Chapter 48: Konoha Crush!
"...You... fucker..."
Sasuke slowly rose to his feet, wobbling as he venomously glared at Gaara.
At the start, he had the upper hand by copying Lee's taijutsu and moves before surprising Gaara with his newly developed jutsu, Lightning Release: Chidori.
However...
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Gaara, still encased in a ball of sand with a massive hand protruding from it.
He recalled Gaara shouting loudly as if speaking to someone within his shield before the massive sand hand attacked him.
"...!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain coursing through his body.
However, as the ball of sand covering Gaara dissolved, Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. "What... the hell is wrong with this guy?"
"That chakra...?"
Hiruzen stared at Gaara's figure in the arena, his expression one of surprise as he instinctively rose from his seat.
The sand covered Gaara's eyes, toward half of his face, morphing into animal-like ears, and his hand was encased in sand, acting as an extension of his arm.
Hiruzen couldn't help but think, "This is getting dangerous. I might have to sto—"
"Kekeke, why act surprised, Hokage-dono? Didn't your ninja do the same thing a while ago?"
"..."
Hiruzen's thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
The Fourth Kazekage chuckled, seemingly aware that the Hokage wanted to stop the match.
"Besides, that Uchiha kid hasn't given up yet, has he? Just let him be. He still wants to try his best. Or do you want him to give up when he still wants to give it his all?"
"You..."
Hiruzen clenched his fist tightly as the Fourth Kazekage chuckled. Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen swallowed his anger and continued, "...you're right."
He sat down again, shifting his attention back to the arena.
Meanwhile, 'the Fourth Kazekage' glanced at someone in the audience. An ANBU Black Ops member stationed nearby met his gaze.
"..."
The Fourth Kazekage nodded slightly as if confirming something.
The ANBU member then began to move discreetly towards the back of the audience, blending into the shadows.
Their exchange went unnoticed by everyone...
...except Tsuna.
He frowned before closing his eyes as he could then see the subtle shift in posture among those hiding in the crowd.
"Their posture... it looks like they're ready to make a move..."
Opening his eyes, Tsuna shifted his gaze to Gaara, "His aura is a lot fiercer..."
Though he couldn't see chakra, he could sense the drastic change in Gaara's energy.
It was as if a wild, uncontrollable force had taken over.
"Hmmm..."
Tsuna observed Kakashi and Guy, noting how they seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere as they discreetly surveyed their surroundings.
He raised an eyebrow at their response.
"I guess their experience allows them to have such sensitivity, huh?"
He thought quietly, his gaze drifting to Teuchi and Ayame in the crowd.
Furrowing his eyebrows, he mused, "Now that things aren't going according to the original canon, I guess I have to adapt a bit here as well."
Determination flashed in Tsuna's eyes as he resolved to act.
His presence faded quietly, slipping away unnoticed by even the sharp senses of Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai.
"He's... truly like me?"
Naruto could feel it vividly.
Gaara's chakra was eerily similar to the Nine-Tails' chakra he had within him. He looked at Gaara with a mix of emotions and muttered, "...So we're the same, huh?"
The crowd collectively held its breath, the oppressive aura emanating from Gaara palpable even from their safe distance.
"That Uchiha boy has to surrender, right?"
Anxiety rippled through the spectators as they watched the unfolding scene, their concern for Sasuke growing.
"Yeah, he's pushing himself too much this time..."
Whispers of people urging Sasuke to surrender echoed through the arena, their voices filled with worry as they witnessed the sudden turn of events.
"Surrender...?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, hearing the murmurs urging him to give up. His two-tomoe Sharingan spun sharply as he focused on Gaara, whose expression was now a twisted, bloodthirsty grin.
"Ha! As if! I'm an Uchiha!"
With a burst of speed, Sasuke dashed toward Gaara, his figure blurring across the ground.
He swung his foot towards Gaara's face with all his might.
"...!"
However...
"Kekeke..."
A chill ran down Sasuke's spine as he saw one of Gaara's eyes completely transformed, a sinister chuckle escaping his lips.
"Kuhak!"
Before Sasuke could react, Gaara's sand-formed hand, marked with strange patterns, struck him with immense force.
Sasuke's body was flung across the arena like a rag doll, crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.
"Your blood should be quite delicious..."
Gaara's voice echoed in Sasuke's ears as he gritted his teeth in frustration.
"I've trained day and night! Is this what I get in return?!"
His hand trembled, not in fear as he heard Gaara's steps slowly approaching, but in anger at his own weakness.
The crowd gasped in disbelief.
Seeing Gaara walking closer, they couldn't bear to see Sasuke's pitiful figure in the arena. Most of them looked away, while some covered their faces with their hands.
However...
Amidst the tense situation in the arena, the ANBU Black Ops member who had moved to the back of the crowd chuckled at the scene.
"Well, well, looks like Orochimaru-sama's favorite is in a pinch..."
It was Kabuto Yakushi!
Kabuto had been disguising himself as an ANBU Black Ops under Orochimaru's orders.
He had a mission to carry out today.
Seeing Gaara seemingly out of control worried him briefly since it wasn't part of their plan for the One-Tailed Beast Jinchuriki to go wild this early.
Having received confirmation from the mastermind, Kabuto made a hand sign.
"Keke, let's get things started..."
[Temple of Nirvana Technique!]
A burst of chakra enveloped the audience seats, causing feathers to appear in everyone's vision before they drifted off into unconsciousness.
"Hmm, everyone..."
Guy noticed a genjutsu was enveloping the whole area. He and the other ninja quickly formed hand signs and simultaneously spoke, "Release!"
"Hmm!"
Hiruzen sensed something amiss as he noticed the audience falling asleep, affected by the genjutsu. His gaze darted toward the Fourth Kazekage just as two Sand Ninjas sprang into action.
BOOM!
A smoke bomb exploded, creating a loud boom and shrouding the area in thick, impenetrable mist. The sudden chaos sent a wave of panic through those who managed to dispel the genjutsu.
"It's the signal!"
Amidst the chaos, Sand Ninjas and Orochimaru's lackeys surged forward, launching attacks on those who remained unaffected by the genjutsu.
The Jonin, ever vigilant, swiftly dispatched the approaching ninjas.
Kakashi's voice echoed as he finished off a ninja that came for his life, "Guy, help the others..."
"Understood," Guy responded with a nod, already moving to assist their comrades.
However...
Kakashi and Guy turned only to witness an unbelievable scene before them.
"Kuhak!"
"W-wha...!"
All the enemies who had ambushed the Konoha ninjas were caught off guard by a sudden eruption of boulders from the ground, striking them down and rendering them unconscious.
"What... in the world?"
As Kakashi and Guy scanned the area for the source of this unexpected assistance, their eyes landed on Tsuna.
"...You fucker!"
"Are you fighting with your mouth or something?"
He dodged an attack from an oncoming ninja with a step back, his movements fluid and precise.
[Earth Bending Technique: Rising Boulder Strike!]
With a swift motion of his hand, a massive rock shot up from the ground, propelling the attacker backward.
"Urgh..."
The ninja slammed into the wall at the far end of the audience seats, collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
"You..."
"Tsuna... Are you a ninja?"
Kakashi and Guy looked at Tsuna in disbelief.
"Me? No..."
Tsuna turned to face them, his eyebrows furrowed before his expression hardened. Emphasizing his response, he spoke, "I'm just a cook..."
---
If you want to read 15 chapters in advance, ahead of the WebNovel Updates schedules, here's where you can find them:
p@treon.com/mythoast