Naruto: Let the glory of the giants spread throughout the ninja world!

"Roar!"

The fierce wind made it impossible for everyone to open their eyes.

As the smoke cleared, a large hand clenched into a fist and punched Shoukaku in the face.

Shukaku's head was violently turned to one side by the punch, and its roar came to an abrupt halt.

Ryukura Akira stood in front of Shukaku. His height had increased from sixteen meters to twenty meters. Although he was still much smaller than Shukaku, who was 36 meters tall, he now had the ability to fight back.

"Good heavens, this isn't ninjutsu!"

Jiraiya's eyes popped out of their sockets as he watched a boy instantly transform into a giant, making him feel as if he had wasted the past fifty years.

Naruto looked at Akira Ryukura and yelled, pointing at his huge body and speaking incoherently.

Bai, who had not been informed of his abilities, could only look at Ryukura Akira with worry, fearing that something might happen to him because of it.

Shukaku tilted its head, looking down at Ryukura Akira. "What is this thing? Oh well, whatever, let's just smash it to pieces!"

The enormous claws slammed down.

Ryukura Akira raised his arm to block, and the moment his claws collided with his arm, the immense force caused his feet to sink directly into the gravel beneath his feet.

Using the force of the parry, he stepped back to the side, and punched Shukaku in the abdomen with his other fist. However, the yellow sand surging around Shukaku blocked the punch, and the fist sank into the sand, losing most of its force. Instead, Shukaku slapped him away.

Ryukura Akira then rolled over to where Haku and Naruto were, grabbed the two of them, and placed them on his shoulders.

"Sage Art, Saemon [Modified Version]!"

"Roar~"

Unable to speak, Ryukura Akira faced Shukaku. Haku composed himself and patted Naruto's head. "Naruto, can you fight alongside us this time?"

"Of course, that's for sure!"

The vacuum cannon roared out, and Ryukura Akira dodged to the side.

"Let's go! Xiaoming once told me that as long as we wake Gaara up, we can get the One-Tailed Beast back!!"

"oh!"

"roar!"

Standing on the giant's shoulders, Haku rapidly formed hand seals, his chakra spreading from his fingertips. Instantly, several thick ice walls rose from the ground, freezing Shukaku's feet solid.

Naruto moved at the same time, clasping his hands together and shouting the Shadow Clone Technique. Dozens of shadow clones appeared simultaneously, climbing up Shukaku's body and forcing Shukaku to shake its body.

"A bunch of little reptiles!! Watch me annihilate you!"

Shukaku let out a furious roar, and with a sudden burst of strength, the ice wall that had frozen its feet shattered into pieces.

It swung its massive body, and the yellow sand on its body exploded in all directions. The climbing shadow clones were hit by the yellow sand and instantly disappeared.

It raised its front paw and slammed it down on Haku and Naruto, who were standing on the giant's shoulder. The resulting wind pressure made the two of them almost lose their balance.

Ryukura Akira raised his arm, shielding Haku and Naruto behind him.

The claw slammed into his arm, the force causing him to stagger backward several steps. His arm deformed instantly, but the tear healed completely in no time.

"You fat cat, you need some discipline! If it weren't for your new form, I'd rip Gaara off your head right now!"

He took a deep breath, activated his pre-emptive strike, and his muscles instantly tensed and expanded. His heartbeat reached a point where the two people on his shoulders felt a slight ringing in their ears.

He charged at Shukaku as it charged again, his fists clashing with Shukaku's claws time and again. Each collision sent the rubble on the ground trembling. This time, he was strong enough to contend with Shukaku head-on.

"Insects, even if they turn red, they're still insects!" a sharp cry rang out.

Shukaku's attack range is much greater than his; each swing of its claws can cover all the space around him that he can dodge, while his attacks can only be effective if he gets close to Shukaku.

Shukaku opened its mouth and condensed a small vacuum bullet, which slammed straight into his chest. His body was sent flying backward, crashing hard into the broken wall behind him. The wall collapsed instantly, burying half of his body.

Haku immediately used Ice Release to build several ice walls in front of Shukaku, while Naruto continued to harass him with Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Ryukura Akira stood up from the ruins, the dent in his chest quickly smoothing out. Shukaku stood not far away, slapping the ground with its claws, yellow sand gathering around it, its scarlet eyes full of mockery.

The three's attacks were almost unable to cause any real damage to it. Instead, they were forced to retreat step by step by its counterattacks. Even when Ryukura Akira activated his pre-emptive strike to fight it with his strength, he was still firmly suppressed by it.

"I've had enough. You're too annoying, you fleshy worm. Just banish the pyramid!"

"A sandstorm funeral! Hahahahahaha!"

Shukaku was very pleased with itself, but unfortunately, five minutes were up.

[The Sand Pupa has been unlocked. Upon first transformation, the user will lose their sanity. Please be aware.]

"Alright, fat cat, you're useless now. I'll slap you back right now!"

The steam on the giant dissipated even more quickly, and a massive sandstorm swept in, threatening to engulf the three of them.

Right now.

Ryukura Akira's heart pounded wildly, his pre-emptive state instantly pushed to its limit, and his two arms expanded rapidly at a visible speed, growing longer and thicker in an instant.

This is a new technique he developed in his giant form, relying on his pre-existing blood-pumping ability, all for the sake of this moment of surprise.

His arm instantly exceeded the length of Ryukura Akira himself, and then tore the sandstorm apart like tearing paper.

At this moment, Ryukura Akira's two arms were already over sixty meters long, directly grabbing Shukaku's round body.

"Roar!" Ryukura Akira's roar made the surrounding air tremble.

Haku reacted immediately, quickly forming hand seals and unleashing a torrent of Ice Release chakra. He created a spiral-shaped ice path in front of Naruto, leading directly to Shukaku's chest, while simultaneously using the ice wall to block the incoming yellow sand.

Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto rushed into the ice path, passing through the sand, and finally saw Gaara curled up and sleeping on Shukaku's head.

Shukaku realized the two's intentions and struggled even more frantically, roaring incessantly, but Ryukura Akira held its body firmly, not allowing it any room to move.

Naruto rushed up to Gaara and punched him in the face.

Gaara's body trembled, but he did not wake up, still muttering that only killing could prove his existence.

Looking at Gaara curled up, Naruto was reminded of his own childhood growing up alone, and a surge of emotions welled up inside him. He crouched down and shouted at Gaara, "Gaara! Wake up! Just like you, I was feared by everyone in the village and isolated by everyone since I was a child. I know the pain in your heart!"

Gaara's brows furrowed, and his eyelashes trembled slightly.

Naruto continued shouting, "Killing doesn't prove you're alive! Only when you're needed by others and have comrades you want to protect, are you truly alive! I used to be alone too, but then I met Iruka-sensei, I met my comrades, and I realized that I don't have to live by hurting others!"

Haku walked up to Gaara, his voice soft yet carrying a clear strength: "I used to think that people could only live by killing for the people they cared about, but I later realized that you can't find meaning in your existence by hurting others. You don't have to live a life of loneliness; you can have companions, and you can be needed by others."

Gaara's eyes snapped open.

As he awoke, Shukaku's body began to shake violently, the surging yellow sand began to shrink rapidly, the frenzied roars gradually weakened, and the massive body slowly shrank back into Gaara's body.

Ryukura Akira felt Shukaku's struggles weaken instantly. He released his grip and watched as Shukaku's body completely dissipated before letting out a sigh of relief.

After setting the two down, Ryukura Akira got up and ran towards Konoha. He was going to give Orochimaru a nuclear bomb.

Jiraiya at this moment: "Hey, hey, hey, nobody remembers me?! I'm still getting beaten up! The Four Symbols Seal is missing, damn it!"