Chapter 89: The Opening

After Naruto, it was Sasuke's turn. Aoba noticed that not far away, Kabuto's chakra had begun to gather covertly. It looked like they were waiting for this exact moment.

In the original storyline, Sasuke had learned Chidori from Kakashi over the course of a month, allowing him to barely use it and injure Gaara.

But in this timeline, Sasuke had been training with Lightning Release for over a year.

Aoba even had him try a form of Lightning Release Armor Mode, a technique he'd picked up during a fight with a Cloud ninja back in the day, though he only had the basics of it.

Even so, this elementary version provided Sasuke with a substantial boost.

With a single thought, lightning flickered around Sasuke's body, and in the next instant, he vanished from Gaara's sight.

"So fast." That was the collective thought of everyone present. Even Kakashi glanced at Aoba in surprise; he'd originally intended to teach Sasuke Chidori himself.

But after seeing Sasuke control lightning chakra without needing hand signs, he abandoned that idea. Looking at Sasuke now, it was clear he'd made the right decision.

Sasuke no longer needed Chidori. Aoba's mastery over Lightning Release surpassed his own.

Gaara was similar to Karin in that he was a ninjutsu-based fighter, but he had a significant weakness—his taijutsu was abysmal.

Due to his automatic sand shield, he rarely needed taijutsu, as ordinary attacks couldn't harm him. Consequently, he'd neglected taijutsu training.

Most of his opponents couldn't withstand his ninjutsu either, so there was no need for him to develop his taijutsu skills.

Aoba made sure not to make the same mistake when training Sasuke. Sasuke had become well-rounded in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

It wasn't that Aoba had high expectations; rather, in this world, anyone aiming to be a major player needed a versatile skill set. As a "Child of Prophecy," Sasuke's potential had to be fully realized.

With lightning crackling behind him, Sasuke's blade broke through Gaara's sand defense. If it hadn't been for Gaara's sand armor, he would have been injured.

Gaara's surrounding sand counterattacked, but it couldn't catch Sasuke.

"He's too fast; Gaara can't keep up."

Kankuro and Temari, watching from the side, felt a sense of dread.

"Is this really the power of a Genin? Konoha is a bit too much."

At this point, Aoba could feel Gaara's chakra becoming increasingly unstable.

There was a close connection between a jinchuriki and their tailed beast. The beast could influence the jinchuriki, and vice versa.

Like now, Gaara's frustration at not being able to match Sasuke's speed was agitating Shukaku's chakra.

Aoba also noticed Gaara's emotions shifting too quickly.

He glanced up at Orochimaru in the VIP stands, speculating that he might have done something to Gaara to hasten Shukaku's rampage.

Because of Aoba's "butterfly effect," the Chunin Exams looked similar to the original, but many details were different.

For example, Gekko Hayate hadn't discovered the conspiracy between Kabuto and Baki, so he was still alive.

However, the Anbu's vigilance was actually lower than in the original storyline.

Though Orochimaru claimed his goal was the "Konoha Crush Plan," it was obvious he mainly wanted to kill Hiruzen.

The collapse of Konoha wasn't really feasible; with the Kazekage dead, the combined forces of Orochimaru and the Sand Village still weren't close to Konoha's level on paper.

Even with the element of surprise, their power was insufficient to destroy Konoha.

Orochimaru knew this well; the Sand Village was just a tool to buy time and create chaos so he could kill his former teacher.

But this time, Aoba felt something was different.

One notable difference was how Orochimaru had planned around Gaara.

In the original storyline, Orochimaru barely paid any attention to Gaara, treating him as merely a tool.

Though Gaara seemed unstable, he actually managed to hold himself together for a long time, enduring his fights with Lee and Sasuke without transforming right away.

Yet here, barely three minutes into the fight, Gaara was already on the verge of breaking down.

The audience was unaware of the tension, but Aoba saw that the sensory team had raised an alert, and the Anbu were now on high alert.

Hiruzen in the stands also looked wary. Though the scene seemed calm, it was like a powder keg ready to explode with the slightest spark.

In the arena, Sasuke had toyed with Gaara for over a dozen rounds, but Gaara was starting to adjust to the pace.

In fact, Sasuke noticed that Gaara was an ideal target for his "Lightning Release Flash." Gaara was weak in taijutsu, lacked speed, and preferred to stand still while attacking. If Sasuke used Lightning Release Flash now, he might even be able to kill Gaara outright.

But his technique wasn't fully mastered; in the three to five seconds it took, Gaara could still counterattack with large-scale sand jutsu, which were troublesome.

Sasuke began formulating a new strategy in his mind.

Meanwhile, something unseen was happening within Gaara.

"Hm, why did this brat's mental defenses suddenly weaken? It's almost as if he's under a genjutsu. Pathetic—getting caught that easily. Should I wake him up?

No, no, I won't wake him up. Not yet, at least. I'll wait until I get a chance to stretch my legs first."

Shukaku sensed a weakness in Gaara's mental state. If Gaara were a perfect jinchuriki, he could have easily borrowed Shukaku's power to break the genjutsu affecting his mind.

But Shukaku and Gaara didn't have that level of synchronization. Instead, Shukaku's first thought upon noticing the gap was to take over and enjoy some freedom.

As Gaara's chakra raged within him, Aoba glanced at Kabuto in the stands.

As expected, Kabuto was forming hand seals. In the sky, countless white feathers began to fall.

'Temple of Nirvana Technique.' Aoba remained seated, unfazed. Although this genjutsu was high-level, reaching an A-rank, its main strength was its wide range, covering the entire arena.

Numerous spectators and lower-ranked shinobi collapsed, but this level of genjutsu had little effect on Aoba now. His Mangekyo Sharingan's genjutsu resistance was formidable.

Even without Kotoamatsukami, his right eye was enough to resist genjutsu of this level.

Meanwhile, in the center of the arena, Gaara's eyes suddenly glazed over. Soon, a torrent of chakra engulfed and swallowed him completely.

A colossal form then appeared in the middle of the arena.

Check out the patreon and get 40 chapters in advance

Currently on Chapter 130 - The Spiritual World