chakra with senjutsu chakra, it wouldn't just be Gaara in his incomplete form that she'd have the strength to contend with—even a fully formed Shukaku wouldn't be beyond her capability. "Go!" Sasuke swiftly weaved hand signs. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" A massive fire dragon surged towards Gaara, obscuring his sight. "Roar!" Gaara howled wildly, teetering on the edge of complete loss of control. As he prepared to leap away from the blazing dragon, he found himself immobilized. His shadow was already linked with Shikamaru's. The scorching dragon struck Gaara head-on, its flames licking his skin. Hinata darted in right after the flames, her figure rushing directly towards Gaara. Despite his savage struggles, using Shukaku's power, Gaara finally broke free from Shikamaru's shadow technique. Shikamaru's strength was still relatively modest; even with the aid of the Nine-Tails' chakra, he was only at a jōnin's level. As the fire dissipated, Gaara spotted Hinata charging towards him. With a crazed expression, he swung his sand-clad right claw at her. 'Chirr chirr chirr,' The screech of a thousand chirping birds resounded as Sasuke appeared behind Gaara, piercing through his sands; Chidori tearing Gaara's sand arm apart. "Nicely done!" Hinata focused chakra into her Byakugan, her gaze penetrating Gaara's seal to glimpse the imprisoned Shukaku within. She extended a finger towards Gaara's abdomen. This time, Hinata's eyes displayed no change, but the single point bore the force of the Nine-Tails. Somewhere within Gaara… Shukaku sensed the repellent chakra of a certain fox surging through the seal's gaps, assaulting him. Shukaku thrashed about, channeling his chakra to resist the intrusion. "Howowow!" Gaara's right eye now bore Shukaku's madness, locking eyes with Hinata. Hinata felt slightly embarrassed—why was it ineffective this time? She prodded once more. Gaara's cries grew shriller and more despairing. Yet he remained in a half-transformed state. 'Boom!' Hinata kicked Gaara, using the momentum to retreat rapidly. Just as Gaara sought to pursue, Rock Lee landed a hefty kick on his jaw. Leaping through the air, Lee's arm wrappings latched onto Gaara, spinning him downwards. 'Boom!' A massive crater gouged into the earth. Even after using the Front Lotus, Lee's condition showed no decline. Minor injuries were instantly healed by the Nine-Tails' chakra. Such is the power of the Nine-Tails! "Gatsuuga!" Before Gaara could react, two spiraling red and white whirlwinds again battered him. Hinata landed on a tree, first gathering chakra into her fist, then quickly merging it with natural energy. After Kiba's attack, Hinata swept down with a senjutsu-enhanced chakra fist towards Gaara. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Though Hinata didn't understand why her point strikes couldn't repel Shukaku, the earlier two jabs seemed to impact something within Gaara's Shukaku. If that were so, using the combined force of the Nine-Tails' chakra and senjutsu chakra for the Sixty-Four Palms might fully seal Gaara's chakra pathways. By merging the Nine-Tails' chakra with senjutsu chakra and sealing Gaara’s chakra network, she might suppress a complete transformation into the beast. 'Bam bam bam,' After a swift chain of rapid strikes, Gaara was sent flying, the sand around him losing its power and crumbling to ordinary sand on the ground. 'Thud!' Gaara crashed heavily on the earth, not only having his own chakra suppressed but also losing access to Shukaku's chakra. Ultimately, Shukaku's chakra also circulated through Gaara's chakra pathways. Once Shukaku's chakra couldn't bypass the pathway seals, his powers were rendered ineffective. "Done!" "Capturing One-Tail Shukaku successful!" Temari leaned against a tree, utterly bewildered by what she'd witnessed. The Leaf's genin... are they truly this formidable? The half-transformed Gaara, utterly unable to fight back, was being dominated by these Leaf genin... In Sunagakure, whenever Gaara lost control, it took more than just ordinary shinobi to subdue him; it often required the intervention of their Kazekage. Are the Leaf's genin stronger than even a Kage? Although currently not quite, in three years, the whole ninja world might be dominated by the Leaf's genin. It would be a time where 'Kage-levels roam freely, jōnin aren't worth a dime.' 'Swish swish swish,' The Leaf's genin landed beside Hinata, gazing at the fallen Gaara. Shikamaru clicked his tongue and casually asked, "What do we do with this guy?" Looking down at Gaara, Hinata sneered, "Of course, we take him back to the Leaf for negotiations with the Sand Village!" Hinata couldn't forget the wager from the Chūnin Exams, having lost billions. If she didn't recoup these losses from Gaara, she'd be sulking for days on end. Naruto gazed at Gaara with a conflicted expression, empathy etched across his features as he spoke with a slight tremble in his voice, "You... must have suffered a lot." Gaara, too, looked at Naruto, his face expressionless but his eyes revealing deep, complex emotions. After this clash, both Gaara and Naruto understood each other profoundly, like standing in front of a mirror. But Gaara had no companions. In contrast, Naruto not only had friends but could also lend the monster's power to aid them. Joyful, passionate, lively, energetic—Naruto was all those things and so much more. And Gaara envied him for that. When darkness and light meet, light always dispels the shadows... Naruto's light was slowly dispelling the darkness entrenched in Gaara's heart. Temari dropped from the tree, positioning herself between Gaara and the others. Even though she knew she wasn't a match for the Leaf's genin, she still chose to stand her ground. Watching Temari's back, Gaara felt a stirring within. Perhaps... he wasn't completely alone. Softly, Gaara spoke, "Let it go…" Hinata nodded her small head, then with a wave of her tiny hand, she declared, "Alright men, take him away!" Letting Gaara see Naruto's life up close could be enlightening too…