"Ahem... this is the preliminary round..." Hayate Gekko covered his mouth and coughed lightly. Looking at the two boys standing in the arena, he said in a deep voice, "You two, don't disrupt the order of the exam..."
Before he could finish, a mass of sand shot toward him.
It was instantly disintegrated by a Spiral Shockwave.
Naruto Uzumaki withdrew his hand and offered Gaara a slight smile. "No need to be so heartless, right? Neither of us has an opponent yet. Why not let us fight?"
"Cough... this isn't fair... cough cough..." Hayate Gekko coughed violently. Just as he was about to continue, Naruto interrupted him, his face a mask of concern. "Senior, you should rest. You don't look like you're in good shape..."
"You... cough cough cough..." The proctor's coughing only grew worse.
Watching from above, the Third Hokage suddenly spoke up. "Hmm, that little one from the Sand Village, do you agree?"
"Hmph." Sand billowed up behind Gaara, forming a defensive wall. He glanced at Naruto and said, "It doesn't matter who dies by my hand."
"Then I'm the one who's willingly come to die." Chakra surged from Naruto's body, a meaningful smile on his face. No one could see that inside the sealing space in his body, the Nine-Tails was also smiling, its grin even more malevolent than Naruto's.
This battle was the Nine-Tails' idea.
After Temari had nearly killed Tenten, the demon fox began tirelessly persuading Naruto. It listed the remaining contestants, pointing out that most were Naruto's friends.
The Sand Village ninjas were all heavy-handed. That Gaara kid might not hesitate to kill a Konoha ninja on the spot, and no one might be fast enough to save them.
But most importantly, of course, was the chance to beat up the One-Tail. Every time the Nine-Tails saw the One-Tail getting beaten up, it felt genuinely happy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged voice spread throughout the arena. "Then, as the Third Hokage of Konoha, I approve your choice."
"This... isn't a joke, is it?"
"Naruto-kun..."
"Tch, anyway, both of those guys are trouble!"
"Neji, what do you think about me challenging you later?"
"We've fought too many times. I have no interest in fighting you."
The preliminary area erupted in an uproar. Among the genin who had yet to compete, some were quite pleased. Shikamaru Nara, for example, knew the difficulty of their upcoming battles had just dropped significantly. "Tsk, the two most unpredictable opponents facing each other. How relaxing..."
Of course, there were also some who didn't quite get it, like Kiba Inuzuka, who had been hoping to draw Naruto. "Damn it, the weakest guy was taken..."
"Kiba, that Naruto fellow is not weak," Kurenai Yuhi said, glancing at her student with a slight smile. "Don't always think about exploiting loopholes. If you want to advance to the third exam, you have to show that you have the strength for it!"
"Yes, sensei," Kiba mumbled, slamming his fist on the railing.
Nearby, Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha were also discussing Naruto, and their views were mostly the same. If Naruto couldn't win... it was unlikely any genin present could defeat Gaara.
As for the Sand Village's side, the mood was the opposite.
Temari angrily slammed her giant fan on the ground. "That bastard provoked Gaara. Is he looking to die?"
"Although I can't see through that blond genin..." Kankuro said, looking at Gaara in the arena, "it must be said, Gaara has never lost." After a moment, he glanced at his hot-tempered sister. "By the way, Temari, did you really ever think about killing Gaara?"
"Are you an idiot? Gaara is our brother!" Temari's anger flared. It was bad enough that one brother had problems; now the other's brain seemed faulty, too.
Kankuro fell silent, watching sand gradually begin to fill the arena. "But our father doesn't think of Gaara as his son."
"..." Temari slowly lowered her head.
It was an irrefutable truth. They both knew about Yashamaru's past, and they knew Gaara had survived multiple assassination attempts by him. The mastermind behind them was the Fourth Kazekage—their own father.
Down in the arena, Gaara looked up and suddenly spoke. "Naruto Uzumaki, I hate you. I hate the chakra in your body, I hate your friends, and I hate everything you have."
"Perhaps it's not hate, but jealousy?" Naruto looked at him, puzzled, and offered some helpless advice. "Don't think about it. You can't have what I have anyway."
"..." Gaara was stunned for a moment, then slowly raised his palm. A mass of yellow sand floated up. "It doesn't matter. I can take your life."
The sand shot toward Naruto. It moved like an extension of Gaara's arm, its speed incredibly fast. Even Naruto didn't want to get tangled up with it. He dodged, and Gaara mocked him contemptuously. "Oh? Can you only hide like a rat?"
"Spiral Punch!"
A ring of chakra shattered, clinging to Naruto's fist. The surging energy not only destroyed the sand attack but also blasted through the roof of the arena, creating a whirlwind indoors.
Everyone was stunned.
The Third Hokage, who had been watching with great interest, couldn't help but pull out a few strands of his beard as he looked up at the massive hole in the ceiling. It could hardly be called a hole anymore; more than half the roof had been completely destroyed. Fine wood chips and dust rained down into the arena.
The crowd coughed as they tried to see through the debris.
Kiba Inuzuka rubbed his eyes, his mouth slowly falling open. "Just now... what was... that jutsu? Did Naruto use it?"
"Yes," Shino Aburame confirmed, nodding.
Kurenai Yuhi patted both of them on the head. "You two, don't stay here. It's too dangerous now..."
"Don't worry, the old man will find a way to solve this," Asuma Sarutobi said, walking over with his own subordinates. He patted his girlfriend's shoulder and pointed with his thumb at Hiruzen, who was already quietly giving orders to the ANBU.
Over with Team 3 and Team 7, Rock Lee's face was full of amazement. "That jutsu... so strong!"
Neji Hyuga's expression was unusually grave as he nodded. Even Might Guy's face looked a bit strained. "Is this the strength that can put Kakashi in the hospital?"
That really hit a sore spot.
Kakashi Hatake said nothing.
Sasuke Uchiha glanced at them, then back at Naruto, who had already started fighting again. "Tch, that guy Naruto... his speed with the Spiral Punch has gotten faster... You idiot from the Sand Village... the fight has just begun."
-----
Bonus:
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "At this Jonin meeting, there are two main things. Everyone take notes..."
Numerous Jonin: "..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "First, before all future Chunin Exams, the Sealing Team must be ready to deploy the Four Violet Flames Formation at any time. Every Jonin must also learn this jutsu."
Numerous Jonin: "Okay, understood."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Oh, right. Guy, you don't have to. You can't learn it."
Might Guy: "Third, are you insulting me?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "If you want to learn it, go ahead. I estimate by the time you figure it out, Konoha will have already been torn down."
Might Guy: "..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Second thing. Kakashi, you go pay for the repairs to the arena from last time."
Kakashi: "Does that arena still need repairs? Wasn't it already demolished?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Oh, right, right. You go pay the costs for rebuilding that arena."
Kakashi: "???"