Shikamaru and Temari's match ended swiftly.
Though the details diverged from the original plot, the outcome held true to form.
Next up, the second most anticipated clash: Naruto versus Gaara.
"Can't wait to see if Naruto can pull this off," a voice nearby buzzed with excitement.
Shen Mo glanced over.
Two Konoha chūnin sat close by.
"Win or lose, Naruto's made it this far—already a shock," the other chūnin said, clenching a fist. "Still, I'm rooting for him. That Gaara's way too brutal!"
"Yeah, beating Lee to a pulp like that… if not for Lady Tsunade…" The first chūnin grit his teeth. "Hope Naruto teaches him a lesson."
"Let's cheer him on…"
The young chūnin spoke of Naruto not as a monster, but as one of their own.
A faint smile curved Shen Mo's lips.
He watched Naruto step into the arena.
Unlike others, Naruto was steadily, resolutely chasing his dream.
Facing Gaara, huh?
Anticipation stirred in Shen Mo's chest.
In the arena, as the starting signal rang out, neither Naruto nor Gaara moved.
A breeze swept through, stirring the sand between them.
"I… know who you are," Naruto said, his gaze complex as he studied Gaara. "You're like me—a Jinchūriki. No wonder you're so jealous."
Shen Mo had revealed this truth to him.
Now, facing Gaara, Naruto felt pity—and fear. Gaara was like a dark mirror, a version of himself that had veered down a different path.
"Jealous?" Gaara clutched his forehead, his bloodthirsty eyes locked on Naruto. "Yes, jealous! We're both monsters, but why? Why do you have what I don't—your gaze, your smile, your comrades…!"
They were both beasts, yet Naruto was worlds apart.
No despair, no hatred. His eyes shone like those of the people Gaara despised—the ones who shunned him.
"And you think I was just given this?" Naruto snapped, ignited by Gaara's raw, destructive envy.
He thrust a fist toward Gaara, shouting, "I was like you! Adults shunned me, I had no friends to play with. But don't friends come from effort? If people fear you, prove you're not a monster. If they hate you, do something to change it. Show your heart, and how could you not find friends?"
His voice echoed across the arena.
Shen Mo noticed the two chūnin nearby flush with shame. Many in Konoha's crowd wore similar expressions.
They'd distanced themselves from Naruto, feared him, in the past.
Suddenly, a ninja stood, bellowing, "Come on, Naruto! Beat him!"
"Yeah, you've got this!"
"Win this, and I'll treat you to ramen!"
"Keep going!"
Cheers erupted from the stands, building into a roaring wave.
This was Konoha, after all.
Naruto's opponent hailed from another village.
Even those who once scorned him were swept up in the crowd's fervor, rising to cheer for their own.
Naruto looked up, stunned, his grin spreading wide, brighter than ever.
"See that?" he said, clenching his fist with unshakable confidence. "This is what I have now—people supporting me, cheering for me. So I won't lose. For their hopes, I'll win!"
Naruto's dream was to become Hokage, a hero trusted by all.
A hero who'd never fall, no matter the odds.
"Aaagh!" Gaara clutched his head, his pained cry piercing the air.
The cheers were a dagger to his ears, like watching a longed-for love slip into the arms of another outcast. Shock and jealousy drove him to the brink.
He raised a hand.
Earth Style: Sand Binding Coffin!
A torrent of sand surged toward Naruto, aiming to engulf him, as Gaara roared, "I'll kill you! Only by killing you will my existence, my will, have meaning!"
"Whoa!" Naruto yelped, leaping back with sharp reflexes.
Gaara's hands clawed the air, summoning waves of sand that lunged like grasping hands. The arena became a deadly dance, Naruto dodging perilously.
"This guy's unleashing ninjutsu at that pace?" a ninja in the stands gasped.
"He controls sand freely," another said. "That's the Kazekage's son."
"His strength… it's beyond chūnin level," someone muttered, sweating for Naruto.
Even among chūnin, few could cast ninjutsu with such relentless precision—or evade like Naruto did.
The crowd's gasps filled the air.
This fight, from its opening moments, dwarfed Shikamaru's match in intensity.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Naruto's hands flashed through seals, chakra surging. Dozens of clones materialized across the field.
Spectators shot to their feet.
That many clones?
The Shadow Clone Jutsu was forbidden for a reason—it drained chakra dangerously fast.
"Now it's my turn!" dozens of Narutos shouted in unison, charging Gaara in a frenzied wave.
The visual impact was staggering.
Gaara didn't flinch.
Sand Shuriken!
A storm of sand-formed shuriken hurtled toward the clones.
Poof, poof, poof.
One by one, the clones vanished in puffs of smoke.
The crowd erupted in awe.
Shen Mo overheard a ninja behind him mutter, "Is this really a genin fight?"
Even chūnin couldn't match these two.
Under the cover of his clones, Naruto closed the distance to Gaara.
"Ready to face my fist?" he called, grinning broadly.
"Pathetic!" Gaara snarled, his face twisted with killing intent. "Your speed can't outrun my sand!"
"I don't need speed—just strength!" Naruto clenched his gloved fist, the air snapping with a faint boom.