[Fugaku Uchiha: Just as expected from the greatest pride of the Uchiha Clan! My daughter has progressed wonderfully!]
[Kushina Uzumaki: Mhph. It's all thanks to my Naruto.]
[Shisui Uchiha: There's no denying Naruto played a crucial role in Sasuke's progress, but Sasuke's innate talent is also undeniable.]
[Izumi Uchiha: It'd be better if she stopped pretending to be a boy.]
[Madara Uchiha: What's wrong with pretending to be a boy? Let her do whatever she wants! It's the only way she won't ever be underestimated!]
[Hashirama Senju: Huh? Madara? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?]
[Tobirama Senju: Leave him be, brother. Madara's always been . He's having one of his outbursts again…]
[Madara Uchiha: Mhph.]
As Sasuke descended from the combat arena, she walked toward Naruto and Sakura.
Sakura immediately rushed at him and hugged him tightly.
"Yes! You did it, Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto watched the scene with a mocking grin.
"Well, I already knew you'd win. No need to congratulate you for that," Naruto said, showing complete confidence in her victory.
Hearing his words, Sasuke smirked and leaned against the railing beside his.
"That guy was a weakling," Sasuke boasted.
"But will he be okay? You pierced his right shoulder..." Karin asked, concerned.
"What does it matter? He was way older than us and a weakling. Might as well lose that arm and retire," Naruto replied, brushing it off and already focused on the next match.
Yoroi, though a Konoha ninja, secretly worked as one of Orochimaru's subordinates. Even if Sasuke had killed him, no one would have said a thing.
"Let's move on to the next match," said Hayate Gekkō.
The screen displayed two new names: Zaku Abumi vs. Shino Aburame.
At last, Naruto was convinced the matches were still following the original story. It was puzzling, but he didn't give it too much thought.
[Pakura: I usually hate watching kids fight or kill each other! But damn it! I can't wait to see the three brats from Rasa go at it! I hope they get beaten to a pulp!]
[Kushina Uzumaki: And here I was wondering when our quietest member would finally speak...]
[Pakura: Mhph. I had nothing to say. When I was alive, I was a Sand ninja. All of you are Leaf. We'll never be friends...]
[Zabuza Momochi: I'm not from the Leaf.]
[Haku Yuki: Same here.]
[Pakura: And why should I talk to filth like you? Unlike you, Zabuza, I would never hurt a comrade!]
[Haku Yuki: Don't insult Zabuza-sama!]
[Zabuza Momochi: ...]
[Hashirama Senju: Huh? Is that why you haven't been talking? Who cares what village we're from! Don't be shy! We're all dead, so let's be friends!]
[Pakura: Soon, you'll all be alive again. Konoha will grow incredibly strong, and the other villages will see you as a threat to the stability of the Ninja World. Another Great Ninja War could easily erupt.]
[Madara Uchiha: That's when I'll crush them all and unify this shitty world.]
[Hashirama Senju: Uh-oh, Madara's gone emo again. Everyone run, we're in danger! HAHA!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: But it won't be just Konoha that benefits. You'll come back too, Pakura. That means the Sand Village gains strength as well.]
[Pakura: I'd rather stay dead than return to that hellhole! Every damned grain of sand in that village reeks of betrayal!]
[Tobirama Senju: Damn... Someone's got some serious unresolved issues.]
[Pakura: Naruto! You're from the future, right?! When do those Sand brats fight? I'm dying to watch them get wrecked!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: After this match, Rasa's eldest son, Kankurō, will fight.]
[Pakura: I hope he gets wrecked...]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Yeah, well... Let me just say one thing...]
[Pakura: Tch... So he wins. What about the others?]
[Naruto Uzumaki: No spoilers!]
Unlike in the original timeline, Zaku didn't have both arms broken—only one. Or at least, that's what he wanted everyone to believe.
Naruto knew better than anyone that Zaku wasn't actually injured. He hadn't hit him hard enough to cause a break during the second trial in the Forest of Death.
Shino Aburame and Zaku Abumi stepped into the combat arena.
Naruto snorted with amusement when he saw the confident grin on Zaku's face.
Before the match began, Shino politely gave him a warning:
"If we keep fighting, you'll end up beyond recovery. Forfeit now."
Zaku narrowed his eyes and smirked mockingly.
"One arm is more than enough to take you down."
As the match began, Zaku rushed Shino, but Shino blocked him with barely any movement.
"You can't beat me. Especially not with only one arm," Shino told him.
Zaku launched his Decapitating Airwaves at Shino, kicking up a massive cloud of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Shino was still standing—dirty, but unharmed.
Zaku couldn't believe it.
Since when were Leaf ninjas this powerful?!
First he got crushed in the Forest of Death, and now this?!
Zaku felt a chill as the sound of hundreds—maybe thousands—of insects filled the air.
From beneath Shino's skin, insects began to crawl out, as if his very body was their hive.
They poured out of him, tearing through his flesh, and Zaku recoiled in disgust.
Shino held one insect in his hand and showed it to Zaku:
"These insects are called Kikaichū. They swarm their target and consume its chakra."
Behind Zaku, thousands upon thousands of Kikaichū began crawling toward him.
"If they all attack, you won't recover," Shino added coldly. "So if you dislike the odds, surrender. That's your best option. If you use your left arm again, the insects will swarm you from behind. And if you use it on them, I'll attack. Either way, you lose."
Zaku gritted his teeth and panted heavily, trying to decide.
Shino watched as determination flickered across Zaku's face.
Zaku stopped faking and pointed both palms at Shino and the insects simultaneously.
Only then did Shino realize Zaku hadn't been injured at all—it had all been a ruse.
But Shino didn't care. It wouldn't change the outcome.
Zaku's arms exploded with a sick, wet noise, like two blood-and-meat balloons bursting under pressure. One arm tore clean off, flying through the air in a grotesque arc before slamming into the blood-stained arena floor.
A chilling scream tore through the air.
This wasn't normal pain. It was a raw, terrified, soul-ripping scream. As if his very being was being torn from him alongside his limbs.
Zaku collapsed to his knees, convulsing, as a geyser of blood gushed from the mangled stump.
His arms were split open in jagged, steaming channels, exposing splintered bone and dangling tendons like loose threads.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
He tried to scream again, but the pain was so overwhelming he ran out of air. All that came out was a broken, strangled sob.
And then he understood.
Shino's insects. The damn bugs.
They had crawled silently through the air ducts in his palms, unnoticed. And when he unleashed his technique, the built-up pressure inside the blocked tubes did the rest.
His technique turned against him.
Zaku panted, his face drenched in sweat and tears, his teeth clenched in a grimace of pure agony. His vision blurred. His consciousness flickered.
But Shino didn't stop.
Amid the stunned silence of the crowd, Shino calmly walked forward—and without a word, struck Zaku hard across the jaw. The blow was clean and brutal. Zaku flew through the air and crashed onto the ground, flat on his back.
This time, he didn't scream.
He lay there, unmoving, his ruined limbs still bleeding. The audience didn't applaud. They didn't cheer. Even Zaku's allies watched in grim silence—some horrified, others resigned.
Hinata covered her face with both hands, shaken. Kiba looked away, unable to keep watching.
Hayate Gekkō declared Shino the victor.
Shino Aburame, hands in his pockets, silently turned around and walked off as if the brutal scene behind him meant nothing.
[Madara Uchiha: Now that's what I'm talking about! I like the bug kid! Disgusting, but I like him!]
[Hashirama Senju: I really don't like these Chūnin Exams... Making kids fight each other ...]
[Tobirama Senju: You should study more politics, brother. Like the monkey said, these are small proxy wars between villages. They're what keeps the peace nowadays.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: It's horrible... but I guess it's still better than a real war.]
[Madara Uchiha: Who cares? That brat was weak! His only useful move wasn't even his—it was a ninja tool! Pathetic!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: I'm with Madara on this one. Zaku was one of Orochimaru's goons. So honestly, I couldn't care less if he dies.]
[Tobirama Senju: I don't like that you're agreeing with Madara. You two are more alike than you should be.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Like Madara? Please. I'm not some psycho fight junkie. I also didn't gouge out my own eyes, wash them, and stick them back in—unlike Madara.]
[Madara Uchiha: When have I ever done th—... oh, right. I remember now.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Pfff~]