(WIP)The Hidden Dragon Chronicles: Series 1

Episode 33: The Battles Continue: Izumi Makes a Stand!

In the midst of the day, Gaara and Sasuke exchanged bitter glances as the redhead's half-beast form prepared to attack with his massive beast paw.

The raven-haired ninja remembered one of the beast's wicked eyes looking at him outside the spherical sand barrier, giving him uneasy goosebumps.

"It's that eye from before," Sasuke thought as his fists twitched nervously.

When Gaara sprinted forward and charged at him with a yell, Sasuke took a quick step back, allowing the tree branches to break. He huddled behind one of them, asking if the redhead was a monster.

"Are you afraid of me?!" Gaara inquired in a spiteful tone as he searched for his hiding area. "Sasuke Uchiha..... are you afraid of my existence?!!"

Sasuke took a minute to reflect on what his older brother had done to their clan, and the words he had spoken resonated in his thoughts. He finally realized that he had let him live so that he wouldn't feel guilty about killing them.

He was only living for one reason: to become an avenger, hunting and destroying him. Sasuke's eyes widened as he formed a few hand signals to conduct his Chidori Technique, waking his Sharingan in the process.

"What's the matter? Has your fear replaced your hatred and desire to kill? "
If you want an answer, come get me!!!" Gaara yelled angrily as the two began to cross directly at each other, intent on attacking.

Sasuke ends up diverging through Gaara's half-beast arm form, badly wounding it as he screams in agony.

However, when he began to talk, Gaara simply laughed madly. "So that's what it was."

"Impossible! He countered the transformed Gaara?!" Temari stuttered in amazement.

He clutched the beast's arm and trembled.
, "Defeating a man powerful enough to harm me and completely destroying him. That's what gives me an even stronger sense of self!"

Sasuke smirked at him without responding, while Temari quivered slightly at the idea of how he injured his right arm.

"Hahaha! "I want more!" Gaara exclaimed. He begins to change shape and form, then charges quicker than before, destroying every other tree branch. His beast hand reached for the trees to thwart Sasuke's fireball jutsu.

"Die!!" Gaara struck him with his sand defense, which was unaffected by CC's fire or lighting effects.

"Is this your entire existence? Let me make it clear: you are weak!!!" He shouted brutally and continued. "You're too delicate.... because your hatred isn't powerful enough. The power of hatred is the ability to kill. The ability to kill is the power of revenge. Your hatred is weaker than mine."

"Shut up," Sasuke growled in frustration as he hid and rested behind a tree. He then appears with his Chidori in his hand, causing him to burst out of his reverie and rush towards the redhead.

"You're weaker than me!!" Gaara repeated as they both approached each other to attack once more.

Unfortunately, the Chidori was beginning to run out as a result of Sasuke's lack of chakra usage. However, he managed to hit Gaara in the square of his shoulder, just as he had been hit.

For a few seconds, the sand began to disintegrate slowly, and Sasuke's curse seal took over his half of the body. The dark-haired ninja flopped onto the branch as the redhead jumped off to strike him.

"No!!" A strong shout rang out. Izumi stepped quickly in front of him, making a hand gesture and producing a solid barrier of water, much to Gaara's surprise.

Sasuke looked at the branch in wonder, amazed that his friend could be so strong.

"That's enough out of you!" She gazed at the sand ninja, her gaze now piercing his half-human, half-monster features.