Up in the arena, Gaara was caught in the fallout of the battle and completely lost control. Shukaku's power erupted in full, stripping away his reason as he began attacking indiscriminately. Sasuke looked at the out-of-control Gaara, then at Konoha sinking into the flames of war, and his gaze hardened.
He could not fall here.
Konoha could not be destroyed.
His comrades could not get hurt.
Sasuke tightened his grip on his kunai and charged at Gaara again. This time, it was not just for the match. It was for protection, for his bonds, for the last warmth left in his heart.
The Uchiha boy, amid the flames of war engulfing Konoha, truly understood what it meant to protect.
The Konoha Crush Plan came without warning, and the flames of war spread through the entire village in an instant. The allied forces of the Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja swept forward like a broken dam, ninjutsu and hidden weapons flying everywhere. Houses collapsed. Screams, explosions, and battle cries tangled together. The once-peaceful Konoha had become a battlefield.
Sasuke and the out-of-control Gaara fought fiercely in the center of the arena. Shukaku's berserk power battered him again and again, while the power of the Curse Mark and the ocular power of his Sharingan ran at full force. Every clash sent his blood churning, but he did not retreat in the slightest.
"Naruto, Sakura, hurry and evacuate the villagers!" Sasuke shouted, his kunai stabbing toward Gaara once more.
Naruto reacted at once. Ignoring the danger, he grabbed Sakura beside him. "Come on! We're going to help the villagers!"
The two immediately rushed into the chaotic crowd. Naruto used shadow clones to open a path, while Sakura used Medical Ninjutsu to treat the injured villagers. The three members of Team 7 held fast