"Crack..."
As the first hairline fracture appeared in Gaara's defensive barrier, the sound of structural failure began to multiply exponentially. More and more frequent cracking noises echoed throughout the arena as the supposedly impenetrable sand cocoon became increasingly covered with a spreading network of visible fissures.
"How is this possible?!" Gaara's expression underwent a dramatic transformation, shock and disbelief replacing his previous confidence as he stared at the deteriorating walls of his absolute defense.
Down in the dueling arena, after the brilliant blue energy of the Rasengan finally dissipated completely, Naruto first withdrew his right arm from the penetration point, then immediately clenched his fist and delivered a powerful follow-up punch directly to the weakened section of the sand barrier.
The impact of his strike caused the entire cocoon structure to tremble visibly, and the existing cracks spread even further across its surface.
"Now's our chance!" Naruto shouted with fierce determination, and dozens upon dozens of his shadow clones immediately responded to his call, surrounding the compromised defense from every possible angle.
The coordinated assault resumed with even greater intensity than before, as every clone focused their attacks on the areas where the Rasengan's internal damage had created structural weaknesses.
"We've already seen this approach fail once before. Doesn't that kid understand that this is completely meaningless?" one spectator commented dismissively from his seat near Mikoto and Kushina.
"What a pointless waste of effort," agreed another observer. Although these particular audience members weren't trained ninja themselves, they could clearly see that Naruto's physical attacks had previously proven completely ineffective against Gaara's sand defense.
"That defensive barrier is about to collapse entirely," Fugaku stated with quiet certainty, his arms crossed as his eyes transformed to reveal the distinctive three-tomoe pattern of his fully activated Sharingan.
The reason most of the audience remained skeptical was their fundamental lack of understanding regarding the true destructive potential of the Rasengan technique.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
As Naruto and his army of shadow clones continued their relentless bombardment, the network of fractures spreading across Gaara's defense grew exponentially more extensive and severe with each passing moment.
"What in the world is happening out there?!" Kankuro exclaimed from his position among the Sand Village spectators, his voice filled with genuine shock and mounting concern.
"Gaara's absolute defense is actually being broken through! That's supposed to be impossible!"
"BANG!"
Finally, the section of sand barrier that had been directly struck by the Rasengan reached its structural breaking point and collapsed entirely, sending chunks of compressed sand scattering across the arena floor.
Gaara himself was left completely exposed, his face a mask of utter disbelief at the failure of his most trusted defensive technique.
"Finally broke through that turtle shell of yours!" Naruto exclaimed with obvious joy and satisfaction, as several of his shadow clones immediately moved to capitalize on the breakthrough.
Multiple coordinated attacks landed directly on Gaara's unprotected form, and the impact sent him flying backward to crash heavily against the sand-covered arena wall behind him.
At this crucial moment, Gaara's supposedly impenetrable defense finally collapsed completely and utterly, leaving him sitting dazed and vulnerable on the ground after absorbing the full force of Naruto's assault.
"If you were just going to keep hiding inside there, this battle would have been way too boring!" Naruto called out with his characteristic bright smile, though his eyes remained intensely alert and focused.
He knew from his father's warnings that Gaara's true strength extended far beyond what had been displayed so far, and that there was a terrible and dangerous monster sealed within the Sand ninja's body that could potentially emerge at any moment.
Throughout the spectator sections, another wave of excited discussion erupted as the audience tried to process the dramatic turn of events they had just witnessed.
"What exactly is going on down there? How did those physical attacks suddenly become effective?" one confused observer demanded.
Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply as he struggled to understand what had just occurred. With his current Sharingan development limited to just two tomoe, he lacked the visual acuity necessary to perceive the subtle internal changes that had taken place within Gaara's defensive barrier.
"Could it be because of that strange jutsu he used just before?" he wondered aloud, his analytical mind working furiously to piece together the sequence of events.
He refused to believe that Naruto's raw physical power could have increased so dramatically in such a short time, which meant the only logical explanation was that the mysterious blue chakra sphere had produced some kind of delayed or hidden effect that wasn't immediately visible.
"Actually, my brother's Rasengan technique just now, while it may not have appeared to cause much surface damage, was actually destroying Gaara's defense from the inside out," Chiharu explained with obvious pride and understanding.
Although she hadn't yet learned to perform the Rasengan herself, her theoretical grasp of the jutsu's underlying principles and mechanics was arguably even more sophisticated than Naruto's practical application.
"What an incredibly powerful and sophisticated technique!" Hyuga Neji observed with genuine admiration, his Byakugan having allowed him to witness the internal destruction taking place within Gaara's sand barrier in real time.
If even Gaara's level of defensive capability could be systematically dismantled from within, then a direct hit to a human body would likely result in catastrophic internal organ damage that could prove instantly fatal.
In terms of its fundamental destructive methodology, the Rasengan bore certain similarities to the Hyuga family's legendary Gentle Fist fighting style, but the sheer raw power and devastating potential were in completely different leagues altogether.
"Naruto has become incredibly strong over this past year," Sasuke thought to himself with a complex mixture of admiration, concern, and competitive fire.
He had originally assumed that his mastery of the Chidori technique would ensure his superiority over all of his former classmates, but the level of skill and power that Naruto was currently demonstrating forced him to reconsider that assumption.
If he found himself in Gaara's position right now, facing down this new and improved version of his longtime rival, what would the outcome be?
Standing before his defeated opponent, Gaara appeared somewhat dazed and disoriented, with grains of sand actually falling away from the areas of his body that had been struck by Naruto's attacks moments before.
"What's wrong with this guy?" Naruto wondered internally, choosing not to press his immediate advantage as he studied Gaara's strange behavior with growing concern.
At that moment, Gaara suddenly raised his eyes to meet Naruto's gaze, and a distinctly different and far more sinister light began to gleam within those pale green depths.
"Namikaze Naruto..." Gaara spoke in a voice that had become noticeably hoarse and guttural, completely unlike his previous tone.
The look he directed toward his opponent was so intensely malevolent that it made Naruto involuntarily shudder with instinctive fear and recognition.
This particular feeling was far from unfamiliar to the young Konoha ninja. Every single time he encountered the Nine-Tails within his own sealed space, he experienced exactly this same eerie and unsettling sensation of barely contained malevolence.
"Is it the monster inside his body?" Naruto exclaimed with sudden understanding and alarm.
Up on the elevated viewing platform, Minato had already detected the dangerous shift in Gaara's chakra signature and behavior patterns. He immediately turned to address the Fourth Kazekage standing beside him with urgent concern.
"Lord Kazekage, according to our previous agreement, I must immediately halt this examination before the situation becomes uncontrollable."
"Of course," the figure wearing the Kazekage's ceremonial robes responded in a voice that was deceptively soft and agreeable.
"It is indeed time to stop this charade..."
"And time for the real show to begin!"
His tone suddenly shifted to become cold and menacing as he turned to fix Minato with a sideways glance that was filled with predatory anticipation.
Minato's pupils contracted sharply in recognition and alarm, and in the next instant, the space immediately surrounding him began to distort and warp in ways that defied natural physics.
Swoosh!
The spatial distortion intensified dramatically, and Minato's figure vanished completely from the platform as if he had never been there at all.
Disappearing along with the Fourth Hokage were the Third Hokage and several other high-ranking Konoha advisors who had been observing the proceedings from their positions of honor.
"Even faster than I remembered from our previous encounters," the false Kazekage murmured with what might have been grudging respect, and in the next moment, his expression transformed into something absolutely ferocious and predatory.
"Buzz..."
Just as those words left his lips, intricate black barrier markings suddenly materialized throughout the air around the elevated viewing platform, spreading outward in complex geometric patterns that seemed to pulse with malevolent energy.
The moment the barrier fully manifested and activated, "Rasa" immediately felt the chakra within his body beginning to drain away rapidly while simultaneously being suppressed and constrained by the barrier's effects.
"A chakra suppression barrier," he observed with analytical detachment, glancing around to assess his situation more thoroughly.
When he looked out over the dueling arena and spectator sections, he discovered that every single person who had been present moments before had completely vanished, including both Gaara and Naruto down in the central fighting area.
The entire arena was now covered with dense networks of the same black barrier markings that surrounded the platform, though as the chakra suppression effect continued to intensify, these visible lines began to fade and disappear from view.
"Did you really think such a simple trick would be enough to trap me?" the false Kazekage asked with calm confidence, showing no signs of panic or distress despite his increasingly desperate situation.
He turned around slowly and deliberately as a familiar figure emerged from the shadows of the pavilion structure behind the viewing platform.
It was Minato, moving with the fluid grace and deadly purpose that had made him legendary throughout the ninja world.
"What an impressively sophisticated barrier technique," the imposter commented with what appeared to be genuine admiration. "Even I didn't detect its presence until the moment of activation."
"When you entered the village yesterday and arranged for that Wind Country minister to make those pointed comments about our children's upcoming match," Minato said, his voice already carrying the unmistakable edge of lethal intent, "was that little performance staged specifically for my benefit?"
His eyes were cold and calculating as he continued his approach, every movement suggesting barely restrained violence.
"You certainly have managed to outmaneuver me quite effectively," the false Kazekage admitted, though he made no attempt to answer Minato's direct question.
His expression gradually became more gloomy and dangerous as the full implications of his situation became clear.
It seemed likely that Namikaze Minato had recognized the deception much earlier than anticipated. The decision to allow the imposter into Konoha despite this knowledge could only mean that this confrontation had been planned and orchestrated from the very beginning.
By using a barrier specifically designed to suppress chakra flow, Minato had effectively neutralized any possibility of escape through space-time ninjutsu, creating the perfect conditions for a decisive elimination.
Rather than continue the charade any longer, the imposter abandoned all pretense and began tearing away his Kazekage robes and various disguise elements that had maintained his false identity.
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.