Something had indeed gone awry.
But only two people had been affected.
The headache-plagued Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The bewildered Naruto Uzumaki.
In the arena, Karin and Rock Lee took their positions.
"Then, let the match begin," Gekko Hayate announced.
Rock Lee crouched low and shot toward Karin like an arrow loosed from its string, moving at tremendous speed and kicking up a gust of wind.
In the second-floor spectator seats, Might Guy gripped the railing, his eyes filled with anticipation.
He knew just how terrifyingly fast Rock Lee was.
Karin's eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she fully activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
The flow of chakra through Rock Lee's body was clearly visible.
The rhythm of his muscle fibers contracting, the subtle shifts in his center of gravity, even the way he was likely to launch his next attack—all of it was reflected in her mind.
"His right leg is going to move first. A feint with his left fist, then a real attack with his right elbow."
Karin murmured to herself and shifted sideways half a second in advance.
Rock Lee's left fist brushed past her, and his right elbow followed right behind, but it struck only empty air.
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Karin's predictions were unnervingly precise.
Rock Lee spun, his right leg sweeping toward Karin's waist like a whip.
This strike was even faster and more forceful, the muscles in his leg bursting with astonishing power.
Karin had already anticipated it and lightly hopped backward, avoiding the blow.
Her red ponytail traced an elegant arc through the air. She landed lightly, her breathing steady.
"His speed is a full fifteen percent faster than I estimated," Karin analyzed as she retreated, a hint of alarm in her eyes. "And there's only a 0.3-second gap between his moves."
Dodging alone was this difficult. She absolutely couldn't go toe-to-toe with him in Taijutsu!
She was up against a true Taijutsu master.
As Karin backed away to put some distance between them, she rapidly formed Hand Seals, drawing on her chakra.
Rock Lee charged her again.
"Sealing Jutsu: Four-Limb Heavy Seal!"
Four small sealing arrays took shape in the air and landed precisely on the joints of Rock Lee's limbs.
Rock Lee felt his hands and feet grow heavy, as though invisible weights were pressing down on them.
Every movement took several times more effort than before.
He gritted his teeth and tried to force his way through. His muscles bulged, and the veins on his forehead stood out.
But the seal's power held him firmly in place.
Rock Lee looked toward Might Guy on the second floor. Guy gave him a thumbs-up.
"Go for it, Rock Lee! Let your youth shine!"
Rock Lee nodded with all his might. "Yes, Guy-sensei!"
But this was a fight. With his body sealed, there was no chance he could stop to have this kind of conversation.
And Karin wasn't like Gaara, who enjoyed watching his opponents give everything they had and still fail to win.
While Rock Lee and Might Guy were talking, Karin had already closed in. She lightly touched a finger to his chest. "It's over."
Her chakra flowed into his body, paralyzing his meridians. Rock Lee toppled stiffly to the ground.
Gekko Hayate's voice rang out. "The winner is Uzumaki Karin."
The fight was over.
"Waaah!" Might Guy burst into loud sobs. "Rock Lee, I should have reminded you not to get distracted during a fight!"
Rock Lee started crying too. "Waaah! Guy-sensei, I'll learn from this! I'll do ten thousand push-ups right now! And if I can't, then..."
Karin turned her back on the cringe-worthy sight and walked up the stairs.
"Not bad," Jingxin said, looking at Karin as she bounced over.
At Jingxin's praise, a radiant smile immediately spread across Karin's face.
Might Guy carried Rock Lee upstairs, too. Neji activated his Byakugan to examine Rock Lee's acupuncture points, and his pupils contracted slightly.
This technique was remarkably similar to the Hyuga Clan's.
But Karin didn't have the Byakugan. How had she managed such precision?
As Neji released Rock Lee's blocked points, he pondered the question. Could it be some kind of advanced Sensory Ninjutsu?
Nearby, Hiruzen Sarutobi had recovered from his headache for the time being. He sighed. "Iwagakure really knows how to gather talented people from all over the world."
He felt deeply conflicted as he said it.
There was a time when the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha had been as close as could be.
"We simply give those in need a real home," Ōnoki replied pointedly, then added with a bit of mutual praise, "But doesn't Konoha do the same?"
He was mocking what had once happened between Konoha and the Uchiha.
But Ōnoki had done such a good job of covering up the information about Jingxin that Hiruzen Sarutobi still didn't know Kintsuchi was Jingxin. He didn't understand what Ōnoki meant at all.
Below, Gekko Hayate glanced at the screen. "Next match: Kintsuchi versus Sasuke Uchiha."
Jingxin glanced at Sasuke nearby. The other boy happened to look over at her, too.
"Sasuke..." Sakura Haruno quietly reminded him, "Maybe you should just let it go."
Sasuke frowned and ignored Sakura Haruno.
What did she mean, let it go?
He was a person with a mission to fulfill. He had yet to avenge his blood feud. How could he back down without fighting just because his enemy was strong?
"Let me see what you can really do," Sasuke said to Jingxin, then turned and walked toward the arena.
When Jingxin had sparred with Orochimaru earlier, both Naruto and Sasuke had been unconscious.
The boy still had no idea what kind of opponent he was facing.
Soon, the two took their positions.
Sasuke struck first, hurling three Shuriken in a triangular formation toward Jingxin.
Their angles were tricky, cutting off every possible avenue of escape.
The Sharingan had already locked onto Jingxin's likely movements the moment he threw them. It was a perfect attack, calculated in advance.
Jingxin flipped her right hand, three Shuriken held between her fingers. With a slight flick of her wrist, she sent them flying in what looked like a casual motion, yet they moved faster than Sasuke's.
Three sharp clangs rang out almost simultaneously.
Sasuke's Shuriken were knocked precisely out of the air, but Jingxin's kunai continued on toward him.
Sasuke pulled out a kunai and blocked three strikes before barely managing to stop them.
Her throwing technique was far beyond his own.
Sasuke clenched his teeth and rapidly formed Hand Seals. Chakra gathered in his throat. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge fireball roared forth, more than three meters in diameter. A wave of heat swept across the entire arena, and the air warped from the high temperature.
Jingxin formed Hand Seals as well, moving even faster, her sequence of signs pared down to the bare minimum.
It was the same technique.
Jingxin's fireball took shape in an instant. It was more than five meters in diameter, darker in color, and hotter.
The two fireballs collided in midair. Jingxin's fireball swallowed Sasuke's with overwhelming force.
The enormous fireball kept coming, bearing down on Sasuke as a wave of heat washed over him.
Sasuke rolled desperately to the side.
The hem of his clothes was brushed by the heat, instantly charring and curling up.
He gritted his teeth and got back to his feet, his Sharingan spinning furiously.
"Impossible... If it's the same technique, why is the gap so huge?" A surge of frustration rose inside Sasuke.
He charged in, unleashing the Taijutsu he had copied from Rock Lee with his Sharingan.
His fists and feet became afterimages, his attacks a raging storm.
Jingxin didn't move. She raised one hand to block two strikes, then easily seized his wrist, twisted it, lifted his arm, and hooked his leg with her foot.
It looked just like an adult playing around with a child.
Sasuke lost his balance and stumbled to the ground behind Jingxin.
He pushed himself up and looked back. Jingxin was just turning around at an unhurried pace, her cold Anbu mask facing him, but she made no move to attack.
Why...?
Frustration welled up inside Sasuke.
He had trained so hard.
Yet he was no match at all for someone his own age.
Meanwhile, Jingxin watched Sasuke and thought, His emotions are running so high. Could that strengthen his Sharingan?
Before you continue