"Thud—"
"No surprises."
"At this speed, Mother Susanoo can easily block it."
"Watching the sand 'wall' in front of him shake out some tiny grains of sand."
"Gaara's expression remained unchanged."
"The power is sufficient, but not enough to break through his defense."
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
"Then, the sand beneath Gaara's feet continuously shot out."
"Choji advanced instead of retreating."
"Both arms multiplied in size."
"It looked massive and slow, but in reality, his speed wasn't slow."
"The speed of the sand also wasn't beyond Choji's ability to handle."
"For a moment, sand scattered all over the ground."
"Choji kept an eye on the sand out of the corner of his eye."
"'Attack and defense in one, can sand be used for both offense and defense?'"
"'I heard Kiba say… if he's surrounded by this sand, Gaara only needs to constrict to kill his opponent with internal pressure.'"
"'But… there isn't enough sand yet.'"
"The thought faded."
"Choji's speed suddenly increased."
"The scattered sand suddenly moved, surging towards Choji from all directions."
"Before his vision was obscured, Choji noticed the sand beneath Gaara's feet seemed to be continuously drilling down into the dojo."
"'So that's it… then let's finish this quickly… I'm so hungry~'"
"Buzz—"
"Slightly slowing his movements."
"Instantly, the sand that Choji had knocked down immediately surrounded him."
"Gaara slowly raised his hand."
"But his movement paused."
"Sand Burial… this little fatty would probably die."
"Boom—"
"The moment Gaara paused, a huge foot burst out from the Sand Coffin."
"Thud—"
"In a flash."
"A layer of Sand Shield covered Gaara's body."
"A defense far harder than steel."
"Choji's kick landed, naturally failing to move it in the slightest."
"Whoosh—"
"However, Choji's objective was not this."
"Using the pulling force from his right leg returning to normal, he shot out fiercely."
"Human Bullet Tank!"
"Rumble rumble—"
"Watching the round, bulging body rapidly approach."
"Gaara's expression remained unchanged, and with a thought."
"The sand in front of him gathered into a sphere."
"Sand Wave!"
"Buzz—"
"Just as Choji was about to make contact with the Sand Wave."
"Choji immediately stopped and leaped high."
"Are you kidding me?"
"The front of this Sand Wave was a ring of impenetrable sand spikes."
"If he were to crash into that…"
"In an instant, Choji changed his attack strategy."
"Instead, he partially multiplied his arms."
"Rumble rumble—"
"But his target was not to charge directly at Gaara."
"Instead, it was the ground beneath Gaara's feet."
"Chakra burst forth."
"Power surged."
"Immediately after, the ground beneath Gaara's feet was seen being pulled up."
"Choji used both palms to lift Gaara and smash him hard onto the ground."
"It's just… the idea was good."
"But when his hands were raised above his head, reaching their highest point."
"He was unable to budge Gaara in the slightest."
"Choji's eyes widened."
"It turned out that several sand pillars had been erected on the ground at some unknown point, firmly locking Gaara."
"The victor was decided."
"Unless he transformed into a butterfly."
"Otherwise, he would have to endure a tough battle."
"Without thinking."
"Choji unhesitatingly conceded: 'I give up.'"
"At the same time."
"Asuma, from a distance, immediately shouted: 'Choji, use your Secret Technique!'"
"As the new hokage assistant."
"And Team 10's Jōnin Instructor."
"Asuma didn't want only one of his subordinates to advance."
"And… although Gaara was strong, Choji might not be without a fighting chance."
"But."
"His voice almost coincided with Choji's voluntary concession."
"Then, the dojo was quiet for a moment."
"'Akimichi Choji concedes, Gaara wins.' "
"Gekkō Hayate immediately announced the result."
"Ignoring Asuma, who had a dark expression on his face in the distance."
"After announcing the result, he let out a long sigh."
"Finally… finally freed."
"Before the official match of the third exam, he must decline the job of being a referee."
"Being a referee… it's too tiring."
Senju Tobirama: "Indeed, let alone you being tired, we're tired just watching."
Uchiha Izuna: How could he be appointed as a referee?
Ōnoki: "This old man also doesn't understand, Konoha has many capable Ninja, why him of all people?"
Kurotsuchi: "Exactly, exactly, now I get annoyed whenever I hear a cough."
Pure Land World.
Gekkō Hayate was completely speechless.
But on second thought, it seemed true.
Why was he chosen to be the chief examiner and referee for this third exam?
"And at this moment."
"Above Gaara's head, dense clusters of small sand particles appeared."
"They looked like senbon."
"If Choji hadn't conceded in time."
"He would have been greeted by a rain of Sand Shower."
"Of course, Choji's defense wasn't that bad either."
"If Naruto had put it differently just now… defeat Gaara quickly, then go home and prepare for dinner."
"In that case, Choji might have gone straight for his ultimate and killing moves."
"'The preliminaries are over!' Gekkō Hayate took a deep breath, quickening his pace."
"'The third exam will officially begin shortly after.'"
"'Before that, the winners still need to draw lots.'"
"Scanning around and finding several people absent, Gekkō Hayate was silent for a moment, then said:"
"'Since that's the case, the drawing will be held later.'"
"'No need for such trouble, just draw now.' Shikamaru was a little displeased."
"'Or you can draw for them directly.'"
"Hearing this, Gekkō Hayate nodded, it was a good idea."
"'Then, I, the examiner, will draw on your behalf.'"
"'The winners are: Uchiha Sasuke, Shino Aburame, Dosu, Uzumaki Naruto, Tenten, Rock Lee, Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Gaara.'"
"'Nine people, so there will be one bye in the first round.'"
"…"
"As Gekkō Hayate spoke, he began to draw lots for the winners."
"This would indeed be fairer."
"At this moment, Asuma suddenly appeared, 'I'll do it.'"
"Gekkō Hayate frowned."
"But in an instant, he looked back at Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded."
"Gekkō Hayate shook his head and said: 'It's still up to this exam…'"
"Before he could finish."
"Asuma had already stepped forward."
"'I'll do it.'"
"'I am the hokage assistant.'"
"These words left no room for negotiation."
"Gekkō Hayate could only remain silent in the end."
"At the same time."
"On the second-floor viewing platform."
"Konan suddenly looked at Naruto."
"A moment later, Naruto noticed her gaze."
"Seeing that she intended to leave."
"After a moment of silence, Naruto still walked over."
"Konan, seeing this, also stopped."
"Her beautiful face still carried a cold expression that kept people at a distance."
"Before Naruto could speak."
"She suddenly extended her hand."
"Rustle rustle—"
"Instantly, countless paper pieces poured out from her sleeve."
"Then, they combined at a visible speed."
"In the blink of an eye, they formed a bouquet of flowers made of countless paper pieces."
"'If you really want to know about Hidden Rain Village…'"
"'Then go there yourself.'"