Inside Gaara.
The Sealed Space.
"Wood Release? Damn it!! It's Senju Hashirama's Wood Release!!!"
Shukaku's shrill, bizarre voice exploded within the sealed space.
It clawed madly at the bars, shaking the entire space.
"Why is there Wood Release? Why can that Uchiha brat use Senju Hashirama's Wood Release?"
The fear of being dominated by the First Hokage rose from its heart. Shukaku flew into a rage, losing all reason.
"Gaara!!"
Shukaku roared in fury. "Give me your body immediately!! I'm going to tear that Wood Release brat to shreds!"
"Wood Release... Shukaku... are you afraid of this too..."
Gaara whispered hoarsely, his bloodshot eyes looking at Shukaku.
"Fine... as you wish... kill them... kill them all!"
Gaara stopped suppressing it and instead actively released the restraints on Shukaku, his hands forming a specific seal.
"Feigning Sleep Technique!"
Gaara's head slowly drooped as he fell into a deep sleep.
Immediately after.
An incredibly violent chakra erupted from Gaara's body.
"ROAAARRR!!!"
Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, endless yellow sand surged and expanded wildly around Gaara's body.
Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Gaara's body began to undergo a terrifying distortion and gigantification.
His skin turned into sand, and a massive tail made of pure sand and chakra whipped out violently.
In just a few breaths.
A colossal, pot-bellied tanuki, tens of meters tall, made entirely of sand and covered in purple curse seal markings, stood abruptly in the arena.
The One-Tail, Shukaku...
Fully awakened!
"What kind of monster is that?"
"It's a Tailed Beast!"
"The Sand's Tailed Beast!!"
"Run!!"
Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, Asuma, and the others' expressions changed drastically.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned completely dark.
Not only had the Sand brought a weapon of war into Konoha, but they also let the Jinchuriki transform into a Tailed Beast at a time like this.
Are they trying to start a war?
"Gyahaha... I'm finally out... Gyah!"
Shukaku let out a sharp, bizarre screech, hopping around in sheer excitement.
BOOM!!!
CRACK!!!
The sturdy tower was smashed apart as easily as a stack of building blocks, collapsing instantly.
Massive bricks and wooden beams, mixed with clouds of dust, rained down from above.
"Look out!!"
"Get out of here, now!"
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, and the other Jonin moved instantly, leaping to the front lines.
Some used ninjutsu to shatter the falling debris, while others erected barriers, rapidly commanding their respective students to evacuate.
"Naruto! Sasuke! Sakura! Move it! Get away from the tower!"
"Hinata, retreat!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and the others, whose faces had already gone pale with fright, snapped out of their daze upon hearing their teachers' orders and scrambled to escape.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, retreated to the top of a relatively intact statue. His voice was low and commanding as he shouted:
"Jonin Baki! Your village actually allowed the One-Tail Jinchuriki to participate in the Chunin Exams, and even let him fully transform into a Tailed Beast! What exactly is your intention?"
Sweat beaded on Baki's forehead. He didn't know how to answer.
They had indeed come prepared for the exams.
But Gaara releasing Shukaku right now? That was not part of the plan.
"That Gaara..."
Baki gritted his teeth.
Gaara's rampage had clearly thrown their entire plan into disarray. Baki wasn't even sure how he would explain this to the Kazekage.
In the blink of an eye.
Amidst the collapsed ruins, only two figures remained facing each other.
On one side was the One-Tail Shukaku, its body as massive as a mountain, radiating an endless aura of violence and destruction.
On the other side stood Uchiha Yao, appearing as insignificant as an ant in front of the broken demon-faced shield.
Shukaku's roar shook the surroundings. "Wood Release brat! I'm going to kill you! Die for the great me!"
Shukaku took a deep breath, its stomach bloating exaggeratedly, before opening its massive mouth. "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
Highly compressed balls of violent wind were fired continuously like cannonballs, tearing through the air as they shot toward Yao.
Facing a Wind Release bombardment powerful enough to level a city block, Yao's expression remained unchanged. He slammed his palms together, his chakra surging.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
The ground exploded.
A gigantic wooden dragon burst from the earth, coiling into the sky. Baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, it lunged straight at the incoming air bullets.
The Wood Dragon radiated a dense aura of life, possessing a natural suppression over Shukaku's chakra.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Drilling Air Bullets slammed into the Wood Dragon one after another, exploding into chaotic currents of air and sending wood chips flying.
The Wood Dragon's body trembled constantly, sustaining damage, yet it stubbornly refused to disperse. Instead, it twisted its body and clamped its jaws viciously onto Shukaku's mouth as it spewed the wind bullets.
"Roar! Damn Wood Release!"
Shukaku was both shocked and furious. The appearance of the Wood Dragon once again dredged up very unpleasant memories.
Back then.
It was Senju Hashirama's Wood Release that had pinned it to the ground and thrashed it until it couldn't fight back.
"I couldn't beat Senju Hashirama, but you think I can't beat you?"
Shukaku swung its massive claw violently, ignoring the Wood Dragon, and slammed it down toward Yao's real body on the ground.
Before the claw even landed, the terrifying wind pressure was already cracking the ground inch by inch.
"Just what I wanted!"
A gleam of light flashed in Yao's eyes as he unleashed his chakra without reservation.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!
The ground beneath Yao's feet rose madly as countless massive wooden structures grew and climbed rapidly.
In the blink of an eye.
A giant standing tens of meters tall, clad in simple wooden armor and possessing a face as majestic and fierce as an angry deity, rose from the ground to stand before Shukaku.
The moment the Wood Human took form, it clenched its fist and threw a punch straight at Shukaku's descending claw, meeting force with force without any tricks.
BANG!!!!!
A visible shockwave blasted outward, instantly flattening the remaining ruins in the vicinity.
"Th... That is..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the colossal Wood Human. "He has even mastered the Wood Human Technique?"
Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and the others watched in a daze, feeling as if their entire worldview had been shattered.
It was one thing to master the First Hokage's Wood Release, but to master a high-level technique like the Wood Human?
What kind of monster was he?
Naruto's mouth hung wide open, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. "So... so cool! Is that really Yao?!"
Sasuke stared unblinkingly at the battlefield, his heart in turmoil.
Wood Human... Is this the true power brother has been hiding? To be able to fight against a monster like that...
Sasuke knew Yao was strong, and he had been desperately trying to catch up.
But at this moment.
The strength Yao displayed was completely beyond Sasuke's imagination.
He could contend with that terrifying monster... When would Sasuke ever catch up to him? He felt a sense of despair.
Temari and Kankuro had long since lost all color in their faces, their backs soaked in cold sweat.
They had always feared Shukaku.
In their minds, Shukaku was a living nightmare!
But they never expected that someone could confront Shukaku head-on... and the key point was, the opponent was a Konoha Genin!
Are you kidding me?!
That Uchiha Yao... just what kind of monster is he?
"Gyaaaah! It hurts! Damn it!! That hurts!"
Shukaku shrieked as it retracted its claw. Its attacks became even more frenzied, firing Drilling Air Bullets at the Wood Human like a rapid-fire cannon.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Wood Human's massive body became an easy target.
The tough wood was torn apart by the violent Wind Release, blasting open large holes and sending wood chips flying, leaving it riddled with damage.
"You brute who only knows how to use force! Experience the true terror of Wood Release once more!"
Standing atop the Wood Human's head, Yao's hands changed seals again. He shouted, "Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
BOOM!!!!
A surge of vibrant life force erupted explosively from Yao's body.
Countless thick trees and vines burst from the soil, growing and spreading at a speed that defied logic.
In a heartbeat.
The ruined tournament arena was transformed into a primeval forest.
A muffled roar, like the beating of a giant war drum, echoed over the Forest of Death.
Shukaku, tightly bound by the Forest of Trees, struggled to move. The Wood Human pounded it relentlessly at close range, causing the beast to howl in agony as its armor of sand continuously crumbled away.
The forest was spreading!
The vines were tightening!
The Wood Human was thrashing it!
Everyone stared dumbfounded at this subversive scene.
A terrifying Tailed Beast was being beaten to a pulp by a forest and a giant created by a Genin using Wood Release!
Were they dreaming, or had the world gone mad?