Naruto's Opponent

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Rock Lee ultimately left the arena, carried away by Konoha's medical ninja.

No one knew what he was thinking as he lay silently on the stretcher with his eyes closed.

Sasuke's Sharingan genjutsu was too powerful. His three tomoe had been honed through more than two thousand battles with Naruto over the years. Rock Lee himself had too little experience facing powerful genjutsu, and among the people around him, not one was particularly skilled in genjutsu.

Might Guy could only pray inwardly that his prized student would make it through this ordeal.

"Sasuke, I have some medicated ointment from home..." Hinata took out a small bottle.

Sasuke hesitated, then accepted the bottle after some thought and nodded. "Thanks." Though he was not seriously hurt, they had been teammates for quite some time, and he could not refuse her goodwill.

Feeling slightly satisfied, Hinata turned to look at the flickering screen and asked Naruto beside her, "Who will Naruto be fighting?"

Naruto smiled. "No idea. Maybe Kiba again?"

Kakashi broke out in a cold sweat beside them. That probably would not be good news for Kiba...

Beep. The screen froze.

'Tenten vs. Choji'

This match ended without much suspense.

Although Choji had tucked his head and limbs into the enlarged torso created by the "Partial Expansion Jutsu," limiting the damage Tenten's ninja tools could inflict on him... he had not mastered the Akimichi Clan's secret techniques to perfection. Put simply, while using the Human Boulder, he still had to stick his head out from time to time to identify directions and turn, and using it for too long made him dizzy...

Relying on her nimble movements, Tenten kept herself at a safe distance from Choji. As a member of Might Guy's Team, her taijutsu was naturally exceptional. She darted and spun with ease, flinging out scroll after scroll and launching an overwhelming barrage of ninja tools.

Yet no matter how Choji charged around, he could not even touch the corner of Tenten's clothes.

Long blades, sharp swords, Meteor Hammers, Light Whispers, Red Crosses, shuriken, kunai, senbon...

The final result was even more absurd. Choji crashed headfirst into a wall and knocked himself unconscious...

Asuma was practically speechless to death in the stands. He held his forehead and remained silent.

"Match six, Tenten wins."

Beep. 'Gaara vs. Dosu'

"What terrible luck..." Dosu, the bandage-wrapped Sound ninja, stood before Gaara with his arms hanging at his sides.

Gaara stood with his arms folded and said coldly, "Running into me really is terrible luck for you..." He was in a terrible mood because his opponent was not the fox he had been looking forward to, nor one of that fox's companions.

It was this insignificant trash from the Sound Village instead.

As for the village and the Sound ninja? Sorry, Gaara only knew that his sand wanted blood... lots and lots of blood... that person's blood... Nothing else mattered.

Dosu said coldly, "I meant that none of the three of us got matched against Sasuke... That's what really is terrible luck." He was extremely confident in the device on his arm that controlled sound waves and did not think he would lose.

Gekko Hayate silently watched the two finish mocking each other. After coughing twice, he said, "Begin."

Whoosh. Dosu rushed forward.

Gaara did not move. He stood there coldly, completely at ease.

"That kind of attack could never break Gaara's defense..." Kankuro and Temari watched the Sound ninja's attack below as though they were watching a show, brimming with confidence.

Dosu threw a punch at Gaara. Bang! Just as expected, suddenly gathered sand blocked his fist! Every bit of force in his punch was dispersed by the sand.

"What!? Sand?"

Dosu was alarmed, but he instinctively activated the device on his arm anyway!

Hum...

Under Dosu's Chakra control, an invisible, inaudible sound wave curved into Gaara's ear!

Gaara immediately staggered backward. His folded arms came apart, and a trace of surprise flashed across his face.

A thin trickle of blood flowed from his ear.

Feeling the warm wetness by his ear, Gaara reached up and wiped it. It was red liquid. His green pupils constricted... What was this?

"Impossible!?" Kankuro cried out in shock, unconsciously gripping the railing with both hands. What had this person done? He had actually injured Gaara through his absolute defense?!

"This is... blood? My blood?!"

Gaara muttered to himself neurotically, then suddenly clutched his head and let out a pained roar.

"Ahhh..."

Kankuro and Temari exchanged a glance, seeing worry in each other's eyes. "This is bad..." If the thing inside Gaara went berserk, this would be difficult to contain.

Is this guy insane? Dosu was uncertain, but his movements did not slow. Taking advantage of the opening, he unleashed another powerful whip kick toward Gaara's throat!

Bang! Fine sand scattered as suddenly gathered sand blocked the attack again!

Dosu narrowed his eyes. During the sand's defense, Gaara had not even raised his eyes to look at him. He had remained clutching his head, as if... the sand was moving on its own.

But this time, just as Dosu tried to pull back his leg, the sand "grabbed" it.

"Hehehehe..." Gaara had lowered his hands. Blood vessels filled the whites of his eyes, and his expression was both crazed and deranged. Ferocity flickered in his eyes as killing intent surged.

"You should just die..."

The sand gradually spread from Dosu's leg to his lower body, then slowly covered his upper body as well...

Dosu was horrified. He knew that if this continued, he would be finished! He frantically channeled Chakra into the device on his right hand! He drove the sound waves at full power! Hum! An invisible drill viciously bored toward Gaara's ear!

However...

"He actually covered both ears with thick sand and weakened the sound waves!?"

Despair filled Dosu's heart. Then his vision went dark as the sand completely covered him.

"He's dead..." Kankuro and Temari instead breathed a sigh of relief. This way, Gaara probably would not go berserk.

At that moment, Naruto shouted, "Hey! Raccoon dog!!"

Gaara's brow twitched. Wearing a twisted, crazed expression, he looked toward Naruto on the second floor.

Naruto stared fixedly into Gaara's emotionless eyes, gripping the railing tightly with both hands and gritting his teeth... Yet he could not bring himself to ask Gaara to spare that man's life.

Because, honestly, which of the two people below did not have blood on their hands? Whoever died could only be said to deserve it. Death would be no more than their due.

But...

"Don't be impatient. I'll kill you and your companions too... one by one..." Gaara stared at Naruto as he raised a hand toward the "Sand Coffin" enclosing Dosu. His face twisted viciously. Bang. He clenched his palm hard. "I'll crush you like this!"

"Ahhh!!!"

A scream came from within the "Sand Coffin." The nauseating sounds of bones cracking, flesh being crushed, and blood spurting echoed out... The Sand Coffin shriveled, and blood splashed out...

Everyone present turned away, a chill rising in their hearts.

Such vicious methods, along with that clearly abnormal mental and emotional state...

He was a complete and utter madman.

Rage blazed in Naruto's eyes. He could hardly imagine that the person before him could become the leader of a village! A man who killed so wantonly... could become the Kazekage? Could actually gain others' recognition?

Naruto, that is the normal state of most Jinchuriki... the Nine-Tails said calmly within Naruto's heart.

I know... but I'm still angry... Why did it have to be like this... shutting himself off? Needing to kill people just to feel like he exists... That's too messed up!

Gekko Hayate's expression changed slightly as well. After the relevant personnel dealt with Dosu's body, he announced Gaara's victory.

Gaara returned to his indifferent expression and left the arena without a word.

The electronic screen continued flashing. Only four examinees remained.

Beep. 'Kiba vs. Ino'

However, several people had no interest in watching this match at all... Two of them were Naruto and Hinata.

Because once the result of Kiba and Ino's match came out, the only examinees left... would be the two of them.

Naruto vs. Hinata?

"Um... well..." Naruto scratched his cheek and glanced at Hinata beside him. Her body was stiff, her gaze fixed straight ahead as she lowered her head to look at her hands, which kept twisting together anxiously.

Sasuke beside them was practically beyond speechless...

Kakashi stared with his dead-fish eye, silently complaining in helplessness, What is Lord Hokage doing...

Neji on the other side of the stands noticed it too.

He lightly clenched his fist. His pale eyes saw the young man and woman diagonally opposite him, both at a loss over what to do. He narrowed his eyes... Those two, hmph, were truly irritating.

"The Hyuga Clan would marry a woman of the Main Family off to another family? Ridiculous..."

Kiba and Ino's fight soon had a result. Without surprise... Kiba won the match.

At that moment, the Third Hokage slightly lowered the brim of his hat and took several deep puffs from his pipe.

Hiashi... what a headache he must be dealing with, huh... Naruto, who would become Hokage in the future, would never marry into your Hyuga Clan... But would you really dare place the "Caged Bird Seal" on the Hokage's wife?

The Third Hokage was entirely in the mood to sit back and watch the show.

Still, he believed this also gave Hiashi an opportunity to reform the Hyuga Clan's traditions.

Back then, after seeing Naruto's memories, the Third Hokage had noticed Naruto's special concern for Hinata at the Ninja Academy. So when assigning the genin teams, he had deliberately placed Hinata on Team 7.

It was simply giving things a little push in the right direction.

As for what the future would bring, he would leave that to these young people.

Beep. 'Naruto Uzumaki vs. Hinata Hyuga'