The highlight of the joint Chūnin Exams has arrived.
These carefully selected Genin will fight on behalf of their villages.
The Kazekage of Sunagakure personally attends.
He seems to be a ninja adept at concealment.
His entire body is tightly wrapped, only revealing a pair of eyes. Not even his chakra leaks out. Because of the distance, Naruto couldn't sense his aura.
He appeared to have high hopes for Sunagakure's performance and couldn't help but mock sarcastically when meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Ironically—
The daimyōs from various countries, here to spectate, merely treated it like a betting game. They had already placed heavy bets on the Genin they favored.
The first match was Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari.
Though Shikamaru ultimately "forfeited," it did not lessen the quality of the battle.
The tactical showdown between the two was brilliant.
Move for move, they pushed their not-so-outstanding abilities to their limits.
Though Konoha lost, they lost with honor.
A smart ninja is a dazzling gem, and someone as smart as Shikamaru is extremely rare.
The second match was the most anticipated one.
Gaara vs. Uzumaki Naruto.
Standing in the arena—
Naruto listened to the cheers around him, surveying the venue.
Order was maintained by the Konoha Police Force.
But there were also ANBU in the arena. They were on high alert, but not many in number.
Kakashi-sensei and Rock Lee's teacher, Might Guy, both wore grave expressions.
The proctor for the third match—if he remembered correctly—was supposed to be the sickly-looking "Gekkō Hayate." But now, it was "Genma Shiranui" instead, and there was no sign of Gekkō Hayate's chakra presence.
Something must have happened—
Something serious enough for Konoha to react like this.
"Your aura smells delicious," Gaara spoke, chakra surging, and sand poured from the gourd on his back. "I've wanted to attack you for a while now. I just never found the right chance."
"Mother will love your blood."
Naruto was surprised.
Is he... talking to the sand?
He focused his senses.
Within the flowing sand, there was a faint, firm but peculiar chakra presence.
It did not belong to the tailed beast, nor to Gaara himself.
Talking to the sand seemed to be a painful process for Gaara.
He clutched his face, panting heavily.
After a while, he calmed down and looked up at Naruto. "Come."
Naruto didn't draw his blade.
He flash-stepped forward. The sand tried to pursue him, but couldn't keep up—
It was more than a beat slower than his movement.
Naruto landed a punch.
Gaara barely defended himself, and the sand armor that protected his body began to crumble under Naruto's repeated strikes.
In the stands—
"Naruto is really strong," Might Guy said, watching the golden figure weaving through the sand, awestruck. "Lee worked so hard to accomplish this, and Naruto is doing it so easily."
"And…"
"He hasn't even used his full strength yet."
Kakashi nodded.
Naruto hadn't drawn his blade nor used any of his unusual techniques.
"Naruto's not the type to underestimate opponents," Sakura said, frowning, puzzled.
"He's probing," Kakashi said softly. "He seems to have noticed something. He's trying to confirm it."
Sakura looked up at Kakashi, hoping for a more specific answer.
"I don't know what he's testing either," Kakashi shook his head. "His sensory ability far exceeds ours."
After a few exchanges—
Naruto stopped, looking at the panting Gaara.
As expected—
"There's something unusual about the chakra in your sand," he asked curiously.
He had never seen such a technique.
The sand that reacted to attacks and protected Gaara wasn't controlled by him directly. It moved based on that faint, unfamiliar chakra.
But its owner wasn't present.
"You're incredibly perceptive," Gaara said with a twisted grin. "You actually noticed that chakra."
"That's the power of the Tailed Beast."
"If you're that curious, I'll let you see it for yourself—"
He formed hand seals as the sand surged around him like a tide.
Naruto interrupted, "That's not Tailed Beast chakra."
Gaara was stunned.
Naruto continued, "We're actually alike. I have a Tailed Beast inside me too."
"I know what Tailed Beast chakra feels like."
"The sand protecting you doesn't contain that kind of chakra."
"It's a weak but very gentle chakra."
"You really don't know?"
Gaara was momentarily dazed.
Sand that protected him... wasn't powered by the Tailed Beast?
A gentle power...
He stood frozen in the sealing pose. His chakra failed to continue flowing, and the sand fell to the ground with a clatter.
At that moment—
A violent chakra fluctuation burst into the sky.
Naruto turned immediately to look.
He instantly spotted the source—
It was Yakushi Kabuto, the man who had voluntarily withdrawn from the exam, claiming to be average.
Now he wore a mask and a black cloak identical to those of the ANBU.
Feathers fell like rain.
Sleepiness crept into the hearts of everyone present.
A genjutsu!
It was a large-scale illusion technique aimed at the entire arena.
Naruto quickly formed hand seals and released it with a surge of chakra.
But—
The sudden deployment of the genjutsu caused most people to fall under its spell and drift into unconsciousness. Only a few elite jōnin and ANBU managed to stay alert and react in time.
Among the Genin—
Only Sakura, Sasuke, a fake-fainting Shikamaru, and the nearly invisible Shino Aburame remained conscious.
Sunagakure's ninjas jumped into the arena—
Three of them.
Gaara's two teammates, and a jōnin instructor wrapped in dark gear with white cloth around his head and lower face.
"What are you Sunagakure people planning?" Naruto glared at the four before him.
The Sunagakure jōnin turned and said, "Gaara, proceed with the plan."
"We'll cover you."
Gaara looked up, his gaze flicking from the jōnin to Naruto.
His chakra surged again.
Sand gathered into a giant sphere, encasing him inside.
"The old order between Konoha and Sunagakure is about to change," the jōnin finally answered Naruto, his gaze drifting to the observation tower. "You're highly valued by the Kazekage. His orders were that once Gaara releases that power, we are to stall you."
Meanwhile, Otogakure's ninjas followed their plan to stall Konoha's still-conscious jōnin.
"Kazekage?"
Naruto looked toward the now-chaotic observation tower.
"You sure those orders came from the Kazekage… and not Orochimaru?"
The jōnin was stunned.
Naruto turned back to face him. "The Kazekage just attacked Grandpa Third. The chakra he released was identical to Orochimaru's."
The jōnin clenched his teeth and quickly formed hand seals. "I don't know what nonsense you're talking about."
"Trying to rattle us with lies?"
"Move!"
Temari unfurled her massive fan, and Kankuro's fingers twitched—two puppets flew out.
Naruto calmly stared at the four before him, hand resting on his sword.
"Four against one…"
"Orochimaru really sees me as a threat."
"But do you really think you can hold me back?"
The Sunagakure jōnin swallowed nervously, glancing at the sand sphere behind him.
They were both Jinchūriki, around the same age—
But this kid before him… where did he get such an overwhelming presence?
(End of this chapter)