The arena was a powder keg waiting for a spark. The tension between Sasuke and Gaara was a palpable force, a promise of a legendary battle. Deva, watching from the stands next to Kakashi, focused his senses on the Kage box. The unsettling, layered chakra of the Kazekage felt like a coiled snake, ready to strike. He knew something was wrong.
"Begin!" the proctor, Genma, yelled.
But before either competitor could move, the signal was given.
White feathers began to drift down from the sky, and a wave of sleep-inducing chakra washed over the stadium. The massive civilian audience slumped in their seats, their cheers dying in their throats as they fell into a deep, unnatural slumber.
"A genjutsu!" Kakashi yelled, his and Deva's chakra flaring as they instantly dispelled the illusion. "Kai!"
In the Kage box, the betrayal began. The "Kazekage" lunged at the Third Hokage, and four Sound ninja appeared on the roof, raising a shimmering purple barrier around them. Orochimaru had made his move.
At the same moment, the stadium exploded into chaos. Dozens of Sound and Sand ninja, who had been hidden amongst the crowd, revealed themselves and began their assault on the unprepared Konoha Jonin. Giant snakes were summoned in the middle of the village, their destructive roars echoing through the air.
The Chunin Exams had been a Trojan horse. The invasion of Konoha had begun.
In the arena, Gaara clutched his head, a guttural scream tearing from his throat. The signal to attack had also been the signal for him to unleash his power. His siblings, Kankuro and Temari, immediately grabbed him. "Not here, Gaara! It's not time! We have to retreat!" They began to flee the arena, dragging their unstable brother with them.
"You're not getting away!" Sasuke yelled, his Sharingan spinning as he immediately gave chase, leaping from the arena floor onto the rooftops.
Kakashi, his expression grim as he took in the dozens of threats, gave his order. "Naruto! Deva! Your mission is to follow Sasuke and stop the Sand genin! It's now an A-rank mission! Pursue and subdue, but do not engage Gaara alone unless you have no other choice! Go!" He then bit his thumb, summoning his ninja hounds to aid in the village's defense. "I'll release the genjutsu and handle the invaders here!"
Naruto and Deva nodded, leaping after Sasuke. The chase was a blur of motion across the village rooftops and into the surrounding forest. Sasuke, fueled by his fury at being denied his fight, was surprisingly fast. Naruto pushed himself to keep up, while Deva, his senses locked onto the three fleeing Sand-nin, guided their path.
"They're trying to circle around to the west wall!" Deva called out, his voice sharp over the wind. "Cut through the old training grounds, it's a more direct path!"
Sasuke changed direction without hesitation, trusting Deva's senses completely. They finally caught up in a clearing deep within the woods. Gaara was panting, leaning against a tree, his body wracked with spasms, while Kankuro and Temari stood protectively in front of him.
"Temari, you take care of Gaara. Get him as far away as you can," Kankuro ordered, unraveling the large bundle on his back. "I'll hold them off."
"You're not holding anyone off," Sasuke said, his voice cold as he landed before them. Naruto and Deva landed at his sides a moment later. "Your opponent is me."
"You think you can take both of us, Uchiha?" Temari sneered, snapping open her giant fan. "Don't be so arrogant."
"I don't think," Sasuke replied, his Sharingan now fully matured into a spinning, three-tomoe pattern that seemed to burn with a new intensity. "I know."
He moved. His speed was on another level entirely, a black-clad phantom that seemed to be in two places at once. Temari, confident in her long-range abilities, unleashed her Wind Scythe Dance, a torrent of cutting wind that shredded the trees where Sasuke had been a second ago. But he was already gone.
"Above you!" Kankuro yelled, trying to warn her.
Sasuke appeared directly above her in mid-air, his movements a perfect, fluid mimicry of Rock Lee's taijutsu. He came down in a spinning heel drop that Temari barely managed to block with the armored frame of her fan, the force of the blow sending her skidding back dozens of feet, her arms numb from the impact.
Kankuro sent his puppet, Crow, shooting out from the bandages on his back, its poisoned blades and hidden mechanisms aiming to intercept. But Sasuke was already moving again. He weaved through the puppet's attacks, his Sharingan tracking every joint and blade, seeing the subtle movements of Kankuro's chakra threads.
The entire fight was a blur of motion. Sasuke was a whirlwind of black, his taijutsu overwhelming. He was faster than Temari's wind and more precise than Kankuro's puppet. He was demonstrating the results of his brutal month of training, and the Sand siblings were completely outmatched.
He appeared directly in front of a shocked Temari, his Lee-inspired taijutsu allowing him to get inside her guard before she could react, and a single, precise chop to her neck sent her collapsing to the ground.
"Temari!" Kankuro yelled, distracted for a split second.
It was all the time Sasuke needed. The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air as a small, controlled burst of the Chidori formed in his hand. He didn't charge. He simply thrust forward, his hand a blade of lightning that severed Kankuro's chakra threads, causing the Crow puppet to fall to the ground, lifeless. Sasuke's other hand delivered a sharp blow to the back of Kankuro's head, knocking him out cold.
The entire confrontation had lasted less than a minute. Sasuke stood panting over his two defeated opponents, a look of cold satisfaction on his face. He had proven his new strength.
Naruto and Deva stared, impressed. "Whoa, Sasuke, you took them both out!" Naruto exclaimed.
Deva's senses were already focused ahead. He ignored the defeated Sand-nin. A new, terrifying transformation was taking place deeper in the forest. "His chakra is immense," he said, his voice serious as he looked into the trees. "And it's changing. Growing more unstable by the second. Gaara is losing control. We need to hurry."
As they prepared to press on, Gaara let out another pained scream. The arm that had manifested in the preliminaries erupted from his shoulder again, larger and more monstrous this time. Sand began to violently encase his body, forming a grotesque, shifting cocoon.
Sasuke looked at his teammates, his expression grim. "The warm-up is over," he said.
Naruto clenched his fists, his face set with determination. "Let's go."
The three of them shot off into the woods, leaving the unconscious Sand siblings behind. They knew their true target, the monster of the Sand, was just ahead, and the real battle was about to begin.