Of course, the loud cheering was limited mostly to the villagers and lower-ranked shinobi. The higher-level ninja—Maki, Kakashi, Asuma, and Yakushi Kabuto scattered around the stadium, as well as Kabuto's hidden clone lurking in the shadows—were all tense, their senses sharpened.
Especially Maki, whose gaze never left Gaara. As one of the key coordinators of the Konoha Crush Plan, and the supervisor of Sunagakure's most crucial combat asset, he could not afford even the slightest deviation.
You must stick to the plan, Gaara,
Maki reminded himself silently.
His eyes drifted toward the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village, where squads of Sunagakure's elite shinobi were already in position. Once the signal was given, they would launch a full-scale assault on Konoha's weakest defensive point.
Konoha's jōnin had been given special orders before entering the venue. Even though the village didn't know the exact details of the Sand–Sound alliance's operation, the clues uncovered earlier were enough for Sarutobi Hiruzen to increase security and put everyone on guard.
But unless absolutely necessary, the Third Hokage was unwilling to escalate matters.
This was Konoha, after all. Any loss suffered here would be felt tenfold. As Hokage, Hiruzen hoped, perhaps foolishly, that the day could still end peacefully.
But fate had already chosen a different path.
The curtain of the tragedy was slowly rising.
Off to the side:
"Alright. Except for Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Neji, who will remain for the first match, the rest of you return to the waiting area,"
Shiranui Genma announced calmly, glancing at Menma, Gaara, and the other competitors.
As soon as Genma spoke, sparks flew between Sasuke and Neji.
Just like Sasuke was satisfied with getting Neji as his first opponent…
Neji was equally pleased that his first battle would be with an Uchiha.
Even though the Uchiha Clan had been nearly wiped out, the name still carried immense weight throughout the ninja world.
To defeat such an opponent—
Neji could feel his blood boiling.
The remaining eight contestants stepped back.
"Come on, Sasuke! You better beat that guy!"
"Do your best, Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto and Sakura shouted encouragement from the stands.
Menma glanced at Sasuke and Neji with a faintly amused look.
Among the Konoha Twelve, the two with the highest potential to walk the same path as him were Sasuke and Neji.
Sasuke's role was already proven in the original timeline.
As for Neji—
He had the talent and the motivation, but the fate of the Hyūga Branch Family, the curse mark, the cage bird… all stood in his way.
But those are matters for another time. For now, this grand performance still needs to unfold.
Before stepping into the competitors' tunnel, Menma cast one final look toward Hiruzen Sarutobi on the high platform.
It would begin soon.
Genma raised his hand.
"The first match—Uchiha Sasuke vs. Hyūga Neji… begin!"
His shout was followed by a ripple of excitement, almost like the signal starting a war.
BOOM!
Sasuke's Sharingan snapped open instantly, its scarlet glow flashing as his chakra surged.
Across the arena, Neji gave a cold smirk.
"Byakugan!"
The veins on his temples bulged as his eyes activated, his chakra field expanding.
The aura released by both sides was far beyond the level of normal genin.
"Ohh!? The Sharingan!"
"It's been years since we've seen those eyes!"
"Byakugan versus Sharingan—now this is a real match!"
"Which is stronger? The Hyūga's insight or the Uchiha's prediction?"
The audience exploded with excitement, eyes glued to the arena.
"Haha! Kakashi! The first match is between our students! This is youth!"
Might Guy exclaimed, flashing a thumbs-up.
"Mm."
Kakashi responded lazily, though his single exposed eye drifted toward Maki with growing suspicion.
The moment words were unnecessary.
Sasuke moved.
"BOOM!"
He launched forward at blistering speed the instant Neji took his stance.
Neji's eyes widened.
That speed—far beyond what a genin should possess.
"Eight Trigrams—!"
He didn't even get to finish calling his stance before Sasuke was on top of him.
Their collision sent dust flying across the arena.
"W–what!? Sasuke is that fast!?"
Lee clenched his fists. Even he hadn't expected this.
Naruto shouted,
"He's using Lightning Release to boost his speed! Isn't that cheating!?"
Menma wasn't surprised in the slightest.
In the original timeline, Sasuke learned the Chidori and Lightning Chakra Flow in a single month—an insane rate of growth. It was enough to pierce Gaara's sand defense, though he ultimately fell short once Gaara began drawing on Shukaku's power.
But against Hyūga Neji at this stage—
Sasuke clearly held the advantage.
BANG!
Using Sharingan-enhanced taijutsu copied directly from Kakashi, combined with his lightning-boosted speed, Sasuke overwhelmed Neji completely.
Neji could only defend passively—
he couldn't counter, and couldn't even fully form his Eight Trigrams stance.
This couldn't continue.
Gritting his teeth, Neji struck Sasuke's arm, forcing distance between them as he repositioned.
But Sasuke read it immediately.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
His hands blurred through seals.
A massive ball of flame roared toward Neji.
"Woah!?"
"Ohhh!?"
Gasps filled the stadium as the fireball rushed across the arena straight toward Neji.