Chapter 54: The Arena Ignites
When Sasuke heard this, her aura flared in response. Her Sharingan whirled to life as she fixed a frigid glare on him. "Is that so? Then let's find out. Perhaps I will be the one to kill you."
"The Hyuga clan first, now the Uchiha! Today is truly a spectacle!" the crowd buzzed with excitement.
"Shame the Hyuga genius lost to that blond kid. Let's hope the Uchiha doesn't follow suit!"
"Don't be so sure. That redhead looks plenty dangerous himself!"
As the spectators debated, Sasuke and Gaara finally clashed.
Meanwhile, Naruto's attention was elsewhere, his brow furrowed. He noticed several ANBU operatives moving with unusual stealth behind the stands—likely impostors. His gaze shifted across the arena to where the Sand ninja sat. Temari, Kankuro, and the others wore masks of tense concentration, pretending to watch the fight but their eyes constantly flicking toward the Kage box and their surroundings.
Temari, in particular, looked conflicted, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. Last night's events are weighing on her.
Scene Twenty-Two: The First Spark of Chaos
As Naruto monitored the shifting atmosphere, a soft, shy voice spoke beside him. "Naruto-kun… thank you. Truly."
He turned to find Hinata standing there, her head bowed slightly, a faint blush on her pale cheeks.
He smiled warmly. "Hey, Hinata. Don't mention it. It's only natural. How could I not stand up for someone as kind as you?"
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata's blush deepened. If they were alone, such praise would make her giddy. But here, with Sakura and Ino watching like hawks… it was mortifying! Yet her heart swelled with a secret, fierce joy.
"By the way, your injuries aren't fully healed. You shouldn't be running around," Naruto added, his tone gently chiding as he took in her delicate frame and pallor.
"Mhmm…" Hinata nodded obediently, bathing in the warmth of his concern.
Down in the arena, the battle intensified. Sasuke, enhanced by Lightning Release chakra, was a darting, flickering phantom, her speed pushed to its limit as she sought an opening in Gaara's sand defense. Gaara, forced into a purely defensive stance, wore a mask of growing irritation. In this entire exam, he'd been thwarted by speed—first Naruto, then Lee, now this Uchiha. The restraint demanded by the plan chafed against his murderous instincts.
Sasuke, finding no weak point, finally committed. Lightning coalesced in her palm with a sharp crackle, forming the Chidori. The display drew a collective gasp from the crowd.
"This ends now!" she declared coldly.
In the next instant, she became the lightning itself—a blue-white streak tearing across the arena toward Gaara's shield.
SHINK!
The sand parted. Sasuke's arm drove deep into the defense. A wet, meaty thud followed. A hit!
But her triumphant expression shattered into alarm. A monstrous, crushing force seized her embedded arm, threatening to wrench it from its socket.
Not good! With a desperate surge of chakra, she ripped herself free, stumbling back.
The sand ball crumbled away, revealing what lay beneath—a distorted, monstrous visage, part boy, part beast.
"What… what is this?!" For the first time, genuine fear prickled down Sasuke's spine. She'd never seen anything like it.
"ROAR! I'LL KILL YOU! YOU MADE ME BLEED! I'LL KILL YOU!" Gaara's roar was inhuman, unhinged. The atmosphere in the stadium twisted, growing heavy and foul. An evil, ominous chakra—thick and familiar to any seasoned shinobi—began to saturate the air.
That presence… it's a Tailed Beast! Shukaku! The realization struck the Jonin simultaneously.
As if on cue, Kabuto—hidden among the stands—unleashed a massive, area-of-effect Sleeping Genjutsu. The civilian spectators and weaker genin slumped in their seats, unconscious.
Naruto stood immobile, unruffled. A pulse of his chakra dispelled the illusion easily.
High above, the Third Hokage found himself seized by the "Kazekage" and dragged to the stadium roof, where the Four Violet Flames Barrier erupted, sealing them in.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he remembered. Naruto watched the carefully orchestrated chaos unfold with a detached calm.
The Sand ninja commander, Maki, gave the signal. Sand and Sound ninja shed their disguises and launched their assault, flooding the arena floor. Hidden agents among the spectators turned on Konoha's elite Jonin.
"I should have known it would come to this. The exams are over," Kakashi sighed, his lone eye sharp as he drew a kunai to meet a charging foe.
Sakura, having shaken off the genjutsu and freed Ino, rushed to Naruto's side, her face pale. "Naruto! What's happening? Why is everything…?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately. Hinata, weakened by her injuries, had succumbed to the genjutsu and lay unconscious in his arms. He gently lifted her and carried her to Hiashi Hyuga. "Please, keep her safe," he said simply.
Turning back to Sakura and Ino, his voice was steady. "Konoha is under attack. The Third is trapped. Our sensei are pinned down. For now… it's up to us."
He'd already noted Gaara—now fully transforming—being hustled away by Temari and Kankuro. Sasuke, on the proctor's orders, had given chase. He had to reach her. An unleashed Tailed Beast was beyond any ordinary Jonin.
"Ino, you, Shikamaru, and Choji hold this position. Your Ino-Shika-Cho combo can make a real difference here."
"Right! Got it!" Ino nodded, galvanized by his clear direction, and hurried to rouse her still-dozing teammates.
Around them, the other genin, after a moment of panic, were rallying under their teachers' commands.
"Naruto, what's our move?" Sakura asked, the surrounding clash of steel and jutsu making her flinch, but she fought to keep her voice steady. Don't panic. Don't always hide behind him. This is your chance. "We should go after Sasuke! She can't handle Gaara alone!"
Naruto nodded, a flicker of approval in his eyes at her quick thinking. "My thought exactly. But I'll go. You stay here. Don't stray too far from Kakashi-sensei… Actually…" His hands formed a seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! A duplicate Naruto appeared beside him.
"Sakura, stay with my clone. There's no time to argue. I'm going." With that, he turned.
"Naruto…" Sakura whispered, watching him prepare to leave. "Please… be careful."
Scene Twenty-Three: Into the Woods
Naruto shot away from the stadium, a golden blur. His senses, honed and expanded, could now faintly trace the vile, gargantuan chakra signature of the awakening Shukaku. He didn't need a ninken to track it.
At full speed, the world dissolved into streaks of color. He passed scenes of chaos—Sound and Sand ninja skirmishing with Konoha defenders, giant serpents summoned by Orochimaru wreaking havoc, held at bay by the village's Jonin.
First, Gaara. Then, the roof.
In what felt like seconds, he had left the village walls behind, plunging into the dense forest where the monstrous chakra led.