"I forfeit this match!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Kankuro screamed with all his might, his voice slightly distorted by extreme fear. His face was pale, sweat poured down, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.
He was terrified that if he was a second too slow, his terrifying younger brother would forcibly drag him into the arena with sand, forcing him into a "match" that he had no chance of winning, and might even cost him his life.
He absolutely couldn't go down there! He would die, he would definitely die!
Naruto watched this scene from the spectator stands, his expression a bit strange. This matching mechanism… it was even more absurd than his own match just now. This time, Lee didn't face Gaara; instead, their own teammates were pitted against each other?
Naruto knew clearly that at this time, Gaara wouldn't care if Kankuro was his older brother. As long as it was a battle, in Gaara's eyes, it only had the meaning of "slaughter." He would absolutely crush Kankuro to pieces in the arena without hesitation.
Kankuro could clearly feel the cold, almost tangible gaze from Gaara's direction. The shadow of death already loomed over him, making him almost suffocate.
He prayed frantically, begging that this monster of a brother wouldn't forcibly compel him.
A few seconds later, that icy killing intent seemed to recede slightly. Gaara said nothing, merely redirecting his emotionless gaze back to the empty center of the arena.
Only after Gekkō Hayate reconfirmed Kankuro's intention to forfeit and announced, "Second match, winner, Gaara," did Kankuro, as if exhausted, feel his legs turn to jelly, almost unable to stand, a huge sense of relief flooding his heart, like someone who had just escaped a disaster.
The electronic screen began to flicker again, signaling the arrival of the third match. This time, the match results finally didn't surprise Naruto.
"Zaku Abumi VS Shino Aburame"
"Ahem… Will both contestants please step forward." Gekkō Hayate gestured. The two walked to the center of the arena as instructed. However, unlike the original work in Naruto's memory, Zaku's arms were perfectly intact at this moment—because Team 7 had quickly cleared the Death Forest, he hadn't broken his arms as in the original plot.
Naruto had a rather deep impression of Zaku, mainly thanks to the opponent's iconic, confident declaration.
"This power can even destroy Rocks!"
Hmm… Following this logic… Zaku can shatter Rocks, Rocks can crush Obito, Obito can intimidate Danzo, Danzo can steal Shisui's Sharingan, and Shisui is the possessor of what Itachi called the strongest Genjutsu, Itachi can seal Nagato with one sword, Nagato controls Pain, Pain can invade Konoha and beat the protagonist Naruto into the ground, and Naruto is the one who sealed the Chakra progenitor, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya… So, roughly speaking, Zaku is stronger than Kaguya?
In the arena, Zaku, perhaps because his arms were intact, appeared particularly arrogant and overbearing. He squinted at Shino Aburame, who wore sunglasses and showed no expression, his eyes full of disdain, clearly treating the opponent as an unknown small fry he could easily dismiss.
"What a boring match," Zaku said contemptuously, "Against trash like you, it won't take much time at all."
Shino remained silent, merely observing Zaku calmly through his sunglasses. This complete disregard ignited a fire in Zaku's heart, a surge of anger at being underestimated.
He stopped wasting words, charging forward abruptly and throwing a straight punch at Shino's face! Shino reacted quickly, raising his arm to block steadily. The moment their bodies made contact, Zaku's other hand was already aimed at Shino, who was within arm's reach.
"Slicing Sound Wave!"
The device on his arm suddenly emitted a violent hum, and an invisible, powerful shockwave erupted fiercely! Dust instantly rose, engulfing Shino's figure, and the powerful force slammed him hard onto the ground.
Looking at Shino, who was lying on the ground, Zaku's mouth curved into a triumphant arc. Just as he was about to mock him again, he saw that in the dust, the figure slowly, steadily stood up again. Apart from some dust on his clothes, he seemed to have suffered no substantial harm.
"Tch, you won't give up obediently?" Zaku frowned, feeling impatient. "Then I'll do it again, and knock you down for good! Slicing Sound Wave!"
He activated the device again, however—
"Pfft…"
The expected shockwave didn't appear; only a strange, deflating sound was heard. Zaku discovered with horror that the Chakra in both of his arms was rapidly draining away.
He abruptly looked down to check, and then realized with shock that the air vents on his arm devices, used to release the shockwave, were, at some unknown point, completely blocked by countless, continuously wriggling black insects!
"The moment you attacked at close range," Shino's calm voice sounded at the opportune moment, "my insects had already infiltrated your body. Now, they are blocking your air vents with their bodies."
The next moment, a sight that made most people in the audience's scalps tingle appeared—countless tiny black insects slowly crawled out from Shino's sleeves, collar, and even from beneath his skin! They surged like a black tide, quickly gathering around him, forming a constantly undulating, rustling "carpet of insects."
This horrifying scene made many of the examinees in the stands instinctively take half a step back.
"Damn it!" Zaku was both shocked and enraged. Seeing that he couldn't use his Ninjutsu, he reluctantly punched towards Shino again, attempting to decide the match with Taijutsu.
However, his furious punch was easily dodged by Shino, who simply moved aside and parried it. What terrified Zaku even more was that a strong sense of weakness swept over his entire body like a tide. His steps became unsteady, and his strength was rapidly draining away!
"These insects are called Destructive Parasitic Insects," Shino explained calmly. "They feed on Chakra. Now, they are attached to you, constantly devouring your Chakra. I suggest you give up."
The outcome was without suspense. Zaku, with his arm devices destroyed and a large amount of his Chakra devoured, found it difficult even to stand steadily. He was struck by a clean, precise elbow to the side of his neck by Shino, grunted, and completely passed out.
Although Naruto had a good relationship with Shino, every time he saw countless insects swarming out from under his friend's robes and from his skin, Naruto still felt a chill run down his spine, a primal physiological reaction, and tiny goosebumps involuntarily appeared on his arms.
As Gekkō Hayate announced Shino Aburame's victory, accompanied by Inuzuka Kiba's cheers for his teammate, the electronic screen in the center of the arena began to flicker again, characters scrolling, finally settling to display the matched opponents for the next duel.
"Inuzuka Kiba VS Rock Lee"
On the other side of the stands, Might Guy, seeing that it was finally his beloved disciple's turn to appear, immediately rushed to the railing with burning passion, pointed vigorously forward, and shouted in his characteristic loud voice. "Go, Lee! Show everyone your youthful power!"
"Oh oh oh—!!" Lee's response was equally passionate, as if his entire body was burning with invisible flames. He leaped agilely into the center of the arena, landed steadily, and assumed his standard starting stance.
Naruto looked at the match list with a strange expression, then glanced at Inuzuka Kiba, who was as excited as Akamaru on his head, rubbing his hands together, eager to try, and rushing towards the arena…
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