Gaara finally revealed his true offense.
With a mere shift in intent, countless grains of sand condensed, then exploded forward like a violent tide.
"Suna Shuriken (Sand Shuriken)!"
The technique expanded instantly, swallowing the arena in an overwhelming storm. Against such a wide, merciless assault, an ordinary genin would have had no defense - no cover to take, no route to flee, no time to react.
But Hyuga Neji was not ordinary.
The moment the sandstorm descended, Neji's gaze sharpened and his body moved without hesitation. He released his trump card - the pinnacle of the Gentle Fist's defensive art.
"Hakke Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Rotation)!!!"
In a single breath, chakra erupted from all three hundred and sixty-one tenketsu across his body. As Neji spun at blinding speed, the chakra rotated in perfect synchronization, forming a dense spiral barrier that repelled anything it touched. It wasn't merely defense - it was an assertion of dominance, an invincibility built through discipline rather than brute force.
In the next instant, the incoming Sand Shuriken were blasted apart, scattered outward before bursting into loose clouds that rained harmlessly across the battlefield.
Only then did Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan, fully grasp what he was witnessing. His eyes widened, disbelief flickering across his face.
"A branch family member… surpassing the main house?"
Beside him, someone murmured in a low voice, almost reverent. "Hisashi… Neji truly is a once-in-a-generation genius."
The arena ignited. The intensity of the clash stirred the crowd into a frenzy, blood boiling, cheers rising in waves.
Ōnoki chuckled softly. "Hokage, Kazekage… it seems these two are the strongest representatives of Konohagakure and Sunagakure. What a spectacular fight."
The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, exhaled a slow ring of smoke. "Hyuga Neji… a rare talent. However…"
Chiba's smile was faint, almost cold. A talent forged by the sacrifice you forced upon his father.
Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage, nodded as well. "To withstand Gaara's offense head-on like this… even among chūnin, that would be extraordinary."
Gaara stared at the spinning chakra barrier, his expression shifting for the first time.
"…You blocked it?"
Neji allowed himself a small, confident smile. "This is a different kind of absolute defense from yours, Gaara. You're monstrously strong… but defeating me won't be easy."
Gaara's reply was quiet, flat. "Is that so?"
For the first time, he uncrossed his arms.
His right hand rose slowly - then clenched.
"Suna Shigure (Sand Shower)!"
Sand poured down from above like a collapsing sky, while simultaneously surging upward from beneath Neji's feet, aiming to bind him in place. A coordinated assault from both heaven and earth - suppression from above, restraint from below - leaving no clean escape.
A technique so dangerous that even Kimimaro had once come close to being sealed by it.
Yet Neji retreated sharply, his movements clean and precise. In one fluid motion he slipped past both the falling sand and the ambush from the ground, his timing exact to the heartbeat.
"A clever technique," Neji said calmly. "But your sand is saturated with chakra. Before my Byakugan, its movements are completely visible. I can see how you manipulate it underground before you launch the attack."
Gaara nodded once. "Very good. You're a worthy opponent."
Then his voice dipped, and the air seemed to tighten.
"But - "
The falling sand twisted and merged, reshaping into a colossal hand - massive, terrifying - like the claw of Shukaku itself as it lunged after Neji.
Neji's pupils constricted. He retreated again, but the sand hand was fast and its reach was enormous. The battlefield was limited. There was nowhere left to run - and speed had never been Neji's greatest strength.
With no other choice, he activated Rotation again.
The roaring spin tore the sand hand apart, scattering it across the arena in a violent spray.
But for Gaara, dispersed sand was nothing. Reassembly required only a thought.
The massive hand reformed almost instantly and slammed down once more.
Neji was forced to maintain Rotation again and again, his chakra draining rapidly. Unlike Gaara, he did not possess monstrous reserves. After consecutive uses of his ultimate technique, his breathing grew ragged, exhaustion pressing down on his limbs like iron.
And Gaara only intensified the assault.
Each strike carved deep craters into the arena, the ground shuddering under the repeated impacts.
Neji clenched his teeth. He knew the truth - if this continued, he would lose. Not because he was weak… but because he was human.
So he gambled everything on a single opening.
He released the last of his chakra into a powerful Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Air Palm), briefly halting the sand hand's advance - then exploded forward, charging straight toward Gaara's true body.
The sand hand rushed back to defend, but Neji's final burst of speed let him close the distance first.
"Jūken: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!!!"
Every remaining ounce of chakra and strength poured into that single technique.
A thunderous barrage erupted.
Gaara's sand shield cracked - then shattered - blown apart in all directions. With part of the sand diverted to maintain the giant hand, his defense faltered for the briefest moment.
For the first time -
Neji's palm struck Gaara's actual body.
The Gentle Fist exploded inward.
To Neji, sand armor meant nothing. Anything infused with chakra could be controlled, disrupted, and turned against its owner. His strikes bypassed external defenses entirely, ravaging the internal organs directly.
He hadn't been exaggerating.
Gaara was blasted backward - yet at that same moment, the sand hand closed in and completely engulfed Neji.
With a single command - Sabaku Kyū, or Sabaku Sōsō - Neji would have been crushed beyond survival.
And he had no strength left to activate Rotation again.
Gaara rose to his feet, wounded but standing. Just as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Neji smiled faintly and raised a hand.
"I've lost."
Shiranui Genma immediately announced, "The winner - Gaara!"
Gaara snorted softly and withdrew his attack.
The arena erupted into thunderous applause.
Ōnoki spoke with a low laugh. "That Hyuga boy knew he couldn't win… and still forced his opponent to bleed. Proud - and frightening."
Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed."
Rasa's brow furrowed deeply. "He actually injured Gaara… Hyuga Neji is no ordinary genius."
Even the Yondaime Raikage gave a small nod.
Chiba smiled. "That was a good fight."
He had often wondered how Gaara and Neji would fare if they'd met during the Chūnin Exams in the original timeline.
Now he had his answer.
Gaara was stronger - but only by a narrow margin.
The battle was unforgettable. And though defeated, Neji earned the recognition and respect of everyone present.
The third match followed.
Uchiha Sasuke versus Sai.
Another clash between Kirigakure and Konohagakure - and, in Chiba's eyes, a confrontation tinged with fate. Two people who, under different currents, might have stood together in the same Team Seven.
But after the brilliance of Gaara and Neji's battle, this match felt quieter, less overwhelming.
With his three-tomoe Sharingan activated, Sasuke secured a decisive victory over Sai.
The fourth match featured Hozuki Suigetsu of Kirigakure against Atsui of Kumogakure.
Atsui - Samui's younger brother - burned with fiery enthusiasm, his style reflecting his name. Skilled in Fire Release and kenjutsu, he specialized in blending ninjutsu and taijutsu, his Cloud-Style Flaming Blade carrying fierce destructive power.
Unfortunately for him, Suigetsu was the perfect counter.
Equally skilled with the blade and a master of Water Release, Suigetsu - one of the reorganized Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and a genius of the Hozuki Clan - suppressed him completely. The Hozuki Clan's secret technique, Hydrification, rendered most physical attacks meaningless. Even fire-enhanced strikes failed to bite deep.
Atsui, lacking Lightning Release to counter him, was ultimately defeated.
The final match of the first round arrived.
Kaguya Kimimaro versus Aburame Shino.
Both hailed from clans with terrifying abilities. Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku collided against Shino's parasitic kikaichū in a battle of intellect and adaptation. Though pressured early, Kimimaro formed a dense bone membrane beneath his skin, blunting the insects' chakra-draining assault.
With a single decisive strike -
"Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia)!"
- he claimed victory.
Thus, the first round of the Chūnin Exam finals came to an end.
The five who advanced were:
Yuki Haku.
Gaara.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Hozuki Suigetsu.
Kaguya Kimimaro.
Among the five finalists, Kirigakure alone claimed four of the slots.
That fact alone was enough to make anyone understand just how terrifyingly powerful the Hidden Mist had become. Even more alarming was what it represented - an undercurrent of talent so deep, so sharp, it pressed against the entire shinobi world like an unspoken threat.
The Chūnin Exams were, at best, only a partial reflection of a village's true strength. But the results in front of everyone left little room for doubt. Kirigakure's foundation was no longer merely solid - it was frighteningly profound.
Aside from them, the only one who forced his way into the top five was the monster-like existence from Sunagakure: Gaara.
The scenes from the original era - where nearly all the finalists hailed from Konohagakure - were now distant memories, swept away by time's current.
By the moment the competition reached this stage, every single Konoha ninja had already been eliminated.
Of course, that did not mean Konohagakure was weak.
In the previous rounds alone, Hyuga Neji, Sai, and Aburame Shino had all advanced with solid performances. Going further back, Rock Lee, Nara Shikamaru, and others had displayed remarkable potential. Yet when placed beside Kirigakure, the gap was undeniable.
The final top five of the All-Ninja World Chūnin Exams stood as follows:
From Kirigakure - Kaguya Kimimaro, Uchiha Sasuke, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Yuki Haku.
From Sunagakure - Gaara.
The subsequent matches unfolded swiftly.
Kaguya Kimimaro advanced by default.
Yuki Haku was defeated by Gaara.
Hozuki Suigetsu fell to Uchiha Sasuke of his own village.
In the next round, Gaara once again advanced automatically.
Then came the clash everyone had been waiting for -
Kaguya Kimimaro versus Uchiha Sasuke.
A direct confrontation between the strongest representatives of Kirigakure's younger generation, heavy with fate and pride.
In the end…
Kimimaro emerged victorious by the narrowest of margins.
And just like that, the finalists were decided:
Kaguya Kimimaro of Kirigakure.
Gaara of Sunagakure.
This time there were no delays. No hesitation. No room for suspense.
The final battle ignited immediately.
Kaguya Kimimaro versus Gaara.
Countless eyes watched. The Five Kage. Elite shinobi from the great nations. Ninja and civilians from smaller countries who had traveled vast distances for this moment - everyone held their breath, gazes locked onto the arena, waiting for the ultimate clash.
Kimimaro looked at Gaara standing across from him.
For an instant, it felt like he was staring into the eyes of a feral beast.
This was Gaara before salvation - before Naruto Uzumaki had ever reached him. Violent. Cruel. Cold. Drenched in bloodlust.
And all of it traced back to one man: his father, Rasa.
Not only had Rasa turned his own son into the jinchūriki of Ichibi, the One-Tail - Shukaku - he had repeatedly sent assassins to test Gaara, pushing him again and again to the edge, probing the limits of his endurance and sanity.
This wasn't negligence.
It was cruelty of the highest order.
Gaara, too, had watched every one of Kimimaro's previous battles. Facing the man before him now, he felt no contempt - no dismissal.
"You're strong," Gaara said quietly.
Kimimaro offered a calm smile. "Thank you. You are as well."
Gaara's voice hardened. "That's exactly why I must defeat you. Only then will my existence have meaning."
Kimimaro shook his head gently. "The meaning of existence isn't obtained by defeating others."
"It's obtained by being needed."
"These are the words the Mizukage-sama taught me."
Gaara's expression changed instantly.
"Being needed…"
"No. I don't need something like that! My existence will never disappear!!!"
In that moment, Gaara teetered on the brink of losing control. A terrifying surge of chakra erupted from his body - heavy, violent - flooding the arena with suffocating pressure.
At last…
The final battle began.
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