As Gaara closed his eyes, he activated the Fake Sleep Jutsu.
Almost instantly, countless white feathers began drifting down from the sky above the arena.
At first, some of the spectators reached out curiously, catching the soft feathers in their hands—only to collapse unconscious the next moment.
One by one, people fell where they stood. Those who remained conscious quickly realized something was terribly wrong, and panic spread through the crowd.
At the same time, Gaara, now standing motionless on the battlefield, unleashed a massive surge of chakra.
The pressure in the air shifted—his chakra was wild, overwhelming, and filled with pure, destructive intent.
And then, his body began to change.
---
From the stands, the Third Hokage felt an immediate sense of unease as the chaos unfolded.
He turned to the Fourth Kazekage beside him—only to see a sinister smirk creeping across his face.
Realization struck like a hammer.
The Third Hokage's expression hardened, but he kept his voice level, masking his rising dread.
"Fourth Kazekage… are you declaring war on Konoha?"
The so-called Fourth Kazekage let out a quiet chuckle, his smirk widening.
"Sensei… you've gotten old."
The Third Hokage's eyes widened in shock.
"You… you're—"
Before he could finish, four shinobi suddenly leaped from the audience and formed a hand seal in unison.
"Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A massive, glowing purple barrier erupted around them, trapping the Third Hokage and the imposter alone inside.
The surrounding Konoha ninjas, realizing the gravity of the situation, shouted in alarm.
"Lord Hokage!"
Several attempted to rush forward, but their path was instantly blocked.
More enemy shinobi appeared across the arena, summoning creatures with Summoning Jutsu—and with a thick haze of smoke, massive white serpents emerged, slithering into the chaos.
The once-organized stadium had become a battlefield.
The Third Hokage's frown deepened. He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
And then—
BOOM!
An enormous explosion shook the arena.
Smoke and debris billowed into the sky from the battlefield where Sakiya had stood just moments ago.
As the dust settled, an enormous, feline-like monster came into view, its massive form looming over the battlefield, its presence radiating pure destruction.
"A Tailed Beast…!"
The Third Hokage inhaled sharply. His gaze snapped back to the man before him—
Orochimaru.
His transformation jutsu dissipated, revealing his true face—golden snake-like eyes glinting with amusement.
The Third Hokage clenched his fists.
"Orochimaru…!"
The rogue Sannin smirked, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Oh~ Sensei, you seem surprised. Did you like the gift I brought you today?"
The Third Hokage's hands trembled slightly—but it wasn't fear. It was rage.
"You bastard…!"
"Today, I will put an end to this!"
Without hesitation, he launched forward, vanishing in a blur—
---
The battle had begun.
Kakashi and the other high-ranking ninjas sprang into action, working to protect the evacuating audience amidst the growing chaos.
In the midst of the battle, Kakashi swiftly eliminated an enemy with his kunai before regrouping with Guy.
Guy's expression was tense.
"Kakashi! We have to help Lord Third Hokage!"
Kakashi's gaze was sharp. He knew the situation was dire.
"I'll go," he said firmly. "Guy, you take the others and break through first!"
Guy looked back at his student Tenten and the rookie ninjas standing behind him. Clenching his fists, he hesitated—then gave a resolute nod.
"Kakashi! Our duel isn't over yet! Don't you dare die on me!"
Kakashi pulled down his headband, revealing his Sharingan. His expression turned cold and focused.
"Hmph."
And with that, he vanished in an instant.
---
Meanwhile, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji were fighting their own battle.
Ino's attention, however, was locked on the arena.
Every attack from the rampaging monster sent shockwaves through the battlefield, shaking the ground beneath them.
Her grip tightened around her kunai as she leaned back against Shikamaru and Chōji, glancing anxiously toward the chaos.
She bit her lip hard.
"Sakiya! You better not do anything reckless!"
---
On the battlefield, the enormous tanuki-like beast—Shukaku—was running wild.
But it wasn't mindless destruction.
It was searching.
Shukaku had already experienced firsthand the tricks of this girl—Sakiya.
Even now, despite its overwhelming size and power, it couldn't seem to find her.
"How?! My sand should have sensed her by now!"
A voice suddenly rang out from above.
"The great sand beast! Are you the so-called God of the Desert? Or are you just a pet for some desert hermit?"
Shukaku snarled. The voice was right on top of its head!
Furious, its massive tail lashed out—
But it hit nothing but air.
The figure had vanished like a ghost.
Shukaku roared in frustration.
"Brat! Do you really think hiding will save you?!"
It inhaled deeply, drawing in an immense amount of air. Chakra surged into its gaping maw.
Sakiya's eyes narrowed. She knew exactly what was coming.
"Damn. He's trying to level the whole arena."
She sighed, shaking her head.
"What an uncooperative pet."
With a smirk, she casually pulled out a scroll.
"I guess I'll have to use this to deal with you first."
She unfurled the scroll, revealing a high-density compressed sphere—her secret weapon.
Shukaku saw her movements but scoffed.
What could a scroll possibly do against him?
It continued gathering chakra, preparing for total devastation.
Sakiya simply raised her hand—
And tossed the scroll into the air.
With a sharp flick—
The seal was released.
Boom!
A seemingly insignificant, one-meter-long boulder materialized above Shukaku's head.
For a moment, the giant tanuki demon blinked in disbelief.
"That's it? That's all you've got?"
It almost wanted to laugh.
"Even if you drop that little pebble on me ten thousand times, it wouldn't leave a scratch!"
Then, the boulder began to fall.
At first, it seemed like nothing more than a harmless stone succumbing to gravity—
Until it made contact.
A mere one-meter stone was nothing compared to Shukaku's massive body. It was like a pebble landing on an elephant.
But the moment it struck—
A sudden, indescribable force erupted from the impact point.
The sphere was dense. Small.
And the smaller the impact area, the greater the pressure.
Shukaku's forehead felt as if it had been struck by a cannonball.
The immense force sent shockwaves through its body, cutting off its attack mid-charge.
Instead of unleashing destruction, the tailed beast swallowed its own energy blast back into its throat.
And then—
Boom!
Shukaku's entire body slammed into the ground, sending a massive shockwave rippling through the battlefield.
---
Elsewhere, the fight between the Third Hokage and Orochimaru raged on.
"Double Earth Flame Bomb!"
A fiery dragon bullet merged seamlessly with an earth projectile, the two attacks twisting together as they tore through the air, heading straight for Orochimaru.
With eerie flexibility, Orochimaru flipped backward, dodging at the last second.
The attack struck the ground where he had stood moments ago.
Boom!
The impact sent rock and debris flying, leaving a deep crater in the earth.
The battle was intensifying.
Yet, Orochimaru didn't seem the least bit concerned.
Instead, he chuckled darkly, his golden snake-like eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Sensei, you should feel honored."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"I'm willing to put in this much effort—just to give you a proper send-off."
_________
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