Chapter 160: The Konoha Crush Plan Begins
Gaara arrived and immediately scanned the crowd for Ino, but she was nowhere in sight at first. After a moment of careful searching, he finally spotted her nestled against Hinata's impressive chest, fast asleep. He couldn't believe how soundly she was sleeping!
His gaze drifted towards Naruto, and their eyes met. In that instant, they recognized a shared understanding, a kind of unspoken connection. They both knew the other was like them.
The afternoon air seemed to weigh heavily on everyone, making most people feel a little sluggish.
Shikamaru, having already fought Hinata and Sasuke earlier in the day, saw no reason to stick around for the afternoon matches. He went straight home to catch some sleep, not even bothering to return to the venue.
Choji and Kiba were present, but they too seemed out of it, lost in their own daze.
Shino? His whereabouts were a mystery, and even the Aburame clan as a whole maintained a remarkably low profile. Danzo, ever the opportunist, only remembered the Yamanaka clan's support and would always favor them. The Aburame clan? Had they even pledged their support?
Asuma and Kurenai had gone to see a movie after lunch and were absent from the arena.
For Ino, the Chunin Exams felt a bit like the company's year-end party in her previous life. The morning consisted of speeches from the higher-ups, followed by a performance by the company's newest recruits (the Chunin Exams). The afternoon was just a formality; anyone without specific duties could head home. The truly busy individuals were the leaders, the lower-ranking ninjas putting on the "talent show," and the staff on duty. Most of the remaining ninjas had little to do.
Sunagakure and Orochimaru had identified this as a prime opportunity and had meticulously planned their actions.
Genma Shiranui also longed for rest, but wanting to make a good impression on the Third Hokage, he forced himself to stay put despite feeling utterly exhausted. He simply brushed off the worst of the dirt and stood in the center of the arena, ready to act at the first chance.
The guests were also feeling the afternoon slump, their yawns echoing through the stands as they looked on with weary eyes.
Once all the dignitaries and guests were seated, and the Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" had taken their places, Genma Shiranui subtly gestured to Naruto and Gaara, signaling that it was their turn to compete.
The two stood their ground, about to exchange words, when the "Fourth Kazekage" on the platform rose to his feet.
He chuckled. "Third Hokage, a battle between Jinchuriki should be completely unrestrained to be truly interesting."
The Third Hokage fixed him with a long, thoughtful gaze through his aged eyes. Since the man had been so direct, he couldn't feign ignorance. "You're right. In that case, I will..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the "Fourth Kazekage" interjected, "No need. Our village also has some knowledge of sealing techniques. Allow me."
With a swift Body Flicker Technique, he descended from the platform to the arena, positioning himself in front of Gaara.
The bond between father and son couldn't be faked. As a Jinchuriki, intuition was a crucial sense. Gaara instantly felt that something was wrong. This man before him was supposed to be his father? Why did he feel like such a stranger?
The "Fourth Kazekage" wasted no time. He used the Five Elements Unseal to forcefully break the seal on Gaara's stomach. If even Ino could leave a backdoor in a seal, then surely he could too. He also seized the opportunity to add a little "something" extra into Shukaku the One-Tail's seal. Afterward, as if nothing had happened, he used the Body Flicker Technique to return to the platform.
In less than a minute, Gaara, whose emotions had finally settled, was suddenly overwhelmed by a torrent of violent and insane impulses. The rampaging consciousness of the tailed beast shoved his own aside and forcibly took control of his body.
It all happened too fast. Naruto hadn't even registered what was happening when he saw Gaara double over behind his sand shield, his skin cracking all over, oozing blackish-brown blood with a sharp, fishy odor.
"Hahahaha—it really hurts!"
"It hurts so much! Yashamaru! Save me, it hurts so much!"
"Konoha ninja! Run! This monster is coming out... Where do you think you're going?! I'm going to kill you! All Konoha ninjas deserve to die!"
Gaara's sanity rapidly deteriorated, his voice shifting between manic shouts and weak whimpers, a disturbing mix of emotions that echoed eerily in the empty competition arena.
In that moment, Naruto felt a profound connection with Gaara, as if the constantly wailing boy was a reflection of himself. Kakashi was still absent, and he couldn't help but look towards Iruka-sensei in the stands.
Iruka, in turn, looked at the Third Hokage, who observed the "Fourth Kazekage" with a complex expression but remained silent, seemingly unconcerned by Gaara's transformation.
Naruto called out twice from a distance, but Gaara was already completely lost within his inner turmoil. Naruto? He was on the verge of forgetting his own name.
Naruto could only wave to the distant referee, Genma Shiranui, signaling him to go over and investigate.
Me? Genma Shiranui thought for a moment, realizing that he was the only one who could approach in this situation.
He, the referee, was truly unlucky. He gritted his teeth and moved forward with the slow, reluctant steps of someone walking to their execution.
When he reached a distance of ten meters from Gaara, a wave of sinister chakra erupted.
A sandstorm shot into the sky, and countless grains of sand converged towards the center of the arena. These grains of sand tightly enveloped Gaara, his body began to swell, and countless curse seal markings appeared on his skin. His human form rapidly vanished, replaced by thick arms, short legs, a massive torso, and a long tail. The creature he transformed into bore a resemblance to a raccoon dog, but its size was immeasurably larger.
"Hmm?" Ino, still sound asleep, felt sand tickling her collar. She looked up and bumped into Hinata, who also woke up.
She glanced at the arena not far away and saw the rather terrifying One-Tail Shukaku and a bewildered Naruto.
Ino was a bit taken aback. Hadn't everything been fine just moments ago? How had it suddenly escalated to a full transformation? Did the One-Tail and Nine-Tail harbor such intense hatred for each other?
Before she could fully process what was happening, she saw a large number of white feathers fluttering down from the sky. All the dignitaries, civilians, and ninjas who witnessed this scene felt a wave of dizziness and a splitting headache, as if they hadn't slept for three days straight.
People began to collapse one after another. Not only civilians but even many ninjas succumbed to the sudden drowsiness.
"Such a large-scale genjutsu?" Genma Shiranui possessed a strong resistance to illusions. Combined with the direct confrontation with the tailed beast, the immense mental pressure he was under made him relatively less susceptible to the genjutsu. He scanned his surroundings warily, trying to pinpoint the caster.
Ino was also looking around. Nirvana Temple Technique? Had "Pot Brother" risen from his coffin?
Just then, an explosion echoed from the high stands. Although it was a bit delayed, the Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas who had been lying in wait outside the village received the attack signal. They drew their kunai and charged in groups towards the various outposts surrounding Konoha Village.
The Sunagakure summoning squad, utilizing summoning arrays, worked in teams of six to summon the giant snakes that Orochimaru had provided, deploying them to assist in the battle.
The Sound Four also dropped their disguises. The four of them formed the "Four Violet Flames Formation," trapping the Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" together within the barrier.
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