"The second round of the examination, officially—"
Iruka Umino deliberately drew out the pause. Then he inhaled deeply, gathering his breath, and shouted the final word with all his strength:
"Begins!"
A low buzz echoed through the air.
At that exact moment, it was as if the entire world had been muted.
There was no warning.
No explosive opening.
No obvious sign.
…No—there was something different.
This time, countless eyes were fixed on a single figure.
Sawada Hiroki.
After what had happened in the previous round, no one was willing to miss even the smallest detail. Everyone wanted to see it clearly—his Ninjutsu, his method, the truth behind that incomprehensible power.
And this time—
They did see it.
A faint ripple of chakra spread outward from Hiroki's body.
It was undeniably there.
So weak it was almost imperceptible. So subtle it lacked any recognizable structure, hand signs, or release pattern.
That was why it had been overlooked before.
But now, with so many eyes watching—Rasa, Roshi, Ōnoki, the Third Kazekage—none of them missed it.
Even members of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans, with their exceptional ocular abilities, caught the fluctuation.
They saw it.
…And yet, what good did that do?
The instant the word "Begins" fell—
On the battlefield and in the waiting zones alike, every Genin wearing a forehead protector not marked with Konoha's symbol froze.
Pakura.
Sasori.
Tetsusa.
The final Iwagakure examinee.
The remaining survivors from Kusagakure and Takigakure.
All of them had been staring straight at Hiroki, trying to discern his next move.
And then—
Their eyes went blank.
The light vanished from their pupils, leaving behind only hollow confusion.
Like marionettes whose strings had been severed, their bodies tilted, swayed—and collapsed.
"Thump."
"Thump, thump—"
There were no screams.
No cries of pain.
No frantic struggle.
Only the dull, repetitive sound of bodies striking the ground.
The arena—moments ago a roaring sea of anticipation—was strangled into silence by an invisible hand.
All sound disappeared.
Wind whispered across the stadium.
And then, nothing remained but the final echoes of dozens of bodies hitting the floor.
A deathly stillness.
It had taken no more than an instant.
He alone had ended the examination.
—
On the highest viewing platform.
Clack.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips curved ever so slightly. He tapped the table with a finger, glancing calmly toward the other two Kage, as if urging them to come back to their senses.
This was only the beginning.
If they waited until the end of the match—until they discovered that their next generation was still alive but had completely forgotten how to use Ninjutsu—
Hiruzen genuinely wondered what expressions they would wear then.
The thought nearly made him laugh.
Ōnoki's aged face had gone stiff, his expression numb as he slowly turned to look at the Third Kazekage.
The Kazekage's own face was no better.
Then—something caught Ōnoki's attention.
"…Tetsusa?"
His eyes narrowed.
As a Dust Release user, his sensory abilities were second only to legends like Mū. He could feel it—something was moving unnaturally through the air.
Silently, he began to prepare.
—
In the Iwagakure waiting area, Roshi stood frozen, as though struck by lightning.
Rasa stood nearby.
Their gazes met.
In that brief instant, no words were needed.
The plan had to begin.
Now.
Immediately.
While the entire arena was still drowning in shock, confusion, and helpless disbelief.
If they hesitated even a second longer, the opportunity would vanish forever.
No signal was required anymore.
Hiroki's performance alone had become the signal.
—
In the next instant—
Golden sand erupted upward like a colossal tidal wave, blotting out the sky itself. Daylight vanished, and the arena was plunged into sudden darkness.
"ROAR—!!!"
A non-human howl, thick with pain and savage brutality, tore through the silence.
Roshi's body was instantly engulfed in boiling crimson chakra. His skin split open inch by inch, molten lava pouring from the cracks as four massive lava tails lashed wildly behind him.
He completed his full Tailed Beast transformation without the slightest hesitation.
And his target—
Was not Hiroki.
It was the man seated at the very pinnacle of Konoha's authority.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Kill the Hokage.
Decapitate Konoha in a single strike.
At the exact same moment—
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
Rasa slammed both hands into the ground.
A torrential flood of golden sand mixed with iron particles cascaded from the sky, overwhelming and irresistible, surging straight toward the lone black-haired boy who had not moved a single step.
Sawada Hiroki.
At that moment—
The Chunin Exams ended.
Completely.
Golden sand swallowed the sun.
Lava roared through the heavens.
In the span of a single second, the arena plunged from stunned silence into absolute catastrophe.
"Enemy attack!!!"
A shrill alarm pierced the sky.
Masked ANBU poured from the shadows like specters, instantly surrounding the viewing platform.
"Danzo!"
"I'm here!"
A colossal Baku materialized in a burst of smoke.
"Wind Release—Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Hurricane-force winds tore into the sky, shredding the golden sand curtain as sunlight streamed back down.
Only then did the civilians realize what was happening.
Screams erupted.
People fled in blind panic, trampling over one another as the venue descended into chaos.
"Barrier Team! Activate the Konoha Great Barrier immediately!"
"Medical Teams! Evacuate civilians! Treat the wounded!"
Konoha's emergency response snapped into motion with terrifying efficiency.
—
On the highest platform—
"HOKAGE!! DIE!!!"
Roshi, now barely recognizable as human, hurled himself forward, lava spilling from his body as he charged.
If that alone were not enough—
A blinding white light bloomed.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Ōnoki aimed directly at Hiruzen.
At the same time, iron sand surged forward, forming restraints meant to trap him in place.
But at this distance—
The staff moved first.
"GET OUT OF MY KONOHA!!!!!"
A roar that shook the heavens.
The adamantine staff extended instantaneously, slamming into Roshi's abdomen with catastrophic force.
Then it expanded again.
And again.
Sweeping outward in a vast arc, wrapped in blazing azure flames.
Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage were forced to retreat.
The next instant—
A violent shockwave exploded.
A crimson figure was launched like a meteor toward the outskirts of Konoha.
Roshi.
The combination of brute force, rotational momentum, and sheer extension hurled him an unimaginable distance.
The resulting wind and flames disrupted Ōnoki's Dust Release and scattered the iron sand completely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi tore off his Hokage robe.
Beneath it—
Samurai armor gleamed.
The Shinobi Hero—
Hiruzen Sarutobi—
Entered the battlefield.