Gaara and the fake Sasuke stood on opposite sides of the arena. Due to the special nature of Wood Release clones, even Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elite Jonin watching from the stands couldn't immediately see through the disguise. Gaara, however, was an exception. Even Chinatsu herself didn't believe Gaara had completely seen through her transformation.
In truth, Gaara hadn't fully exposed Chinatsu's disguise either. Gaara's way of thinking had always been different from ordinary people, allowing him to barely synchronize with Chinatsu's bizarre logic. Unfortunately, the moment their thoughts almost aligned, Gaara's reasoning suddenly veered off into an even stranger direction.
Gaara stared fixedly at the "Sasuke" before him. The sand floating around his body gradually became restless. Ever since Shukaku had stopped constantly tormenting his mind after his stay at the Uchiha residence, Gaara's control over his sand had become even more refined. At this point, many ordinary Jonin would already lose to him in a direct battle.
"The match begins!"
The moment Genma Shiranui announced the start of the battle, Gaara immediately attacked. Countless streams of sand shot forward like long whips, tearing through the air toward Chinatsu.
Chinatsu instinctively raised both hands, almost using Wood Release out of habit. Fortunately, she stopped herself at the last second.
Sasuke using Mokuton would be outrageous… although her knowing Wood Release in the first place was already outrageous enough.
Chinatsu immediately switched tactics. She stepped backward and flicked her right hand. Instantly, the sound of a thousand chirping birds rang throughout the arena.
"Chidori!"
Electricity exploded from her palm as the Lightning Release chakra tore through the incoming sand whips and blasted them apart.
"Tch… using this move is seriously annoying."
Chinatsu muttered inwardly. She had spent four whole years trying to trick Kakashi into teaching her Chidori, yet Kakashi had guarded it like some secret treasure. Meanwhile, Sasuke had learned it in only a short period under Kakashi's training before the finals.
Chinatsu's four years of begging < Sasuke after special tutoring.
Just thinking about it made her furious.
After dispersing the sand, Chinatsu immediately changed hand seals. She inhaled deeply and unleashed a massive stream of flames.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The sea of flames roared toward Gaara like a burning tidal wave. At that moment, "Sasuke" looked less like a Genin and more like Madara Uchiha descending onto the battlefield. Even the Jonin and clan heads watching from the audience felt their scalps go numb.
Audience A: That kid is cheating!
Audience B: What kind of Fire Release is that?!
Audience C: I heard the Uchiha clan's Fire Release surpasses normal shinobi, but this is absurd!
Audience D: Sasuke-kun is so cool!!!
The arena instantly erupted into chaos.
Gaara's pupils shrank. He immediately manipulated his sand into a dense shield around himself. The flames collided against the sand barrier with an explosive roar that shook the entire stadium. Smoke and heat spread everywhere, and many spectators thought the match had already ended.
But when the smoke slowly dispersed, Gaara was still standing.
Only half of the sand protecting him had been burned away, and his breathing had become visibly heavier.
The difference… how could it be this large…?
Gaara had always believed himself to be powerful, and in truth, he was. In the original timeline, while Naruto spent years training under Jiraiya, Gaara had already become the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure despite still being young. His talent and strength were unquestionable.
Of course… that also said a lot about how weak Sunagakure's situation had become.
At that moment, however, Gaara sensed an aura from the fake Sasuke that vastly exceeded his own.
Kage-level?
No… even stronger than that.
It felt similar to his sister…
"…Hm?"
Gaara suddenly froze.
His wildly drifting train of thought abruptly connected together.
Ah… so that's it.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.
Suddenly, Gaara no longer wanted to fight at all.
But surrendering directly would be too suspicious…
Then I'll do it this way.
A faint confident smile appeared on Gaara's face. Unfortunately, the moment his thoughts connected with Chinatsu's, they immediately diverged again into completely different directions.
Chinatsu noticed the subtle change in Gaara's expression and narrowed her eyes slightly. Although she didn't believe Gaara could defeat her fake Sasuke identity, caution was still necessary.
She glanced at a pebble near her foot.
Then, in what she personally considered an extremely cool pose, she kicked it forward like a soccer ball.
"Ninja Art: Aerial Volley!!!"
The pebble shot forward with terrifying speed and force, slicing through the air with a loud whoosh. Even the players from Captain Tsubasa would probably be stunned by such a ridiculous shot.
Of course, this kind of attack posed no real danger to Gaara. Chinatsu merely wanted to test how much chakra and stamina he still had left through his defensive response.
If he was already exhausted, she planned to end the match gently.
Gaara calmly watched the incoming pebble. With his refined sand perception, he perfectly judged the angle, trajectory, and timing.
Then
At the final second…
He deliberately jumped backward.
"WHOOSH!!!"
Gaara flew dramatically out of the arena as though struck directly by the pebble. He landed outside the ring completely unharmed, closed his eyes, and instantly pretended to faint.
Gaara: Perfect.
Chinatsu's lips twitched slightly.
Thanks to the Sharingan, she had clearly seen Gaara intentionally throwing the match.
If Naruto had done this, she would've accepted it immediately without surprise.
But Gaara?!
What exactly had Naruto taught him during those few days at the Uchiha residence?!
Outwardly, Chinatsu still maintained Sasuke's cold and aloof expression, but internally she was screaming in disbelief.
If the Sharingan could catch Gaara's subtle movements, then naturally the Hyuga clan's Byakugan users in the audience also noticed something strange.
Several Hyuga members exchanged suspicious looks.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard thoughtfully as he watched "Sasuke" standing proudly in the arena.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Why did Gaara suddenly throw himself out of bounds? And Sasuke feels strange too… Naruto earlier also acted oddly… Tsk, what nonsense am I thinking? With Chinatsu around, what could possibly happen? There's no way she'd use Wood Clones and the Transformation Technique to impersonate Naruto and Sasuke just to participate in the Chunin Exams. That would be ridiculous~
And just like that, Chinatsu successfully passed through another dangerous situation without exposure.
As she stepped down from the arena, Gaara who was being carried away on a stretcher by medical shinobi slowly opened one eye.
Pretending to have just regained consciousness, he secretly gave Chinatsu a thumbs-up.
Then he tilted his head again, instantly returning to his "unconscious" state before the medical staff carried him completely out of sight.
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