Against the towering backdrop of Kage Rock, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, formally announced the start of the final Chunin Selection exam in his steady, powerful voice.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell in dappled patterns across his age-worn face, lending the solemn occasion an added gravity.
As Hiruzen Sarutobi's words rang out, the entire arena was instantly filled with tension and excitement.
The first match, watched by all, was about to begin: Naruto versus Neji Hyuga.
The two boys stood at opposite ends of the battlefield, their gazes resolute and their spirits high.
In the stands, Kiba looked especially conflicted. He gritted his teeth, fists clenched, his heart full of frustration and anticipation. Thinking back to his earlier match against Naruto, he still felt deeply aggrieved. He had no idea how he'd lost.
He was convinced Naruto had resorted to some underhanded trick to win. Though his teacher, Kurenai, had told him many times that Naruto really was stronger than him, Kiba's stubborn refusal to admit defeat only grew stronger.
Now, he pinned all his hopes on Neji, hoping Neji would avenge him by defeating Naruto. So he cheered Neji on with all his might, his voice ringing through the arena.
Kakashi sat quietly in a corner of the stands, his sharp gaze fixed on Naruto.
For the past month, he'd been busy training Sasuke and had hardly paid any attention to Naruto's progress. After all, there wasn't much he could teach Naruto.
But he knew Jiraiya had been teaching Naruto, and that filled him with anticipation about how Naruto had changed.
He wanted to see just how much Naruto had grown under Jiraiya's careful guidance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also seated in the stands, his expression solemn yet expectant.
As Hokage, he knew full well how important this exam was for the younger generation of ninja.
He looked forward to Naruto's performance—and to showing the world the strength of Konoha.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage and seated beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, watched everything in secret.
His gaze was as sharp as a snake's, fixed intently on Naruto.
He'd long coveted Naruto's perfect body and hidden power, and he was almost impatient to hurry along his plans.
The battle was about to begin. Beneath his sunglasses, Naruto's eyes glimmered with amusement. He decided to test what he'd accomplished over the past month.
He slowly raised his index finger. Chakra surged through him, gathering at his fingertip, where a small Rasengan—brimming with astonishing energy—gradually took shape.
At the sight of the Rasengan, Neji's alarm bells rang. A sense of foreboding washed over him.
He didn't know what kind of ninjutsu it was, but the Byakugan showed him the chakra packed into the Rasengan. Daring not to take it lightly, he immediately sprang forward and unleashed the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. His hands blurred like stars scattered across the sky as he tried to interrupt Naruto before he could finish the technique.
But Neji's attacks seemed to sink into an invisible vortex. Each palm appeared to hit Naruto, yet only struck empty air; he couldn't even brush Naruto's clothes.
Neji was shocked. He hurriedly stumbled back, suddenly realizing that Naruto had tampered with things during his previous battle against Hinata.
As Neji reeled in shock and scrambled to put distance between them, Naruto's Rasengan had already taken perfect shape.
Unexpectedly, Naruto didn't release the Rasengan in the usual way. Instead, he tossed it at Neji as if throwing a shot put.
Everyone present was stunned. After all, it was common knowledge in the ninja world that once a ninjutsu was no longer supplied with chakra by its user, it would quickly dissipate.
But what happened next completely shattered that understanding.
When Naruto had used the Jujutsu "Azure" before, it had gradually weakened after being launched, then faded away. But the Rasengan he'd thrown didn't dissipate. Instead, it grew larger and larger in midair, like a meteor about to fall, bearing down on Neji with the force to destroy the world.
By the time the enormous Rasengan nearly reached Neji, it was larger than he was. The powerful gusts it unleashed were enough to strike fear into anyone.
In his panic and shock, Neji managed to dodge, but not completely. The Rasengan's edge grazed his arm, and its immense force instantly left the whole limb unable to fight.
The Rasengan swept past Neji's body and struck the barrier at the edge of the arena behind him. The instant it made contact, a deafening roar shook the entire arena and the surrounding space.
Under the Rasengan's impact, the barrier burst into dazzling light. A tremendous boom rang out, and ripples spread across its surface like waves fanning out after a boulder struck the water.
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