The Threat of Six Paths of Pain

After Gaara and Rock Lee's match ended, Su Bai stood in the stands, his gaze deep as he fell into thought.

Although he had gained an enormous amount of experience from their battle, Su Bai did not feel particularly happy.

Rock Lee's performance had been astonishing, but Gaara's strength was even more chilling.

Su Bai analyzed the situation calmly.

Lee had already brought out all his strength, while Gaara had clearly still held something back.

Gaara had not even revealed his two trump cards: tailed beast transformation and the Feign Sleep Technique.

Su Bai began assessing his own strength based on their performances.

When Lee opened the fourth gate, the Gate of Pain, Gaara's sand had already struggled to keep up with his speed.

Su Bai could not help comparing it in his mind: could his own Flash Step keep up with Lee's speed?

Clearly, after Lee opened the fourth gate, his speed had already far surpassed Intermediate Flash Step.

Not to mention that once the fifth gate, the Gate of Limit, opened, his speed soared by leaps and bounds.

In terms of pure speed, Intermediate Flash Step truly could not compare to the Eight Gates.

However, Su Bai also realized Flash Step's advantage.

It could be used continuously, unlike the Eight Gates, which could only be maintained for a brief period and came with severe side effects.

That endurance could become the key to determining victory or defeat in a prolonged battle.

In terms of offensive power, Lee had clearly been at a disadvantage against Gaara.

However, Su Bai calmly concluded that this was largely because Gaara's defensive capabilities were simply too overwhelming.

The title "Absolute Defense" truly lived up to its name.

Su Bai's thoughts delved deeper as he began considering how to break through that seemingly indestructible defense.

This match had undoubtedly provided him with valuable intelligence and experience.

If he were the one facing Gaara, could he break through that seemingly flawless Sand Armor?

His hand tightened slightly around the hilt at his waist.

Ryujin Jakka without Shikai would likely struggle to leave even the faintest mark on Gaara's defense.

However, if he released Shikai... the corners of Su Bai's lips rose slightly, and a trace of confidence flashed in his eyes.

With another turn of thought, Su Bai began analyzing the possibility of fighting Rock Lee.

As long as he could endure the Eight Gates' burst phase, victory would belong to him.

And with Shikai as his trump card, his odds of winning would undoubtedly increase greatly.

Su Bai turned his attention back to Gaara.

Assuming Gaara did not use the Feign Sleep Technique to transform into the One-Tail Shukaku, then in his current state, he was not Su Bai's match.

Su Bai was confident that he could use Intermediate Flash Step's endurance advantage to toy with Gaara in the palm of his hand.

However, a shadow crossed Su Bai's heart.

If Gaara underwent tailed beast transformation... things would become troublesome.

Even in his Shikai state, whether he could defeat tailed beast-transformed Gaara remained unknown.

"If I get the chance, I hope I can slash him a few times and find out!"

His thoughts could not help drifting to the plot of the original work.

In his memories, Naruto had once defeated tailed beast-transformed Gaara, displaying astonishing strength.

Later, when Sasuke had resolved to defect to Orochimaru,

he used the power of the Curse Mark to defeat Naruto, who was half-transformed into a tailed beast and fighting with everything he had.

At that thought, Su Bai's gaze suddenly deepened, and the curve of his lips vanished.

He realized that even after mastering Shikai, he could not relax in the slightest.

One careless mistake, and he might be surpassed by powerhouses like Naruto and Sasuke.

What made Su Bai even more vigilant was that even more powerful opponents awaited him in the future.

The figure of Six Paths of Pain surfaced in his mind—the terrifying existence who had nearly destroyed all of Konoha Village in order to capture the Nine-Tails.

Countless members of the Moonlight Clan had been killed or wounded in Pain's attack.

Su Bai did not want to become Hokage, but he wanted to protect the Moonlight Clan!

A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he made his decision.

"I must keep collecting experience!"

The thought branded itself into his heart.

The slight relaxation he had felt after obtaining Shikai immediately tightened once more.

Su Bai's expression turned cold again, and his eyes revealed an unshakable determination.

This Chunin Exams preliminary round was merely a small step on the road to becoming stronger.

Su Bai looked into the distance, as though he could already see even harsher challenges waiting for him.

Soon after, the tenth match ended as well.

Choji Akimichi was no match for Tos Kinuta and lost without any suspense.

Hayate Gekko walked to the center of the arena and announced, "The preliminary rounds have all concluded."

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately rose to his feet and explained the rules of the final matches to all the contestants who had advanced.

He announced that the final matches would be held one month later, giving the participants ample time to prepare.

Next came the drawing ceremony for the final matches.

The final draw results were as follows:

Su Bai VS Neji Hyuga

Gaara VS Sasuke Uchiha

Kankuro VS Shino Aburame

Temari VS Shikamaru Nara

Naruto VS Tos Kinuta

Su Bai looked straight at Neji, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he said calmly, "I'll make you admit defeat wholeheartedly."

Neji snorted coldly and replied, "Don't talk big. Fate was decided long ago."

The atmosphere between them immediately became tense and hostile, foreshadowing an intense confrontation a month later.

After the preliminary rounds ended, Su Bai walked steadily to his uncle Hayate Gekko's home.

He stood before Hayate's door and knocked softly.

When the door opened, he looked as usual and said in a calm tone, "Uncle, I missed you."

A warmth flashed in Hayate's eyes at those words, and a smile unconsciously rose to his lips.

He reached out and ruffled Su Bai's hair, his tone full of affection. "Come in, Su Bai."

The two entered the house, and Hayate poured Su Bai a cup of tea.

With a teasing smile in his eyes, he said, "Missed me? I think you came here to lie low. I saw Sakura and Ino fighting over you during the preliminary rounds with my own eyes."

Su Bai's expression did not change as he took a light sip of tea, its fragrance spreading through his mouth.

He set down the cup, looked calmly at his uncle, and replied indifferently, "You're joking, Uncle. That was merely a friendly spar between companions."

His tone was flat, as if he were discussing something utterly ordinary, with not the slightest hint that the earlier topic had stirred him at all.

Seeing his nephew's unruffled demeanor, Hayate could not help bursting into laughter.

He shook his head, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You really are still so unwilling to be honest."

He patted Su Bai's shoulder, his tone carrying a few traces of indulgence and pride. "Making two girls fight over you is just like when I was in ANBU. Looks like our Su Bai has grown up."

Hayate's gaze was filled with affection, as though he were remembering what Su Bai had looked like as a child.

"I remember when you first came to live with me, you were still a quiet little brat. In the blink of an eye, girls are already falling for you."

He deliberately sighed and put on a melancholy expression. "It looks like you'll soon surpass your uncle when it comes to luck with women. Ah, cough cough..."