The confrontation on the field grew more intense by the second, but what no one expected was that the real fight had only just begun.
Every punch Naruto Uzumaki threw was a powerful nin-taijutsu infused with his chakra. Yet every time he shattered one of Gaara's monstrous arms, it would simply dissolve into sand and reform.
Outside the battlefield, the Four Violet Flames Formation was under constant, intense impact. The members of the sealing squad were visibly struggling, using all their strength just to maintain the barrier.
"It's over..." Temari murmured from the viewing stand, taking a few involuntary steps back as she stared at the half-human, half-beast monster below. "Gaara... has been completely angered."
Kankuro glanced at the battle, then steadied his sister. "Temari, don't worry," he said in a deep voice. "I'll go find Baki-sensei first!"
On the other side of the stands, where Team 3 and Team 7 were gathered, Sakura Haruno gripped the railing tightly. She looked down at the transformed Sand ninja and asked softly, "Kakashi-sensei, who exactly is that Sand ninja...?"
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes swept over the sand spreading within the barrier and the rampaging Gaara. "We've seen something like this before," he said in a low voice, "but what we saw then was much stronger than this."
He was clearly referring to the ambush at the bandits' hideout, when Naruto had unleashed his Tailed Beast Cloak. Back then, Naruto had broken the stalemate with his own power, and both Kakashi and Sasuke knew he hadn't even been using his full strength when he defeated that group of Root ninjas.
The problem was, they all knew Naruto had the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, and the form he had shown at that time only had four tails. Judging strength in this situation wasn't a matter of simple math.
"That's right. We can also use this to see Naruto's limits," Kakashi Hatake said, watching his student with a thoughtful gaze. Since Naruto was unable to use the Nine-Tails' chakra for a time in the Village Hidden in Hot Water, just how much had his own strength improved?
"What?" Might Guy was a bit confused, perhaps because his brain was too small, or perhaps because he couldn't find where his brain was at all.
Sakura Haruno's focus was elsewhere. She just watched the two fighting fiercely on the field and asked, "Sensei, is the One-Tail very strong? Will Naruto...?"
"Don't worry. That guy Naruto won't lose," Sasuke Uchiha interrupted, shaking his head. "How strong can a Tailed Beast be if even the Sand Village could capture it?"
Might Guy was speechless.
The members of Team 3 were speechless.
Wasn't that underestimating the One-Tail just a little too much? It was, after all, the Sand Village's greatest trump card, their jinchuriki. His strength was not to be taken lightly.
However, as the battle entered its most exciting phase, Might Guy finally realized they had underestimated Naruto's power and overestimated the One-Tail.
"Sand Prison!"
A giant hand of sand shot up in a surprise attack, completely enclosing Naruto's position and trapping him. Then, the chakra within the giant hand was instantly absorbed, and it crumbled into a pile of ordinary sand.
The enraged Gaara found that his ninjutsu had met its ultimate counter. Every time he painstakingly created a deadly attack, it was rendered useless. Without chakra, the yellow sand was just sand; he couldn't control it at all.
"Still holding on?" Naruto said, walking toward Gaara step by step with a vortex of chakra clenched tightly in his hand. "You can't defeat me. Let the guy inside you wake up!"
"Tch, so self-righteous!" the Sand ninja boy hissed, irritably swinging his arm. A massive cloud of sand rushed forward, its momentum so great it seemed intent on burying Naruto completely.
A glimmer of light flickered within the spreading sand.
Countless grains of sand fell like a collapsing sky but ultimately could not break through that single point of light on the ground. It was Naruto's position.
"Spiral Dance Umbrella!"
Naruto walked through the sea of sand, holding the chakra-formed umbrella. Although this was a life-or-death duel, he looked surprisingly relaxed. Amidst the swirling sand, the glowing umbrella seemed like a safe haven, a sight that also struck fear into the hearts of some ninja watching.
Inside the sealing space, the Nine-Tails looked at Naruto and let out a low laugh. "That Shukaku must be getting weaker with age, to actually be held back by his jinchuriki!"
Naruto felt like there was something wrong with the Nine-Tails' complaint, but he didn't have time to mock the fox. Instead, he asked about his own dilemma in a low voice, "Can I really not absorb the One-Tail completely?"
"Naruto, what do you think a Tailed Beast is?" the Nine-Tails's eyes widened as it stared at the boy outside its cage. "Don't even think about it," it said in a deep voice. "You'll be lucky just to find an opportunity to absorb a Tailed Beast's chakra!"
According to its judgment, if Naruto seized this opportunity, he could extract most of the One-Tail's chakra, shrinking that annoying Shukaku down to the size of a teapot lid. But the life bestowed upon the Tailed Beasts by the Sage of Six Paths was not so easily taken away. They were essentially immortal, their lives as long as heaven and earth.
"The next step is to make that little brat truly awaken the One-Tail..." The Nine-Tails extended its claw and tapped the ground. "It's time to let that idiot Shukaku see clearly who the strongest Tailed Beast is!"
Naruto Uzumaki was speechless.
Outside, Gaara's sandstorm had ended. By coincidence, Naruto had also walked right up to him. The umbrella in his hand slowly closed. Then, Naruto swung the folded umbrella and sent the half-human, half-beast Sand ninja flying with a single blow.
Naruto looked at the unwilling Gaara and explained in a low voice, "You're not my opponent. Let my real opponent come out, okay?"
"Heh heh..." Gaara wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and brought his fingers together, entering a state of feigned sleep. He had wanted a good rest for a long time anyway. And since he was in Konoha, no one here could restrain him. He would let the One-Tail wreak havoc.
Just as the onlookers were looking at the sleeping Gaara, thinking he was about to admit defeat, they saw his body begin to expand rapidly.
A fat, raccoon-like creature appeared in the exam hall.
The moment it appeared, its comical appearance was overshadowed by the suffocating pressure that filled the entire battlefield. It was the unique, furious aura of a Tailed Beast.
The One-Tail Shukaku, in its full form, had been unleashed.
The first thing Shukaku did upon appearing was launch an attack. "Although it was because of you that I was freed, I won't be grateful... Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet!"
"Spiral Shockwave!"
The azure chakra collided with the Drilling Air Bullet. The resulting explosion was so huge it nearly tore apart the Four Violet Flames Formation. An endless expanse of wind and sand became the new backdrop for their fight.
Shukaku glanced at Naruto and said coldly, "Let the guy inside you come out. Is he hiding because he saw me?"
"No... it's because your strength is too weak," Naruto said, spreading his hands and shaking his head. "You're probably not worth the Nine-Tails showing its form."
"That bastard!"
The yellow sand flew up again. Shukaku clenched its fists and threw a series of punches at Naruto, but he dodged them all. He even playfully traded a punch with the Tailed Beast.
The One-Tail's entire body was sent flying backward.
Outside the sealing barrier, the proctor, Hayate Gekko, was at a loss. He knew this battle had gotten out of control and was asking Hiruzen Sarutobi whether to stop it.
Unexpectedly, after a long moment of thought, Hiruzen calmly shook his head.
At least for now, Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki had the advantage. This was a good opportunity to use the Chunin Exams to teach Konoha's "little brother," the Sand Village, a lesson.
-----
Bonus Banter
Shukaku: Come out! I dare you to come out!
Nine-Tails: Stop knocking, I won't get out.
Shukaku: Then come out! I dare you! Let's go one-on-one!
Nine-Tails: I could get out, I'm just too lazy to. It's not because I can't, understand?
Shukaku: Understood... I understand...