A strong wind howled and swirled in the center of the stadium.
The yellow sand in the air grew thicker and thicker, and the coarse sand stung my face.
In the very center of the arena, Sasuke Uchiha knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
Sweat streamed down his face, mixing with the soil.
But those Three-Tomoe Sharingan were fixed on Gaara not far away.
The Sharingan spun rapidly in its socket, reflecting the increasingly strange and dangerous flow of Chakra emanating from the other person.
Prior to this, Sasuke had always firmly believed in his own abilities.
Especially after learning that technique from Kakashi, his confidence swelled to its peak.
He will defeat the monsters of Sunagakure here and wash away the shame of being mocked as "flashy" by that man in the Forest of Death!
"Zzzzz--!"
A deafening, piercing cry erupted without warning in the arena.
The sound was like the mournful cries of a thousand birds at the same time.
Sasuke suddenly stood up, his right hand hanging at his side, and a violent blue Lightning Release Chakra frantically gathered in his palm.
Arcs of electricity leaped, and flashes of lightning were dazzling.
The intense lightning even tore apart the stone slab beneath his feet, sending up a large amount of debris.
" Chidori!"
The spectators in the stands gasped in surprise.
Even from a distance of tens of meters, ordinary people could feel the destructive pressure brought by the lightning.
The daimyo of the Land of Fire even stood up excitedly, waving his folding fan incessantly.
"Wow! So this is the genius of the Uchiha Clan? What a magnificent Lightning Release!"
Sasuke's lips curled slightly upward, his eyes filled with coldness and determination.
He leaned forward abruptly, pushing off with his feet.
"Boom!"
The ground cracked open, Sasuke transformed into a blue Inazuma that tore through the air.
It hurtled straight toward Gaara, who was ten meters away, at a terrifying speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye!
Faced with this thunderous strike, powerful enough to pierce through mountain rocks.
Gaara stood rooted to the spot, clutching his head tightly with both arms.
His already pale face was contorted with a grotesque expression.
The humiliating image of being mercilessly slapped across the face by that man in the flowery shorts in the Forest of Death kept replaying in his mind.
Pain, anger, self-loathing, and despair intertwined, transforming into a heart-wrenching, ferocious killing intent.
"Don't come any closer... you're all going to die!"
Gaara looked up to the sky and let out a roar that was unlike anything in human form.
The enormous sand gourd behind him suddenly shattered, and endless yellow sand surged out.
In the blink of an eye, layers upon layers of thick sand enveloped him completely.
"Absolute Sand Defense - Sandball Form!"
The incredibly hard, thick sand walls formed a hemispherical fortress with no blind spots.
"Go to hell!"
Sasuke roared as he ran, pushing the lightning in his palm to its limit.
With destructive force, Chidori pierced the very center of the sand sphere!
"Sizzle--!"
A piercing, high-frequency friction sound reverberated throughout the entire training ground.
The high-pressure Lightning Release forcefully tore apart the hard outer layer of sand, and the scorching electric light instantly melted the surrounding sand into glassy crystals.
Immediately afterwards.
"Pfft!"
A dull thud, like a sharp blade piercing flesh, came from inside the sand sphere.
Bright red blood seeped out quickly through the gaps in the sand ball, staining large areas of yellow sand red.
A flicker of wild joy flashed in Sasuke's eyes.
Hit!
His attack shattered the absolute defense!
However, before Sasuke's smile could fully bloom...
"Aaaaaaahh...
A chilling, venomous, and bloodthirsty scream erupted from the deepest part of the sand sphere!
That's not Gaara's voice at all!
The voice was hoarse and shrill, as if a demon that had been asleep for hundreds of years had been reborn!
Then, a sudden change occurred.
An immense, suffocating, and bone-chillingly violent Chakra erupted like a volcanic eruption!
"Boom--!"
The ground of the entire stadium shook violently, and even the base of the stands groaned under the weight.
Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart felt as if it had been doused with ice water.
He tried to pull his arm back and retreat.
But his right hand, which was pierced into the sand ball, seemed to be locked by millions of tons of steel, and he couldn't move it at all!
"Snap!"
Countless huge cracks suddenly burst open on the thick surface of the sand ball.
A dark purple, ominous Chakra surged forth from the crack like a raging tide.
"What... what kind of monster is this?!"
Sasuke felt the chaotic Chakra up close, every cell in his body trembled with fear.
A gigantic sand claw, covered in strange purplish-black patterns, suddenly emerged from the shattered sand sphere!
The claw was larger than a truck, with a rough and ferocious surface, five hooked fingers, and a nauseatingly bloody stench.
"Click!"
The giant claw of sand grabbed Sasuke's entire right arm.
The bones cracked under the terrifying grip, and Sasuke was forcibly lifted into the air by the immense force!
" Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura Haruno screamed in despair from the stands.
Kakashi's expression changed completely; he instantly lifted his Forehead Protector, revealing his crimson Sharingan.
"Oh no, that's... the power of Tailed Beast!"
The high concentration of Chakra materialized into a storm, sweeping across the entire area with the Sand Claw at its core.
The wind howled, and large sections of the originally smooth and hard bluestone paving stones on the field were blown away.
Countless pebbles, carried by the gale, flew wildly towards the surrounding stands like a dense barrage of bullets!
The high concentration of sand and dust caused the entire venue to be filled with dust and stones, creating a dark and chaotic atmosphere.
Ordinary viewers couldn't open their eyes at all and could only cover their heads tightly with their sleeves.
Those famous figures and high-ranking officials who were originally living a life of ease and comfort, chatting and laughing while waving folding fans, were now completely panicked.
"A monster! There's a monster!"
"Guards! Where are the guards?! Get me out of here immediately!"
The daimyo of the Land of Fire was struck in the shoulder by a flying piece of gravel, letting out a painful scream as he fell directly off his luxurious chair.
His normally elegant folding fan was trampled into pieces by the panicked crowd.
The bloated and corrupt officials, utterly defeated, scrambled and jostled towards the exit of the stands, crying and screaming, displaying their utterly disgraceful behavior.
The once orderly venue was completely transformed into a vortex of chaos and panic within seconds.
"Roar--!!!"
It was accompanied by a ferocious roar that shattered the heavens.
The sand balls directly below the arena were completely reduced to dust.
Instead, a ferocious behemoth, half of which was made entirely of yellow sand, appeared!
It had a raccoon head as large as a mountain, and its eye sockets gleamed with a crazy and cruel golden cross light.
Its enormous body expanded wildly at a visible rate, breaking through the reinforced steel barrier at the edge of the arena.
"Gaa gaa gaa! I'm finally out!"
"Slaughter! Bloodshed! I'll crush every human being here into a pulp!"
One-Tail Shukaku's hysterical laughter echoed across the entire sky.
A massive, overwhelming shadow enveloped a large portion of the Chunin Ninja Exams venue.
The massive sandstorm expanded wildly amidst its maniacal laughter, as if to drag the entire Konoha into a sea of despair.
Faced with this legendary Tailed Beast weapon, which is said to be comparable to a natural disaster.
Whether they were the Jonin the teams from various villages or the Anbu Ninja maintaining order, a deep sense of despair involuntarily surfaced in their eyes.
"What a joke... How could Genin possibly handle something like this?!"
"Quickly! Evacuate the civilians immediately! Notify the Lord Hokage!"
Shouts, cries, and the roars of giant beasts intertwined to create a hellish symphony.
Everyone was terrified by this sudden natural disaster and ran for their lives in a panic.
However.
At the very front of the VIP stands, amidst the chaos and panic of everyone fleeing.
Amidst the howling and raging sandstorm.
Senju Kenya remained firmly seated in the specially made chair belonging to the sponsor.
The strong wind whipped at his loose floral shirt, making it flutter loudly.
He chewed up the last bit of rice cracker in his mouth, crumpled the empty bag into a ball, and flicked it into the sandstorm beside him.
Looking down at the enormous, arrogant sand tanuki with its claws bared.
A dangerously excited smile curled at the corner of Kenya's lips.
Everyone was running away in panic, but Kenya slowly stood up and began to loosen his wrists.