As the third and final round of the Chunin Exams began, Konoha welcomed its most distinguished guest: Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of the Sand Village.
"Lord Kazekage, this way, please."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his formal robes, personally greeted the Fourth Kazekage and led him toward the highest seats in the arena.
"Thank you."
The Fourth Kazekage lifted his head from beneath his Kage hat, his cold face and narrowed eyes taking in the scene. He followed Hiruzen to the viewing platform, took his seat, and began to quietly survey the stadium.
It had to be said—the scale of this final exam was immense.
The entire VIP section was packed with daimyo and nobles from various nations. All of Konoha's leadership was in attendance; even the long-retired Hokage advisor, Danzo Shimura, was present, seated with his two old comrades.
Jiraiya and Tsunade, two of Konoha's legendary Sannin, stood at a high vantage point, keeping a watchful eye over the entire arena. Their focus was singular: the possible appearance of Orochimaru.
As a special guest, Emiya Shirou had also been invited. Or rather, it was Naruto Uzumaki's earnest wish for him to be there that finally convinced the man, who usually dedicated all his time to medical research, to make an appearance.
However, Emiya Shirou chose to sit beside Tsunade. After all, that spot offered the clearest view of the entire field.
"Naruto's up first…" Jiraiya murmured, rubbing his chin as he watched Naruto walk to the center of the arena at the referee's signal. "Should be no problem, right?"
"Oh, really?" Tsunade, standing beside him, waved a dismissive hand. "I heard that you, his teacher, gave the kid plenty of extra training."
"Heh heh…" Jiraiya just scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
While they spoke, the first match had already begun. Naruto Uzumaki was facing his first opponent: Neji Hyuga.
As a prodigy of the Hyuga clan and the student of Might Guy, Konoha's top taijutsu specialist, Neji was clearly the superior hand-to-hand combatant.
However, after watching for a few moments, Jiraiya and Tsunade found the fight only mildly entertaining. Their conversation soon shifted to what truly mattered—their old friend, Orochimaru.
"Any news on that guy?" Tsunade asked, her eyes scanning the crowd for anything suspicious.
"No." Jiraiya's expression turned serious as he surveyed the arena. "Too many people have entered the village recently. We've searched everywhere but found nothing. It seems like he might have left."
"But…"
"That guy isn't the type to give up so easily. If he and Uchiha Obito are planning something, it's going to happen today. This is the last day of the Chunin Exams."
Indeed. Today was the most significant day of the event. If Orochimaru were to stage a coup in front of so many important figures, it would send shockwaves through the entire ninja world.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had hidden himself exceptionally well. Jiraiya couldn't find a single clue.
"I've already alerted the jonin in the village," Jiraiya said, lowering his voice as he glanced at the jonin in the front rows. "Something might happen today, so everyone is on high alert."
"The ANBU are also searching for him secretly within the arena."
"And the village perimeter is on maximum alert."
After explaining the precautions, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade. "If he really dares to cause trouble today…"
Honestly, he would probably never make it out alive. Nearly all of Konoha's military strength was gathered right here. Unless Orochimaru and Obito could instantly unleash the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto, there was no way they could cause any real chaos.
Of course, Naruto himself was receiving extra attention. As a contestant, he was in the spotlight. With Jiraiya and Tsunade watching, Orochimaru had no chance of getting close to him or manipulating the Nine-Tails.
Obito wouldn't get a chance, either. Though his movements were notoriously difficult to track, Kakashi had volunteered to stop him. If Obito appeared, Kakashi would ensure he never got near Naruto.
"Besides Orochimaru," Jiraiya mused, "those ninjas from the Rain Village are also a concern." He looked over at the Rain ninja team he had been observing. "There's no telling what they might try today."
It was strange. As Jiraiya's gaze fell upon the Rain ninja known as Zero and White Tiger, they seemed to notice him and met his eyes.
It's a strangely familiar yet distant feeling… Jiraiya's expression tightened.
He guessed he must have encountered them during his travels, but he still held onto a sliver of hope. He hoped that with both him and Tsunade present, the memory of their legendary battle against Hanzo of the Salamander would be enough to deter any foolish plans.
While Jiraiya worried about threats outside the ring, the first match concluded. Naruto, who had sworn to avenge Hinata, defeated Neji with a powerful Rasengan.
Next up: Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara.
As Naruto left the field, his expression was a mess of conflicting emotions. He wanted to beat Sasuke, but he also needed to defeat Gaara…
Man, this is tough! There are so many people I need to beat!
After all, Sasuke was the rival he was determined to surpass, while Gaara was a responsibility entrusted to him by Emiya Shirou. He had to defeat Gaara to tell him the truth about his mother.
But the referee wasn't concerned with any of that. Once Naruto was clear, Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara took the stage.
Compared to the previous bout, the fight between Sasuke and Gaara was far more thrilling for the crowd. Sasuke's figure was a blur as he moved at high speed, a testament to how much he had grown by absorbing the strengths of others.
For instance, he had copied Rock Lee's taijutsu.
Sasuke was a true genius. His progress during his month of training was astonishing, even shocking Rock Lee, who was watching from the stands.
But taijutsu alone wasn't enough. No matter how many times Sasuke attacked, his strikes couldn't break through Gaara's absolute defense. The dense sand was as solid as a wall.
Fortunately, Sasuke had also learned powerful ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Sasuke unleashed a ferocious fire jutsu, sending a torrent of flames surging toward Gaara like a roaring dragon. The sand wall sizzled and crackled under the intense heat. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as the powerful techniques clashed.
"That kid looks like one of yours," Tsunade remarked with amusement, watching Sasuke.
"No, no, definitely not!" Jiraiya waved his hands frantically.
He wouldn't dare take Sasuke as a student, especially given his complicated relationship with Naruto, the "child of prophecy."
If Sasuke were his student… his students really might end up fighting each other!
Jiraiya couldn't help but steal a glance at Emiya Shirou, who was standing on the other side. The man's reputation was daunting, and his insight was on another level.
Jiraiya was genuinely worried; he couldn't ignore Shirou's warning that his students were fated to fight to determine the true child of prophecy.
Looking back at Jiraiya, Emiya Shirou said coolly, "What people fear most has a way of coming true, regardless of how much they dread it."
"What is Jiraiya so afraid of?" Tsunade asked Emiya, puzzled.
"It's nothing," Jiraiya said quickly, shaking his head.
His gaze fell on Naruto, who had just left the arena. "If the Great Toad Sage's prophecy matches what Lord Emiya has predicted, then I'll do everything in my power to stop it!"
"Besides," Jiraiya added, looking at Shirou, "Naruto will definitely become an outstanding ninja one day. Isn't that what you think, too, Lord Emiya?"
"Perhaps," Emiya said, his eyes on the waiting contestants below. "But now that you've started to believe in destiny, destiny won't disappoint you. The stories that are prophesied to happen… are bound to unfold."
As they talked, the battle between Sasuke and Gaara reached its climax. Flames and sand clashed relentlessly, and explosions echoed through the stadium.
However, the deadliest moves are often hidden in plain sight.
Besides Fire Style, Sasuke had also learned a new ninjutsu from Kakashi over the past month—one he even preferred to Jiraiya's techniques.
"Lightning Style: Chidori!"
Lightning flashed between Sasuke's hands as he shot forward, piercing through the smoke and sand to charge directly at Gaara.
"This guy!"
Gaara quickly formed a sphere of sand to shield himself, but he was a fraction of a second too late. The sharp Chidori tore through his shoulder, drawing blood. The scent of it seemed to darken Gaara's expression, and a feral, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
His sanity… was beginning to crumble.
A twisted chakra began to radiate from his body. Half of Gaara's face contorted, slowly taking on the features of a strange, tanuki-like creature. That chakra was unmistakably ominous.
Even Naruto, watching from the waiting area, felt it. Something was terribly wrong with Gaara.
He knew this feeling. They were the same.
Gaara was about to become what Naruto had almost turned into just before his graduation—the monster sealed inside him was about to break free.
"Kakashi-sensei! No, I have to find Master Jiraiya!"
Naruto ran toward Jiraiya, desperate to get him to stop the match.
"Master Jiraiya!" Naruto bolted over, too rushed to even greet Emiya Shirou. "That guy… he's not normal! He's—"
"He's the jinchuriki of the One-Tail, Shukaku," Emiya Shirou finished calmly, his eyes fixed on Gaara's still form in the arena.
That name was one Jiraiya and Tsunade knew well.
"What?"
After all, the Sand Village had attempted to use the One-Tail's power against Konoha more than once during the great ninja wars. Shukaku's existence was no secret.
"I will kill you…" In the ring, Gaara slowly lifted his head. A crazed smile spread across his lips as he raised a hand toward Sasuke. "I will kill you… I absolutely will…"
Sasuke's body tensed, and he instinctively began to back away. That dangerous aura… he could feel it.
What kind of monster is this guy?
Whoosh!
Gaara slowly closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a terrifying hurricane of sand and chakra erupted in the arena. A massive, hulking tanuki appeared before everyone, its mouth letting out an eerie shriek that echoed across the entire stadium.
"Finally… I'm out to play again!"