In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Tenten had indeed successfully formed a contract with the sea.
And finally—
the Third Exam had arrived.
Anyone who emerged victorious in the third round would be directly promoted to Chunin.
This day could truly be described as:
drums pounding, firecrackers roaring!
The massive spectator stands were packed with people from all across the ninja world, and even the air itself seemed ignited by the boiling excitement.
The Five Kage and their guards sat atop the most prominent platform, gazes sharp as they overlooked the arena below, witnessing the rise of a new generation of shinobi.
After all—a Chunin Exam jointly hosted by the Five Great Ninja Villages and numerous smaller villages was the first of its kind since the creation of the ninja world.
At the proctor's command, dozens of contestants shot into the arena like arrows released from a bowstring.
The first match was:
Temari vs. Hinata.
Although Hinata had undergone special training under Wen Lan for a period of time, she still struggled heavily against Temari.
In the end—
she narrowly lost.
After that came fierce clashes between rising stars from every village.
Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Neji, Haku, and the others all defeated their opponents.
Haku in particular instantly immobilized his opponent with an Ice Release secret technique, winning with clean efficiency.
The audience erupted in astonished cheers, and even the Five Kage gave faint approving nods.
Finally—
the last two matches arrived.
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Kankuro
The moment the proctor announced the start of the match, Kankuro sneered and immediately widened the distance between them.
He swiftly removed the puppet Crow from his back, fingers rapidly forming seals as nearly invisible chakra threads drifted toward Sasuke beneath the sunlight.
Sasuke watched coldly.
In an instant, he leapt backward, avoiding the chakra strings' range while simultaneously hurling kunai to force Kankuro to reposition.
Crow's arms snapped open, blades extending outward as it lunged forward with shrill whistling winds.
Sasuke didn't retreat.
Instead, he advanced.
His Sharingan silently activated, three tomoe slowly spinning as every one of Kankuro's movements became crystal clear.
He perfectly predicted Crow's attack path, sharply sidestepped the blades, then surged forward with explosive speed.
A spinning kick smashed directly into one of the puppet's joints, producing the metallic sound of cracking steel.
Kankuro's pupils shrank.
He immediately manipulated Crow to counterattack—
but Sasuke had already leapt into the air.
Lightning shrieked in his hand as Chidori tore through the atmosphere, aiming directly for Kankuro himself.
At the critical moment, Kankuro barely rolled away.
Even so, his sleeve was pierced and scorched black.
The Sharingan locked onto the opening.
Sasuke instantly closed the distance again and punched Kankuro violently to the ground.
Kankuro struggled to rise—
only to discover the impact had already damaged his chakra pathways.
Standing before him, Sasuke slowly deactivated his Sharingan and said coldly:
"You lost."
The proctor immediately declared the winner.
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena.
Uzumaki Naruto vs. Gaara
Naruto and Gaara stood facing each other in the center of the arena.
Violent winds stirred sand across the battlefield, and the air itself brimmed with murderous intent.
Dark circles surrounded Gaara's eyes, madness flickering within his pupils.
A sand waterfall instantly surged outward, transforming the entire arena into a sea of flowing sand.
That display alone completely overwhelmed the crowd's momentum, causing countless spectators to pale.
The Barrier Team immediately erected protective barriers around the stands to prevent civilians from getting caught in the crossfire.
Naruto merely grinned.
With a hand seal—
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of golden-haired Narutos burst into existence, charging toward Gaara like a tidal wave.
A sand shield instantly rose up, blocking the first wave of clones.
Any clone touching the sand exploded into smoke on contact.
Gaara remained expressionless.
With a squeeze of his hand, the flowing sand transformed into a massive giant palm that slammed into the ground, crushing dozens of clones amid roaring explosions.
However—
the real Naruto had already hidden underground.
Taking advantage of the loosened sand terrain, he burst upward from beneath the earth and launched a powerful uppercut straight toward Gaara's jaw!
Gaara tilted his head back at the last second, Naruto's fist barely grazing beneath his chin.
Gaara's cold eyes stared directly at him.
"You think I can't sense what happens inside the sand?"
The moment his words fell—
the sand beneath Naruto suddenly erupted upward, transforming into giant sand hands that slammed violently into Naruto's chest!
Naruto was blasted dozens of meters away, crashing heavily across the ground and rolling several times before barely stabilizing himself.
Blood already seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Gaara still stood there with arms crossed.
"You still refuse to use the Tailed Beast's power?"
"Killing you like this is boring."
Naruto slowly pushed himself upright, his gaze growing firmer as he wiped away the blood and sneered:
"You really are strong…"
"But that's still not enough to beat me!"
"You want to see Kurama's power?"
"Then I'll show you plenty of it!"
The Nine-Tails' chakra erupted violently from within him.
Crimson energy surged across his body like blazing flames, even causing nearby sand and stone to begin melting from the heat.
His blue eyes transformed into slit pupils.
A Tailed Beast cloak instantly wrapped around his body, while the phantom silhouette of the Nine-Tails emerged behind him with a low growl that shook the entire stadium.
Meanwhile, sand armor rapidly condensed over Gaara's body.
The degree of his partial transformation quietly expanded across the right side of his body as he entered a Possessed State.
The instant their eyes met—
a violent chakra storm exploded across the arena.
Sand and crimson chakra collided fiercely, shockwaves spreading so violently that cracks appeared even across the barrier walls.
"Yes…!"
Gaara clutched his forehead, no longer capable of suppressing the killing intent inside him.
His face twisted manically, drool even dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"This is how killing should feel!"
Naruto slammed a fist against his own chest.
"And I'm not the same person I was a month ago!"
"Today I'm gonna show you just how awesome I, Uzumaki Naruto-sama, really am!"
Gaara laughed viciously as sandstorms consumed everything around him.
Naruto, wrapped in his Tailed Beast cloak, charged forward with berserk speed.
The two collided head-on.
The earth itself trembled.
Giant sand fists and crimson chakra tails crashed together repeatedly, producing blinding bursts of firelight.
Naruto seized an opening.
Instantly appearing beside Gaara, he unleashed a spinning kick toward Gaara's waist.
The sand armor shattered apart.
Wild winds scattered yellow sand everywhere.
Using the obscured vision, Naruto instantly circled behind Gaara.
Both hands gathered chakra simultaneously—
forming two Rasengan.
"This move—"
"—was taught to me by my father!"
"Twin Rasengan!"
Both Rasengan slammed violently into Gaara's back.
The explosion thundered across the arena—
and Gaara's body instantly exploded apart into scattered sand.
A sand clone.
The real Gaara had already hidden underground earlier.
This—
was the true killing blow.
The sand beneath Naruto suddenly bulged upward.
A giant hand formed from compressed sand burst from underground, reaching directly for Naruto's head.
Naruto's pupils contracted sharply.
At the last second, he forcibly twisted aside—
but the edge of the sand hand still clipped his shoulder, spraying blood into the air.
The pain caused his consciousness to blur for an instant.
Using the momentum, Naruto flipped backward—
but the moment he landed, he lost his footing and crashed down.
Because the ground beneath him had already transformed into flowing sand.
The instant Naruto touched down, Gaara manipulated the terrain beneath him, destabilizing his stance.
The sand slithered upward like snakes, instantly binding Naruto's legs.
A cold smile spread across Gaara's face.
He clasped his hands together.
"Be buried."
Layers upon layers of sand surged upward, transforming into a massive prison that completely sealed Naruto inside.
Then Gaara clenched both fists violently.
"Sand Coffin!"
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