Shiki stared at Gaara's retreating figure, growing more and more perplexed. Besides, there was no reason for him to recognize the Uzumaki Clan symbol.
In his eyes, after all, the world was woven from pain and slaughter.
Who would bother to care about a vanished clan—even one once so renowned across the Ninja World that surrounding nations had united in an attempt to destroy it?
The only reason Shiki had shown him the clan symbol was to demonstrate his own resolve.
After all, the Uzumaki were naturally the most gifted at mastering the Sealing Technique,
Just like eagles, born with wings destined to soar through the skies.
"Whatever. Since he's already stepped onto the battlefield, I should focus on preparing myself."
After letting out a slight sigh, Shiki regained his composure. What awaited him next would be a truly critical battle.
It wasn't surprising he hadn't sensed the Gang of Four's location—unless a Sensor-type ninja was actively searching for them, or there was a huge power gap between the two sides.
Generally speaking, hidden individuals weren't easily detected.
Still, Shiki hadn't come unprepared.
At the very least, he knew they were definitely hiding somewhere near The Third.
In such battles, even the slightest delay could completely change the outcome.
"Then I should probably also find a good spot to lie low."
As he said this, Shiki's figure vanished from the corridor. Light shone where he'd just stood, sweeping away a patch of shadow.
If Might Guy had been here, he surely would have exclaimed in shock—the speed of Shiki Uzumaki had surpassed what anyone would expect from a mere Genin.
Even many Chunin likely couldn't match his speed.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Gaara had locked eyes with Sasuke Uchiha. While Sasuke radiated arrogance, Gaara's gaze contained only longing.
He felt deeply apologetic—his mother had tasted such terrible blood just moments ago.
But the blood of this opponent before him seemed particularly delicious.
He had secretly observed Sasuke during his training under Kakashi and understood exactly what kind of trials he had undergone over the past month.
Genma Shiranui loudly announced the start of the match. Almost instantly, Sasuke's figure vanished from his spot—
Just like Lee.
Only a month had passed, yet Sasuke's speed had caught up with years of Lee's relentless training.
Such talent was nothing short of extraordinary.
"Kakashi," Might Guy, visibly moved, asked the man beside him, "What exactly did you do with Sasuke this past month?"
"You'll see that for yourself," Kakashi replied, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "That's the reason I've always been confident about Sasuke. After all, my lateness needed to be justified, right?"
Kakashi's eyes gleamed with expectation.
(To Be Continued)
Chapter 193 – The Battle Begins
"Sasuke Uchiha's improvement really is quite impressive,"
The Third remarked. Just last month, inside the tower within the Forest of Death, Sasuke's taijutsu had been a clear weakness.
But now he's actually reaching Lee's speed at his peak condition.
Sasuke Uchiha kept darting across the arena in a blur, leaving behind sharp gusts of wind with every sudden movement.
Even Gaara's automatically defensive sand could no longer keep up with this level of speed.
In merely one month, he reached such a level.
"It seems our worries about Sasuke Uchiha were unnecessary," Shikamaru said while scratching his head, speaking to Naruto who was already sitting beside him.
"Sasuke? He truly deserves to be my rival."
Seeing Sasuke's current progress, Naruto showed not even a bit of disappointment. Instead, he displayed a bright and cheerful smile.
Then, Naruto stood up from his seat, raising his fist in the air as he shouted loudly,
"Good job, Sasuke! Give that guy with dark circles around his eyes a good beating!"
The entire arena echoed with cheers. After all, this was Konoha's home ground, and everyone felt amazed by the final pride of the Uchiha clan's brilliant performance.
However, many people in the arena were growing furious. According to prior intelligence, Gaara's strength was supposed to be far superior to Sasuke Uchiha's.
Therefore, numerous individuals had placed large amounts of their hard-earned money into this betting pool.
Now, Sasuke's performance was seriously threatening their chances of getting their money back.
Of course, these people's frustrations weren't significant enough to overshadow other voices.
Numerous girls were also passionately screaming, enthusiastically supporting the fighting Sasuke Uchiha.
"Sasuke-kun is so cool!"
"Come on, Sasuke! You're the best!"
"I love you the most!"
"Sasuke, you're my favorite genius!"
Just after the battle began, the atmosphere in the arena had already reached its peak excitement.
Because both fighters had immediately unleashed powers unseen in previous battles.
"The speed and strength... it's just like Lee without his Weights."
Guy couldn't help but get emotional, thinking about how Lee had trained for years to achieve that level. It just wasn't realistic for anyone to reach this point in just a month.
Unless...
Guy turned his gaze toward Kakashi. "Could it be that you used lightning to stimulate his cellular activity?"
Kakashi gave a slight nod. "Yes, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have made it."
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