At this moment, Tenten, Neji, Sasuke, and Shino sprinted down the steps.
On the way, they encountered Tosu Kane trying to block them.
Without hesitation, Tenten drew her Ryugan Shukushōken (Dragon-Eye Telescopic Sword), and three extended blades instantly pierced through Tosu Kane's body, sending him flying off to the side—his fate unknown.
Such a cannon fodder character wasn't worth Tenten's attention.
Sasuke glanced at the Ryugan Shukushōken, feeling that this sword was truly impressive.
Tosu Kane wasn't weak—even without his gauntlet, he still had some strength—yet Tenten had taken him down in a single strike. This showed that the sword was no ordinary weapon.
Of course, Sasuke also acknowledged Tenten's skills—not everyone could wield ninja tools with such mastery. Clearly, Tenten had genuine talent for manipulating ninja tools.
The four of them quickly arrived at the scene.
Seeing Gaara's monstrous form, they couldn't help but swallow nervously. Not far away, Temari and Kankuro were trying to reach Gaara, but Tenten and Shino immediately blocked their path.
Old rivals faced off, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Neji demanded, "What is Sunagakure's intention? Why are you launching an attack? Are you betraying the alliance between our nations?"
Temari and Kankuro ignored him, focused solely on Gaara's condition. But they didn't dare approach—memories of their childhood, marked by the terror of Gaara's rampages, paralyzed them.
Seeing their reactions, Neji didn't press further. Instead, he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sasuke, watching Gaara warily. They dared not make a reckless move.
"...Natsuki."
"Neji, don't come over!"
Natsuki didn't even look back.
"This guy is Sunagakure's Ichibi jinchūriki. He's only in a half-tailed beast state right now. I can handle it. Tenten, Shino—keep those siblings back. Neji, Sasuke—go assist Genma-senpai. He's facing Sunagakure's jōnin Baki and a few elite chūnin. You two are best suited for the task!"
Sasuke's eyes lit up with excitement. "Elite chūnin? Sounds like fun!"
At that moment, Genma was holding his own against Baki and four chūnin, but he was clearly struggling.
Seeing Neji and Sasuke arrive, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
Genma knew the two well—handling a chūnin each would be no problem.
He immediately ordered, "Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Neji—you've come just in time. Take on a chūnin each and ease my burden!"
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, Sasuke drew his short sword and charged at a Suna ninja.
Neji wasn't far behind, activating his Byakugan and launching into the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms).
Baki, of course, couldn't just stand by. He moved to engage, but Genma focused on keeping him tied up.
While it was difficult to hold off a jōnin and two chūnin, it was far easier than handling five opponents alone. As a special jōnin, Genma had his own tricks—he could manage.
Meanwhile, Natsuki faced off against Gaara in his half-tailed beast state.
Gaara was barely conscious, flinging sand in a frenzy as he attacked Natsuki. Sometimes, his gross, yellowish beast-like arms swept across the ground, or his tail lashed out, striking with tremendous force.
However, his attacks were erratic and disorganized—there was no real threat.
Natsuki even took a quick glance at the stands, confirming that his future father-in-law was unconscious under the genjutsu. Luckily, there were no nearby enemy ninja, so the area seemed safe.
Good. He could focus on the fight.
He rapidly formed hand seals and slapped his palm to the ground.
"Doton: Chōten Tenten! (Earth Style: Soaring Spin Spin!)"
The ground trembled, and a giant spinning top burst upward, launching Gaara into the sky.
Natsuki leaped up with Geppō, his fists raining down in a relentless barrage.
Ora ora ora!
His punches shattered Gaara's beast-arm sand, and Gaara himself took a brutal beating.
Gaara tried to retaliate, but his attacks were ineffective—Natsuki continued to pummel him without mercy.
Natsuki wasn't about to talk him down or hold back. Since Gaara wanted to go wild, he'd beat him down until he couldn't. Only when Gaara learned to fear would he listen.
As for killing Gaara—that wasn't on the table.
After all, Gaara was Sunagakure's jinchūriki. Killing him would mean removing their tailed beast force, potentially sparking a war.
Then again, Sunagakure hadn't dared to go to war even with a jinchūriki. Would they really dare without one?
It was hard to say—some things couldn't be judged on assumptions alone.
For now, Natsuki chose not to overthink it—he'd just subdue Gaara first.
Below, Temari and Kankuro were growing frantic, but Tenten and Shino held them back tightly.
Temari wasn't a match for Tenten, and Kankuro was firmly suppressed by Shino. It was only a matter of time before they were defeated.
Natsuki continued to beat Gaara, glancing occasionally at the Four Violet Flames Barrier.
Inside, Orochimaru had already begun Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation), summoning Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama. The battle against Hiruzen Sarutobi was heating up.
But honestly, Hiruzen was doomed—that much was certain.
The fact that Hiruzen had known about Orochimaru's connection to Otogakure yet still allowed their ninja to enter the Chūnin Exams was baffling.
Not to mention, Orochimaru had been appearing in Konoha repeatedly, clearly up to no good, yet Hiruzen hadn't taken it seriously enough.
Now, trapped in the barrier, the Anbu unable to assist, he could only face Orochimaru alone.
Frankly, Hiruzen had no one to blame but himself.
His own negligence had led to this end—now he would have to sacrifice himself, and no one could say otherwise.
Natsuki refocused on his fight.
He kept hammering Gaara until, unexpectedly, Gaara passed out cold.
"...So fragile? That's all it took?"
Natsuki rolled his eyes and quickly used Suirō no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique) to trap Gaara.
But the next moment, Gaara's eyes snapped open—only, they were no longer human eyes.
The cross-shaped pupils were unmistakably those of Shukaku—the tanuki had awakened!
Shukaku had just woken up, ready to roar with laughter, but instead got a mouthful of water and nearly choked.
"Who's the bastard that dared to drown Lord Shukaku?!"
Shukaku's shrill voice exploded across the arena, and in the blink of an eye, he swelled in size.
With a single surge, he shattered the water prison, growing to dozens of meters tall—compared to him, Natsuki was smaller than an ant.
Everyone fighting nearby was stunned, staring at Shukaku in disbelief.
Natsuki's friends panicked.
"Natsuki! It's dangerous!"
Tenten was especially worried.
"Natsuki! Get out of there!"
But Natsuki remained calm. After all, wasn't this exactly why he'd worked so hard to get stronger?
Even if he couldn't defeat a tailed beast, he could at least survive a fight. He'd do whatever it took to hold his ground.
"Relax, Tenten. Did you forget what I've been learning this past month? Even if I can't win, I can still escape."
(End of Chapter)
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