[Bang!]
With a thud, Gaara was sent flying by Sasuke's punch.
The sand protecting Gaara was completely useless against Sasuke's speed.
However, Gaara's body was covered in a thick sand armor. Breaking it would be an impossible dream for Sasuke.
Gaara slowly stood up. As fragments of his sand armor fell from his face, his expression grew increasingly cold. Beneath his feet, a large amount of sand began to churn, quickly accumulating.
The amount was astonishing.
The battlefield had already completely changed. At this moment, it had become a world of sand.
Sasuke's expression was solemn. "Such a large amount of chakra, are you really a human?"
"Human?" Gaara let out a deep laugh, his expression turning both sinister and proud. "No, to be exact, I am an existence of a higher level. I am... a Jinchuriki!"
Sasuke was startled and said, "Do you consider Jinchuriki to be a higher existence?"
"Of course!" Gaara laughed and said, "That's what my sensei taught me. Very few have the ability to become a Jinchuriki. The fact that I am one proves how extraordinary I am."
Is there such a saying?
Several people were a little stunned.
"Am I wrong?" Funan curled his lips and said, "Who can become Jinchuriki is an ordinary person? They are all geniuses among geniuses."
Everyone thought about the Jinchuriki of all generations, including the Jinchuriki of other shinobi villages, and nodded slightly.
If you think about it, he was not completely wrong.
Even the Raikage himself admitted that, leaving aside the power of the Eight-Tails, Killer Bee had greater potential than him and the qualities necessary to become a Kage.
Gaara stared at Sasuke and said, "Uchiha, you're done."
"Sand Drizzle!"
Fine sand began to fall from the sky.
The area was very large, covering the entire venue.
Sasuke had no way to dodge it.
The sand accumulating on his body increased the pressure. At the same time, two hands made of sand abruptly emerged from the ground, trapping Sasuke's feet.
Sasuke leaned over and slapped his palms, smashing the palms of sand and avoiding the fate of being caught.
"How many more times can you avoid it?" Gaara said coldly.
As he spoke, the ground beneath his feet quickly turned into sand, covering almost the entire battlefield.
At the same time, the rain of sand in the sky became increasingly intense.
"Sand is everywhere!" Sasuke's face darkened.
The amount of sand on his body increased steadily, making him feel heavier.
He tried to attack Gaara, but he was already protected by a round shell made of sand, leaving one eye of sand outside.
Sasuke quickly threw a shuriken towards the eye, destroying it.
However, as soon as he destroyed it, dozens of sand eyes appeared in the air, all floating and staring at him coldly.
In addition, several hands of sand emerged from the ground, trying to catch him.
"Damn it!" Sasuke growled, frustrated.
How was it possible that he had so much chakra?
This is undoubtedly the work of the Tailed Beast.
Sasuke took a deep breath, his gaze turned serious, and he began to form seals with both hands.
Small rays began to crackle in his palms.
Chidori!
"Try this move of mine."
Sasuke's expression was grim, with a hint of pride in his eyes.
"Hmph!" Gaara let out a snort from within the round shell of sand. With a wave of his hands, several walls of sand began to rise from the ground, blocking Sasuke's path.
The walls were not only solid; arms of sand emerged from them, interlocking and sealing any possible breach.
Sasuke was dumbfounded.
The Chidori was a powerful technique, but it was not like a physical weapon that could be used relentlessly.
He couldn't avoid so many walls, and if he kept thrusting, his chakra would never be able to support him for such a long time.
For a moment, Sasuke imagined Gaara on the other side of the walls, raising a finger and beckoning him to come closer.
Damn!
Sasuke trembled with frustration.
For someone more experienced, breaking through this defense would be feasible. But for a twelve-year-old like Sasuke… it was a difficult task.
Chakra is extremely limited.
On the contrary, Gaara has a lot of chakra. And just as Funan said, to be able to become a Jinchuriki his innate ability is outstanding, in addition to having the power of Shukaku.
While Gaara protected himself inside his shell, he launched incessant sand attacks.
Looking at Sasuke's annoyed look, Funan felt that it was very interesting.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, in front of him, small snowflakes began to float in the air.
Funan was puzzled.
It seemed like an illusion. But weren't those supposed to be feathers?
He slowly turned his head, directing a cold gaze towards the other four Kage.
To his surprise, they also turned their heads towards him, returning equally cold gazes.
"Hokage, what did you do?"
"Hey?" Funan was stunned and said coldly: "Why are you pretending? Don't tell me that you didn't do this."
"We have nothing to do with this." Mei said coldly: "On the contrary, by agreeing to hold the Five Kage Summit in Konoha, we have shown trust in you. Were you planning to attack us?"
"That's impossible!" Funan shook his head and murmured: "If it's not you, then this is..."
"It's me!"
"What?" Funan's body stiffened.
At this time, a person had come behind him.
"Hehe, Funan-kun, I said that you will see my real body soon."
It was Orochimaru.
…
"What's going on?"
At this moment, there was a commotion in the audience.
One by one, the spectators fell into their seats, unconscious.
The nobles, on the other hand, remained awake and, realizing the situation, began to shout loudly, demanding immediate protection from the nearby Konoha shinobi.
The Konoha shinobi, though annoyed, had no choice but to come to their aid, first freeing them from the genjutsu before surrounding them to protect them.
After all, they were nobles from different nations who had come to Konoha with intentions of cooperation. They couldn't afford for anything to happen to them.
The jonin present frowned, worried.
They understood it instantly.
The enemy had planned this on purpose, forcing them to divert part of their forces to protect those useless nobles.
An obvious conspiracy, but impossible to ignore.
...
"What's going on?"
"What on earth is going on?"
Naruto had managed to break free from the genjutsu with ease. He was now screaming, visibly upset.
He wasn't the only one. Other genin who had broken the genjutsu looked around tensely, ready for battle.
The battle between Sasuke and Gaara also stopped. Both of them watched the scene with deep frowns.
"It is obvious." Aburame Shino approached Naruto, his tone calm but serious. "The enemy has made their intentions clear. War is here. Naruto, are you prepared to fight?"
"Of course!" Naruto, regaining his composure, shouted with determination, "Ero-Sennin already warned me. I'm going to fight for Konoha! And now, I want to go rescue Funan-aniki."
But before he could move, his body went completely still.
A shadow spread out quickly, merging with his own and holding him in place.
"I'm sorry, Naruto!" Shikamaru sighed and said apologetically: "I can't let you leave here."
"You..." Naruto looked at Shikamaru blankly and shouted: "Shikamaru, what are you doing?"
Although his mind was not the brightest, he was still able to think of a possibility, and this possibility terrified him.
Shikamaru ignored him but looked at Shino and said: "You too, Shino. Stay here. If you try anything reckless, I can't guarantee your safety."
Shino remained calm and replied, "Shikamaru, are you telling me that the Nara clan has decided to betray Konoha?"
"No!" Shikamaru gritted his teeth and replied resolutely, "This is not a betrayal. It is an attempt to right Konoha's wrongs."
"Uchiha Funan, he will only bring war and destruction to Konoha."
Shino shook his head slowly as he raised his hands. A cloud of insects began to gather on his palms.
"Ino, Choji!" Shikamaru raised his voice, calling out to his companions.
"Shikamaru, I... this..." Ino hesitated, clearly affected by the situation.
"Ino, we have no choice." Shikamaru spoke gravely, "Before coming here, didn't your father explain it to you?"
"Yes..." Ino replied quietly, "Dad told me to obey you no matter what."
"Good. You and Choji must take care of Shino."
Shikamaru's voice was cold and determined.
Ino, her heart heavy, raised her head. But just then, her gaze froze.
In front of her, someone had appeared.
A long pink hair made her hold her breath.
"Sakura..."
Sakura stood next to Shino, her face reflecting deep sadness: "Ino, please stop. If you do it now, we can still fix this."
"No." After making her decision, Ino no longer hesitated. She spoke in a calm voice, "There's no turning back for me now. Sakura, can you please step aside?"
Sakura, after a brief silence, gave a stiff smile and replied, "It seems that the confrontation we left pending last time will be resolved here and now."
Choji also stepped forward silently. Although he was a little confused, he had always listened to Shikamaru for a long time.
This time will be no exception.
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