Chapter 256: The Version Gap is Too Wide
"Are you kidding me? The 'Strongest Genin'? That blonde brat? He doesn't look that strong."
"Well, this is the first time Konoha's official sources have released information like this. The Third Hokage has sat in that position for decades—there must be some basis for it. If not for this hype, after hearing the Uchiha heir didn't advance, I wouldn't have bothered making the special trip to Konoha."
"Hurry up and start! I want to see blood flow like rivers! Come on! Let me witness firsthand just how capable this guy the Hokage praises so highly really is!"
In the stands, ninja, merchants, and nobles from various nations discussed animatedly, their noisy chatter mixed with undisguised anticipation, curiosity, and skepticism.
Meanwhile, most of the Konoha jonin and some chunin in the stands stood with arms crossed, expressions composed.
However, the atmosphere in the section reserved for ordinary Konoha villagers felt particularly oppressive. They looked at that golden figure in the arena without expectation or doubt, but rather with an indescribable unease and discomfort.
This unease stemmed from their past coldness, exclusion, and even hostility.
In a quiet stairway passage above the stands, connecting the lower and upper viewing areas—though the entire venue was packed, this spot remained virtually empty during matches.
From here one could still see the arena below, but the view and viewing experience were clearly inferior.
Satsuki stood alone here. She found it somewhat concerning that despite this being an important day for Naruto's advancement to the finals, she was the only family member who'd come to watch.
But this was unavoidable—her father, Fugaku Uchiha, along with most of Konoha's active-duty ninja, had been assigned patrol duties scattered throughout the village, seemingly on high alert for some possible attack. Satsuki didn't know the specific reasons. Her mother Mikoto hadn't come either, because her father had specifically instructed that she should stay in the clan compound today and not go out casually.
This quiet stairway corner was a spot Satsuki had found with great difficulty... a place suitable for cheering on Naruto without being noticed.
She simply couldn't bring herself to shout encouragement loudly under everyone's gaze like others did, even though cheering for teammates during matches was perfectly normal.
Satsuki's hands clasped somewhat unnaturally in front of her, building courage for what she was about to do, her long lashes trembling lightly like butterfly wings.
Using a volume only she could hear, she repeated extremely softly, "Naruto... g-good luck..."
Under the focused gaze of the entire venue, Naruto simply descended the stairs into the arena calmly, his usual gentle smile on his face. However, his inner world was far from this serene—in his mental realm, Kurama's excited roar nearly upended the seal space.
Stinking tanuki! Finally, this moment has come! Naruto! First, punch him right in the face! Yeah, use that! Let that stupid tanuki really feel our "greeting"! Use my chakra all you want! Use that five-ball jutsu thing! Show him what we're made of!
Hearing the Nine-Tails' suggestions that practically screamed "beat him to death," Naruto couldn't help but internally complain. Just how bad is your relationship with him?
This isn't even a normal spar anymore... Perhaps for these beings who were essentially chakra aggregates and couldn't truly be destroyed, this level of conflict really could only be considered "playful roughhousing."
On the other side, Gaara's entrance was filled with blood and violence. In the corridor leading to the arena, he'd casually used his sand to crush two idiots hired by some daimyo who'd tried to coerce him through force to "throw the match."
The warm blood further stimulated his already nearly uncontrollable nerves, pushing his bloodlust to its peak!
His pupils constricted sharply, the whites of his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and the sand from the gourd on his back flowed out uncontrollably, spreading at his feet.
"Mother... this time..." he muttered deliriously, his voice twisted and morbid, "...it will definitely be... very delicious blood..."
When he finally stepped into the arena and stood facing Naruto, his appearance deeply worried Temari and Kankuro in the stands. They'd never seen Gaara display such obvious signs of losing control even before the battle began.
"Begin the match!"
Genma Shiranui decisively announced, then quickly retreated from the combat area.
"Come..."
Gaara squeezed out a hiss from deep in his throat. The moment the match began, his long-accumulated killing intent exploded completely! A surging wave of sand rushed viciously toward Naruto!
The next instant.
Whoosh!
Naruto's figure disappeared from its original position. Not through the Body Flicker Technique, but through pure speed! Gaara couldn't even track his movement!
BANG!
A dull sound of flesh impacting clearly rang out! That sand supposedly providing absolute defense couldn't keep up with this speed at all.
Under the disbelieving gazes of Kankuro, Temari, and Baki hidden in the stands, Naruto's fist connected solidly with Gaara's face!
CRACK...
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding shattering sound, Gaara's body was violently sent flying the instant the battle began. And that layer of sand armor on his face cracked with clear fissures under this single punch!
"Let's try this next... First Gate, open."
As the restriction within his body was quietly released, the first gate of the Eight Gates—the Gate of Opening—activated silently. Unlike Lee's imposing display, Naruto's body didn't generate violent air currents, and even his breathing remained steady.
But the effect was terrifying!
"mBOOM!
Just as Gaara stumbled to his feet from the ground, Naruto's figure had already closed in again like teleportation! Another plain yet blindingly fast straight punch accurately hammered into Gaara's jaw!
The ordinary spectators in the stands couldn't see the specific process at all. They only saw Gaara like a sandbag, continuously struck into the air by an invisible force, helplessly juggled in a series of dull "BANG! BANG!" sounds in sustained aerial combos!
In the audience seats, Kakashi lifted his headband, his Sharingan tightly tracking that blurred golden trajectory. This kind of speed purely from physical explosion made even him feel alarmed.
"Naruto... is using the Eight Gates?"
"That's right, Kakashi. Though the flow is extremely restrained, that's definitely the first gate of the Eight Gates."
Might Guy's voice came from behind him, having finally returned after settling Lee. Guy crossed his arms, analyzing the situation in the arena.
"...It seems Lee wanting to challenge Naruto now is still premature. The speed Naruto displays with just the first gate open is already... on par with Lee's speed at the fifth gate."
BOOM!
A final heavy axe kick hammered Gaara into the ground like a meteor. Yet Naruto didn't pursue, instead using the momentum to leap back lightly, actively creating distance.
The dust slowly cleared, revealing Gaara's battered figure. The sand armor on his body was shattered and peeling away in large chunks. He knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, but those bloodshot eyes still locked onto Naruto, filled with violence and disbelief.
"I know very well," Naruto spoke calmly, his voice carrying clearly across the arena, "that taijutsu alone cannot truly defeat you. Come on, let me see your real strength."
Hearing this, Gaara let out a growl like a wounded beast from his throat. His hands rapidly formed seals, and the scattered sand on the ground responded to the summons, frantically converging toward him! In just an instant, a massive, thick, completely enclosed spherical fortress made entirely of sand swallowed his figure completely, protecting him securely.
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