Chapter 62
Zixu's keen eyes locked onto the distant figures of the Sand Ninja trio. At the same time, he noticed Naruto in pursuit, while Sakura stood her ground, attempting to hold them back.
"Naruto... he could be captured, but Jiraiya values him highly. If we act, will he interfere? If we do move, it has to be together..." Zixu mused, weighing the risks.
As he pondered, the tree trunk beneath his feet splintered under his weight. His black cloak billowed in the fierce wind. With his crowbar damaged and no suitable weapon at hand, he simply stepped forward, barehanded.
"Tsk, Konoha's reinforcements..." Kankuro muttered, clicking his tongue. The situation was turning problematic.
Gaara, slung over Kankuro's back, stirred awake. As his eyes opened, a massive fist came hurtling toward his face. Zixu had wasted no time, launching an immediate strike to knock Gaara unconscious and take him away.
In an instant, half of Gaara's body bloated unnaturally. His entire arm morphed into a grotesque, sand-colored claw, its surface covered by a hardened shell of compacted sand. Half of his face grew feline features—pointed ears made of sand, his eyes blackened, and his pupils contorted into eerie cross-shaped slits.
With unnatural agility, he formed an additional arm from sand, gripping a nearby tree trunk and using it to pole-vault away from Zixu's attack.
Zixu's blow missed, but he remained unfazed. Meanwhile, Gaara, caught in a haze of madness, barely recognized the masked man before him. His frenzied mind fixated instead on Sakura, who had just arrived. With a sudden lunge, he snatched her up.
"Hiss... Ha..." Gaara could no longer form coherent words. His monstrous grip crushed Sakura's fragile body, forcing a spray of blood from her mouth. Then, without hesitation, he hurled her aside. She landed motionless, her fate uncertain.