The instant the Twin Flounder Blades pierced Gaara's chest, his body collapsed into a heap of sand and sank away.
It all happened fast, but not beyond expectation. After Gaara's bout with Sasori, many had quietly crowned him the strongest genin in this Chunin Exam.
That thought didn't last long. The arena shifts by the heartbeat.
Gaara reappeared behind Mangetsu, his form merging with One-Tail. Sand rose over him, shaping the beast's silhouette as a massive tail swept the air.
His hands flashed through signs. Above him, the sand-shaped beast condensed a Tailed Beast Ball and hurled it at Mangetsu.
The force of it sent everyone scrambling to safer ground.
For a moment, the arena belonged only to Gaara and Mangetsu.
A Tailed Beast Ball is devastating. Because this was still an exam, Gaara hadn't gone full transformation, and the blast was intentionally throttled.
Even so, the impact gouged a vast crater into the floor. Mangetsu stood at the pit's center—having taken the strike head-on.
Just when everyone thought he'd be finished, the unexpected happened. The Twin Flounder Blades' twin ports began to pulse—chakra flickering in and out. At the instant the Tailed Beast Ball struck, the blades disgorged a torrent of stored chakra, shaping a counter-sphere equal in force.
Two orbs met, collapsed, and detonated.
The blast carved the crater wider, and Gaara's attack—cleanly neutralized—left Mangetsu unharmed.
Watching, Kaede's eyes narrowed with surprise. In his memory, Mangetsu had only ever appeared later through a half-power reincarnation—and still left a mark. This version wasn't merely a genius; he was a master who drove the Twin Flounder Blades to their limit.
Mangetsu was stronger than Kaede had guessed—strong enough, Kaede thought, to stand above jinchuriki from One-Tail to Eight-Tails. Even the Eight-Tails' host might not beat him straight up… not without deeper tricks.
Curiosity pricked at Kaede. How did Mangetsu die?
He closed his eyes and queried the system.
A moment later, a result surfaced:
Mangetsu: Died in battle with the Land of Lightning. Specific opponent unknown.
Unknown? That was it?
Kaede frowned. No wonder the death left no impression. Another prompt flashed:
Countermeasures against the Ghost Lantern clan:
Paralyze the body with Lightning Release, seal the target in a special container, then evaporate with Fire Release. Earth techniques also viable.
Kaede's frown deepened. A final note surfaced:
In this reality, Mangetsu did not die; he was turned into a statue by the Eight-Tails and immobilized for a long time.
Kaede did remember Mangetsu clashing with the Eight-Tails—but by this point in time, that fight shouldn't have happened yet.
From what he knew now, many Cloud jōnin were already disguised inside the Land of Gods. Most of Akatsuki was on site as well—though he still hadn't seen Pain.
(End of Chapter)
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