When Gaara arrived at the venue, his gaze first swept toward Ino's direction, but he couldn't spot her at first glance. After a thorough search, he finally found her nestled beneath Hinata's magnificent bosom—good grief, she was sleeping soundly!
His eyes inadvertently met Naruto's, and in that moment, both recognized something familiar in each other. It was an unspoken understanding—they were the same kind of person.
By the afternoon, most of the attendees had grown lethargic.
Shikamaru had already fought against both Hinata and Sasuke in the morning, and since the afternoon matches didn't involve him, he simply went home to sleep, skipping the event entirely.
Choji and Kiba did show up, but both were in a daze.
Shino? No one even knew where Shino was—the entire Aburame Clan had an exceptionally low presence. The scheming Danzo only remembered that the Yamanaka Clan supported him, so he always thought of them when doling out favors. But the Aburame Clan? Did they even back him?
Asuma and Kurenai had gone to watch a movie after lunch and were nowhere near the venue.
The Chunin Exams somewhat resembled New Year's Eve in Ino's past life—morning speeches by the higher-ups, followed by performances by the rookies (the Chunin Exams). By the afternoon, attendance was merely a formality; those without duties could leave, while the busy ones were the leaders, the Genin performing their "talents," and the staff on duty. The majority of the ninja present weren't occupied.
Sunagakure and Orochimaru had seized this opportunity, crafting a meticulous plan around it.
Shiranui Genma also wanted to rest, but to make a good impression on the Third Hokage, he forced himself to clean off the dirt clinging to him—despite being exhausted—and promptly took his place at the center of the arena.
The guests, too, were drowsy, yawning repeatedly, their energy clearly flagging.
Only after all the dignitaries and attendees had settled in, with the Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" seated, did Genma lightly tap Naruto and Gaara, signaling that it was their turn to fight.
The two stood ready, about to exchange words, when the "Fourth Kazekage" on the high platform suddenly rose.
With a chuckle, he said, "Well, Lord Third Hokage, a battle between Jinchuriki is far more entertaining when they're completely unrestrained, don't you think?"
The Third's clouded eyes studied him for a moment. The implication was too clear to feign ignorance. "You're right. In that case, I shall—"
Before he could finish, the "Fourth Kazekage" interrupted, "No need. Our village is also well-versed in sealing techniques. Allow me."
In a flash, he used the Body Flicker Technique to descend into the arena, standing before Gaara.
The bond between father and son couldn't be faked. As a Jinchuriki, intuition was a crucial trait—Gaara immediately sensed something amiss. Was this man really his father? He felt utterly unfamiliar!
Without wasting words, the "Fourth Kazekage" performed the Five Elements Unseal, forcibly breaking the seal on Gaara's stomach. If Ino could leave a backdoor, so could he—and he even slipped something extra into the One-Tail Shukaku's seal. Then, as if nothing had happened, he flickered back to the high platform.
In less than a minute, Gaara, who had just calmed down, suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of violence and madness erupt within him. The berserk consciousness of the Tailed Beast shoved him aside, forcibly taking over his body.
Everything happened too fast. Before Naruto could comprehend what was going on, he saw Gaara curl up like a shrimp behind his Sand Shield, his skin splitting open as dark brown blood with a pungent, foul odor gushed out.
"Ahahaha—it hurts so much."
"It hurts! Yashamaru! Save me, it hurts!"
"Konoha Ninja! Get away! That monster is coming out... Where do you think you're running?! I'll kill you! All Konoha Ninja deserve to die!"
Gaara's rationality rapidly faded, his tone oscillating between madness and weakness, a chaotic mix of emotions that sounded eerie in the empty arena.
At that moment, Naruto felt an intense resonance with Gaara, as if the wailing boy were himself. With Kakashi nowhere in sight, he couldn't help but glance toward Teacher Iruka in the stands.
Iruka, in turn, looked at the Third, who wore a complicated expression as he stared at the "Fourth Kazekage," saying nothing. The changes happening to Gaara seemed of no concern to him.
Naruto called out from a distance, but Gaara was already lost in his inner world. Naruto? He could barely even remember his own name now.
Naruto could only wave at the referee, Shiranui Genma, signaling for him to go check.
Me? Genma hesitated, realizing he was the only one who could intervene in this situation.
This referee job was truly unlucky. Steeling himself, he inched forward with the reluctant steps of a man heading to the gallows.
When he was still ten meters away from Gaara, a surge of sinister Chakra erupted violently.
A sandstorm shot into the sky as countless grains of sand converged toward the center of the arena, enveloping Gaara completely. His body began to swell grotesquely, Cursed Seal patterns emerging across his skin as his human form rapidly vanished. Thick arms, stubby legs, a massive torso, and a long, thick tail—his transformed shape resembled a tanuki, only countless times larger.
"Huh?" Ino, who had been sleeping soundly, felt sand trickling down her collar. She jerked her head up, accidentally waking Hinata beside her.
Her gaze landed on the arena, where she saw the terrifying sight of the fully transformed One-Tail Shukaku and a bewildered Naruto.
Ino was stunned. Wasn't everything fine just a moment ago? How had it escalated to this complete form so suddenly? Was the hatred between the One-Tail and the Nine-Tails really this intense?
Before she could react, white feathers began drifting down from the sky. Every dignitary, civilian, and Ninja who saw them felt their consciousness waver, their heads spinning as if they hadn't slept for three days and nights.
People collapsed one after another—not just civilians, but even many Ninjas succumbed to drowsiness and fell unconscious.
"Such a large-scale Genjutsu?" Genma, with his high resistance to illusions and the immense mental pressure of facing a Tailed Beast, was less affected. He warily scanned his surroundings, searching for the caster of the Genjutsu.
Ino was also looking around. The Nirvana Temple Technique? Had "Pot Brother" risen from his coffin after all?
At that moment, an explosion rang out from the high stands. Though delayed by half a day, upon receiving the attack signal, the Sunagakure and Sound Village ninjas who had long been hiding outside the village drew their kunai and swarmed toward the numerous outposts outside Konoha.
The summoning squad from Sunagakure, empowered by their summoning arrays, worked in groups of six to summon the giant snakes Orochimaru had provided for their assault.
The Sound Four also shed their disguises, forming the Four Violet Flames Formation to trap both the Third Hokage and the "Fourth Kazekage" within its barrier.