The Konoha Crush Plan Begins

"I lost!"

Just when everyone thought Shikamaru had the match in the bag, he suddenly raised his hand and conceded.

The spectators were baffled.

Some of the ninja, however, rated Shikamaru highly. He planned ahead, knew when to cut his losses, and already had what it took to become a Chunin and lead a squad.

Naruto, though, figured Shikamaru had lost the match but gained a wife. The guy had come out way ahead!

The final match was next: Sasuke versus Gaara.

But Sasuke had clearly picked up Kakashi's habits. He was late and still hadn't shown up.

The spectators grew restless, shouting their displeasure.

Many of them had come to the Chunin Ninja Exams specifically to see Sasuke, a descendant of the Uchiha. Yet he was nowhere in sight.

The Third Hokage was growing irritated too. Just as he was about to disqualify Sasuke, the Kazekage beside him—Orochimaru in disguise—spoke up and won Sasuke another ten minutes.

The minutes ticked by. Just as the ten-minute deadline was about to expire, leaves swirled through the air and the two kings of showing off made their grand entrance!

Sasuke had changed into a new outfit. He and Kakashi stood back-to-back with their hands in their pockets, each balanced on one leg. They couldn't have looked more smug if they tried!

When Gaara saw Sasuke arrive, he walked down the stairs without a trace of expression and entered the arena.

Naruto knew Gaara was about to kill two nobodies in the stairwell for trying to make him throw the match. He pulled Shikamaru along, stepped onto the wall, and returned to the waiting stands.

He had no desire to set off the Gaara bomb early. Better to let things unfold as planned than introduce complications into Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan.

Once Gaara entered the arena, the match began.

Sasuke threw two Shuriken, which Gaara's Sand Clone blocked. Sasuke immediately rushed forward and shattered the clone with a punch, then kept charging at Gaara.

Gaara tried to block him with a wall of sand, but Sasuke slipped behind him in an instant.

The move was identical to Rock Lee's Taijutsu in the Preliminaries. Sasuke then punched through the Sand Armor on Gaara's face.

Rock Lee and Might Guy cried out in astonishment from the stands.

Sasuke pressed his attack, while Gaara continued to fend him off with sand.

Sasuke darted past the sand again, spun around, and sent Gaara flying with a kick!

Driven steadily back, Gaara began forming Hand Seals. His face grew more savage and cold. Soon, a sphere of sand enclosed him.

Sasuke tried to strike the sand sphere, but a counterattack from the sand cut him. He had to retreat and observe from a distance.

Gaara then formed a sand eye to watch Sasuke from outside. Inside the sphere, he muttered and formed Hand Seals like a madman.

After a few more probing attacks, Sasuke realized conventional methods could not break through Gaara's absolute defense.

He leaped back onto the wall, formed Hand Seals, and unleashed Kakashi's signature Ninjutsu: Lightning Release: Chidori.

Then he sprinted straight at Gaara's sand sphere. The lightning of his Chidori pierced it in an instant and wounded Gaara.

Inside the sphere, Gaara felt blood flowing from his body in disbelief. It was the first time he had seen his own blood. His mind slipped further out of control, and he began shrieking without pause.

Sasuke struggled to pull his hand free of the sphere, only to drag out a huge claw resembling Shukaku's. He stared at it, trembling in fright.

The sphere collapsed into sand. Clutching his injured shoulder and breathing hard, Gaara finally emerged.

Up in the stands, Yakushi Kabuto, disguised as an Anbu, saw this and finally made his move.

He formed Hand Seals and cast a large-scale sleep Genjutsu over everyone in the Exam Venue!

Apart from a small number of ninja, most of the spectators fell asleep.

Naruto's Sharingan flashed for an instant, and he broke the Genjutsu.

At the same time, the two guards beside "Kazekage" Orochimaru threw Smoke Bombs, knocked down the Third Hokage's guards, and revealed their true identities!

Orochimaru held a Kunai to the Third Hokage and forced him onto the broad rooftop. The four garishly dressed Sound Four took positions at its corners and swiftly activated the Four Violet Flames Formation, sealing off the rooftop!

The Hokage Guard Corps rushed to save the Third Hokage, but the moment they touched the Barrier, they were thrown back and their bodies burst into flames.

The commotion around the Third Hokage and the "Kazekage" was the signal. Sound Ninja and Sunagakure Shinobi lying in wait outside Konoha immediately moved out.

A massive Three-Headed Snake was summoned. Like a tank, it smashed straight through the Konoha Village Wall and rampaged into Konoha.

More than a hundred ninja from Sunagakure and Otogakure followed it into the village and clashed with the defending Konoha Ninja.

But the invasion was so sudden that only a handful of Konoha Ninja joined the defense in time. Outnumbered, they immediately suffered heavy casualties.

Back at the Exam Venue.

Naruto leaned against the railing of the waiting stands, watching everything unfold in the arena with keen interest.

His excitement made him lick his lips without thinking, just like Orochimaru.

Kankuro and Temari had entered the arena and stood beside Gaara, whose Chakra was badly depleted and whose mind had slipped out of control.

Their Jonin teacher, Baki, the commander of Sunagakure's invasion force, stood in front of them, facing off against Genma Shiranui, the Third Exam's Senbon-chewing proctor.

Gaara was unstable and had expended too much Chakra. He could not summon Shukaku smoothly while retaining enough awareness to draw him back afterward.

With no other choice, Baki told Kankuro and Temari to take Gaara somewhere safe first, where he could recover his Chakra and regain control.

Genma Shiranui coolly shielded Sasuke behind him. When he saw Gaara being taken away, he sensed something was wrong and told Sasuke to pursue him.

Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, Kakashi, Might Guy, and Rock Lee were about to go to the Third Hokage's aid, but Yakushi Kabuto blocked their path with a large group of Sound Ninja.

(Rock Lee had been saved by Naruto in the Preliminaries this time and had not been seriously injured.)

Kakashi watched Gaara leave and his beloved student Sasuke pursue him alone. He looked up toward Naruto in the distant waiting stands, only to find that Naruto had vanished.

Kakashi discussed it with Might Guy. With no other option, they had Sakura and Rock Lee wake Shikamaru, then summoned Kakashi's talking dog Pakkun to accompany them in support of Sasuke.

No, more precisely, they were to bring Sasuke back and make sure he was safe.

Kakashi had already sensed something strange about Gaara and feared Sasuke and the others were no match for him.

So where had Naruto gone?

Naturally, he had gone to arrange the grand gift he had prepared for Konoha long ago. For this, he owed Orochimaru and Sunagakure special thanks!

Not long after Kankuro and Temari fled with Gaara, Naruto's Red-Haired Masked Woman incarnation blocked their path.

With her strength, she appeared without warning and easily knocked Kankuro and Temari back. Then she reached out, touched Gaara, and vanished with him.

Kankuro and Temari were left standing there, stunned...