Chapter 177: Gaara’s Challenge Ends in Defeat
"Uchiha Akira!? He's the Uchiha Akira!?"
As soon as Uchiha Akira revealed his identity, the entire room—apart from the Leaf Village candidates—erupted in stunned silence. Every eye was fixed on him in disbelief.
The legend of Uchiha Akira had spread far and wide. At just seven years old, he became famous for cutting off the leg of the Third Tsuchikage. The kid was practically a household name across the ninja world.
For seven long years, Akira had vanished from the public eye. Some believed he was dead, others thought he'd retired. But recently, rumors began swirling that he had resurfaced, and now, standing before them, the man himself had appeared as the lead examiner for the Jonin exam.
Nobody could have expected this.
As soon as the realization hit, the crowd of candidates couldn't help but glance sympathetically at the poor soul from the Light Village who'd just mouthed off.
Sure, being a twenty-something-year-old elite Chunin is impressive, especially coming from a small village like his. In a place like the Light Village, the guy was probably considered top-tier talent.
But comparing yourself to Uchiha Akira? That's like a local kid trying to outshine a global rockstar. Who gave this guy the confidence to act so cocky in the Leaf Village?
Lightning crackled in Akira's hand like it was second nature to him. A spear of electricity, stretching nearly fifty feet, materialized and hovered in front of the now-terrified Light Village ninja.
The guy gulped. He wanted to apologize, maybe backpedal a little on his arrogance. But his body was frozen, and his throat was so tight he couldn't get the words out.
"Honorable Examiner, sir, please forgive him," another Light Village ninja spoke up, trying to ease the tension. "He's got a big mouth, but he didn't mean any harm!"
Akira, still calm as ever, looked at them. "So, do you all now agree that I'm qualified to be your examiner?"
"Yes, of course!" The ninja nodded frantically, clearly trying to avoid the same fate.
Akira smirked, nodding slightly. With a flick of his wrist, the spear of lightning dissolved into thin air.
He scanned the group of candidates, his eyes pausing as they landed on the Sand Village team—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
"Ah, the Fourth Kazekage's kids," Akira thought, recognizing them instantly. "In the original timeline, they came for the Chunin exams. But it looks like they've grown strong enough to take on the Jonin exam instead."
Gaara's eyes, sharp and unblinking, were locked onto Akira, clearly itching for a fight. The kid looked like he was just waiting for a chance to make his move.
"Alright," Akira continued, addressing the group. "Your first task is simple: Each team will be given two scrolls—one of Heaven and one of Earth."
"The goal is to collect both scrolls and make it to the designated location first. That's how you pass the first round."
It was a straightforward task, taken directly from the original Chunin exam format. If it worked then, it would work now.
"Excuse me, Chief Examiner," Gaara suddenly spoke, his voice filled with a mix of arrogance and bloodlust. "If I defeat you, does that mean I pass automatically?"
"Gaara, stop!" Kankuro's face went pale, and he immediately tried to intervene. "He didn't mean it! It's just a joke!"
"Gaara, cool it!" Temari's eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe Gaara was deliberately provoking Akira, especially now that they all knew who he was.
This wasn't some random ninja—this was Uchiha Akira, the guy who singlehandedly stopped the Sand Village's vanguard during the last war! What was Gaara thinking?
"If either of you speak again, I'll kill you," Gaara snapped at his siblings, his voice dripping with malice. His blood-red eyes were locked onto Akira, eagerly waiting for a response.
Other candidates from different villages exchanged nervous glances. "Man, this kid from the Sand Village… he's unhinged," one muttered.
Gaara's bloodlust was palpable. It was hard to believe someone so young could be so dangerous.
"Alright," Akira said, meeting Gaara's gaze and nodding. "I accept your challenge."
The second Akira gave his approval, Gaara wasted no time. A massive wave of sand surged forward, forming a gigantic hand that shot straight at Akira, aiming to crush him.
Akira didn't flinch.
The sand hand engulfed him, completely swallowing him up.
A wicked grin spread across Gaara's face as he clenched his fist. "Sand Coffin!" he hissed, tightening his grip to crush Akira inside.
Suddenly, bright blue lightning exploded from within the sand. In an instant, the sand was obliterated by Akira's Chidori Stream, scattering harmlessly in the wind.
There he stood, bathed in electricity, looking like a god of thunder.
With a burst of speed so fast no one could follow it, Akira closed the distance between him and Gaara. One second he was standing still, and the next, he was right in front of Gaara's face.
Without any complex jutsu or technique, Akira simply rammed into Gaara, his Chidori Stream still crackling around him.
Gaara screamed in pain as the electric current surged through his body. His gourd sand tried desperately to form a shield, but it was useless.
The sand crumbled under the sheer force of the lightning.
Moments later, Akira deactivated his jutsu, and Gaara collapsed to the ground. His body was charred, still twitching from the aftershocks of the attack.
"Holy crap…" one of the candidates whispered, watching Gaara's smoldering body in disbelief. "He got destroyed in one move."
The others nodded in silent agreement, all equally stunned by Akira's power.
"Alright," Akira said, brushing off the encounter as if it was nothing. "Let's get back to business. We'll start handing out the scrolls now."
The twelve teams each received their scrolls and were sent to different entry points, ready to start the exam.
Akira watched them head off, shaking his head slightly. "The butterfly effect is no joke," he mused. "They've grown strong enough to take the Jonin exam, but Gaara and his siblings still ended up here."
With that thought, Akira headed to the control room to observe the candidates.
Once inside the exam grounds, the twelve teams began their hunt, moving through the dark forest like predators stalking their prey.
Some teams laid traps, others went on the offensive, and everyone tried to avoid being caught themselves. It was classic ninja behavior—ambush, evade, and strike.
Akira kept tabs on the different squads. The Iwa team, with their expertise in earth techniques, had set up a perfect ambush and taken the Star Village's scroll.
Meanwhile, the Cloud team bulldozed their way through the Grass Village, relying on their brute strength and lightning techniques to overpower their opponents.
As for the Sand team, Gaara's recent defeat made several squads think they were easy targets. They were wrong. Every team that attacked the Sand Village team got crushed.
Despite his injuries, Gaara was still far stronger than the other candidates.
Finally, Akira turned his attention to the Leaf Village team. Hinata's Byakugan had spotted the Mist team early on, and with Sasuke's confidence, they launched a successful attack and took their scroll.
The Mist team, now scroll-less, desperately scoured the forest. Just before time ran out, they managed to steal two scrolls from a smaller village, barely passing the exam.
By the end of the day, all five of the Great Nations' teams had passed, while the seven teams from smaller villages were eliminated.
That outcome wasn't a coincidence—it was a testament to the power of the Five Great Nations.
"Alright, everyone," Akira announced. "The second part of the exam will be one-on-one battles. We'll hold them in three days, and they'll be public. Your opponents will be chosen at random."
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