The air in the corridor seemed to freeze.
Kankuro was still pleased with successfully provoking Konoha's Ninja, but Temari behind him felt a chill down her spine; she had seen Gaara's change.
Her usually expressionless younger brother's eyes were wide open, staring intently at the blonde youth at the other end of the corridor. The sand armor on his body silently writhed, and the gourd on his back emitted a faint, ominous cracking sound.
"This is bad..." Temari's heart sank. "That idiot, why did he look at Gaara like that!"
She could feel a more Manic murderous intent than ever before awakening within Gaara.
"Gaara, calm down. The Chunin Exams haven't started yet. Don't cause trouble for Father!" Temari's voice trembled, but she didn't dare to speak too loudly, fearing Gaara's wrath might be directed at her.
Gaara ignored everyone. He only noticed Naruto's gaze, a pure, undisguised rejection and expulsion.
This feeling was more uncomfortable than any cold look he had encountered in his childhood. Back then, people feared him as a monster.
But this time, it was he who felt a little afraid, like... an instinctive reaction to being targeted by a natural predator.
"You hate me too..." Gaara lowered his head, muttering in a voice only he could hear.
"Mother... wants his blood..."
Boom!
The gourd on his back suddenly burst open, and a vast quantity of yellow sand, like a giant beast escaping its cage, transformed into a ferocious giant hand that, with a whistling wind, fiercely grabbed at Naruto.
"Get out of the way!" Sakura shrieked, her face pale.
Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted, and his body instinctively tensed. The amount of Chakra and the malice within it far exceeded any opponent he had faced before. He wanted to move but found his body stiff under the immense pressure.
That Loser... he's dead for sure.
In the shadows, Kakashi's figure flickered, preparing to intervene. This was a potentially fatal attack.
However, Naruto did not move.
He neither dodged nor retreated. The moment the giant sand hand was about to touch his face, he flipped his right hand.
A sealing scroll appeared out of thin air, instantly unfurled, and then transformed into a puff of white smoke the next moment.
Buzz—
A ferocious weapon, full of industrial brutal aesthetics, appeared in his hand.
He didn't perform any hand signs; he just lightly pressed a red switch on the hilt with his thumb.
Buzz— Buzz buzz buzz buzz!
An unprecedented roar suddenly erupted in the narrow corridor. It wasn't the sound of Chakra flowing, nor the sound of Ninjutsu being activated, but a pure, soul-shaking mechanical roar.
The chain, covered with triangular fangs, began to spin at high speed on the broad blade, creating a blurred afterimage.
All the surrounding Genin instinctively took a step back, their faces filled with horror.
What is this thing?
They instinctively thought that anything held by a Ninja was a Ninja tool, but the Chainsword's movement was truly beyond their common sense.
The examinees from other Ninja villages broke out in cold sweat.
"Have Konoha's Genin become this intense?"
Naruto held the Chainsword with both hands, not retreating but advancing.
He faced the oppressive sand wall and, with an extremely simple stance, slashed down with his Chainsword.
The high-speed rotating saw teeth collided violently with Gaara's sand shield, known as "Absolute Defense," a pure head-on clash.
Screech— Grrr—!
A grating, teeth-chattering friction sound echoed throughout the entire floor.
The sand, enhanced by Chakra, was torn apart, pulverized, and then violently flung away by the centrifugal force the moment it came into contact with the Chainsword.
The sand shield couldn't close at all; its defensive form was destroyed the moment of contact.
The Chainsword broke through like a hot knife through butter, directly from the palm of the giant sand hand, tearing upwards, creating a huge gash.
Sand and dust exploded everywhere.
Gaara looked up in astonishment. His sand had been directly defeated by such pure, such brutal physical force for the first time.
A look of astonishment, long absent, appeared on his face. The last time was because of Yashamaru.
The sand continued to automatically reform. This was the protection from Gaara's mother, but the result was that it was repeatedly dispersed by the Chainsword.
After breaking through the sand shield, Naruto took a step forward.
His figure passed through the swirling sand and instantly appeared before Gaara.
The buzzing sound abruptly stopped.
The tip of the still high-speed rotating Chainsword stopped with absolute precision less than ten centimeters from the blood-red "Love" character on Gaara's forehead.
The chain still rotated slightly due to inertia, and the gust of wind it created even left a faint white mark on Gaara's skin.
Time, at this moment, stood still.
Kankuro's mouth hung open, forgetting even to manipulate the puppet behind him.
Temari covered her mouth, her body trembling uncontrollably from fear.
Sasuke's tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed. He looked at the deadly weapon in Naruto's hand, then at the unharmed Gaara, and his worry dissipated.
"Well done, Naruto. Don't die so early; I still need you as a stepping stone on my path to revenge."
Immediately after, the familiar feeling of powerlessness brought by Naruto surged over him again.
That was not a fighting style he could understand, nor a power he could ever hope to achieve.
"Corrupted soul, defiled vessel."
Naruto spoke.
His tone was cold, devoid of any human emotion, like he was pronouncing an irrefutable judgment.
"Your existence is a desecration of order."
Gaara was stunned.
What he heard was not a threat, not mockery, but a verdict.
These words pierced his heart, reaching into his spiritual world.
The Ichibi Shukaku, chattering and unbearably noisy, residing within him, felt fear at this moment and instantly quieted down.
"I'm tired."
Naruto slowly retracted the Chainsword.
"Before the final purification arrives, put away your pathetic, uncontrollable power."
"This is the first, and last, warning."
He turned, transforming the Chainsword, still dripping sand, back into a scroll and sealing it, his movements so fluid it was as if he had done something insignificant.
Then, he walked past Sasuke and Sakura, heading towards the examination classroom.
"Let's go. Don't waste time on meaningless things."
The entire corridor was deathly silent.
Everyone seemed to be under a paralysis Jutsu, staring blankly at Naruto's receding figure.
Gaara still stood in place, motionless.
He reached out and lightly touched his forehead.
There was no wound there, but it felt as if it had been torn open, and the heart-pounding sensation lingered.
"Gaara... are you... are you alright?"
Temari cautiously approached.
Gaara didn't answer, but slowly, he gathered the scattered sand back into his gourd.
His movements were very slow, very light, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
Kakashi emerged from the shadows of the ceiling. He didn't look at Gaara but stared gravely in the direction Naruto had disappeared.
He had been about to intervene, but Naruto's speed and method of resolving the problem completely exceeded his expectations.
That weapon... those words... "Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke's voice was a little dry.
"What was that?"
Kakashi was silent for a moment before answering in his usual lazy tone, but this time, there was a hint of solemnity in that laziness that even he himself hadn't noticed.
"Who knows? Maybe it's Naruto's new... toy."
A toy? A toy that could tear through a Jinchuriki's "Absolute Defense"?
He felt the distance between himself and Naruto growing ever wider.
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