Chidori

Sasuke had indeed changed over the past month.

His speed lacked Rock Lee's pure explosiveness, but he had the Sharingan, and every step landed with precision. The moment the sand moved, he had already shifted positions, as if forcing Gaara to keep exposing openings.

At last, Gaara was no longer as calm as he had been at the beginning.

The sand still protected him, but Sasuke's attacks were too relentless. The left side had barely blocked one strike when the right was pressured again. Before the sand above could fall, Sasuke had already slipped in from below.

Suddenly, Sasuke flashed forward, skimming close to the ground.

Gaara's eyes shifted.

In the next instant, Sasuke's fist slammed into the side of his face.

Crack.

A small piece of sand armor cracked off Gaara's face and fell to the ground.

The arena fell silent for a moment.

Gaara did not retaliate immediately. Slowly, he raised a hand and touched his face.

There was blood on his fingertips.

Only a tiny bit of blood.

Yet he stared at that spot of red for a long time.

"Blood..."

His voice was terrifyingly low.

Sasuke sensed that something was wrong. With a tap of his toes, he quickly retreated.

The instant he pulled back, the sand around Gaara suddenly surged, exploding outward with a boom.

The spot where Sasuke had been standing was smashed into a crater by the sand.

Naruto's expression changed. "Hey! What's wrong with that guy?!"

Sakura gripped the railing nervously as well, her eyes locked on the arena.

Gaara lowered his head, his shoulders trembling faintly. Sand crawled around him in circles, faster and faster, as though something were struggling within.

Temari's face had already changed.

"This is bad."

Kankuro clenched his teeth as cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

In the arena, Sasuke steadied himself again. His right hand hung at his side, and his eyes turned cold.

He did not rush in recklessly.

The sand surrounding Gaara had become terrifyingly thick. Ordinary attacks could not touch him at all. Sasuke slowly circled the arena for a couple of steps, his Sharingan fixed on the flow of the sand.

Gaara suddenly raised his head.

"I'll kill you..."

The moment the words fell, the sand rose violently and wrapped around his entire body.

Rustle, rustle.

Layer upon layer of sand pressed down, quickly forming an enormous sand sphere in the middle of the arena. A bulge rose on its surface, slowly opening into a sand eye that stared fixedly at Sasuke.

The scene became bizarre in an instant.

The spectators who had been cheering moments ago now barely dared to speak loudly.

Genma frowned, already prepared to enter the arena and stop the fight.

Sasuke threw several shuriken.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The shuriken struck the sand sphere, leaving only a few shallow marks that were quickly filled in by fine sand.

At that moment, a piercing sound suddenly rang out from the arena.

Chirp, chirp, chirp—

It was like countless birds shrieking beside their ears.

Sasuke stood still as blue-white lightning burst from his right palm. The light grew brighter and brighter, tiny arcs crawling up his arm. Even the gravel by his feet was shaken into hopping.

Sakura suddenly looked at Kakashi.

"That's Kakashi-sensei's..."

Kakashi stood by the railing, his visible eye utterly calm.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke lowered himself slightly, keeping his breathing low.

Then he charged out.

He was even faster than before, lightning dragging a blinding line across the ground. Upon reaching the sand sphere, Sasuke did not ram into it directly. He stomped down and shot up the wall.

Bang!

Cracks spread across the wall beneath his foot.

Sasuke raced upward along the wall, lightning trailing a long tail behind him. Quite a few people in the stands rose to their feet instinctively.

When he reached the highest point, he suddenly turned.

"Hah!"

He dove down from above.

Lightning tore through the air, and the shrill sound abruptly rose in pitch.

Boom!

Chidori pierced viciously into the sand sphere.

The surface of the sphere cracked open instantly, fine sand pouring down like water. A shriek, sharp enough to distort, came from within.

Blood seeped out through the cracks.

Sasuke's right hand was buried in the sand sphere, lightning still flickering around his arm.

The arena was deathly silent.

The next moment, a bizarre claw suddenly reached out from inside the sand sphere and snapped around Sasuke's wrist.

That claw did not resemble a human hand at all. Its nails were long and black, while rough patterns covered its skin.

Sakura's face turned pale at once.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke clenched his teeth, grabbed his right arm with his left hand, and yanked it free.

Splat!

Blood and sand sprayed out together.

Sasuke flipped backward and landed, his knees bending slightly as his right arm continued to tremble.

The sand sphere split apart.

Gaara knelt inside, his head lowered. Half his body had swollen and warped, and that monstrous arm hung against the ground, its nails scraping into the dirt with a grating sound.

He lifted his head, his eyes already wild.

"Blood... my blood..."

Sasuke took a breath, sweat dripping from his forehead as well.

At that moment, Temari suddenly tightened her grip on her fan.

"They can't keep fighting."

Kankuro ignored everything else and jumped straight down from the stands.

Genma's gaze turned cold. In a flash, he blocked the way.

"The match isn't over."

Kankuro did not answer. His fingers twitched, and the puppet on his back swayed slightly.

The atmosphere tightened instantly.

Suddenly, a Sand Village jonin by the arena raised a hand.

As though receiving an order, Temari and Kankuro rushed toward Gaara at the same time. Temari opened her giant fan and swept it forward.

Whoosh!

A violent wind, carrying sand and dust, surged toward Sasuke and Genma.

Sasuke raised a hand to shield his eyes. Just as he was about to give chase, his chest suddenly tightened. He staggered, pressing his right hand against his knee as his breathing became visibly uneven.

Chiya saw this and frowned.

Chidori was too draining for Sasuke in his current state.

By the time the dust settled, Temari and Kankuro had already taken Gaara and rushed toward the edge of the venue.

Sasuke looked up at them, his gaze cold.

He wanted to pursue them.

But after taking only one step forward, his body halted again.

Kakashi's voice came from above.

"Sasuke, don't chase after them recklessly!"

Sasuke did not look back. His body flashed, and he was already in pursuit.

By then, the spectator stands had fallen completely into chaos. Some people still thought it was part of the exam, while others had sensed something was wrong and began pushing toward the exits.

Chiya's heartbeat grew faster and faster.

He looked toward Ino.

Ino had also risen to her feet, obvious unease on her face. Shikamaru stood beside her with a frown, seemingly sensing the strange tension in the air as well.

Suddenly, a white feather drifted down from above.

It was light, floating down slowly.

At first, there were only a few. Soon, white feathers filled the sky above the entire venue.

The voices in the stands gradually quieted.

Someone swayed while gripping the railing, their eyelids beginning to droop. Then, row after row of spectators collapsed into their seats.

Chiya bit his tongue sharply.

The taste of blood spread through his mouth, and he immediately circulated chakra to dispel the wave of drowsiness.

"Genjutsu!"

He looked up at Ino.

Ino clung to the railing, her body already going weak. She seemed to be trying to hold on, but her eyes had clearly lost focus.

At that moment, the outer wall of the venue exploded with a boom.

Rubble flew everywhere, and smoke and dust billowed.

Several figures rushed into the venue through the smoke, the blades in their hands flashing beneath the sunlight.

High above, the guard behind the Kazekage suddenly moved as well.

The Third Hokage had barely turned when a hand was already pressing down on his shoulder.

The straw hat lifted slightly.

That unfamiliar yet familiar face revealed a sinister smile.