Haku and Karin exchanged glances, then each chose their opponent—Gaara and Sasuke—and stepped between them.
Gaara frowned. The sand beneath his feet surged forward, rushing toward Haku in the center. But before it could reach him, an ice wall suddenly rose, blocking the attack.
In the next instant, ice spikes condensed and shot toward Gaara, only to be intercepted by his sand shield.
"Ice Release Bloodline… a pity your attacks are useless against me…"
Gaara shook his head slightly—but then his expression changed. He glanced down and saw that the ground beneath him had somehow been covered in ice crystals, freezing his calves and locking him in place.
At that moment, Haku appeared behind Gaara, raising a kunai formed from ice.
Gaara's lips curled into a faint smile. The frozen body suddenly dispersed into a wind clone, while his real body emerged from the sand. The sand from his gourd surged forward and swallowed Haku whole.
But the submerged "Haku" turned out to be nothing more than a water clone illusion.
Compared to Haku and Gaara's almost flashy exchange of techniques, the fight between Karin and Sasuke was far more straightforward.
It wasn't that Sasuke didn't try to show off—he did. But every single time, Karin seemed to predict his moves perfectly.
Karin's fighting style was completely different—wild and aggressive, like a berserker charging headfirst. Even when injured, she recovered almost instantly.
That terrifying recovery speed reminded Sasuke of the fear he once felt when facing Naruto.
Calming himself, Sasuke activated his Sharingan genjutsu.
But it didn't work.
Karin broke free almost instantly, and golden chains erupted from behind her, forcing Sasuke onto the defensive with no room to counter.
The surrounding spectators were already stunned.
After going through several missions, they were no longer inexperienced rookies. They were all qualified to participate in the Chūnin Exams.
But the level of this battle… had already far exceeded that of ordinary chūnin.
"Sai, do you think Sasuke can win?"
Sakura asked from the side.
Sai simply gave a faint smile in response, leaving Sakura with nowhere to vent her frustration. Having two cool, handsome guys on the team was nice—but sometimes it made her feel like the only idiot.
Looking toward Karin, Chōji said while munching on chips,
"Shikamaru, don't you think that red-haired ninja fights a bit like Naruto?"
Shikamaru nodded slightly, but his eyes were fixed on Shisui nearby.
He had heard about Uzushio Village from his father—a village established by Konoha rogue ninja.
And now, they were openly appearing in Konoha to participate in the Chūnin Exams.
Even though the Hokage had personally invited them, it still felt… off.
The battle continued, but it soon attracted the attention of Konoha's ANBU.
Before long, an ANBU squad arrived in the alley.
Under their intervention, the fight finally came to an end. No clear winner had been decided.
The ANBU might not necessarily be stronger than these combatants, but they represented Konoha's authority.
After exchanging glances, Karin and Haku withdrew and returned to Naruto's side.
"Menma-sama, those two are really strong… almost as strong as the jōnin teachers at the academy. Are Konoha ninja all this powerful?"
Naruto shook his head lightly.
"The one with the gourd is Gaara, the One-Tail jinchūriki of Sunagakure. The other is Uchiha Sasuke—Shisui's relative, and Mikoto's son."
"Aunt Mikoto's son?!" Karin's eyes widened, her expression turning strange.
Shisui explained calmly,
"He is indeed Aunt Mikoto's son. But for various reasons, he stayed in Konoha. In this Chūnin Exam, he'll be one of your strongest opponents."
Karin snorted.
"If I use natural energy, that might not be the case."
Naruto didn't comment.
Both Karin and Haku bore curse marks, allowing them to temporarily unleash jōnin-level strength. Sasuke, at this stage, might not be able to defeat them.
But Gaara was a jinchūriki.
No matter how unstable he was, his strength wouldn't fall below that of an elite jōnin.
After letting Karin and Haku show off Uzushio Village's strength, Naruto didn't linger. He quickly led them away from the scene.
He had no intention of revealing his identity this early.
After all, it was always more interesting to be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Since this is your first offense, we won't pursue the matter further. But if you dare to fight within Konoha again, we will investigate to the end and show no mercy!"
Faced with conflicts between Chūnin Exam candidates, Konoha's ANBU didn't have many options.
Either these ninja had special identities, or they represented other villages.
After issuing a few stern warnings, they could only let them go.
Watching the ANBU leave, Temari and Kankurō both let out sighs of relief.
At least things hadn't escalated.
If Gaara had lost control, it would have triggered a diplomatic crisis between Sunagakure and Konoha—something completely against the purpose of this mission.
But when they looked at Gaara, they noticed something strange.
He was muttering under his breath.
"That person… is very strong… very strong…"
"The Ice Release user did restrain your sand, but he shouldn't be your opponent," Temari said, confused.
Gaara slowly turned to look at her, his tone cold.
"I'm not talking about them… I mean the black-haired ninja wrapped in bandages. His strength is terrifying."
"I can feel it… Shukaku is afraid…!"
As he spoke, Gaara's body trembled slightly.
Temari and Kankurō's eyes widened in disbelief.
Gaara was feared as a monster in their village precisely because of the tailed beast within him—Shukaku.
Shukaku was a natural disaster of the desert.
If even Shukaku was afraid…
Then just how strong was that ninja?
Strong enough to surpass even their father—the Fourth Kazekage.
They had come to this Chūnin Exam aiming for first place.
But now… even protecting themselves might be difficult.
On the other side, Konoha's ninja were also preparing to leave.
Kiba waved his hand in front of Hinata and asked curiously,
"Hinata, what are you staring at? Everyone's gone. The show's over."
After a pause, he added,
"Still, the contestants this year are insanely strong. Looks like you won't be winning the championship, Lady Hinata. What a shame."
Hinata didn't respond.
After withdrawing her gaze, she turned and walked away.
She had only felt that the figure's back looked familiar… so she had taken a few extra glances.
As for becoming a chūnin—it was only a matter of time for her.
Even if she withdrew from the exam, the village would still grant her the rank.
Participating in the Chūnin Exams was simply a way to prove herself.
To let her name echo across the ninja world.
To let Naruto-kun know—
That the girl who used to be bullied had finally become a strong ninja in her own right.
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