"Huh? What's going on?!"
In the stands, Sakura screamed.
Whether it was the sudden change on the high platform or the chaos spreading through the arena, everything had completely exceeded her expectations.
Whoosh!
A white-robed ANBU led three black-clad ANBU across the audience, rushing toward the high platform at full speed.
The smoke up there still hadn't cleared. Everything was chaotic.
They landed on the wide rooftop, where more ANBU had already arrived.
"First unit up. Second unit down. Protect the daimyo and the nobles."
"Yes!"
A gust of wind swept through.
The smoke finally dispersed, revealing the confrontation on the platform.
The ANBU felt a brief sense of relief.
Tsuchikage and Mizukage were standing aside. That alone was concerning enough. Kazekage Rasa and Sand shinobi were clearly hostile. Raikage A was still seated with his guards, obviously harboring his own intentions. There was a high chance he might make a move.
Jiraiya and Tsunade's presence barely stabilized the situation.
Raikage A snorted, gave Jiraiya and Tsunade a long look, then withdrew with his guards.
"Raikage-sama—"
"With two of Konoha's Sannin present, it's not smart to escalate now," A said coldly. "We'll wait and see."
As he looked over the dust and smoke erupting across Konoha, the corner of his mouth curled up.
"Let it get messier. Even if Konoha isn't destroyed, damaging its vitality is still a win."
Now, only Kazekage Rasa and his Sand shinobi remained facing Jiraiya's side. The situation had clearly turned against Sunagakure.
"This isn't what we agreed on, Raikage!" Rasa snapped.
"We never promised you anything," A replied indifferently. "That was your own assumption."
Rasa's face darkened with rage.
If Cloud hadn't also sent forces to lurk around Konoha, he would never have risked committing Sunagakure so deeply. Now that things had begun, Cloud had pulled back and chosen to watch from the sidelines.
They were using Sunagakure as cannon fodder.
"Jiraiya," Rasa said sharply, "your village is already in chaos. How can you still stand here so calmly? Aren't you afraid Konoha will be completely destroyed?"
"The village is being handled by someone else," Jiraiya replied coolly. "Kazekage-sama, please stay right here. Wouldn't that be best?"
Rasa followed Jiraiya's gaze and saw the turmoil spreading throughout Konoha—explosions, lightning, roaring flames, collapsing ground, figures clashing everywhere.
Despite knowing Naruto's plan, even Jiraiya couldn't help feeling uneasy.
But at this moment, keeping Rasa in check was the top priority. If the Kazekage unleashed his bloodline limit in the heart of the village, most of Konoha would be wiped out.
"Since you insist so politely," Rasa said coldly, "then I'll stay."
Facing Jiraiya and Tsunade together, he didn't dare act rashly.
Either way, Konoha was already in chaos. The ones who should be panicking weren't him.
"My god… what is happening?" Suigetsu muttered, shivering. "How did a Chunin Exam turn into this?"
Kage-level powerhouses confronting each other—just the pressure alone was terrifying.
"Don't say anything. Don't move," Mei Terumi said grimly.
Kisame nodded as well.
They pulled Suigetsu and Chojuro back, guarding them closely.
Iwagakure's did the same for Kurotsuchi.
Cloud shinobi Samui and C stayed in a corner, protecting Omoi and Yurui.
Baki guarded Temari and Kankuro while keeping a wary eye on Konoha's ninjas.
"Teacher! Gaara—Gaara!"
"Don't worry," Baki said tensely. "For now, he doesn't need our concern."
Everything was falling into chaos.
Kakashi and Guy exchanged a look and nodded subtly.
"Move."
A signal spread.
In the audience, several spectators groaned and collapsed unconscious.
The people around them suddenly revealed themselves as Konoha shinobi—Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, and others.
"Kakashi-sensei… Guy-sensei…"
Sakura, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and the others stared in shock.
Too much was happening. Their minds were completely overwhelmed.
"Just stay put," Kakashi said calmly.
"Don't run around."
He refocused instantly.
Although everyone on the list had been dealt with, there were still many jonin from the other villages present—especially Sunagakure's.
And with so many unconscious civilians around, a full-scale fight here would be disastrous.
Konoha's shinobi became extremely cautious.
"So all the Sound Village people were wiped out?" Baki growled. "Useless trash. They couldn't even hold Konoha back."
His face was grim as he jumped down with Temari and Kankurō.
"Gaara! Can you hear me? Come out! It's time to finish your mission!"
Baki's sharp voice echoed into the sand sphere.
"Mission…? What mission?"
"Why is it so quiet outside…?"
"I'm tired… so tired…"
Gaara's eyes drooped.
Inside the sealed space, Shukaku grinned.
"Is it time? Then let me come out first and scare them!"
Crack.
The sand sphere began to split.
A chunk fell away, revealing a pitch-black opening. From within came heavy, beast-like breathing that sent chills through everyone.
"Not good—Gaara's transforming!"
"This is wrong! He was supposed to transform deeper inside Konoha—this is completely off-plan!"
Baki's face grew uglier by the second.
Too many variables. Too much chaos. Even Gaara had become unpredictable.
"What is that…?"
"This presence—this stench—something's very wrong!"
Rock Lee and Genma Shiranui stared at the sand sphere, their bodies tensed to the limit.
A massive sandy arm slid out.
Boom!
It slammed into the ground with a deafening thud.
The sand sphere shattered.
A colossal sand monster with black markings expanded rapidly, towering over the arena.
"Hahahaha! I'm out again! Freedom—this is freedom! I love it!"
The laughter rolled like thunder through the arena.
The One-Tail, Shukaku, fully manifested.
Its twisted, ominous chakra made everyone shudder.
"So Sunagakure brought a tailed beast straight into the exam," Raikage laughed loudly. "Interesting!"
Jiraiya's heart sank. Tsunade frowned deeply.
A tailed beast appearing was bad—very bad.
Even though Shukaku hadn't appeared deep within Konoha, but inside the arena instead, the situation had still spiraled far beyond expectations.
Rasa, however, smiled calmly.
If Jiraiya and Tsunade moved to suppress the tailed beast, they couldn't keep watching him.
If they stayed to watch him—
Shukaku would rampage through Konoha, causing countless casualties.
A true dilemma.
Now it all depended on Jiraiya's choice.
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