Rock Lee vs. Gaara

The venue filled up almost immediately, and in an instant, the scene became bustling with activity.

"Place your bets! There are many famous ninjas in this Chunin Exam. The betting pool is open—everyone, place your wagers on the ones you favor!"

A ninja in Konoha Village, specifically tasked with this duty, was peddling his bets.

Following that, the numerous spectators at the scene couldn't help but chime in with their own discussions.

"It's said that they managed to trick the Uchiha bloodline into participating this time. I'm here specifically to see Uchiha Sasuke; I just wonder how that guy is doing!"

"Heh, if you ask me, the real highlight should be the Hyuga clan. After all, the Uchiha talent has withered away. I heard there's an Uchiha named Sora who specializes in giving massages to women—what a creep!"

"Rather than looking forward to the Uchiha, you'd be better off watching the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. After all, that is a famous Kekkei Genkai!"

"Haven't you heard? A Jinchuriki is participating this time too! I don't know who it is, but it would be great if we could see them in action!"

For a moment, the many spectators present were buzzing with excitement; not all of them were ninjas.

A large portion consisted of dignitaries and wealthy figures from Konoha Village and the Land of Fire.

Most of them had come to watch the exam simply for a bit of amusement.

Seeing that everyone had basically arrived, the Hokage coughed, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Attention! Now that all the students and spectators have gathered, the matches are about to begin. For the first round, we will call names by drawing lots!"

"Alright, contestants, please prepare yourselves!"

"The first match... Rock Lee versus Gaara!"

In a flash, the scene erupted into a deafening uproar.

"Holy crap! Rock Lee? That thick-browed kid from the village? He's actually going to fight a genius from Sunagakure? Is he trying to get himself killed?"

"Exactly! It's said that Gaara is incredibly strong. Rumor has it that he's the Jinchuriki of Sunagakure! This is going to be a good show!"

"Besides, I heard Rock Lee has no chakra—he's one of those rare ninjas with terrible talent. If he wins, I'll stand on my head and eat crap!"

"Damn! Why are there always people here trying to scam free meals!"

The audience erupted into a massive commotion.

Down in the stands, Rock Lee's eyes were brimming with fighting spirit.

"My best friend! I never thought I'd be the first one up. I'm so excited! You guys just sit back and enjoy the beast of Konoha Village!"

As he spoke, Rock Lee gave Uchiha Sora's shoulder a hard pat, flashed a toothy grin at him, and gave him a thumbs-up.

"You..."

Uchiha Sora's face darkened.

I really did help you avoid one fight, he thought, but I never imagined you'd end up running into Gaara anyway.

It seemed that, sometimes, battles were simply fated.

This left Uchiha Sora feeling quite speechless.

Beside him, Hinata tugged at Uchiha Sora's sleeve.

"Sora, they say Gaara is the Jinchuriki of Sunagakure. Will he really be okay?"

Uchiha Sora shook his head faintly.

"Don't worry. The Hokage is watching right here. Even if a Tailed Beast really does appear, the Hokage can save lives at the critical moment."

Hinata nodded, subconsciously moving a little closer to Uchiha Sora.

This made Uchiha Sora's heart race.

She was just so close that he could feel a soft pressure against his shoulder!

Damn... how old is she? She's developed way too well.

No... now is not the time to be thinking about that. I need to find Orochimaru in the crowd and stay away from him in advance!

Uchiha Sora shook his head, forcibly suppressing his thoughts.

He analyzed in his mind: where could Orochimaru be hiding?

In the original story, Orochimaru had disguised himself as a bald man from Sunagakure.

He had sat right next to the Hokage.

But this time was different; perhaps because of his own interference, Orochimaru wasn't there.

After all, Uchiha Sora had been observing carefully for a while.

It was quite obvious that the person sitting there was not Orochimaru.

But where could he be now?

For a moment, Uchiha Sora felt a headache coming on; there were simply too many people at the scene.

He wouldn't be able to find him in a short amount of time.

Meanwhile.

High up in the stands, the Hokage glanced down at Uchiha Sora.

He chuckled softly.

"Look at this kid, still shaking his head. Is he perhaps too nervous?"

Beside him, Kakashi also offered a smile.

"I doubt it. Although I haven't had much contact with him, he seems like the type who is completely carefree. If anyone were to be nervous, it certainly wouldn't be him."

Nearby, the representative from Sunagakure, that burly, bald man, grinned at the Hokage.

"Heh, Lord Hokage, it is said that your village has two members of the Uchiha Clan, the strongest clan of all. I must say, I am quite looking forward to this!"

The Hokage let out a cold snort. He had felt all along that the people from Sunagakure were acting strangely today, and he issued a warning.

"I advise you not to harbor any crooked intentions. There are only two members of the Uchiha Clan left now. While those two are one thing, the real issue is that there is still Itachi Uchiha out there, and it is hard to say where he might be right now."

The Hokage's words were sharp as a blade, a reminder that if they intended to make a move against Sasuke Uchiha and his brother, they had better first consider the Itachi Uchiha hanging over their heads!

Back then, although it was said that Itachi Uchiha had slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan, those with sufficiently high status and standing all understood that the entire affair had been orchestrated by the village.

Furthermore, it was quite possible that it had been the handiwork of Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.

Itachi Uchiha had been left with no choice.

Therefore, they all understood that Itachi Uchiha took great care of his two younger brothers.

After all, they were the only two blood relatives he had left in the world.

And Itachi Uchiha's strength, when placed against the entire ninja world, was absolutely explosive!

Let alone the Hokage, everyone present felt a sense of trepidation.

More importantly, Itachi Uchiha was a lone wolf with no burdens or concerns; as the saying goes, the one wearing no shoes has nothing to fear from the one who does.

If he were truly pushed to the brink, it was not impossible for him to storm a village and wipe it off the map in retaliation.

The bald man from Sunagakure chuckled, saying no more, and instead shifted his gaze toward Uchiha Sora with a smile.

"This kid is also quite famous. Didn't he perform a great service for the village back then?"

"However, I am still curious just how strong this guy is. Compared to Sasuke, which of the two has more talent?"

The Hokage glanced down at Uchiha Sora, then looked at Sasuke not far away, weighing them in his mind.

To be honest, if this had been before, he would have insisted that Sasuke was stronger without hesitation. But now, ever since Uchiha Sora had repelled Orochimaru, he dared not speak so carelessly.

Unable to gauge Uchiha Sora's true depth, he could only offer a perfunctory reply.

"Why don't you compare them yourself once the match begins?"

At the same time, in a corner of the crowd, Orochimaru stared intently at Sora.

This kid... he seems to have something to rely on.