Chapter 36: Against the Wind

"Rasengan!"

"Sand Spear."

A spire of sand burst out of the sand and threw itself towards Boruto before he could attack with the rasengan.

"Lightning Release: Solo Volt!"

A bolt of lightning burst out of his kote, breaking through the rasengan he had formed and clashing against the spear, destroying it.

"Chakra Reset."

The separated parts of the rasengan turned back into chakra and formed back into his hand. Pooling more chakra back in, he quickly reformed the rasengan and threw it at Gaara. With a wave of his hand, Gaara sent another spear out of the sand to catch the rasengan in the air and destroy it.

"Sand Vacuum."

Boruto cried out as he began to sink below the sand.

"Uh-oh." Boruto scowled as he quickly set his feet and the rasengans beneath them back on the ground. Spinning the rasengans, Boruto burst out of Gaara's sandpit and into the air.

"I'll be taking those wheels of yours now." Gaara said, "Sand Cage."

The sand particles in the air around Boruto gathered together into small spears around him, attacking him from all directions.

"Chakra Shift: Base."

The rasengan below his feet turned into chakra again and flowed into his hands.

"Wind Release: Reaping Winds!"

The chakra turned into wind and spread out in a fan like shape, dismantling the spears around Boruto as he spun around.

"There." Boruto said as he landed back on the ground, "You got rid of them. Aren't you proud of yourself?"

"Should I?" Gaara frowned, "You can recast that jutsu again can't you?"

"Probably." Boruto said as he checked his kote and removed the chakra bank, "But Wheel Rasengan is a technique that requires a lot of chakra and control. If I used it with my own chakra, I'd be unable to preform other ninjutsu. That's why I use the kote, despite the amount of chakra it drains."

Boruto returned the empty chakra bank to his pocket and pulled out a new one.

"Last one." Boruto said as he slid it into the kote, "Let's make it count."

"...You seem relaxed."

"I'm not." Boruto replied, "I'm worried."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Because at this moment, we're at a stalemate."

Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"Why is he provoking him?" Sarada hissed as she shook Mitsuki back and forth.

"Sarada...stooooppp." Mitsuki moaned.

"Are you assuming that your power is at the level of the Kazekage now?" Gaara frowned.

"No." Boruto smiled, "Not even close. But at this moment, you're still holding a lot back. And I haven't even begun to use all of my little tricks. So this fight is going nowhere until one of us gets serious."

"...What about you?" Gaara asked, "If you are really holding something back then why don't you use some more of those 'tricks' to break this stalemate?"

"I told you. I can't fight you seriously if you don't take me seriously." Boruto said, "What's more, I've simply grown tired of having to prove myself to others."

"So you've grown arrogant?"

"Hmph. Well, if you think so, I won't stop you from assuming so." Boruto sighed, "But the last time I tried proving myself, I was stripped of my title as ninja."

"..."

"I imagine you don't want something like that to happen again?"

"...Very well." Gaara said, "From hence forth, I will not relent in my attacks."

"You can do better than that." Boruto smiled, "If I remember correctly, you're well known for your instant-kill techniques."

"..."

"Come at me with the intent to kill."

"...As you wish."

With a wave of his hand, the sand around Boruto began to pile around him.

"Sand Coffin."

Before the sand could fully enclose him, they were blown apart by a Revolving Heaven.

"That's more like it." Boruto hummed, "But I'm really at a disadvantage on this land. If I'm going to avoid this sand coffin...I'll have to get in close!"

"Your analytical skill is commendable." Gaara said as he watched Boruto charge towards him, "But if you think your little defensive technique will be enough to save you, you're a fool. I have fought against Hyuuga members before who thought their Revolving Heavens was an invincible defense. Sand Shackles."

The sand around Boruto rose up and wrapped around his arms and legs, holding him back.

"Darn...it..." Boruto scowled as he struggled to pull himself forward, "Just...gotta..."

Boruto pulled against the sand to bring his hands together and begin forming a rasengan.

"So you think you can just throw a rasengan at me?" Gaara sighed, "You will not have the time to even pull you arm back. Without being able to move your body freely, you cannot use your Revolving Heaven. My sand will bury you as you struggle to move."

Boruto continued to pull against the sand as it began to move up and around him, forming the coffin. As the sand began to block out the last rays of sunlight, Boruto smiled and dropped his rasengan.

"Revolving Screen Rasengan."

As the rasengan fell to the ground, it suddenly expanded, enveloping Boruto and destroying the sand around him.

"What?!" Gaara cried surprised.

"Is that...revolving heaven?" Konohamaru frowned, "Boruto created a jutsu that combines the rasengan and revolving heaven?"

"No." Mitsuki smiled, "It's not an jutsu. It's a technique."

"What do you mean?" Sarada frowned.

"This is not a modified rasengan. This is a technique of modifying an existing rasengan. Expansion, exception and containment. That means that at any moment, Boruto can shift the offensive rasengan into a defensive technique."

"...Why do you know so much about Boruto?"

"Do you even hang out with Boruto?"

"..."

Boruto burst out from his Revolving Screen at full speed towards Gaara again.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A squad of Borutos joined him, zigzagging in front of each other to throw off the real one.

"You think multiplying will save you?" Gaara scowled, "Giant Sand Burial!"

At his command, a wave of sand rose up and threatened to slam over Boruto and all of his clones.

"H-Hey! Isn't that going a bit far?!" Musuna cried.

"That technique wiped out the tigerworms." Mentaiyo bit her lip, "Gaara seems to be unnerved by this."

"Don't you mean Lord Kazekage?" Tsukuzu added.

"Nobody cares, Kuzu Tsukuzu." Musuna said.

"How mean!"

"We'll just have to break through again." Boruto smiled as he faced the towering wave.

"How?" One of his clone asked.

"Gear."

"...Well I guess this is going to be the only time you'll ever get the chance to use it. Can't be a ton of enemies big enough for it."

"Gear?" Another clone frowned, "Oh, you mean the technique we created to defeat Zato's giant form?"

"Yeah."

"Can we focus?!" Boruto cried, "Get into positions already!"

"They're fanning out?" Konohamaru frowned as he watched the Borutos face the wave, "They're not escaping a wave that big."

"What's going on?" Sarada asked.

"..."

"Oi, Mitsuki."

"I heard you."

"Well then explain, Mr. I-Actually-Hang-Out-With-Boruto!"

"Sarada, stop worrying. Boruto isn't going to kill himself. So just trust him and watch."

"..."

"Ready?" Boruto asked.

"Ready." His clones nodded as they all held their own rasengan.

"Then let's go. Gear Rasengan!"

Two of Boruto's clones leaped up and threw their rasengans at ground in front of the wave, exploding in a large spiral dome. Two more clones joined them in the air and added their rasengans, detonating them on the wave itself, leaving a large spiraling dome on the wave itself. One more Boruto ran through a gap in the giant explosions and lunged at the wave with one last rasengan.

"Grind!"

Boruto pushed his rasengan into the wave as well, amidst all the spiraling domes. A low rumbling explosion shook the air and to Gaara's shock, Boruto burst through a small hole in the wave, closing on Gaara himself.

"Mitsuki. Explain." Sarada said.

"Hm." Mitsuki blinked, "He never showed me this technique."

"To think that there are things that even the social butterfly, Lord Mitsuki doesn't know."

"But if I had to guess." Mitsuki smiled, "From the name Gear Rasengan, he's using the principles of gears."

"Gears?" Musuna turned her head towards them, "You mean like the ones in clocks?"

"Yeah." Mitsuki said as he thought deeply, "Gears turning together move according to the one with the fastest rotation."

"The fastest rotation?" Konohamaru frowned, "Wait..."

"No amount of rasengans packed together would create enough force to break through the wave." Mitsuki nodded, "But one dense enough probably could...or one with enough torque."

"Torque?" Sarada frowned.

"Rotational speed." Konohamaru grinned, "I see. So he used the maximum rotational speed of an expanded rasengan to speed up the small rasengan."

"...I don't get it." Tsukuzu said.

"He exploded the rasengans on the ground to set up a source of high rotational speed." Mentaiyo explained, "To transfer that rotational force, he added the rasengans on the wave itself. Then, with each rasengan acting as high speed gears, he connected them with the small rasengan. From the land rasengans to the wave rasengans, the higher rotational speed was applied to the rasengan in his hand but since it's such a higher speed applied to a small area, the central rasengan was essentially spinning even raster than the large ones beside it, creating a grinding force that is stronger than the sum of it's parts."

"I'm guessing he can't make a Big Ball Rasengan yet huh?" Konohamaru chuckled, "At this point, he doesn't need to."

"I dunno, this looks exhaustive." Sarada crossed her arms.

"...I still don't get it." Tsukuzu said.

"No more hiding." Boruto grinned as he approached Gaara, "From now on, it's going to be a straight melee."

"Don't think that you've sealed my techniques by forcing a close-range battle." Gaara scowled, "My sand is a weapon without compare."