At the Hidden Sand Village's temporary outpost.
"I heard someone's challenging Hidden Leaf shinobi again. Let's go check it out!"
"Where?"
"Seems they're blocking the entrance to Hidden Leaf Hospital. Hurry, or we'll miss the show!"
Hearing the commotion from their fellow Sand shinobi in the courtyard, Gaara's brows twitched slightly.
Temari chuckled. "Didn't expect Hidden Leaf to be in such a sorry state, getting challenged right at their doorstep. This is a rare sight!"
Kankuro suggested, "Why don't we go take a look?"
Temari glanced at Gaara.
After a moment's hesitation, Gaara said, "Let's go see."
As the group left the Hidden Sand's outpost, they ran into a group from Hidden Rock, led by Kurotsuchi.
Kurotsuchi glanced at Gaara and his team. "You guys heading to watch the excitement too?"
Temari nodded. "Yeah!"
Kurotsuchi waved them over. "Come on, let's go together!"
And so, Gaara and his group joined Kurotsuchi's Hidden Rock team, heading toward Hidden Leaf Hospital.
On the way, Temari casually remarked, "I thought Hidden Leaf's geniuses were supposed to be something special. But now they're making fools of themselves, getting blocked at their own hospital. They step out the door and get sent right back in for treatment. Talk about embarrassing!"
Kurotsuchi replied, "Aside from Uchiha Sasuke, Hidden Leaf's real geniuses haven't even made a move yet."
Kankuro smirked. "Then why aren't they stepping up? Scared because even Uchiha Sasuke got beaten?"
Kurotsuchi snapped, "What do you know? Hidden Leaf's true genius is Uchiha Shinji!"
Gaara spoke up. "The one who took down Akatsuki's Kurosuki Raiga?"
"Exactly!" Kurotsuchi nodded. "So just wait and see—Hidden Leaf isn't as simple as you think!"
Before long, the group arrived outside Hidden Leaf Hospital.
The area was already packed with onlookers.
Temari scanned the crowd. "We're late! Hidden Cloud, Hidden Mist, and even Hidden Sound, Hidden Snow, and Hidden Waterfall shinobi are here!"
Gaara ordered, "Find us a spot to watch."
"On it!"
Kankuro eagerly pushed through the crowd, securing a viewing spot for Gaara and the others.
…
On the field.
After Kiba and Shino's defeats, Choji and Hinata stepped up, but against Chino—who was enhanced by Blue Higanbana No. 1 and trained in the Twelve Palaces—they were far outmatched. In one-on-one fights, they were no challenge, easily dispatched by Chino in just a few moves.
When the Hyuga main branch's young lady was effortlessly defeated, gasps erupted from the sidelines.
Feeling the crowd's gazes, sweat beaded on Shikamaru's forehead.
Ino spoke up. "Let me try!"
Shikamaru shook his head slightly. "No point in trying. This Grass shinobi is ridiculously strong—way beyond what we can handle. You'd just be another defeat."
Sakura asked urgently, "Then what do we do?"
Shikamaru glanced at the stone-faced Sasuke. "Among us, Sasuke's probably the only one with a shot at winning."
Sasuke said coldly, "Leave it to me."
Shikamaru stopped him. "Don't fight her in taijutsu. Use ninjutsu and ninja tools to restrict her!"
"No need to tell me that!"
Sasuke stepped onto the field.
Watching Sasuke's back, Shikamaru sighed inwardly.
In his judgment, even Sasuke's chances were slim. His dojutsu was drained, and his injuries weren't fully healed.
To him, the only ones who could resolve this crisis were Shinji and Yakumo. Neji and Kimimaro weren't reliable bets.
He quietly told Sakura, "Sakura, head back to the hospital and find someone to notify Yakumo. Tell her to get here fast!"
Sakura stared at Shikamaru, stunned. "You mean Sasuke might…"
Shikamaru nodded. "Please, hurry!"
Sakura rushed back into the hospital.
In truth, there was no need for Sakura to notify anyone. With all the commotion at the entrance, the hospital was already abuzz with the news.
…
Atop the hospital roof.
Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, staring coldly at the clearing in front of the hospital entrance, her face unusually grave.
Shizune, standing beside her, frowned. "Lady Tsunade, something's off about this Grass shinobi!"
"Off? That's an understatement!" Tsunade shook her head, explaining, "She may be young and small, but her physical strength is terrifying. I suspect she has some kind of Bloodline Limit."
Shizune said, "Hidden Grass only has a couple of known Bloodline Limits, and none seem to enhance taijutsu to this degree."
"Then there's only one other explanation," Tsunade muttered to herself. "She's a genius!"
Seeing Sasuke step up, Shizune breathed a sigh of relief. "Sasuke's finally making a move!"
But Tsunade ordered, "Go to the training grounds and bring Yakumo here."
Shizune asked, "You think Sasuke can't win?"
"In his current state, it's unlikely," Tsunade said, shaking her head helplessly. "If Yakumo doesn't step in today, this mess won't end well!"
Being challenged at their own hospital's doorstep was a blow to Hidden Leaf's reputation that even the pragmatic leadership couldn't ignore.
Though Tsunade didn't want to disrupt Yakumo's training before the Chunin Exam, she had no choice but to call her in to save the day.
After all, the challenger was just an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hidden Leaf, as the leader of the five great ninja villages, couldn't resort to anything underhanded. If they couldn't defeat this Grass shinobi head-on, the village's reputation would take a serious hit.
…
Inside the secret training grounds.
Yakumo, unaware of the outside events, had lost another key ability since giving up her Koryugan: her clairvoyance.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Shizune walked in.
Yakumo paused her training. "Shizune-senpai, is something up?"
Shizune briefly described the situation outside, concluding, "Right now, we're counting on you!"
Yakumo frowned, puzzled. "Is this Grass shinobi really that strong?"
Hidden Grass Village was already weak, and after a recent catastrophe, their losses were devastating. Yakumo couldn't fathom how their shinobi, sent for the Chunin Exam, could be so powerful as to leave her academy classmates helpless at the hospital's doorstep.
Shizune explained, "Kiba, Shino, Choji, and Hinata have all been defeated. Sasuke's probably stepping up now, but Lady Tsunade thinks we'll still need you to handle this!"
Yakumo nodded. "Alright, I'm going!"