A challenge?
Gaara was directly challenging Shigure.
That kind of confrontation stirred up far more excitement among the crowd than any ordinary match ever could.
And for the people of Konoha, pride was on the line. Every villager firmly believed that their shinobi were the strongest in the entire ninja world. Even the Genin of the Hidden Leaf, they thought, far outclassed their counterparts from other villages.
Especially someone like Shigure.
His previous battles were still fresh in everyone's minds—his strength had been proven before all. So why should they fear the challenge of a mere Genin from the Sand?
Before Shigure could even reply, shouts erupted from the stands:
"Accept it!"
"Show him the strength of Konoha!"
"The Sand ninja look unconvinced—make them see reality!"
"Shigure! Shigure! Shigure!"
One voice turned into dozens, then into hundreds. Soon the entire arena echoed with his name.
Swish!
In an instant, Shigure appeared on the field, glancing at the cheering crowd of his village.
"Since everyone wishes it," he said calmly, "I'll accept your challenge."
At that, Gekkō Hayate frowned, concern etched across his face.
"The Chūnin Exams are already over. You've all passed—there's no need for further fighting. As the examiner, I can't recognize this…"
Just as Hayate tried to stop them, the voice of the Third Hokage carried across the arena.
"Let it be," Hiruzen declared. "Consider this a friendly match. Victory or defeat won't affect the exam results."
With even the Hokage's approval, Hayate could only bow his head. "Understood, Lord Third."
Turning to Shigure, he sighed, his eyes filled with weary complaint as though saying: Can't you give me a moment's peace, kid?
Shigure could only shrug helplessly. He hadn't asked for this fight—Gaara was the one who insisted. How could he simply ignore such a provocation from the Sand?
"Finally! I can fight you!"
Gaara's excitement was palpable, his expression twisted with bloodlust. The murderous intent in his eyes spilled out like a wave, impossible to conceal.
Hayate looked between them uneasily. "Keep it under control, you two. Don't take it too far."
But judging from Gaara's expression, Shigure knew this wasn't a match that would end peacefully. Gaara wouldn't stop until he killed.
And yet, Shigure felt oddly grateful. If not for Gaara's mastery over sand, Shigure might never have advanced his Ice Release to such a refined level.
If the Great Sage weren't busy repairing the Glutton, I'd ask him to help integrate the Sand techniques into my ninjutsu, Shigure thought. Especially with what I'm best at—Ninjutsu that flows, that adapts…
Shigure smiled faintly. "Bring it on."
"I can't wait!" Gaara roared.
Boom!
The cork burst off Gaara's gourd as a torrent of sand erupted outward, sweeping toward Shigure like a tidal wave. The attack was so sudden and overwhelming that even Gekkō Hayate barely leapt away in time.
Shigure raised a hand. "Ice Release: Freezing Moment!"
With a swift one-handed seal, frost surged across the battlefield.
Crack!
The surging sand froze in place, turned into a sculpture of ice in the blink of an eye.
Gaara's eyes widened. He froze my sand? Impossible!
But the instant the ice crystals formed, they splintered apart.
Sand infused with Gaara's chakra couldn't be bound so easily. The chakra was too dense, too powerful.
Boom!
The frozen fragments shattered, and the sand broke free, rushing at Shigure again.
By now Hayate had retreated fully, casting a wary glance back at Gaara. For a moment, he even wondered if the boy's murderous intent had been aimed at him too.
He was the referee.
If Gaara really attacked him, the fight would end on the spot.
But the next instant, the wave of sand was blocked by an ice wall Shigure conjured in a flash.
Gaara only grinned. "I knew it… he can't freeze my sand!"
He raised both hands, pouring more chakra into his control. Though Gaara didn't need hand movements to manipulate sand, doing so sharpened his focus and seemed to accelerate his attacks.
Chakra burst from his body in waves as more sand surged forth from the gourd and ground behind him. Gaara knew exactly how fast Shigure was, but this was a confined arena. No matter how quick his movements, Shigure couldn't escape its boundaries.
As long as I have enough sand… he won't slip away.
And now—
The eyes of every Konoha spectator widened.
Shigure was skating across the rapidly forming frost, gliding smoothly atop ice crystals that appeared beneath his feet. With every motion, he evaded Gaara's incoming strikes, the air filling with the whistle of moving sand and the hiss of cold wind.
Then, after narrowly dodging several assaults in succession, Shigure suddenly slammed both palms against the ground.
"Ice Release: Freezing Moment!"
Click—crack—!
Frost erupted from his hands, racing outward in all directions. In mere breaths, the entire arena was encased in glittering ice. The floor froze solid, the walls shimmered with frost, and the freezing spread all the way to the edges of the spectator stands.
Gasps echoed through the audience.
"Th-this… this is his Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?!"
"He froze the whole arena in an instant!"
From the stands, Kakashi's lone visible eye curved with quiet approval.
"Not just power… he's clever. Gaara's sand is strongest when he can draw from the earth. By freezing the ground, Shigure is cutting off his source."
On another side of the stands, Mei Terumi's eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Ice Release… it's really Ice Release. I can't be mistaken."
As the Mizukage of the future, she recognized it immediately—the legendary bloodline limit of Kirigakure.
Gaara, however, only sneered.
"You think freezing the ground will stop me from making sand?"
With a sharp gesture, a mass of sand smashed into the ice-coated floor. Crack! Shards of frost splintered apart, revealing the earth beneath. Immediately, Gaara drew on it again, producing more sand in a torrent.
The duel escalated—Shigure froze, Gaara shattered. Both responded instantly with the best counters they had.
But Gaara overlooked something.
Shigure hadn't frozen the arena to stop him.
He'd done it to create an environment for himself.
The boy smiled faintly as he watched Gaara gather another massive wave of sand. He didn't move, didn't even raise an ice wall to block.
Instead… snow began to fall.
Soft, white flakes drifted down from the clear, sunlit sky.
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. "Snow? But… the sky's clear! How…?"
The entire stadium turned its gaze upward, awestruck, as the unnatural snowfall thickened over the frozen battlefield.
...
TN:
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