bookmarkrole Chapter 155 Unexpectedly, the Jinchuriki on whom Sunagakure placed such high hopes turned out to be
Chapter 155 Unexpectedly, the Jinchuriki on whom Sunagakure placed such high hopes turned out to be
Chapter 155 Unexpectedly, the Jinchuriki on whom Sunagakure placed such high hopes turned out to be so useless.
The stands around Training Ground No. 1 were already packed. On the central platform, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat on a stone chair, with Kakashi standing quietly behind him, watching the scene unfold.
At that moment, several figures walked up from the entrance of the stands.
A tall, thin man with a bandage wrapped around his forehead and a face covered by a cloth, wearing a Kazekage hat, slowly approached, accompanied by two Sand Ninja guards.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around at the sound, his gaze falling on the newcomer, a slight smile playing on his lips: "The Kazekage's here? Are you settling in well in Konoha?"
The "Kazekage" wearing a straw hat chuckled softly, his voice hoarse: "Haha, thank you for your hospitality, Hokage. Konoha is a beautiful place, I'm very comfortable here."
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the other person with a meaningful expression: "Is that so? But I feel like there's something strangely familiar about you."
Upon hearing this, the "Kazekage" paused for a moment, but then let out two dry laughs: "Heh heh, I'm afraid it's just my imagination! The Hokage is getting on in years."
Be careful not to be overly suspicious, as this will only harm your health.
He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Kakashi behind the Hokage, and chuckled, "Speaking of which, you should probably consider a candidate for the Fifth Hokage. I think this white-haired kid behind you is quite suitable!"
Kakashi rolled his eyes without saying a word.
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily, then waved his hand dismissively, "Heh, I'm not as old as you make me out to be. I think I can still work for at least a few more years."
When the Hokage stopped responding, a shadow crossed the Kazekage's eyes, but he quickly lowered his head and remained silent.
At this moment, everyone in the venue has arrived.
Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze and announced loudly, "The final trial of the Chunin Exams officially begins!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers.
From all sides of the stands, countless spectators cheered and waved their arms, releasing their excitement and anticipation.
The Chunin Exams final, which has attracted the attention of the world, has finally begun!
Moonlight Gale, who was in charge of the exam, appeared in the center of the field, cleared his throat, and loudly announced the competition rules.
Although these procedures were already very familiar to many audience members, everyone held their breath as the real highlight was about to begin.
I was afraid of missing any detail.
After the rules were read aloud, Hayate Gekko retreated to the sidelines and forcefully swung his arm down: "First match—Uchiha Sasuke versus Sunagakure Gaara!"
As the referee's voice echoed, two figures emerged one after the other from the players' tunnel opposite the arena.
On the central dais.
"Kazekage" paused slightly upon hearing this, then frowned involuntarily: "Why is Gaara the first to go on stage? Shouldn't the first round's contestants have been those two?"
The two Sand Ninja guards behind him also looked surprised. They exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of tension and doubt in each other's eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the "Kazekage" beside him, then smiled and said, "Oh, the first round of contestants encountered a bit of an unexpected situation, so the order of appearance has been adjusted. Kazekage, you don't mind, do you?"
:
He glossed over the reason in his words, unwilling to elaborate further.
In fact, this decision was not made on a whim.
Several days ago, Konoha's leadership, based on information obtained from the "Dream Theater," became wary of Sunagakure's plans.
Now that they knew that Sunagakure was planning to make the Jinchuriki go berserk during the exam, Konoha decided to play along and bring forward the most dangerous exam. By being prepared, they took the initiative and firmly grasped the initiative.
A sinister glint flashed in "Wind Shadow's" eyes. "Hmph, is that so? Changing the match order without authorization probably violates the rules of the exam, doesn't it?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not respond immediately upon hearing this, but instead gave him a meaningful look.
After a moment, the old man chuckled and countered, "Rules? Doesn't the Kazekage think that this match is the most anticipated one for both Konoha and Sunagakure?"
"Wind Shadow" trembled almost imperceptibly.
He turned his gaze back to the arena, where Sasuke and Gaara were now standing opposite each other in the center of the final arena.
After a long pause, he chuckled hoarsely twice: "That's right—I'm really looking forward to this match."
In the audience, Naruto puffed out his cheeks, grumbling dejectedly, "The first match should have been mine—"
He originally planned to go easy on his "brother-in-law" when he officially faced off against Hyuga Neji today—after all, Neji in real life was really too miserable, and Naruto felt quite sorry for him.
Who knew that the competition order would be changed, and he wouldn't even have a chance to play!
The thought of missing out on a fight with Neji made Naruto purse his lips, his face full of disappointment.
In the center of the field.
Sasuke stared at Gaara across from him, his gaze somewhat complicated.
During the Chunin Exams preliminary rounds, he initially thought this kid from Sunagakure was a bloodthirsty and brutal madman. However, through everything that had been shown in his previous dream, Sasuke vaguely understood that the reason Gaara had become so violent was largely due to the influence of the One-Tailed Shukaku within him.
Thinking of this, Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, and the words that Kakashi-sensei had solemnly instructed him this morning came to mind.
He took a deep breath, his face returning to its cold and indifferent expression.
Immediately afterward, Sasuke suddenly spoke, calmly saying to Gaara, "Don't worry—I'll go easy on you later."
Upon hearing this, Gaara's eyes widened in shock: "...Going easy on me?"
He paused for a moment as if he hadn't heard clearly, then his light green pupils suddenly contracted, his dark-circled eyes widened abruptly, and his expression instantly turned extremely ferocious.
"You said—you'd go easy on me?!" He repeated in a hoarse, low voice, his tone revealing barely suppressed anger and murderous intent.
During the fog, the giant gourd behind Gaara burst open with a "bang," and a stream of sand cascaded down like a brownish-yellow waterfall, instantly gathering into a large patch of fine, flowing shallow sand at his feet.
At the same time, Gaara let out a suppressed, painful growl and abruptly covered his face with his hand. His body trembled slightly, as if he was desperately suppressing some kind of frenzied impulse.
The voice that escaped from between his fingers was hoarse and ferocious, filled with chilling murderous intent: "I'm going to feed all your blood to the sand!!!"
"Die!!" With a hysterical roar, Gaara suddenly swung his right hand down!
In an instant, the restless sand beneath his feet seemed to be driven by an invisible force, and with a "whoosh," it swirled up rolling waves of sand and rushed towards Sasuke!
Amidst the flying sand, Sasuke's eyes reflected the overwhelming sand rushing towards him, and he could even hear the sharp sound of sand grains cutting through the air.
His expression remained calm, and with a light step, his figure suddenly pulled backward.
However, the sand flow seemed to have a life of its own, relentlessly pursuing him. In just an instant, it caught up with Sasuke, suddenly wrapping around his left leg and trapping him firmly in place!
"Hmph!" Gaara sneered upon seeing this, grinning maliciously as he said, "With this level of skill, you dare to boast about 'showing mercy'?!"
You've already lost!
Amidst the rolling yellow sand, Sasuke's calves were tightly bound by the sand currents, as if a sand snake were biting his ankle.
Many viewers were on tenterhooks for Sasuke.
However, Sasuke, standing in the middle of the sand sea, still had his hands hanging down, his expression calm to the point of indifference, completely ignoring the restraints on his feet.
A slight, mocking smile played on his lips as he uttered two words: "Oh? Is that so?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Gaara's ears, who was not far away.
Sasuke's nonchalant attitude undoubtedly further enraged the latter.
Gaara's eyes sharpened, his fingers suddenly clenched, and he growled, "Sand Binding Coffin!"
In an instant, the sand that was wrapped around Sasuke's left leg suddenly exerted force, squeezing inwards like a giant hand!
With a muffled "crack," the sand mass rapidly contracted under intense chakra manipulation, completely engulfing Sasuke's figure!
Judging by common sense, even if someone hit by the Sand Binding Pivot isn't strangled on the spot, it's impossible for them to escape unscathed!
However, the next second, something that left everyone speechless happened—"Bang!"
Suddenly, a cloud of white smoke rose from the clump of sand and gravel, and Sasuke, who had been firmly bound, vanished into thin air like a bubble!
Instead, a flock of noisy, shrill black crows appeared!
"Caw caw caw!" The piercing cries of crows rose and fell, and dozens of black-feathered crows suddenly took flight from the sand, flapping their wings and creating a whirlwind that filled the sky.
Sasuke, who had been engulfed by sand, had vanished without a trace, leaving only a large flock of black crows circling overhead!
"What kind of move is this?!"
Gaara stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his face filled with shock.
Before he could even react, the flock of black crows suddenly changed direction as if they had received a command, and sped off to the other side of the training field.
At the edge of the previously empty field, black crows quickly gathered, and amidst the fluttering black feathers, a familiar black-haired figure gradually materialized from the shadows—Sasuke appeared unharmed at the other end of the training field!
He maintained the same posture with his hands hanging down, his dark, tousled hair swaying slightly in the sunlight.
At this moment, three crimson, blood-red lines had appeared in his deep, dark eyes!
Sasuke slowly raised his eyes, his expression cold and confident: "Before these eyes, any of your tricks—are futile!"
The audience erupted in a thunderous roar of cheers!
"Great! That was fantastic!"
"My God, how did he do that?!"
"As expected of a genius from the Uchiha clan!"
From all directions, there were uncontrollable gasps of amazement and cheers.
The young female ninjas, in particular, were so excited they almost jumped up.
Sakura and Namino had somehow jumped up, their faces flushed, waving their fists and screaming, "Wow! Sasuke-kun is so cool!!"
Naruto, sitting next to them, was so shocked his ears went numb. He lowered his hands from his ears and muttered in annoyance, "Tch, Sasuke, trying to look cool again!"
Despite his complaints, his eyes betrayed his admiration as he stared intently at Sasuke in the arena.
"However—his crow clone technique is getting more and more refined!"
On the central platform, Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, saw this scene and his pupils suddenly contracted, his heart filled with uncontrollable ecstasy and greed.
"Sparashi!" he couldn't help but murmur in admiration, his fingertips trembling slightly on his knee.
No wonder he's that man's brother!
He was able to fight the One-Tailed Jinchuriki with ease and composure.
Orochimaru felt a surge of excitement rising from the bottom of his heart.
In a flash, he seemed to see through the figure of the black-haired boy in front of him Uchiha Itachi—calm, confident, and unpredictable!
Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips, his golden vertical pupils flashing with intense light.
His gaze fixed on Sasuke was as if he were eyeing the most precious treasure in the world, wishing he could immediately possess this rare vessel!
Thinking back to the time when he couldn't plant the "Heavenly Curse Seal" on Sasuke in the Forest of Death due to various unforeseen events, Orochimaru felt a pang of regret and resentment.
However, a sinister smile quickly returned to the corners of his mouth.
"It's alright—" Orochimaru murmured to himself, "As long as we use the hatred in his heart and use Itachi Uchiha as bait to lure Sasuke Uchiha to his doorstep—heh heh, it's not a difficult task."
The thought of the prey within reach made his breathing become heavier.
Orochimaru suppressed his barely suppressed excitement and continued watching the battle with great interest, eager to see how many more surprises Sasuke could bring.
The battle on the field is becoming increasingly intense!
Sasuke and Gaara both began to display their signature skills, and the clash of ninjutsu was dazzling.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke shouted, his cheeks puffing out as he unleashed a massive, blazing fireball!
The orange-red fireball expanded rapidly in the air and crashed towards Gaara like a burning meteor.
Upon seeing this, Gaara quickly formed hand seals, and a large amount of sand surged in front of him, condensing into a thick wall of sand.
"Boom!" The blazing fireball slammed into the sand wall with a deafening thud, and waves of intense heat swept outwards, distorting and shaking the surrounding air.
The surface of the sand wall was burned black, and a sizzling sound came from the sand.
However, in the instant the fireball's power subsided slightly, Sasuke's figure darted out from the churning flames.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
Dozens of small fireballs, each the size of a palm, shot towards the field like a shower of flowers!
These fireballs followed unpredictable trajectories, enveloping the sand shield from all directions.
Gaara's eyes flashed as he manipulated the protective layer formed by the sand grains, constantly changing to block the incoming fireballs one by one.
Although no flames hit him directly, the high-temperature air waves generated when each phoenix fire exploded penetrated through the gaps in the sand and scorched his body!
A wave of scorching heat hit him, and Gaara felt his breath catch in his throat. His cheeks burned and stung, and he instinctively clenched his teeth.
After several rounds, Sasuke's repeated fire-style attacks forced Gaara to defend himself and retreat step by step.
The temperature inside Training Ground No. 1 suddenly soared, becoming unbearably hot, like a desert under the scorching sun.
However, the spectators in the stands showed no signs of discomfort.
On the contrary, witnessing such an intense and spectacular battle only heightened everyone's excitement, with cheers and screams rising and falling.
"Is this the Uchiha clan's Fire Release? It's incredibly powerful!"
"Even that monster from Sunagakure was suppressed!"
The audience discussed it excitedly.
At this moment, Gaara was panting heavily, and large drops of sweat dripped down his chin, soaking his clothes.
His Sand Shield managed to block Sasuke's Fire Release attack, but it couldn't completely block the intense heat.
As the temperature continued to rise, Gaara felt his throat go dry, and his stamina and chakra were being depleted far beyond his expectations.
In order to withstand the relentless fire attacks, he had to continuously manipulate sand to form an all-around defensive barrier.
This high-intensity defense consumes a great deal of chakra, and at this moment, he has already lost nearly half of his chakra.
With each rise and fall of his chest, Gaara's temples throbbed with rage, his heart filled with intense frustration: Damn it—why did it turn out like this?!
Gaara's eyes flashed with panic and ruthlessness as he looked at Sasuke Uchiha, whose expression was becoming increasingly composed.
He never imagined that he would one day be forced into such a desperate situation, and that his opponent would be a boy of the same age.
On the central platform, the two Sand Ninja behind the "Kazekage" grew increasingly grim and uneasy.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing anxiety in each other's eyes.
One of them finally couldn't contain himself any longer and stepped forward, getting close to the "Kazekage" and urgently reminding him in a low voice, "Kazekage-sama! Gaara probably won't be able to hold on much longer!"
Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this, and the smile on his lips vanished instantly. "Hmph—" A hint of impatience and annoyance flashed through Orochimaru's mind.
He was watching with great interest when he realized that the Jinchuriki on whom Sunagakure had placed such high hopes was so useless, about to fall down so quickly. What a waste!