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Naruto and Shikamaru stood up, their legs still shaky from the horrifying scene they had just witnessed. Instead of returning to the waiting room, they made their way to the stands. Spotting Kakashi among the crowd, Naruto immediately called out.
"Kakashi-sensei!" he shouted, waving his arms as he approached.
Kakashi turned to look at Naruto, his usual calm demeanor unchanged. "Naruto," he acknowledged with a brief nod before turning his attention back to the arena, where Gaara had finally arrived.
The tension in the air was palpable as Sasuke and Gaara faced off, their energies clashing before a single move was made. The crowd was riveted, knowing they were about to witness an intense battle.
The fight began explosively, with Sasuke's speed and precision meeting Gaara's unyielding sand defenses. Blow after blow, attack after counterattack, the two fought fiercely, each testing the other's limits.
Finally, the match reached its climax: Sasuke's strongest attack, Chidori, against Gaara's ultimate defense, the impenetrable sphere of sand he had formed around himself.
Gaara stood inside his sand sphere, his confidence unshaken. Nothing has ever pierced my ultimate defense, he thought, convinced he would emerge unscathed.
For a moment, there was silence. Gaara stared at the blood dripping from his wound, his shock turning into something darker. Anger surged through him, consuming his thoughts. I'm bleeding? His rage boiled over, and his mind began to spiral out of control.
The One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku, seized this opportunity. Gaara's emotions became a conduit, and the monstrous chakra of Shukaku began to manifest. The sand around Gaara quaked violently as claws and a partial face of the beast emerged from his body, looming over the arena with a terrifying presence.
Sasuke, still inside the range of the sand sphere, struggled to pull his hand free. The sand clung to him like a living entity, resisting his every effort. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke yanked his arm with all his might, using Chidori again.
Just as he freed his hand, a beastly claw—Shukaku's—lunged forward and grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip.
The crowd gasped in horror at the sight of the monstrous claw. Even the proctors and spectators could feel the oppressive power emanating from the partial emergence of Shukaku.
Sasuke's eyes darted toward the claw that held him, its crushing strength sending waves of pain through his arm.
Sasuke managed to wrench himself free from the crushing grip of Shukaku's claw, stumbling backward as he clutched his arm. He had never encountered anything before, and the experience was harrowing. His gaze darted to the sand sphere, where a gaping hole from his Chidori offered a chilling view of Shukaku's eyes, glowing with malice. The sight sent a cold shiver down his spine, freezing him momentarily in place.
Even Genma, observing from a distance, hesitated. He couldn't see what Sasuke had just witnessed through the opening in the sand sphere, but the oppressive presence radiating from it was unmistakable. The sheer terror emanating from within the sphere made him question whether even he could handle what was inside.
The tension was broken as the sand sphere began to collapse. The layers of sand crumbled to the ground, revealing Gaara's figure. He stood hunched over, clutching his wounded left chest, his face a twisted mask of fury and pain.
From the stands, Inoiki rose to his feet, his expression grim. The moment he had been anticipating was here. He knew Orochimaru's plan—the Konoha Crush—was about to unfold.
Before anyone could react, the atmosphere shifted. A cascade of feathers began falling from the sky, drifting gently down over the arena. At first, it seemed like a surreal moment, but the true danger became evident as people began collapsing where they stood.
The feathers carried a powerful genjutsu, spreading rapidly throughout the venue. Ordinary civilians and untrained Genin, unaware of the illusion's nature, succumbed almost instantly, falling into a deep, unnatural slumber.
Within moments, nearly 90% of the crowd was rendered unconscious, their bodies strewn across the stands and arena like a field of fallen leaves. The once-buzzing venue was eerily quiet, save for the murmurs of veteran Ninjas who remained awake.
Inoiki's mental power was so strong that the genjutsu didn't affect him in the slightest. Unlike most ninjas, he didn't even need to use the Genjutsu Release technique. The illusion never took hold of him in the first place.
Sasuke, however, looked around in confusion, trying to understand what was happening as chaos erupted around him. Sasuke was also unaffected by the genjutsu, as his Sharingan was active.
At the high platform, the two ninja guards standing behind the Kazekage suddenly made their move, detonating a smoke bomb. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, reacted immediately, leaping onto the roof with his attendant to avoid the spreading smoke.
As the smoke cleared, the guards attacked Hiruzen's attendant with sharp precision. The Jonin, however, was formidable and countered swiftly, slashing both guards across their midsections. The figures collapsed—but then something unexpected happened.
What had appeared to be two individuals split into four. Each severed half reformed into separate bodies, revealing the guards' true identities. This tactic, designed to delay Hiruzen's attendant, was a success. The four ninjas positioned themselves at the corners of the roof and activated the Four Violet Flames Formation.
A shimmering barrier of intense, violet colour rose, trapping Hiruzen and the Kazekage inside.
Meanwhile, in the arena, chaos descended further as Baki jumped into the arena alongside Kankuro and Temari, standing beside Gaara.
Inoiki, still in the waiting area, felt the shift in the battlefield. Sky blue light enveloped him as he activated his Psychokinesis. Lifting off the ground, he floated out of the waiting room, rising above the center of the arena with a commanding presence.
With a flick of his will, his custom kunai flew into formation around him, controlled by his Psychokinesis. They spun with deadly precision, ready to strike Baki and his allies. But before he could attack, a barrage of shuriken, chained sickles, and kunai came flying toward him from multiple directions.
Inoiki raised a Psychokinetic Barrier (previously 'Mental Barrier ') with practiced ease. The incoming weapons stopped five meters away, hitting the invisible wall before clattering harmlessly to the ground.
Annoyed, Inoiki's voice rang out with cold anger. "You're courting death."
His piercing gaze locked onto the source of the interference: ten Oto ninjas scattered across the battlefield. Their intent was clear—not to defeat him, but to disrupt his actions.
The Oto ninjas began sweating profusely under his glare, remembering their orders. They weren't meant to engage Inoiki in direct combat, only to distract him. But even interfering with him felt like a death wish.
Realizing their precarious position, the ninjas hesitated, then immediately started moving to change their positions, hoping to avoid the wrath of the psychic powerhouse floating above them.
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