The next match was supposed to be between Gaara and Sasuke, but Sasuke had yet to arrive. He was moments away from being disqualified when, on behalf of the visiting country leaders and the Hokage, an exception was granted—his fight would be moved to the very last.
Akuma, watching from the stands, narrowed his eyes. Why isn't Sasuke here? In the original timeline, he was late because of training with Chidori. But he's already mastered it in this one. So what's keeping him now?
As he mulled it over, the next match began: Kankurō versus Shino. However, Kankurō raised his hand immediately.
"I forfeit."
A murmur spread through the audience as the proctor announced the following match: Temari versus Shikamaru.
The fight began quickly. Temari unleashed a wave of wind, keeping Shikamaru at bay. She smirked, fanning out her giant war fan."So long as I don't let your shadow reach me, you're powerless."
Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "Tch… troublesome woman." He ducked under the wind gusts, scanning the field carefully.
Minutes dragged on as both studied each other's movements. Finally, Shikamaru tied kunai to his shirt, forming a crude parachute. He tossed it high, allowing the sun to cast a longer shadow.
Temari's eyes widened. "Clever… but you'll have to do better than that." She began retreating—until her body suddenly stiffened. She looked down in shock. Shikamaru's shadow had traveled through the tunnel Naruto had dug earlier, catching her completely off guard.
The crowd roared. Shikamaru sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Gotcha. But…" He raised his hand. "I forfeit."
Gasps echoed through the arena. Temari's jaw dropped. "What? After all that!?"
Shikamaru gave a lazy shrug. "Even if I've caught you, I don't have the chakra left to finish this. If I had backup, you'd already be done. But dragging this out would just drain me first. You win."
The proctor nodded and declared Temari the victor, though the crowd buzzed with confusion.
Akuma, however, simply smirked. That guy… even in defeat, he shows more insight than most do in victory.
Just then, Akuma spotted Kakashi and Sasuke entering the stadium. He narrowed his eyes, studying Sasuke closely for any changes, but saw nothing unusual. Dismissing the thought as useless, he turned toward Tenten and Rock Lee.
"Brother Lee, I'm going to the bathroom. Watch over my seat, okay?"
Rock Lee nodded firmly. "Okay, but come back quickly—the next match is about to start!"
Akuma gave a small nod and walked off.
Down below, Gaara and Sasuke faced each other. Suddenly, a loud, shrill voice rang out from behind the stadium:
"GOOO, SASUKE-KUUUUN!!"
Ino and Sakura cheered with all their might, joined by several other female classmates. Naruto scowled, jealousy burning in his chest.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru—disguised as the Kazekage—waited patiently for Kabuto's signal.
The fight began. Sasuke charged forward, his speed overwhelming, but Gaara's sand rose instantly, shielding him from every strike. Even so, Gaara clutched his head, trembling as he tried to maintain control.
"...Mother…" he muttered, fighting back the bloodlust clawing at his mind.
But in that moment of distraction, Sasuke's fist slammed into Gaara's face, sending him tumbling backward. Gaara scrambled to form sand clones, but Sasuke was already too fast—slipping through every sand strike with ease. A clean punch to the jaw launched Gaara into the air. Sasuke followed, striking midair, then hammered him back into the ground with a resounding boom.
The impact shattered Gaara's sand armor. He groaned, his body trembling as he stared up at Sasuke. That speed… those moves… they were Lee's. His rage spiked.
"Ahhhhhh!" Gaara roared, his killing intent flooding the arena. His eyes twisted as his body began to morph under the influence of Shukaku.
Seeing this, Sasuke decided to end things quickly before Gaara transformed any further. Channeling chakra into his hand, he conjured the piercing cry of Chidori and sprinted straight at Gaara.
But Gaara's sand bubbled around him, forming a dense sphere. Sasuke's Chidori tore through the barrier, the screech of lightning colliding with sand echoing across the stadium. He managed to pierce the defense, but screamed in pain as he yanked his arm free—his hand was mangled and broken.
The sand sphere crumbled, revealing Gaara—half-transformed, his monstrous features twisting with bloodlust.
"I'll kill… KILL THEM ALL!!" Gaara howled, his body shaking violently.
Sasuke's eyes widened at the overwhelming bloodlust, but he steadied himself, forcing confidence into his voice.
"I'll defeat anyone who stands in my way," he declared coldly.
Dark markings crept across his skin—the curse mark spreading. His eyes turned black, his hair lengthened. The crowd gasped at his sudden transformation.
From the stands, Might Guy frowned deeply. "What is that? Did you teach him this, Kakashi?"
Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed with worry. "No. I only told him what the curse mark does and how to protect himself from it. But… I never thought he'd actually use it like this." His voice carried both disappointment and concern as he stared at Sasuke.
Suddenly, white feathers began to drift from the sky. Guy and Kakashi reacted instantly, recognizing the genjutsu.
"Kaai!!" they shouted, dispelling it.
At that moment, chaos erupted. A massive snake smashed through Konoha's outer wall, wreaking havoc as enemy shinobi poured into the village.
Kakashi and Guy leapt into the fray, engaging the attackers without hesitation.
Then, a plume of smoke rose where the Hokage sat. The ANBU rushed forward, but Sand shinobi intercepted them, blocking their path.
High above, the Third Hokage was seized—Orochimaru, still in the guise of the Kazekage, held a kunai against his former teacher's throat.
Four of Orochimaru's subordinates quickly formed hand signs, erecting a blazing purple barrier—Ninpō: Four Purple Flame Formation. The wall of fire surrounded the Hokage and his captor, impenetrable from the outside.
The ANBU struck at it in vain. The barrier wouldn't yield unless the four inside lost chakra—or dispelled it themselves.
They could only stand back, helpless, as the battle raged.
Meanwhile, Kankurō and Temari rushed to Gaara's side, dragging their unstable brother away before his transformation could spiral further out of control.