Kimimaro moved so fast his feet barely touched the ground. Every time he got the chance, he fired off his finger bones with perfect aim.
Gaara just stood there, arms crossed, not moving an inch.
Almost every bone attack was stopped the moment it got close to him—it couldn't even touch his body.
"He's really strong, that guy from the Sunagakure."
Hozuki Mangetsu's expression turned serious. Compared to someone like Hozuki Suigetsu, who always acts unpredictably, Kimimaro was the type to go all in right from the start.
And yet even he couldn't break through Gaara's defense—not even with his ten-finger bone shots.
Hatake Satoru raised the corner of his mouth slightly, but didn't say a word.
He had full confidence in Kimimaro—he wouldn't lose to anyone.
Even though it looked like a stalemate, Satoru knew this was just a phase. Kimimaro was still figuring out Gaara's powers.
But how exactly was he supposed to understand this student?
Kakashi frowned slightly. To teach well, the student and teacher had to be a good match.
For example, someone like Sasuke was a good fit for Kakashi—both in age and personality. Kakashi could handle someone like him.
But with Naruto, it was a bit harder.
Even if Hatake Satoru taught the Mizukage, that knowledge was mostly theoretical—something you could turn into ninjutsu instructions.
But someone like Kimimaro, with a Kekkei Genkai, couldn't be taught the same way.
This kind of ability was better passed down directly within the clan.
As a regular person, Hatake Satoru probably couldn't fully bring out the potential of a Kekkei Genkai.
And even under those conditions, he still managed to train someone like this?
His big brother really takes on anyone—if they're a person, he'll teach them.
Even though Kimimaro's movements were fast, he couldn't stay airborne forever—he couldn't fly, after all.
The ground was covered with pits and holes from Gaara's attacks. Honestly, Gaara could be called a top-tier ground destroyer.
As Kimimaro barely dodged another strike, he stepped into one of the craters left on the ground.
A sharp rock jabbed into his foot—but there was something else, something even weirder.
A faint "shhhh" sound came from under his foot, where fine sand was brushing against his shoe. The sound was so quiet that in the middle of a battle, it was almost impossible to notice.
You'd only sense it if you felt it directly—this was quicksand.
"Tch."
So it wasn't just the sand in his gourd—Gaara could pull sand from the terrain around them too.
Did he make all that sand by tearing up the ground?
Kimimaro froze for a split second before realizing something was off, then quickly jumped up.
But the sand surged from the ground and yanked him down, wrapping tightly around his ankles like shackles.
In a flash, a whirl of sand swirled up and trapped Kimimaro completely, wrapping his whole body so tight he vanished inside it.
"That thing might actually kill him…"
Temari's face twitched slightly. She hadn't expected Gaara to trap him completely like that.
Wouldn't it be enough to just break a limb or something? This looks like it's meant to kill.
As expected, anyone Gaara finds interesting ends up in a bad spot.
"He really doesn't hold back."
But at this point, none of the teachers seemed ready to step in. Gaara had already used the Sand Coffin.
Kankuro glanced over at the watching stands, but none of the teachers looked like they were getting ready to stop the fight.
Do they not understand how dangerous Gaara's powers are?
"Isn't that the move that crushes people to death?! That guy is totally gonna die if he's trapped in there!"
Naruto, standing on the railing, widened his eyes.
They'd seen Gaara fight before, hiding and watching in secret. Back then, the person who got wrapped up in that sand was crushed to death on the spot.
Why weren't any of the teachers reacting? They should've stopped the match by now.
That creepy guy who fights with bones could seriously die.
Naruto jumped down from the railing in one leap, grabbed Sasuke by the arm, and ran toward the teachers' section.
"Let's go find Satoru-nii! He seemed like he knew those guys earlier anyway!"
Naruto looked around and realized he didn't recognize anyone except for their own group...
He couldn't even tell which of the Jonin were from Kirigakure.
"I don't think he'll go down that easily…"
Sasuke got pulled along reluctantly, letting out a sigh.
This guy still had so much energy. After the Forest of Death and another fight, Naruto was somehow still standing here like it was nothing.
That kind of stamina just doesn't make sense.
He couldn't say for sure that Kimimaro wouldn't die, but he just felt like that guy wouldn't go out so easily.
Besides, even if Hatake Satoru jumped in now, it'd probably be too late to stop it.
"Ao…"
The teachers' section wasn't that far, and a lot of them were sitting with their classes anyway.
Only teachers like Hatake Satoru or Mitarashi Anko, who didn't have their own classes but were involved in earlier exams, were actually in that area.
And then there was the Mizukage… and Kakashi, who was clearly just here to slack off.
"Desert Funeral."
Just as Naruto opened his mouth to call out to Hatake Satoru, a cold and heartless voice echoed from the arena below.
Boom. The ground trembled faintly as the sand rustled everywhere.
Then came a sharp, cracking sound that made everyone's teeth clench and scalp tingle. Naruto, dragging Sasuke, suddenly froze in his tracks.
A blast of sand, triggered by the crushing impact, scattered in every direction. Some of it even flew high into the air.
Grains of sand with a faint scent of blood came raining down on people's heads.
That guy must've died.
Naruto's pupils shrank as the words caught in his throat. He turned his pale face toward the falling sand.
"——"
But the sand didn't hit them. It was like something was blocking it, falling gently to the ground in a narrow curtain right in front of them.
In the air, you could even see the sand soaked with blood, falling like chunks of dark red mud.
Hatake Satoru crouched in front of Naruto with a lazy grin on his face, voice still light and playful.
"What were you just about to say~?"
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