"Should I... help it calm down?"
Shengu Xuan's casual remark.
Was like a massive bomb.
Detonating deep inside Gaara's mind!
The One-Tail Shukaku's shrill, piercing roars raged through Gaara's mental world.
As though they would churn his brains to pieces.
"No!"
"Don't let him come near!"
"Kill him!"
"No, run!"
"Stay away from that monster!"
Gaara clutched his head tightly.
His normally cold, ruthless face twisted violently in pain.
His pale green eyes were shot through with crimson veins.
Sand spilled uncontrollably from the gourd on his back.
Swarming chaotically around him like a pack of headless flies.
It had completely lost its usual precision and lethality.
Temari paled with fright at the sight.
She hurried forward to support him.
Only to be violently repelled by a layer of frenzied sand.
"Gaara!"
"What's wrong with you?!"
Kankuro swallowed too.
His legs felt somewhat weak.
He knew his younger brother all too well.
Whenever Gaara wore that expression.
It meant the monster inside him was about to go berserk.
Then everything around him would be ground into pulp!
Sasuke Uchiha frowned deeply on the tree branch.
He looked down at Shengu Xuan.
His tone brimmed with displeasure.
"Hey, Shengu Xuan, what the hell are you doing?"
This was supposed to be Sasuke Uchiha's moment to show off.
Yet the moment Shengu Xuan appeared.
He had said just one thing.
And that dangerous-looking Sand ninja had clutched his head and gone mad.
It made Sasuke feel like a complete clown.
Sasuke snorted coldly.
Forcing an attempt to salvage his dignity.
"Stop bluffing!"
"That guy was clearly intimidated by my Sharingan!"
Shengu Xuan didn't even glance at Sasuke.
He merely tossed the last half of his tricolor dango into his mouth.
And mumbled indistinctly.
"Sharingan?"
"Those two little commas of yours?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"If you're really that capable, go down there and slap him twice."
Shengu Xuan had hit a sore spot.
Sasuke's face flushed bright red.
Yet he truly didn't dare make a reckless move.
Because the chakra fluctuations Gaara was giving off now.
Were so violent they made his heart pound with fear.
Gaara let out a beastlike roar.
He jerked his head up.
And stared fixedly at Shengu Xuan.
"Shut up!"
"All of you, shut up!"
He wanted to kill!
He wanted to use blood to silence Shukaku's screams in his mind!
But.
When his gaze met Shengu Xuan's fathomless black eyes again.
An unprecedented chill instantly froze his spine.
Deep within Shengu Xuan's pupils.
He seemed to see an indescribably terrifying demon god.
Looking down at him as though he were an ant.
Shukaku's voice had taken on a tearful edge.
"Run... run..."
Gaara gasped for breath.
Cold sweat had soaked through his clothes.
He bit through his lip.
Forcibly suppressing the fear inside him that was nearly driving him mad.
Gaara forced the words through clenched teeth.
His voice was frighteningly hoarse.
"Let's go."
Kankuro still wanted to say something.
"But..."
Gaara whipped his head around.
His murderous gaze frightened Kankuro into swallowing the rest of his words.
"I said, go!"
Without looking at anyone again.
Gaara turned into a gust of windblown sand.
And fled the street with Kankuro and Temari without looking back.
No matter how one looked at his retreating figure, it carried the disgrace of a panicked escape.
Peace returned to the street.
Naruto scratched his yellow hair.
And asked in utter bewilderment.
"They just left?"
"I thought we'd have a fight."
"Xuan, what exactly did you do to him?"
Shengu Xuan tapped the bamboo skewer in his hand.
Then turned to leave.
"Nothing."
"Maybe he suddenly got a stomachache and had to rush to the bathroom."
Sasuke jumped down from the tree.
And blocked Shengu Xuan's path.
"Stop!"
"Don't think you can fool me with your mysterious tricks."
"The Chunin Ninja Exams are about to begin!"
"I'll prove at the exams that our Uchiha Clan is the strongest!"
"Those shady tricks of yours aren't worth mentioning!"
Shengu Xuan looked at Sasuke, who resembled a rooster with its feathers ruffled.
And couldn't help sighing.
Shengu Xuan impatiently pushed Sasuke aside.
And swaggered into the crowd.
"Fine, fine, you're the strongest. Your whole family's the strongest."
"Now get out of the way."
"I'm going to buy the limited-edition strawberry daifuku. They'll sell out if I'm late."
Watching Shengu Xuan's retreating figure, which showed a complete disregard for him.
Sasuke trembled with anger.
His clenched fists creaked.
"Shengu Xuan... just you wait!"
Two days later.
Konoha Ninja Academy.
Classroom 301.
The first round of the Chunin Ninja Exams officially began.
The spacious classroom was packed with genin from various ninja villages.
The air was thick with tension, hostility, and probing wariness.
Shengu Xuan sat at the back of the classroom.
Propping his chin on one hand.
He watched the examinees around him, who looked as though they faced a formidable enemy, with utter boredom.
To him.
These so-called exams were even more boring than playing house.
Bang!
Just then.
The classroom door was shoved open.
A group of stern-faced Konoha Ninja in black coats filed in.
At their head.
Was a burly man whose face was covered in scars.
He swept his hawklike eyes across the room.
His icy voice echoed through the classroom.
"Shut up, you worthless lot!"
"I'm the chief examiner for the first round of the Chunin Ninja Exams, Ibiki Morino!"
"Now, everyone, sit according to your seat numbers and prepare for the exam!"
"Anyone who breaks the rules gets kicked out immediately!"
Ibiki Morino's arrival.
Instantly brought the atmosphere in the examination room to freezing point.
Yet Shengu Xuan merely yawned.
His gaze fell on the exam paper that had been handed out.
"Question one: write down the code for deciphering the cipher..."
"Question two: calculate the kunai's landing point based on its parabolic trajectory..."
Shengu Xuan took one look.
And tossed his pen straight onto the desk.
Shengu Xuan curled his lip.
"What is all this nonsense?"
"Are they testing ninjas or mathematicians?"
Just as he was about to put his head down and sleep.
He caught sight of Naruto a few rows ahead out of the corner of his eye.
Naruto was scratching his ears and head.
He stared at the blank exam paper, his head drenched in sweat.
He looked so utterly desperate, it was as though he were facing the end of the world.
A playful smile curved Shengu Xuan's lips.
He lowered his head.
He looked at the shadow beneath his feet.
"Oh, fine. I'll just treat it as a chance to stretch my muscles."
"Come out and get to work, little ones."
Before you continue