Boom! The sand confining Sasuke abruptly shattered. The next moment, Sasuke's figure streaked past like an afterimage, and under Gaara's shocked gaze, a single punch sent him flying.
Sasuke stood his ground, the lightning crackling around him even more fiercely, his hair standing on end.
He stood on the scorched earth, letting the raindrops fall on his face, and declared rebelliously:
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have completed this ninjutsu so quickly."
"As thanks, I'll make sure your death has a good sense of rhythm."
"Oh, right, this jutsu is called Kirin Form."
At this moment, Sasuke was high-spirited and bursting with energy.
The so-called Kirin Form involved circulating lightning-nature chakra throughout his entire body, stimulating cellular activity and metabolism, thereby achieving an all-attribute enhancement.
The initial application of this jutsu was the simple lightning aura he'd shown at the start.
In this form, stamina consumption was immense, and it could potentially cause damage to the body.
Sasuke had originally thought he would need at least another month to complete this ninjutsu.
He hadn't expected Gaara's strength to be so formidable, actually forcing him to complete the jutsu ahead of schedule.
Indeed, battle was the best catalyst.
"Your strength far surpasses that of a Genin. Unfortunately for you, you ran into me," Sasuke said, a hint of pity in his tone.
He reveled in the power coursing through his body, murmuring softly to himself:
"The current me… has already surpassed Naruto."
"Ahem, ahem." Just then, soft coughs were heard.
After settling his plans with Orochimaru, Naruto had swiftly headed in Sasuke's direction.
Next, he just needed to pass the exam quickly.
For Naruto, this Chunin Exam couldn't be considered entirely useless.
The most important part was the final one-on-one matches. At that time, most of the villagers and ninja would come to watch—an excellent opportunity to release Kyoka Suigetsu.
Soon, Naruto sensed Sasuke's chakra and the immense commotion of their battle.
When he arrived, he saw Sasuke, bathed in lightning, hair standing on end, a rebellious smirk on his lips, declaring: "The current me… has already surpassed Naruto."
That an amateurish attempt at looking cool made Naruto feel a wave of secondhand embarrassment, and he hurriedly let out a few soft coughs.
The smug Sasuke turned his head and saw Naruto standing beside Sakura with a teasing look on his face, while Sakura was practically swooning.
"Hmph." For no particular reason, Sasuke snorted unhappily, tilted his chin up, and said proudly, "Did you see my ninjutsu? This was specially developed to deal with you."
Clap, clap, clap. Naruto clapped vigorously, praising with a smile, "Remarkable! Truly outstanding!"
"But of course. Even if you have a Sannin guiding you, I'll still surpass you."
"Alright, alright, you're really getting more and more excellent," Naruto praised in a tone one might use to humor a child. He then formed hand seals and took out the Heaven and Earth scrolls he had collected—items needed to pass the exam.
"We've collected a lot too," Sakura said, also taking out their scrolls.
The three of them chatted like this, none of them sparing Gaara so much as a glance.
Temari and Kankuro exchanged a look, their eyes filled with apprehension.
Gaara's strength was outstanding even among Chunin, yet he couldn't even defeat Sasuke.
And this Uzumaki Naruto seemed even stronger than Sasuke.
They subconsciously took a step back, looking worriedly towards the massive crater.
If Gaara went berserk, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"ROOOAR!" Gaara, lying in the deep pit, let out a beast-like roar.
…
Since birth, Gaara had been regarded as a monster. Everyone feared him; even his own father had tried to kill him.
Apart from Yashamaru, it seemed no one cared about him.
But who would have thought that in the end, even Yashamaru would betray him.
In Gaara's memory, that was the most heart-rending pain.
In the days that followed, he hid himself within sand. The hard Armor of Sand protected him well, and also helped create a barrier between him and the world.
Inside the armor, he was safe.
He was also lonely.
But just recently, Sasuke had shattered his Armor of Sand, even making him feel the pain of total body paralysis. He looked down and saw his own blood.
His expression was panicked and fearful. Memories once again flashed to the assassination attempts of the past and the image of Yashamaru covered in blood.
That feeling of terror, of breakdown, resurfaced once more.
This time, it was so intense.
Finally, the sanity in Gaara's mind completely snapped.
He threw his head back and roared.
The earth trembled violently, and endless sand erupted.
A surging chakra, far surpassing Sasuke's, burst forth, directly repelling the rain.
"It's over! He's gone berserk! Shukaku is coming out!" Temari and Kankuro's faces turned deathly pale.
"This guy… what the hell is he? He was still hiding such terrifying power?" Sasuke said, his face a mask of horror and shock.
"That fellow… is he also a Jinchuriki?" Naruto was slightly surprised. Judging from the malevolent chakra now emanating from Gaara's body, there was a monster dwelling within him too.
It seems this guy is also a worthy candidate for investment.
Thinking this, Naruto's smile became even warmer.
"Leave this guy to me. You two get out of here first."
"What are you talking about? He's my opponent!" Sasuke refused Naruto's request without hesitation.
"Sorry, Sasuke. This is the very last time."
Naruto delivered a sharp chop to the nape of Sasuke's neck.
Sasuke's vision blurred. Only one word echoed in his mind: "Damn it!"
"Sakura, I'm counting on you to take care of Sasuke. I'll come find you guys later." Naruto caught the fainting Sasuke. Just to be safe, he also casually used a Kido to bind Sasuke, put him to sleep with Kyoka Suigetsu, and for good measure, added a second karate chop combo.
"Don't worry, Naruto, I'll take good care of him." Sakura heaved Sasuke onto her shoulder, looking at Naruto with tender affection in her eyes, her voice filled with concern. "You be careful."
"Rest assured." Naruto offered a gentle smile, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "He can't hurt me."
After Sakura left, Naruto quickly approached Gaara's vicinity.
Before he even got close, the sand, as if possessing a will of its own, swirled around Gaara protectively.
"Consciously protecting its master? Is this the power of a Tailed Beast?" Naruto mused thoughtfully.
At this moment, Gaara's eyes had already lost all reason, and his body was continuously transforming into a giant sand tanuki.
"Hmph, that brat Shukaku is as annoying as ever," Kurama grumbled from within the seal space, though there was a hint of understanding and sympathy in his heart.
They were both the same, sealed within human bodies.
It was just that compared to Shukaku, his own seal was far, far stronger.
Looking at that Jinchuriki, he probably hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.
"That Shukaku fellow isn't doing too bad, huh," Kurama muttered, then an evil grin spread across his face.
"But I'm not doing too bad myself. Naruto is going to give everyone a big surprise."