The images on the Sky Screen shifted rapidly, skipping an entire month in a single instant.
The earlier rounds of the finals were all passed over. Only the winners of each match flashed by, with no additional battle footage.
The image finally settled on the eagerly awaited main event-
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of Sunagakure.
In the arena, Gaara still wore that same lifeless expression.
He showed not a trace of emotion, as though nothing in the world had anything to do with him. He was as cold as a killing machine.
Sasuke Uchiha, on the other hand, had undergone a complete transformation!
A month ago, Sasuke had been brimming with hostility, brooding and obsessive, bitter toward the world. Resentment had radiated from him, and he had looked at everyone with suspicion, as though the whole world owed him something.
But now he stood tall in the arena, his black combat outfit crisp and streamlined, his features sharply defined.
Most striking of all were his eyes.
The gloom had vanished, the impatience had faded, replaced by composure, sharpness, and...
Absolute confidence!
It was assurance that came from deep within his bones!
Was this what it meant to be an Uchiha?
Across the Shinobi World beyond the Sky Screen, an uproar erupted!
"He's changed so much! Sasuke's a completely different person!"
"He's been utterly transformed in just one month! Kakashi's special training was incredible!"
"Look at that presence! His strength must have multiplied several times over!"
"Has he actually learned Kakashi's signature technique?"
Far away, among the Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi quietly watched his transformed younger brother on the Sky Screen.
A gentle warmth flickered through his cold, indifferent eyes.
Good.
Kakashi seems to have taught him well.
Sasuke has finally found the right path.
In the arena on the Sky Screen, the battle officially began.
Sasuke opened with several probing Taijutsu attacks in quick succession.
But Gaara's sand defense remained impenetrable.
Layer upon layer of flowing yellow sand blocked every attack, leaving no opening.
Even after all his probing attacks were blocked, Sasuke showed no impatience.
He calmly stepped back, swept his gaze across the packed stands, and murmured to himself.
"Most of the people here came to see me."
"Because I'm a descendant of the Uchiha."
He raised his head slightly, confidence burning ever brighter in his eyes, his voice firm and forceful.
"And Uchiha means invincible."
With every word, Sasuke's confidence grew, and his presence became sharper.
In the next instant!
A piercing crackle of thunder suddenly erupted from the palm of Sasuke's lowered right hand!
Bzzzt-!!
Blinding blue lightning burst forth!
Wild lightning release chakra surged together, forming a dazzling mass of lightning tightly held in his palm!
The glaring electricity lit up the entire arena!
The spectators' pupils contracted, and cries of shock rang out from every corner!
"It's Chidori!!"
"Kakashi's signature S-rank lightning release ninjutsu!"
"My god! Sasuke learned Chidori in just one month?!"
"And he's using Chidori with one hand!!"
"Is this the talent of an Uchiha prodigy?"
As the crowd reeled in shock, Sasuke's Sharingan fully activated!
His perceptive eyes tracked every movement ahead, anticipating every opening!
Looking at Gaara enveloped in yellow sand, he curled his lips into an icy smirk.
He exploded into motion!
He charged straight ahead at blinding speed!
Gaara instantly sensed lethal danger, and his expression finally shifted!
Without hesitation, he commanded all his flowing sand to wrap around him in layer upon layer, forming the thickest, strongest absolute defense!
But this time!
His impenetrable sand defense failed completely!
With its immense piercing power and its advantage over Earth Release, Lightning Release: Chidori punched straight through the thick sand!
Crack-!!
The yellow sand barrier shattered and tore apart!
The dazzling lightning plunged directly into Gaara's body!
Splurt!
Blood sprayed out instantly!
Sasuke's one-handed Chidori had pierced Sunagakure's invincible absolute defense!
The entire arena fell deathly silent!
At that moment.
No one dared underestimate him for his missing arm anymore.
No one dared pity the fallen Uchiha anymore.
Even with only one of them left, even with a maimed body and a missing arm.
The Uchiha's reputation for invincibility-
Still resounded throughout the arena!
The agony of having his defense pierced by Chidori was something Gaara had never experienced in his life.
Since birth, his sand defense had never failed. No one had ever truly managed to hurt him.
But today, the unexpected happened!
The intense pain instantly overwhelmed Gaara's reason!
"Aaaah-!!!"
His agonized howl echoed throughout the arena!
Sasuke's expression changed drastically, and he immediately retreated at full speed.
In the next instant, savage chakra erupted wildly from Gaara's body!
Yellow sand churned, swelled, and rampaged through the air!
The sand that had flowed so gently became vicious, razor-sharp, and utterly violent!
Gale-force winds swept the arena, filling the air with sand and dust!
Everyone's eyes widened as they leaped to their feet, their faces filled with sheer terror!
"Something's wrong! This chakra is terrifying!"
"It's far beyond an ordinary Genin's! It even surpasses a jonin's!"
"It's a tailed beast! That's the chakra of Shukaku, the One-Tail!!"
"He's a jinchūriki! What is Sunagakure trying to do?"
The entire arena plunged into chaos!
Beyond the Sky Screen, the whole Shinobi World erupted!
"My god! Shukaku, the One-Tail, is actually sealed inside Gaara!"
"No wonder Gaara's so strong! Isn't this just bullying the Genin?"
"This isn't a Chunin tournament anymore! With a tailed beast going berserk, even jonin would have to run!"
Inside the arena.
Yellow sand piled up, twisted, and gathered in a frenzy.
Thick layers of sand enveloped Gaara's body. Half his face took on a tanuki's beastly markings, his eyes glowed crimson, and his killing intent surged skyward.
The cold, bloodthirsty aura of a tailed beast, bent on destroying everything, shrouded the entire arena!
A tailed beast!
It was a natural disaster of the Shinobi World!
And yet!
Amid the terror of the crowd!
Sasuke Uchiha stood at the center of the arena without retreating a single step or moving aside an inch!
"Nothing but a beast!"
There was not a trace of fear on Sasuke's face.
His Sharingan brimmed with defiance!
The fierce wind whipped his black clothes, making them snap and flutter.
Uchiha pride was etched into his very bones!
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