gaara

sand jutsu

Armor of Sand
Using this jutsu, Gaara can cover himself in a compacted layer of sand, providing an additional defense should his Shield of Sand fail. Though quite effective, maintaining the armor requires a large amount of chakra and stamina. Furthermore, it is nowhere as resilient as the Shield of Sand, since it easily breaks away upon impact, meaning that the sole purpose of the armor is to absorb impact channeled unto Gaara's body during battle. Another weakness is the additional weight of the sand means a decrease of speed and mobility.

Desert Suspension
Using his sand as a platform, Gaara is able to float in the air

Feigning Sleep Technique
This ninjutsu forces the user to fall asleep. Gaara has only used this jutsu when trying to bring out Shukaku.

Prison Sand Burial
Using his ability to manipulate sand, Gaara will loosen the ground below his targets and cause them to sink two hundred meters into the earth. By being imprisoned at this depth, the pressure will completely nullify their ability to move. Also, the pressure resulting from being buried at such an extreme depth would surely kill any normal human, if not from suffocation, although Kimimaro did survive the experience because of his bone strength.

Quicksand in the Style of a Waterfall
This jutsu sends a massive amount of sand towards an opponent in the form of a wave, covering and "drowning" them in an ocean of sand. In addition to the wave effect of the jutsu, Gaara can control the sand, allowing him to attack his opponent while they attempt to outrun the wave. When Gaara used it against Kimimaro, it was shown that the technique can be so powerful as to change the landscape, as Gaara turned acres of forest land into nothing but a desert with occasional trees. This appears to be the only one of Gaara's moves that requires hand seals (not counting Feigning Sleep Technique), and in practice is virtually unavoidable. It is usually followed by an area crushing technique to kill the opponent.

Sand Binding Coffin
With his ability to control sand, Gaara encases his opponents in a large amount of the special chakra-infused sand kept inside his gourd, immobilizing them. It can be used to suffocate an opponent or in preparation for a deadlier technique, the Sand Waterfall Funeral. This appears to be Gaara's signature technique.

Sand Binding Prison
Gaara uses an enormous quantity of sand to completely envelop the target from every direction and capture them. The speed, hardness, and scope of the sand depend on the amount of chakra poured into it. This allows Gaara to fine-tune the sand's properties to the size and characteristics of the target.
No matter if the target is on the ground or flying in the air, it is almost impossible to escape from this technique. However, even if someone successfully escapes from it, Gaara can easily use one of his offensive techniques, like the Sand Binding Coffin, to immediately attack the target.

Sand Clone
Gaara creates a copy of himself out of sand, although it lacks color and is immediately recognizable as sand. This means that it is almost useless as a decoy. Unlike most bunshinjutsu, the clone still retains its shape after it is struck, and can even ensnare whatever comes into contact with it.
In the anime, Sasori used a Sand Clone as a body replacement in order to avoid Kankuro's Black Secret Technique Machine One Shot, although it dissolved once hit.

Sand Drizzle
An alternative to Sand Coffin, Gaara simply gathers sand from the earth and makes it come down like a rain, targeting his opponents from above. To make sure the rain hits its mark, it can be combined with Sand Binding Coffin to immobilize the target. A variant of this technique, called Thunder God of Sand, is seen in Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel.

Sand Shuriken
Once Gaara begins transforming into Shukaku, he can throw shuriken made from sand. Unlike regular shuriken, these are merely fast-moving balls of sand that cause blunt trauma, not actual wounds. They are thrown much faster than regular shuriken; therefore, the pain caused can be considerable.

Sand Waterfall Funeral
After wrapping an opponent with sand, Gaara will cause the sand to implode and crush whatever is within. When used to kill a person, the death is so quick that there isn't even time to feel pain. The pressure also produces a sizable fountain of blood. Gaara can control the pressure used in the attack, which allows him to either break bones or completely liquefy an opponent.

Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral
Following the Quicksand in the Style of a Waterfall, Gaara slams both hands palm down into the sand, creating powerful shock waves that compress the sand. Anything buried in the sand is subsequently crushed. The compressions also creates massive earthquakes.

Shield of Sand
Whenever Gaara is about to come to harm, a shield of sand will automatically surround and protect him. The sand will react regardless of Gaara's will, even protecting him from self-inflicted injuries. The shield is capable of withstanding considerably strong attacks and projectiles, and can be hardened to a point where it's stronger than steel. It can be defeated by avoiding it completely with extremely high-speed attacks, or merely overcoming the shield with incredible brute force.

Sky Sand Protective Wall
This air defense technique creates a giant shield of sand that is suspended in mid-air by raising a great amount of sand from the ground. By gathering the best possible mineral-rich sand, the hardness of the shield is considered to be very high. Furthermore, the sand has its defensive strength raised by flowing chakra through it. It was strong enough to protect Sunagakure from Deidara's C3.

Shukaku Transformation
Gaara is the jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku. Unlike the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Shukaku doesn't have an unnaturally large supply of chakra that Gaara can use. Instead, Shukaku's presence inside Gaara allows him to manipulate sand at will. As an added bonus for Gaara, Shukaku itself can move the sand on its own to protect Gaara from any harm it can in order to preserve its own life. It should be noted that, unlike Naruto's constant battle for control over his body with the Nine-Tails, Gaara is technically never subjugated to this. Because Shukaku is said to devour the soul of its jinchūriki if they were to fall asleep, Gaara has spent upwards to fifteen years not sleeping at all and when the series started he was driven mostly from a desire for his own existence, and bloodlust, the latter being a trait Shukaku can easily influence.

Sphere of Sand
Gaara surrounds himself with his Shield of Sand to guard against attacks. He then uses the Third Eye to watch his opponents' movements and control sand as necessary to battle them. In addition to being extremely dense, this sand-sphere can form spikes from its surface to spear any would-be attacker. Gaara can also use this technique to shield himself from his opponent long enough to perform his transformation into the One-Tailed Shukaku. With sufficient force, such as the Chidori, this defense can be broken through.

Successive Shots: Sand Drizzle
A more powerful version of Gaara's Sand Drizzle. Gaara creates dozens of sand bullets that he uses to shower the enemy.

Third Eye
his jutsu creates a floating eyeball out of sand that is connected to Gaara's optic nerves. Gaara can control the size of the eye depending on its use. Its main purpose is spying, since it can form and disperse in any location on command. He also uses it while within his Sphere of Sand so he can see what's happening outside.

Ultimate Absolute Attack: Shukaku's Halberd
The Shukaku's Halberd is the attack variant of the Shield of Shukaku. Like the shield, Gaara crushes the hardest materials from the ground, this time in the form of a Halberd, in the shape of the Shukaku's arm. Just like the shield which has yet to find anything that could break its defense, the halberd has yet to find a defense that it can't break through.

Ultimate Absolute Defense: Shield of Shukaku
his defensive technique is formed by Gaara to create a toy-like replica of the Shukaku that is roughly twice the size of himself. Because the replica is formed under extreme pressure and is built of the strongest minerals it is virtually indestructible, having yet to be penetrated by any force. The attack variant of the Ultimate Absolute Defense is the Ultimate Absolute Attack: Shukaku's Halberd

Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud Great Breakthrough
When Gaara enters his half Shukaku form, he is able to use wind-based techniques. This technique allows Gaara to spew large amounts of sand from his mouth, enough to devastate the enemy or a large area around him.

Earth jutsu

Name: Dochuu Senkou - Underground Submarine Voyage
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Dochuu Senkou is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After forming the needed hand seals, a ninja can sink below ground and quickly travel through the earth, extending a weapon or hand above the earth to appear as a shark or submarine fin.

Name: Retsudo Tenshou - Revolving Split Earth Palm
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Retsudo Tenshou is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. This technique allows the ninja to control nearby stone and rock. When the ninja forms the needed handseals and slams their palm to the ground, surrounding rock will begin to churn and twist up crushing all those trapped within it.

Name: Moguragakure no Jutsu - Mole Hiding Technique
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Moguragakure no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. This technique allows the ninja to burrow into the ground and hide out of sight. This allows them to avoid attack or travel underground.

Name: Doro Gaeshi - Mud Overturn
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doro Gaeshi is a defensive Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with their hands, a large wall of earth will rise into place as defense. The defense is not perfect though, a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall.

Name: Domu - Earth Spear
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Domu is a Ninjutsu technique utilized by a ninja. After forming the needed Snake handseal, a ninja will harden his/her body using the Earth Element. This provides greater defense against attack and will also strengthen his/her arm to increase his striking ability. Like other Doton based jutsu, it is weak against Raiton attacks.

Name: Doryuu Katsu - Earth Style Split
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuu Katsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals, then place their hand to the ground. This will cause the earth to rise up and split apart. Once the ninja removes their hand from the ground, the earth parting will end.

Name: Iwa Yado Kuzushi - Stone Lodging Destruction
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Iwa Yado Kuzushi is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. This technique allows the ninja to control nearby stone and rock. This can be especially useful if in a cave or a stone lodging. The technique can loosen the rocks and cause them to come raining down on whoever is trapped inside.

Name: Doryou Dango - Mausoleum Earth Dumpling
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryou Dango is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with his hands, a ninja is able to overturn the earth into a large dumpling shape chunk of earth the size of a mausoleum. Using his chakra, he can lift up the ball and hurl it at his opponent, flatening all in its path. This jutsu requires immense strength.

Name: Doryuu Jouheki - Earth Style Rampart
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuu Jouheki is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals. Then a large earthen wall will erupt from the ground.

Name: Doryuu Heki - Earth Style Wall
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuu Heki is a defensive Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and then spew a line of mud onto the ground. The mud will then grow into a large mud wall to help defend against incoming attack.

Name: Doton Kekkai • Dorou Doumu - Earth Barrier • Earth Dome Prison
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton Kekkai • Dorou Doumu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with his hands, a ninja is able to overturn the earth and cause it to rise up around his opponents. Placing his/her hands against the dome he/she is able to suck out the chakra from the people trapped inside and bring it into his own body. At the same time the user will use his own chakra to spread throughout the dome, this allows him to repair any damage his opponents manage to inflict on the inside. The chakra is not evenly spread out though, as the chakra flows away from the user, it becomes more and more weak allowing the dome to be broken on the far side if hit by a hard enough force.

Name: Doryuudan - Earth Dragon Projectile
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuudan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and create a dragon from the river of mud made after using the Doryuu Taiga technique. This dragon will then spew mud projectiles from its mouth.

Name: Doryuu Taiga - Earth Flow River
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuu Taiga is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and transform the ground upon which the enemy stands into a river of mud.

Name: Otoshi Buta - Covering Lid
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Otoshi Buta is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. A large earthen pot will then fall from the sky to cover and contain the target summon. A powerful enough summon will be able to overturn the pot and escape. This will be the final attack in an elemental trio used by the ANBU.

Name: Yomi Numa - Swamp of the Underworld
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Yomi Numa is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth element. After forming the needed handseals, a vast swamp can appear beneath a target to sink and kill it.

Name: Earth Style, Ghost Walking Jutsu
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: By using the subjects Earth elemental affinity the user is able to cover up any tracks or markings made in the earth by the user’s passing. Other elements, however, are unaffected such as smell. This jutsu does not function over water or over worked stone, only natural earthen materials.

Name: Earth Style, Earth Wave Jutsu
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: The user touches the ground and sends a sudden burst of a large amount of chakra into it. This causes the ground to send out a wave from the initial point and knock over or disorient opponents.

Name: Earth Style, Earth Pillars Jutsu
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: An earth chakra using ninja strikes the ground and causes three large pillars to rise in front of him, each three to four feet tall. Although this could stop an attacking opponent, this jutsu has another purpose.
Closer inspection reveals that the pillars are separated into twelve pieces each. The ninja who created the pillars then sweeps his hand around in a circular sweeping motion and strikes the top portion of each pillar, sending it flying off towards an opponent. This is repeated twelve times before the pillar is expended, not necessarily successively.

Name: Earth Style, Ant Lion’s Funnel
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: A ninja strikes the earth and causes it to rapidly change into a funnel similar to an ant lion’s with the user at the bottom. The sides of the tunnel are made of loose earth, making escape difficult without aid or chakra. The size of the funnel is based on the chakra used to perform this technique, ranging from a few feet, to nearly 20ft. at it’s widest point.

Name: Earth Style, Mud Bubbles
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: A ninja spits out bubbles made of mud filled with chakra. Upon impact, the bubbles burst and the chakra explodes out, damaging whatever it hits. The bubbles can be created in the mouth without any external materials.

Name: Earth Style, Imitation of Nature Jutsu
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: Using earth chakra the user creates imitations of other objects, excluding cloning the user. This jutsu could be used to make a scale diagram of something a ninja has seen, for example. This jutsu can also imitate living creatures, but cannot move unless directly manipulated.
This jutsu is often used by recon ninja to accurately describe what was seen. This jutsu relies on subconscious memory, which means that even if it was seen for only an instant, it can be perfectly replicated as the subconscious remembers nearly everything.
Complex shapes, such as those will moving parts, cannot be made to function unless the user also saw the inside of it and how it functions (ex. This jutsu could not replicate a working puppet just by seeing it, the user would have to also see the exact mechanics and inner workings to make a working replica.)

Name: Earth Style, Witch’s Cauldron Jutsu
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: A ninja with chaotic chakra, or expert chakra control, can place their palms on the ground and cause the earth to stir and spin like a whirlpool of earth. The whirlpool spreads out at about 5 feet per post if the user is Chunin, 10 feet if Jounin, and 15 feet at any rank above. This includes the first post, meaning the initial use is that large.
Anything captured in this whirlpool is drug down into the center, which they are trapped in if they reach it. A ninja with enough psychical strength could swim against the current of earth, or attempt to jump out. If a ninja is caught in the center, jutsu and movement is impossible and only an immensely powerful ninja could break free by sheer force.

Name: Earth Style. Stone Shard Impact
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: By striking a large rock, boulder, or other stoney substance, a ninja is able to shatter it into shards which will embed themselves into a target, causing immense pain and adding nearly 5lb of weight to a ninja per use of this jutus due to weight of the stone shards stuck into an opponent. Multiple uses can leave a ninja’s body to heavy to move.

Name: Earth Style, Great Spiked Destruction
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: By using the subjects Earth elemental affinity the user is able to imbue great earthen spikes into normal earthen weaponry. This jutsu enables barbs to grow out of stone and increase the deadliness of stone weapons. The barbs are able to be used to grip weapons, enabling an attempt to pull a weapon out of a ninja’s hands.

Name: Earth Style, Restoration of Nature Jutsu
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Earth
Description: Due to the immense damage that some ninja deal to their surrounding environment during combat, it was inevitable that a jutsu to repair that damage by invented. First the user spends an hour meditating, gathering information as to how the earth was like before the damage was dealt. This may be skipped if the ninja viewed the damage being dealt.
After the meditation, the ninja is aware of the original structure of the earth and then by touching the earth, and relinquishing all but a few scraps of their chakra, they are able to reform the earth as it originally was.
Although invented to repair damage from Shinobi wars, this jutsu is just as easily used to cover up damage dealt by ninja who strive on not leaving a trace. This jutsu can repair damage within a 3m radius, but the damage must be less than a week old.

wind jutsu

Name: Daitoppa - Great Breakthrough
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Fuuton • Daitoppa is a Ninjutsu technique which utilizes the Wind Element. After bringing his hand to his mouth, Kija will blow a large blast of wind capable of leveling almost anything in its way. A variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

Name: Reppushou - Gale Wind Palm
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Fuuton • Reppushou is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. After forming the needed hand seals, Kija will send a strong gust of wind towards his target. When acting in conjunction with another thrown weapon, the wind can increase its power and deadliness.

Owner: Hageshii Ame
Name: Wind Location Jutsu
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Wind
Description: Using small amounts of wind expelled from the mouth, a ninja is able to feel the vibrations from the impact when it hits, giving information on what it struck and the general shape of what was around the impact in a 5ft radius. This enables ninja to imitate a bats echo location, though this is not a sonic attack and can be easily tampered with by another ninja.

Name: Renkuudan - Drilling Air Projectile
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Fuuton • Renkuudan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. The user inhales a large amount of air into his chest and then slams his fist into his chest to expel it. When expelled it forms concussive spherical projectiles capable of inflicting large damage.

Name: Dai Kamaitachi - Great Cutting Whirlwind
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Dai Kamaitachi is a Ninjutsu technique developed by the Sand ninja Temari. Named after a mythical creature, Temari uses her fan to blow a concussive wind that is imbued with her chakra. This technique is a bigger version of the normal Kamaitachi no Jutsu, having the ability to cause a great amount of cutting damage to the nearby area. This requires a fan.

Name: Senpuu Hashira no Jutsu
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: This encircles the opponent with a spiral of wind, then the wind starts to rotate and is focused in rotating more and more fast. Once the opponent is imprisoned inside the spiral, the user can add projectiles, which will also encircle the opponent, effectively cutting them. That can make this jutsu deadly. This requires a fan, and will last one post.

Name: Kazekiri - Wind Cutter
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Fuuton • Kazekiri no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. To utilize this technique, the ANBU member will form the needed hand seal. A large slicing wind will then be created which can cut through his opponent. This can be used to immobilize large summons. This will be the initial attack in an elemental trio used by the ANBU.

Name: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa - Infinite Dust Great Breakthrough
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Fuuton • Mugen Sajin Daitoppa is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. The user can inhale a large amount of air into the chest cavity. A ninja can then exhale the air in a large gust capable of turning back an incoming attack.

Name: Tatsu no Ooshigoto - Dragon's Big Job
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Fuuton
Description: Fuuton • Tatsu no Ooshigoto is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Wind Element. Temari will swing her fan into the air, causing the sky to grow dark and stormy. These clouds will create a cutting tornado that will drop down on top of her target. This requires a fan.

Chunin Exam arc
Gaara participated in the Chunin Exams, where he was quickly identified as a skilled competitor. He was able to pass the first phase without giving any indications that he was cheating (the objective of the test). During the second phase, he demonstrated his thirst for blood by killing Team Shigure, who Gaara claimed had looked at him the wrong way. Gaara wanted to continue searching for people to kill, but Kankuro told him that it was enough. However, Gaara said that he didn't care for them, and didn't consider Temari and Kankuro as his siblings. Gaara and his team finished this phase in an hour and thirty-seven minutes, beating the previous record by over four hours, with Gaara not getting so much as a speck of dust on his clothes, a feat that would be very difficult even for an experienced ninja.
In the preliminary matches, Gaara was matched against Rock Lee. Lee's formidable speed and strength were enough to bypass Gaara's Shield of Sand completely, forcing him to rely on his secondary Armour of Sand. Despite Lee's best efforts, Gaara's sand protected him from even Lee's Reverse Lotus, which left Lee in no condition to fight after its use. Gaara used his sand to crush the weakened Lee's arm and leg, critically injuring him. Gaara tried to kill Lee, but Might Guy intervened before he could harm Lee any further. For the finals, Gaara was matched against Sasuke Uchiha. In the month before the finals, Dosu Kinuta tried to kill Gaara in order to ensure that he could fight Sasuke. Gaara promptly killed him with the power of Shukaku.
In the final round matches of the Chunin Exams, Gaara was to play a major role in Orochimaru's invasion upon Konohagakure, by releasing Shukaku within the center of the village. Prior to his battle with Sasuke, he brutally killed Tsuba and Midori, both of whom tried to threaten Gaara to lose the battle for a bet. During his match with Sasuke, however, Gaara was wounded by Sasuke's Chidori, disabling him from serving his role in the invasion. With Gaara no longer in a condition to join the battle, Gaara and his siblings fled the village, while the invasion proceeded without them.
Gaara was pursued by the members of Team 7, along with Shikamaru Nara and Shino Aburame, which forced Gaara to begin transforming into Shukaku. As his transformation progressed, Sasuke tried to use Chidori two additional times, but when both proved ineffective at stopping Gaara, he was left exhausted. Gaara tried to kill Sasuke, but was stopped by Naruto and Sakura's arrivals. Intrigued by Naruto's abilities, Gaara pinned Sakura to a tree, in order to force Naruto to fight. When Naruto began gaining the upper hand, Gaara completed his transformation, and put himself to sleep to bring out Shukaku's personality. With the help of Gamabunta, Naruto woke Gaara up, and broke the transformation. With the last of their energy, the two exchanged final blows, Naruto ending up claiming victory. Gaara was puzzled by Naruto's undying devotion to his friends, causing Gaara to realise that Naruto's strength came from the desire to protect those close to him. As Gaara and his siblings fled the scene, Gaara openly apologized to Kankuro and Temari, which surprised and confused them. Thanks to Naruto's influence, the defeat proved to be a major turning point for Gaara.

Team Baki was called by the Fifth Hokage to assist the Sasuke Retrieval Squad in retrieving Sasuke when he defected from Konoha. Gaara arrived to help Rock Lee in his battle with Kimimaro. Here, Gaara showed his change in personality as he worried about Lee's injuries, the same ones he gave him in the Chunin Exams, while fighting Kimimaro. In the fight, Gaara showed off several new abilities, though he proved unable to defeat Kimimaro, and both he and Lee were almost killed by the Second State of Kimimaro's Cursed Seal, though they were saved only by Kimimaro dying from his own terminal disease. After feeling somewhat sorry for Kimimaro, the two formed a friendly bond, and returned to Konoha.

Pre-Shippūden filler arcs
The Sand Siblings would later appear when they became teachers at a Konoha-style ninja academy at Suna. As an instructor, Gaara took on the only student who was willing to train under him, Matsuri. Because of Matsuri's fear of weapons, Gaara trained her to use a jouhyou. When a group of people called the Four Celestial Symbols Men kidnapped her in order to get to Gaara, Suna called for aid from the Konoha 11 to repay their help during the Sasuke Retrieval arc. Gaara first fought Suiko, then he caught and attacked the Four Celestial Symbols Men leader, Hoki, but was captured. To escape, Gaara did a partial Shukaku transformation, reviving the Takumi Village's ultimate weapon, Seimei. Gaara later destroyed Seimei with Ultimate Absolute Attack: Shukaku's Halberd, and killed Jin with a Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral.
After this, Gaara rests in the Konoha hospital, and overhears Naruto's conversation with Jiraiya. Gaara and the rest of the siblings, including Matsuri, leave Konohagakure.

Having become the Fifth Kazekage during the gap in time between Part I and II, Gaara was targeted by Akatsuki, who sought to extract Shukaku from within him. Gaara proved highly capable of holding off Deidara, even managing to crush one of his arms, and had him on the run for most of the battle, but his inevitable duty to protect Sunagakure was taken advantage of by Deidara, by threatening to drop one of his most powerful bombs on the village. Gaara prevented any damage being inflicted by summmoning a vast amount of sand to cover it entirely, albeit at the cost of practically all of his remaining chakra, which left him open for capture. Being unconscious, he was taken to Akatsuki's hideout by Deidara.
Although Team Kakashi did their best to save Gaara, they did not arrive in time to stop Akatsuki's extraction of Shukaku, resulting in Gaara's death. Naruto Uzumaki cries in front of him, regretting not saving only Sasuke, but Gaara as well. However, Chiyo resurrected Gaara with the help of Naruto's chakra using her life-restoring technique, in the hopes that it would make up for her sealing of Shukaku into Gaara years earlier, and hoping Naruto and Gaara will both change the world, by bringing Gaara back to life at the cost of her own. Gaara awoke, shocked by being surrounded by his friends from Konoha and the Sunagakure villagers that had gone looking for him, all relieved that he was alright. This was the first time Gaara truly felt loved and not so alone. Gaara later orders everyone to pray for the hopes of Chiyo.
Before Naruto went back home, he tried to say goodbye, but admitted that it wasn't something he was good at. Gaara used some sand to encourage and guide Naruto's hand, and the two shook hands, symbolizing Gaara and Naruto's friendship, and Gaara's new characteristics. Even with Shukaku removed, Gaara still retained the ability to control sand and went on to continue his work as Kazekage.

Five Kage Summit arc


The Sand Siblings' new look.
Because of Akatsuki's increasing activity, the Raikage calls for a meeting of the five Kage. When Gaara left for the summit his hair had grown a little longer, he still wore his sand gourd on his back, and the traditional Kazekage hat and gown were attached to it. Temari and Kankuro accompany him for protection, but Kankuro notes that he doesn't need bodyguards.
Gaara is the first Kage to arrive in the Land of Iron. When the other Kage arrive and the meeting starts, Gaara is the first to speak. He indicates that, because he was captured by Akatsuki and almost died when Shukaku was removed from his body, he considers the organization very dangerous. He adds that he had previously requested collaboration between the villages against Akatsuki, but that only Tsunade of Konoha responded. Gaara is repeatedly interrupted by the other Kage for the rest of the meeting and his input is dismissed because of his young age.
When Sasuke is revealed to have infiltrated the meeting and the Raikage goes to fight him, Gaara has a chance to speak with the remaining Kage. He voices his concern with the others' lack of ethics and says that a world without faith and understanding would be a world with only fear. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari then leave to join the Raikage's battle with Sasuke. When they arrive, Gaara uses his sand to stop Sasuke and the Raikage from attacking each other, demonstrating that despite the loss of Shukaku, Gaara's sand manipulation powers were still strong. While the Raikage recuperates, Gaara tries to convince Sasuke to stop living in the darkness, citing past experience by saying no good will come of it. Sasuke cannot be convinced so, with a tear in his eye, Gaara joins Kankuro, Temari, and Darui in their attack.
Sasuke is able to elude their combined efforts. They follow him back to the room where the Kage met and find Sasuke with Madara Uchiha. Madara sends Sasuke away and tells everyone in attendance about his Moon's Eye Plan. Because Madara concludes by requesting that the Kage give him Naruto, Gaara refuses. The other Kage agree, so Madara declares the start of the Fourth Great Shinobi World War.
Immediately after Madara teleported away, Gaara brought the group's attention back to the need of an alliance, now more than ever. After agreements were made, Gaara offered to relay the news to Konoha through ninja he trusted such as Kakashi as Danzo proved himself untrustworthy. He also pointed out the importance of not playing into Madara's hands by carelessly putting the remaining Jinchuriki out in the open as mere weapons, and thereby risk them being captured.
Mifune agrees to let the Raikage to lead the alliance. Gaara and the rest of the Kage accept the offer, and, as the first objective, must inform all the Daimyo about the incedent.

Legend of the Stone of Gelel
In the second Naruto movie, Gaara and Kankuro came to the aid of a band of Suna villagers who came under attack. A group of seemingly invulnerable armored warriors attacked the shinobi, and it was only Gaara's sand manipulation abilities that saved the group from certain defeat. The Suna ninja then destroyed the warship that brought the warriors, only to come under attack from knights wielding the power of the Stone of Gelel. Gaara engaged one of these warriors, called Ranke, who wielded lightning powers, and was able to thwart her using his sand. When Ranke transformed into a monstrous form of greater power, she seemingly outmatched Gaara, until he crushed her using Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral. By doing this, he made lightning rods to drain her lightning; the jutsu was called Thunder God of Sand. He is later seen amazed by the destruction the Gelel caused. It is unclear whether Gaara met Naruto after the incedent. Later, he and Kankuro safely return to Sunagakure.