Chapter 40: The Konoha Crush Begins
"The third match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara!" The referee's voice rang out once more.
Sasuke's figure appeared in the arena like a black bolt of lightning. He stood tall and straight, his jet-black eyes sharp as a hawk's. The cursed seal on his neck, sealed beneath Kakashi's seal, glinted faintly in the sunlight, adding a touch of dangerous allure to his presence.
He looked toward his opponent approaching slowly from the other side—the boy with the oversized gourd on his back, dark rings under his eyes, and an aura of ill omen clinging to him like a second skin.
"Begin!"
The battle erupted in an instant!
Gaara's sand moved as if it possessed a will of its own, forming a solid shield that easily deflected Sasuke's probing shuriken and Fire Style attacks. His eyes burned with excitement, like a starving beast. Sand spears, Sand Coffin—each attack came with crushing weight and chilling killing intent.
Sasuke's Sharingan spun at high speed, tracking the flow of the sand. His body darted between the gaps in the sand spears with blinding agility. He attempted several charges, but each time, that living shield of sand turned him back effortlessly.
"It's useless."
Gaara's voice was hoarse and utterly devoid of emotion.
"My sand is absolute defense. Your attacks mean nothing."
The sand swirled around him like a living fortress.
From his high vantage point, Rubick watched the stalemate unfold below, his gaze sharpening.
"Gaara… offense and defense in one. A tough nut to crack. Sasuke's normal attacks won't get through. Looks like… it's time for that move."
Down in the arena, Sasuke seemed to reach the same conclusion. He drew a deep breath, his eyes narrowing with intense focus, the three tomoe of his Sharingan spinning furiously.
Lightning Style: Lightning Burst!
Sasuke's heart pulsed with the command. This was the new technique he'd developed over the past month under Rubick's brutal training—not a direct attack, but a supplementary jutsu inspired by the principles of Kumogakure's Lightning Release Armor, adapted to work in tandem with the Uchiha's superhuman visual acuity!
Crackle—!
Blinding blue arcs of electricity exploded from Sasuke's legs, coiling around them with a sharp, crackling roar! His body felt as though it had been injected with raw power—his muscle fibers overloaded by the surge of Lightning-natured chakra!
"What speed?!" Gasps erupted from the stands!
Sasuke's figure left behind nothing but a faint blue afterimage. His actual body shot forward like true lightning, moving several times faster than before—so fast that even his own Sharingan could barely track it!
"So fast!" Kakashi's eyes narrowed.
"Way faster than before!" Sakura gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Gaara's empty gaze finally flickered with something akin to surprise. His sand reacted instantly, thickening into a heavier shield before him.
But a frontal assault was never Sasuke's aim!
In the instant before he would have collided with the sand shield, leveraging the explosive burst of Lightning Burst and his Sharingan's pinpoint analysis of the shield's weakest point, Sasuke's body twisted at an impossible right angle, skidding along the very edge of the sand barrier! A dazzling streak of blue electricity carved a jagged line through the air!
"Impossible?!" Kankuro cried out in disbelief.
Temari's eyes went wide as well.
Gaara's sand tried to give chase, but Sasuke, supercharged by his technique, was simply too fast! He ghosted around to Gaara's flank, just behind him!
"Now!" Sasuke's eyes flashed with killing intent! His left hand was already wreathed in savage lightning—a piercing, ear-splitting screech like a thousand birds crying out at once filled the arena!
"CHIDORI!!"
Violent blue lightning coalesced into a blinding beam in Sasuke's palm, tearing through the air with devastating force—straight toward Gaara's unguarded back!
THUNK—!!!
This time, the sand shield couldn't catch up in time!
The Chidori's savage Lightning-natured chakra ripped through the sand armor coating Gaara's body, driving deep into his left shoulder!
"GAAAAH—!!"
For the first time, Gaara screamed in agony. Blood instantly stained his sandy garb. And then—a freezing, violent, hatred-soaked aura erupted from him like a volcanic blast!
"Shukaku… Gaara's…" Temari and Kankuro's faces went white.
Mofang's eyes sharpened from above.
"Here it comes!"
At Gaara's wound, torrents of sand mixed with dark, malevolent chakra surged outward. His body began to twist and swell grotesquely—half his face began to take on a sand-like texture as inhuman roars tore from his throat! An overwhelming, suffocating tailed-beast presence flooded the arena!
"Gaara!" Kankuro and Temari threw the rules aside and rushed into the arena, desperate to contain their brother's rampage. Baki of Suna appeared at the edge of the ring in an instant, his expression grim.
"Match decided! Suna side unable to continue! Winner: Uchiha Sasuke!"
The referee ruled decisively, signaling the medical corps and Suna's handlers to step in.
Sasuke panted heavily, canceling his Lightning Burst state. His legs throbbed with pain and numbness, his chakra reserves nearly depleted. He watched Gaara—surrounded by his fellow Sand ninja, writhing and howling in torment—and his brow furrowed deeply.
Then, from the sky above, countless white feathers began to drift down like a dreamlike snowfall.
"Genjutsu?!"
"Temple of Nirvana Technique!"
A cold voice seemed to echo from the void itself.
The next moment, the vast majority of spectators in the stands—including many chunin and genin—had their eyes go glassy. Serene smiles spread across their faces as they slumped softly to the ground, sound asleep!
"Not good!" Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and the other jonin reacted instantly, forming hand seals to dispel the illusion even as they shouted warnings: "Enemy attack! Mass-scale genjutsu! All unaffected personnel, on guard!"
But it was too late!
"Now! MOVE!" A hoarse, sinister voice gave the final order!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Around the arena, massive summoning arrays flared to life! With earth-shaking roars, three colossal serpents, each the size of a mountain, were summoned into existence. At the same time, countless figures clad in Oto-nin attire erupted from the shadows, from the stands themselves—shuriken, kunai, explosive tags raining down like a storm on Konoha's shinobi and civilians alike! Screams of terror replaced the earlier cheers in an instant!
"Protect the Hokage!"
"Evacuate the civilians!"
"Sound ninja! It's a Sound attack!"
Chaos exploded in an instant!
The Konoha Crush Plan was officially underway!
---
Chaos spread through Konoha like a plague. The three colossal serpents rampaged, each roll of their massive bodies bringing down buildings and tearing screams from the panicked crowds.
Rubik moved like a ghost along the high edges of the arena. Just as he was about to close in on the Hokage's viewing platform, four figures radiating ominous chakra appeared as if by teleportation, taking positions at the four corners of the platform!
Sakon and Ukon, Kidomaru, Tayuya, Jirobo!
The Sound Four!
They formed hand seals in perfect unison, moving with terrifying speed!
"Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
HUM—!!!
Four pillars of deep violet chakra shot skyward, weaving together in an instant above the Hokage's platform to form an immense cube of searing heat and powerful sealing energy! Violet flames licked along the barrier's surface, sealing the inside completely off from the outside!
"A barrier?!" Jiraiya, who had just dispatched a few Sound ninja and was rushing to support the Third, skidded to a halt, his face draining of color as he watched the barrier take shape.
"Damn it! Old man!"
Inside the barrier, the man disguised as the Fourth Kazekage—Orochimaru—curled his lips into a cold smile, poised to strike at the Third Hokage beside him.
"Now!"
He had been waiting for this exact moment—the instant the Sound Four revealed themselves to form the barrier, the fleeting gap before it fully sealed!
"What?!" The Sound Four, still maintaining their jutsu, all jolted in surprise.
"Watch your back, Grandpa Third!"
Rubik's shout rang out from within the barrier! The moment he slipped through, he didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat. His right hand was already wreathed in roaring wind pressure!
"Wind Style: Rasengan!"
"Eh?!" The back of the "Fourth Kazekage" went rigid! A sharp spike of danger overwhelmed him, forcing him to abandon his attack on the Third and twist his body with grotesque flexibility to the side!
"Lord Third!" several ANBU outside the barrier finally shouted in alarm.
The "Fourth Kazekage" turned slowly, the Sand forehead protector and facial disguise peeling away in the residual wind—revealing a pale, effeminate face beneath, with snake-like vertical pupils and signature purple eyeshadow.
"Heh heh heh…"
Orochimaru extended his long tongue, licking the corner of his mouth. His serpentine eyes gleamed with genuine surprise and amusement as they locked onto Rubik.
"How impressive, Uzumaki Rubik… You managed to see through this step? And…" His gaze swept over the position Mofang had just breached, "that speed just now… seems I underestimated you after all."
He tore off the rest of his disguise, his hoarse voice dripping with undisguised malice:
"That's right. It's me, Orochimaru. And this grand funeral—I've prepared it especially for you, dear teacher."
"Orochimaru! So it is you!" The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared at his once-most-beloved disciple, now so twisted and alien, pain and resolve warring in his eyes.
He ripped off his Hokage robes in one motion, revealing his battle gear beneath!
"You ungrateful wretch!"
Outside the barrier, Jiraiya's eyes bulged with fury as he saw Orochimaru's true face:
"OROCHIMARU!!!"
"Jiraiya!" The Third Hokage's voice rang from within the barrier, carrying an undeniable authority. He didn't even glance at his student outside; his gaze remained locked on Orochimaru, though he gave Rubik a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Don't worry about us! The village needs you out there! Those three giant snakes and the rampaging Sound and Sand ninja—only you can handle them quickly! Protect the villagers! Konoha is in your hands!"
"Old man…Rubik!" Jiraiya nodded heavily. "You two… stay alive!"
He shot one last furious glare at Orochimaru, smirking within the barrier.
"Orochimaru, you bastard—just wait!"
And with that, Jiraiya turned and was gone.
Orochimaru watched him leave, then turned his gaze back to the poised Third Hokage and the cold-eyed, dangerously quiet Rubik beside him. Far from showing fear, he let out an even more excited, rasping laugh:
"Heh heh heh… Teacher, and my unexpected meddler, Rubik-kun… Let's begin, shall we? This long-awaited… reunion of master and disciple."
He raised both hands slowly, with a ritualistic air of malice, and began forming hand seals. A wave of deathly, stagnant chakra began to spread—the stench of blasphemy against the dead!
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Rubik's eyes sharpened. The Third Hokage's expression turned utterly grim.
But what the Third couldn't see was the smile that tugged, almost involuntarily, at the corner of Mofang's lips.
Just as planned.