"Doesn't this sound exciting?" Kiba's face lit up with eagerness, Akamaru barking loudly beside him.
"Think about it," Shikamaru explained calmly. "Naruto, Gaara, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shino, plus Choji, Ino, and myself—that's eight of us. Together, we can take most of the clearance cards on the field."
"Then let's do it!" Kiba clenched his fists, ready to charge out at any moment.
"A sneak attack?" Naruto looked around, scratching his head. "Wait… where's Sasuke?"
"Hm?" Shikamaru frowned, confused.
"Sasuke! He was with us, wasn't he? Where'd he go?" Naruto grumbled, glancing about as if expecting him to pop out at any second.
The truth was, Sasuke had left quietly the moment Gaara began his fight with Sasori. Naruto had been so focused on Gaara that he hadn't noticed his teammate slip away. Only now did it hit him.
Ino looked puzzled. "What Sasuke? We only saw you, Naruto."
Naruto scowled. "Don't tell me he got eliminated?"
Gaara shook his head. "No. He's hiding his true strength."
And indeed, it wasn't only Naruto's group that wondered. The other competitors had also forgotten about Sasuke, as well as two other mysterious genin who had barely acted so far. Together, they formed a third faction—silent, patient, and unreadable.
Now the battlefield was split into three distinct forces.
One: Sasuke and the other hidden powers, still untouched and unpredictable.
Two: the united group of genin from Kamigakure, the so-called "God's Country," now fighting under Kaede's banner.
Three: the remaining eleven genin, weaker but desperate, who banded together believing that sheer numbers could overwhelm the others.
But they had overlooked one thing. These "genin of God's Country" were no ordinary rookies. They had been molded and subdued by Kaede himself. Since the night he led the Uchiha into their independence, Kaede had crushed every obstacle in his path. No village, no nation, had been able to withstand him.
That was why the great nations hesitated, why even the smallest countries watched with fear. The so-called peace of the shinobi world had never been born of goodwill or noble ideals. It was built entirely upon balance of power.
For generations, the Five Great Nations had maintained that balance. Each had their own hidden techniques, their bloodline limits, and most importantly—their Tailed Beasts.
Sunagakure had Gaara and Shukaku, the One-Tail.
Kumogakure held the Two-Tails, Matatabi, and the Eight-Tails, Gyūki.
Kirigakure controlled the Three-Tails, Isobu, and the Six-Tails, Saiken.
Iwagakure possessed the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, and the Five-Tails, Kokuō.
But now, that balance had been shattered.
The Seven-Tails of Takigakure had already bowed to Kaede, its chakra shared with Kamigakure. The One-Tail's jinchūriki, Gaara, now followed Naruto into God's Country. Even the Two-Tails, Matatabi, played freely in the garden of the Divine Tree.
What had once been equal was now broken.
Because of Kaede's overwhelming might, not only the Five Great Nations, but also the smaller countries, felt unease gnawing at their hearts. They all feared the same thing: that one day Kaede would set his sights on them.
And when that day came, it would not just be their armies, but their nations themselves, that vanished from the map.
(End of Chapter)
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