Rankhai no Jutsu VS Sand Waterfall Flow

Temari, as the most outstanding Wind Release ninja of Sunagakure's younger generation, possessed an extremely keen perception of wind-attributed chakra.

At this moment.

From that terrifying "Serrated Light Sphere," she sensed an intensely condensed, shredding-type Wind Release chakra filled with dread.

That was by no means a simple wind blade; it pushed the properties of "cutting" and "tearing" to their absolute limit.

"Gaara! Watch out!! Don't take it head-on!!" Temari could no longer care about anything else and screamed out loud.

Temari dared not imagine.

If Gaara took this hit, would he even survive?

She didn't need to warn him; Gaara had already sensed the threat.

"Desert Wave!"

Gaara's hands suddenly clapped together.

Rustle!

All the flowing sand around him wildly reversed and surged back.

In an instant, it gathered and compressed around his body, forming a massive, thick spherical sand ball.

Gaara was tightly encased within, leaving not a single gap.

Yo slowly raised his head, the Rasenshuriken in his hand already fully formed.

"Try this... Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

Yo hurled it fiercely. The Rasenshuriken, emitting a destructive hum and piercing screech, flew toward the sand ball.

Because control was lost, the highly compressed, violently conflicting chakra structure within suddenly expanded.

Huum!!!

The original shuriken form rapidly expanded in flight, transforming into a spiral storm several meters in diameter.

Spinning, roaring, carrying a terrifying momentum that seemed to annihilate everything, it slammed violently into Gaara's Desert Wave.

The moment they made contact, the intensely condensed, destructive Wind Release chakra clashed in the most violent conflict.

Shiiiiii!

A high-frequency grinding sound, like a sand wheel cutting through steel, mixed with a scalp-tearing tearing noise, rang out across the entire arena.

A dazzling blue-green light completely engulfed the entire sand ball.

Boom!!!

A deafening explosion shot into the sky. The ground of the arena shattered like paper and was flung upward.

A violent shockwave, mixed with completely pulverized sand grains, spread wildly outward in a spherical shape.

Dust and chakra turbulence flooded the entire arena.

The stands fell into dead silence!

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the rolling smoke and dust, their hearts in their throats.

Naruto forgot to shout.

Sasuke gripped the railing tightly.

Sakura and Ino covered their mouths. Hinata's Byakugan widened. Temari and Kankuro's faces were pale as paper.

This power... had already far exceeded the scope of ordinary Chūnin, even surpassing the realm of Jōnin-level combat.

How could a Konoha genin wield such a terrifying Wind Release ninjutsu?

Could Gaara withstand it?

A long time passed.

The raging dust and chakra turbulence finally settled and dispersed.

When the scene in the arena became clear, everyone was stunned speechless.

In the center of the arena, a shocking, massive circular pit over ten meters in diameter had appeared.

The pit walls were smooth, as if they had been ruthlessly shaved by a giant grindstone.

The bottom of the pit was covered in a thick layer of completely pulverized yellow sand.

And at the very center of the pit floor, Gaara knelt on one knee, one hand propped on the ground, breathing heavily.

The Sand Armor covering his body was covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

And on the front of his chest, several fist-sized, terrifying holes had appeared, deep enough to see flesh and bone.

Blood slowly seeped from those holes, dripping onto the sand beneath him, blooming into dark red stains.

"Bleeding..."

Temari's voice trembled: "Gaara... he's injured?"

"He... should be fine, right?" Kankuro swallowed his saliva, his voice full of fear.

"Blood... I'm bleeding..."

Gaara stared at the blood on his own hand, his body trembling.

"I actually... bled... unforgivable... I'll kill you... I'll kill you!!!"

Boom!!!!

A surge of chakra far greater than before erupted from Gaara.

The scattered sand at the bottom of the pit, as if summoned by a king, surged wildly and converged toward him.

In an instant.

A terrifying sand wave, over ten meters tall like a tsunami, swept toward Yao with the destructive force of drowning everything.

Sand Waterfall Flow!

"He took a hit like that... and he's still alive?"

"Not just alive... what's with this burst of chakra... is this guy really a genin?"

"Monster..."

"Lord Yao! Watch out!"

The stands erupted in uproar.

A moment ago, everyone was cheering for Yao's earth-shattering strike.

The next, they were terrified out of their wits by the horrifying sand wave.

"Looks like Konoha isn't the only one with monsters—Sunagakure has one too!"

Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, and the others tensed their bodies, eyes locked on the arena, ready to jump in and save him at any moment.

This had far exceeded the scope of a Chūnin Exam match; one wrong move could mean death.

"Yao! Dodge it!"

Naruto frantically grabbed the railing, half his body leaning over.

His face was full of panic, as if he wanted to jump down and stand in front of Yao himself.

Sasuke gripped the railing tightly, his cold face barely hiding his tension.

Though he always put on a cool front, he cared deeply about his only brother.

If something happened to Yao, Sasuke didn't dare imagine it.

In the arena.

Compared to the tens-of-meters-tall, tsunami-like Sand Waterfall Flow, Yao's figure seemed utterly insignificant.

Before the sand wave arrived, flying gravel was already pelting his face.

"I wanted to keep a low profile, but you're forcing me to show off!"

Yao clapped his hands together sharply: "Wood Release: Rankhai no Jutsu!"

Rumble!!!!

A massive, demon-faced shield grew from the ground, rose up, and stood imposingly in front of Yao.

The shield's surface had clear wood grain, with a ghost-face pattern at its center, exuding a steady, overwhelming aura.

This was the defensive Wood Release the First Hokage used to block Tailed Beast Balls.

The next moment.

Bam!!!!!!

The terrifying sand wave slammed solidly into the demon-faced shield.

An earth-shaking roar rattled everyone's eardrums.

The impact of the sand wave was enough to instantly destroy a steel wall.

Yet.

The wooden demon-faced shield only trembled slightly, completely blocking the overwhelming sand wave.

Behind the shield, Yao's clothes weren't even ruffled by the blast.

The flowing sand split along the shield's sides, scattered, and scoured the ground, but couldn't cross a single step.

Wood overcomes Earth!

Absolute elemental suppression!

The entire arena fell dead silent.

The Third Hokage's pupils shrank sharply as he stared at the demon-faced shield.

Wood Release!

It really was Wood Release!

This Uchiha Yao... had actually mastered Wood Release!

Kakashi had reported this to him, and the Third Hokage had believed it.

But seeing Yo unleash Wood Release with his own eyes was still utterly shocking.

An Uchiha... had actually mastered the First Hokage's Wood Release?

Too unbelievable!

"Wha... what is that?"

"A sh-shield made of wood? It blocked that attack?"

"Wait! The shape of that jutsu... could it be..."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The First Hokage's Wood Release Kekkei Genkai should have been lost long ago..."

The entire venue erupted in uproar.

Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, and the others stared in stunned disbelief.

Wood Release!

It was actually Wood Release!