Gaara's Unmatched Cunning

Aah!

Aah!

Aah!

Screams rang out as Rock Lee, Shikamaru, and Neji were each struck by a fist from the giant Gaara had created out of sand. All three slammed violently into the trees, coughing up blood.

"Damn it! Why can't I refine any Chakra?"

Rock Lee clenched his fists, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Same here. The Chakra in my body is draining so fast. What's going on?"

Neji formed hand seals with both hands, desperately trying to extract Chakra. But the more he tried, the faster his Chakra drained away.

Shikamaru wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stared grimly at Gaara without saying a word.

They were poisoned. These were definitely symptoms of poisoning!

Shikamaru suddenly turned his gaze toward the pile of leftover wild fruit. Could the fruit be poisonous?

No, that wasn't right!

He had eaten this kind of wild fruit during missions before. Why had he never been poisoned in the past, yet gotten poisoned this time?

Could Sunagakure's shinobi have secretly poisoned it?

Shikamaru's mind raced. Just then, Gaara's sand needles shot toward them like a torrential storm. The three hurriedly dodged, but their bodies felt as heavy as if they had been filled with lead.

Although they evaded most of the attacks, a few sand blades still struck them, leaving blood flowing without stop. Rock Lee had suffered the worst injuries.

"Rock Lee!"

Shikamaru shouted. Rock Lee had been wounded in several places on his abdomen and thighs, blood already soaking his clothes. He lay on the ground, gritting his teeth, his forehead covered in beads of sweat.

"Shikamaru, what do we do?"

Neji looked at Shikamaru anxiously.

Shikamaru remained silent. There were limits to human strength. He might have a good brain, but in such a desperate situation, strength was far more important than intelligence.

They could only hope the other two teams would see the signal flare and rush over quickly.

"Hehehe, do you know when human blood tastes best?"

"It's when they're running around in utter terror. Their bodies secrete a special hormone then, and that flavor is truly so sweet."

"Run, prey. Entertain me as much as you can! Hahahaha!"

Gaara's laughter was chilling. He did not seem to be in any hurry to kill them. He merely kept firing sand needles at them, deliberately avoiding vital areas, like a lion toying with its prey.

The three dodged left and right, doing everything they could to evade Gaara's attacks. But the heaviness in their bodies grew worse and worse, and they were about to collapse.

"Stop!"

An enraged shout rang out. Gaara turned around and saw Xiao Yun!

Outside the Forest of Death, it was not broadcasting time.

Yet the Third Hokage had authorized the Forest of Death broadcast to be turned on. However, he shut it off after less than five minutes.

Wanted to watch?

Sure!

Just go to the designated taverns, where there were professional hostesses, professional bookmakers, professional technicians, and 4K Blu-ray ultra-high-definition televisions. Of course, it would cost a little money.

There was no helping it. Managing such a huge village meant everyone had their hands out to the Hokage for money, and holding this Genin selection tournament was a money-losing venture to boot.

Looking at Konoha's Ministry of Finance account, which was nearly empty, the Third Hokage could no longer care about preserving his composed old face.

At that moment, he had only one thought—make money!

Ding.

Moonlight Izakaya, one of Konoha's officially designated broadcast venues. The minimum spend in the main hall was 8,888, while private rooms required a minimum of 28,888. Naturally, private room spending included certain special services.

That was indeed not cheap, yet the place was packed every night. The reason was simple: the bookmaker's cut here was only 1.5 percent.

For gamblers, rather than going to a casino and losing 4 percent, it was better to spend the minimum here, with food and drinks included.

Besides, the betting options here came in all varieties. For example, would Xiao Yun take Hyuga Yumi right there?

How long could Xiao Yun last?

How many decibels could Hyuga Yumi's cries reach?

If Xiao Yun cheated, would Tsunade get rid of the child?

Of course, those were merely Flower Bets played privately by bored gambling addicts before the bookmaker's major betting pools opened.

Ding ding ding.

After a burst of crisp ringing, a line of text appeared on the screen.

Today's Official Bet 1: Can Xiao Yun save his teammates?

Today's Official Bet 2: Can Sasuke's team defeat the Sand Shinobi team?

"Betting begins!"

The bookmaker called out to the crowd.

"Wow, the odds on Xiao Yun saving his teammates are five to one!"

"Man, do you have money burning a hole in your pocket? That's Sandstorm Gaara!"

"Whatever. Take a chance and a bicycle becomes a motorcycle. Make a bet and a motorcycle becomes a Land Rover!"

In Moonlight's most luxurious private room, the Third Hokage watched the bustling scene, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Inside the Forest of Death.

Xiao Yun's group of three arrived just in time. Gaara turned around and said sinisterly, "We meet again, Xiao Yun!"

"Gaara, are you really that eager for me to kick your balls apart?"

Xiao Yun sneered.

"This is bad, Xiao Yun. Rock Lee, Shikamaru, and Neji's Chakra is dissipating rapidly. They must be treated immediately, or their lives will be in danger."

Hyuga Yumi spoke anxiously.

Hearing this, Xiao Yun did not rush to treat them. Gaara was glaring at him from the side, ready to attack at any moment.

"Xiao Yun, I truly didn't expect you to know the Eight Inner Gates. But if that's all you've got, you won't be able to kick my balls apart."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gaara indeed made the first move. A sand figure condensed from sand suddenly appeared before Xiao Yun and threw a punch.

That power... it's so strong!

Xiao Yun's pupils contracted. That seemingly casual strike from the sand figure was actually more terrifying than the full-force attack of the fused trio from before.

Xiao Yun quickly dodged, evading the sand figure's attack. But to his surprise, the sand figure did not continue attacking Xiao Yun. Instead, it went straight for the five people behind him.

Sandstorm Binding!

Gaara formed hand seals. The sand figure exploded where it stood, turning into a vast curtain of sand that split into five. Hyuga Yumi screamed as the sand curtains wrapped around Naruto, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, Hyuga Hiashi, and Shikamaru with lightning speed, suspending them in midair.

"Xiao-sang, I hope you'll surrender without resistance. It would be such a shame to kill such a beautiful woman!"

Gaara looked at Xiao Yun with a smug expression.

"Despicable!"

Xiao Yun's eyes nearly split with rage. He had never expected Gaara to be this underhanded. This was not how it had been in the original story!

Did I fucking transmigrate into a fake Naruto world?

"Xiao-sang, I never expected the word 'despicable' to come from your mouth. You've truly disappointed me. In the shinobi world, isn't this perfectly normal?"

Gaara looked at Xiao Yun in confusion.

"Fine. What do you want?"

Xiao Yun said coldly.

"Surrender without resistance! As for those people, I'm not interested in them. If you dare run, I'll spill their blood across the entire Forest of Death. Oh, and don't try to fool me with that Wood Release Clone in front of me."

The corners of Gaara's mouth curled upward. He had clearly seen through Xiao Yun's Wood Release Clone long ago.

"Damn it, this bastard!"

Xiao Yun cursed under his breath.

What should he do?

If he surrendered without resistance, he would almost certainly die. If anything happened to him, the child in Tsunade's belly would be born without a father.

Run?

He could not do that either. In the end, these teammates had entered the Forest of Death because of him. Even beasts would not abandon them and flee for their own lives.

For a moment, Xiao Yun was caught in a dilemma...