Although Shinju's earlier words had been a slap in the face to the Third Hokage, this was still the middle of the exams, and since Shinju was just a kid, no one could really do anything about it.
On the other side, in the stands, Shinju seemed to hear the Kazekage's faint whisper and instinctively looked up.
His gaze landed on the Kazekage, and his brows furrowed immediately.
Because he had discovered something shocking
The chakra inside the Kazekage was identical to the one he had encountered before… Orochimaru's!
Could it be that Orochimaru had already become Sunagakure's Kazekage?
Shinju considered the possibility.
But he quickly dismissed it.
Sunagakure and Konoha were allies, after all. No matter what, they'd never let Orochimaru become their leader.
Which meant there was only one answer—
Orochimaru was disguising himself as the Kazekage, waiting for the right moment to invade Konoha!
The moment he realized this, Shinju quickly reported it to Kakashi beside him.
Kakashi's eyes widened at the words. He pressed Shinju again:
"Shinju, are you certain?!"
Shinju nodded firmly.
"I'm sure. That's definitely Orochimaru's chakra."
"Alright. I understand. After Naruto's match is over, you're up next. Get yourself ready. I'll handle this."
With that, Kakashi turned and spoke in low tones with the nearby Anbu, who were in charge of maintaining security.
Since Kakashi-sensei had said so, Shinju could only nod in agreement.
...
Down in the arena, the fight between Neji and Naruto had reached its conclusion.
At first, Neji had indeed beaten Naruto down one-sidedly.
But Naruto was a stubborn kid who could take a beating. His chakra reserves were enormous, and after a month of training, his strength had grown considerably.
In the end, Naruto found his chance. Using his Shadow Clones to catch Neji off guard, he managed to snatch victory.
Inside the arena—
Neji pulled himself up from the ground, no longer arrogant and overbearing as before. With sincerity on his face, he said:
"You won."
Naruto nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"Yeah."
After that, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji left the stage.
Genma Shiranui stepped into the center of the arena and announced the start of the next round, calling the participants forward.
And this final round was the one every spectator had been waiting for.
Konoha's Shinju versus Sunagakure's Gaara!
In the stands, the crowd erupted into heated discussion:
"Who do you think has the better chance of winning?"
"Of course it's Shinju. He's the most dazzling genius of this year's Chunin Exams."
"Didn't you hear what the survivors from the Forest of Death said? That kid beat over ten teams while 'collecting debts,' then sold the scrolls at sky-high prices—one hundred thousand ryo each!"
"So young, and already such a cunning merchant!"
"What do you mean cunning? He's just cleverly using the exam rules to make a profit."
"Don't underestimate Gaara either."
"I've heard this kid is terrifying in Sunagakure, so brutal no one dares mess with him."
"There are even rumors he's the jinchuriki of this generation's One-Tail, Shukaku."
"So that explains it! No wonder he always gives off that dangerous, sinister vibe—he's got a tailed beast sealed inside!"
...
Up in the stands where the daimyo (feudal lords) sat—
These powerful men were placing bets on the final showdown of the Chunin Exams.
For this last match, about half of them bet on Shinju, since he was a ninjutsu prodigy who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique at such a young age.
The other half bet on Gaara, banking on his reputation for brutality and the One-Tail sealed inside him.
Just as the proctor Genma Shiranui called for both contestants to enter, one daimyo who had bet on Shinju gave a subtle signal to the guard behind him.
The guard instantly understood.
The daimyo wanted him to "remind" Sunagakure's kid to throw the match.
That way, those who had bet on Shinju could earn a fortune from this fight.
...
Inside the competitors' tunnel—
Gaara was stopped by two guards blocking his path.
The guards, towering over the boy, spoke with open arrogance:
"Hey, kid from Sunagakure! Our lord bet on Shinju to win. You'd better lose this match, or things will get very ugly for you."
Gaara didn't reply.
Instead, the sand at his side stirred, rising into the air at his command.
In the next instant, the sand enveloped both men.
Crack…
The sound of bones shattering filled the tunnel.
Drip… drip…
Blood seeped out from the sand.
At that moment, Naruto happened to be walking by after his match—
And he saw it all. Gaara's cold expression. The sand crushing the two bodies into mangled corpses before tossing them aside.
In a single glance, Naruto felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
∑(✘Д✘๑)
This guy's brutal! He kills without even blinking!!
What if he kills me too, just for seeing this?!
Naruto's heart pounded in fear.
But Gaara simply withdrew his sand and walked past him without even sparing him a glance.
Only after Gaara stepped into the arena did Naruto unclench the kunai in his hand and wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
Thank goodness Gaara hadn't cared about him. Otherwise, he'd have been finished right there.
Still, remembering Gaara's casual slaughter just now, Naruto couldn't help but worry for Shinju.
They weren't even on the same level. Could Shinju really stand a chance?
Should he tell Kakashi-sensei to cancel this fight? Otherwise Shinju might actually lose his life!
It wasn't strange for Naruto to think this way. After all, Shinju's rise as a "genius" had only happened in the past two or three months—his mind hadn't fully caught up yet.
And during his time training at Mount Myoboku, Naruto hadn't once seen Shinju display senjutsu.
So his worry was natural.
Naruto hurried back into the stands, intending to report what he'd just seen to Kakashi-sensei, so Kakashi could keep a close watch.
But after searching around, he couldn't find the silver-haired teacher anywhere.
"Sasuke, have you seen Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke shook his head.
"He left after talking to Shinju for a moment. I don't know where he went."
Naruto grit his teeth.
"Damn it, and at a time like this…"
...
In the arena, Shinju and Gaara stood at opposite ends.
Gaara's face was as dark and twisted as ever. The moment his gaze landed on Shinju, a wild gleam lit up his eyes.
"I thought you'd run away. This time, I'll kill you with my own hands—crush every last piece of your flesh and blood with sand…"
To Shinju, Gaara looked nothing short of a deranged maniac.
"You can't win," Shinju said with disdain, brushing off Gaara's insane words.
Genma Shiranui sighed helplessly at the two prodigies before announcing:
"Then—begin!"
...
The moment the fight started, Gaara showcased his overwhelming battlefield control.
He slowly raised his hand.
Shhhhhh…
Sand rose up from the ground!
At the same time, Shinju's aura surged explosively. He instantly opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates technique!
Up in the stands, Might Guy blinked in surprise.
"To open the Sixth Gate so easily… at this rate, he might soon reach the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Shock! This kid's taijutsu talent is terrifying!"
Meanwhile, Gaara sneered down at Shinju.
"More taijutsu? That mushroom-haired guy couldn't do it, and you won't either!!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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