During the preliminaries, Sakura had faced off against her fellow classmate, Yamanaka Ino.
Guy had happened to be present at that time, so he already had a grasp of Sakura's abilities. Among the genin, her overall performance wasn't bad at all—but she was still nowhere near Rock Lee when he opened the Eight Gates. Let alone this time, where her opponent wasn't just anyone, but the unfathomably strong Gaara.
"Should we… call this match off?" Guy asked directly, turning toward Kakashi.
"At the critical moment, I'll step in," Kakashi replied after a brief pause. He decided to place his trust in Sakura. If she herself believed she could challenge someone like Gaara, then it meant she must have some sort of hidden trump card. After all, back in the Land of Waves, she had received instruction from Senju Haruto.
At that time, Kakashi himself had been focused on helping Naruto develop new techniques, so he wasn't entirely sure just how much Sakura had grown.
And besides, with Gaara, there was precedent. Kakashi was confident that if things turned dangerous, he could stop Gaara without fail.
Still, the thought prompted him to glance sideways at Haruto—and what he saw surprised him. Haruto was watching Sakura closely, with something like expectation in his eyes.
In contrast, the audience wasn't nearly as optimistic. From the moment Sakura stepped onto the field in her rather ordinary fashion, murmurs of disappointment rippled through the stands.
Her appearance wasn't the issue—she certainly wasn't plain-looking—but the spectators hadn't come all this way to see which genin looked attractive. They were here to witness spectacular battles. And almost every single one of them had already written Sakura off as someone who would be instantly crushed.
"Ugh."
Even Sakura herself let out a quiet sigh. "Of all people, I had to run into Gaara. If only it had been Shikamaru instead…"
"Even Lee couldn't stand up to him…" she grumbled internally, lamenting her terrible luck. But the thought of forfeiting never crossed her mind.
She might not care much about the title of chunin—but Sasuke was watching from just a short distance away.
Even if she lost, she wanted to lose with dignity.
Gaara, however, had no intention of holding back just because his opponent was a girl. The moment the referee declared the start of the match, he launched his assault.
Sand at his feet stirred as though it had a will of its own, surging forward in a wave to ensnare Sakura.
She reacted quickly, retreating again and again to avoid the grasp of the sand. At the same time, she drew shuriken from her pouch and hurled them with perfect precision—angle, speed, and power all flawless.
But the sand swirling around Gaara's body formed a wall-like barrier, effortlessly blocking every attack.
"Damn it…" Sakura gritted her teeth, not daring to let her steps falter.
She remembered mocking Lee during his match with Gaara, wondering why he didn't just use ranged ninjutsu to counter. Now, she finally understood.
Even if she did have ninjutsu, Gaara's absolute defense was impossible to break through.
And worse, avoiding the sand meant she had to keep moving nonstop, draining her stamina little by little.
In other words—if she wanted to win, she couldn't keep running. She had to attack.
"Against Gaara, that girl doesn't stand a chance," Kankurō muttered from above, watching Sakura's desperate retreat. "As Gaara's comrade, let me give you all some advice: tell her to forfeit quickly. Otherwise… she's going to die."
Temari, standing beside him, nodded slightly. Since the start of the fight, she had sensed something ominous in Gaara's aura. His entire presence reeked of danger.
"Hmph." Sasuke, however, let out a sharp snort. "If all you see is just some ordinary girl, then you couldn't be more wrong."
He raised his voice.
"Sakura—show them! Show them your true strength!"
"Sakura's strength?" Naruto blinked, recalling that Sakura had trained alongside Sasuke under Haruto's guidance. "Wait… don't tell me—"
On the field, Sakura whipped her head around, startled. What she saw was Sasuke—Sasuke of all people—looking at her with eyes full of expectation.
She could hardly believe it. The boy colder and more aloof than anyone else… was actually cheering for her.
"Ah… geez, Sasuke, if even you're saying that… then I really can't hold back anymore."
She drew in a deep breath, and her expression hardened.
Haruto's training had been merciless but effective—within only a few days, he had elevated her strength to an entirely new level. But the techniques he had drilled into her were hardly graceful, and Sakura had always been reluctant to use them. Even against Ino, she had deliberately held back.
But now…
Now was different.
Or rather—it was Sasuke's encouragement that made it different.
When she opened her eyes again, she seemed like a completely different person. Her steps quickened—not to retreat, not to dodge, but to charge straight at Gaara!
Even Gaara himself hadn't expected such a sudden reversal.
Her speed was greater than before, but still not enough to outpace the sand. Just as she neared him, tendrils of sand coiled up, wrapping her completely.
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara's right hand clenched into a fist as the sand around Sakura constricted, and he shouted with chilling force.
Kakashi's eyes widened instantly. Lightning chakra flared across his body as he prepared to rush in—but a hand shot out to stop him.
Haruto.
"If you step in now, Sakura will be disqualified," Haruto said lightly, showing no sign of worry.
Kakashi and Guy both froze.
Gaara's Sand Coffin had nearly destroyed Lee's career with just a grip on his limbs. Now Sakura was trapped completely.
Even the spectators were convinced this was over.
The referee himself was about to step in, ready to call the match and order Gaara to release her.
But then—
The sand binding Sakura suddenly exploded outward with a violent burst!
"What—?!" Gaara's eyes flew wide. His Sand Coffin wasn't as crushing as his Sand Burial, but it was more than enough to restrain an adult. Sakura shouldn't have been able to break free. It should have been impossible.
"Gaara!"
Sakura shouted his name, her toes driving hard against the ground as she launched herself skyward.
She focused her chakra into her fist, fingers clenching tightly into a ball.
This was the ability she had gained under Haruto's tutelage—
Monstrous Strength.
"What is this pressure…" Gaara's brow furrowed. He didn't know why Sakura's aura suddenly surged so fiercely, but the sand around him instinctively rose in defense, condensing into a massive, solid shield.
Within the span of a few breaths, a towering wall of sand loomed before him—his absolute defense.
"Ahhh!"
With a cry, Sakura brought her fist crashing down onto Gaara's shield.
The impact erupted in a deafening shockwave—
A sonic boom split the air!