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The last day!!
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Hayate, coughing as always, approached carefully, tension in every step.
"Uzumaki Naruto," He began between coughs. "According to the rules of the Chuunin Exams, entering the fieldā"
"āNarutoā¦"
A voice interrupted, soft and eerie, clearly belonging to Gaara.
He was still lying on the floor, but his eyes no longer held any clarity, filled with killing intent and obsession.
"I've been waiting for youā¦" Gaara growled. "To fight youā¦ to kill youā¦ to feel itā¦ that rushā¦ your bloodā¦"
The moment Gaara raised his hand, Naruto moved instantly.
A new wave of sand charged toward Hayate like a guillotine.
Naruto grabbed the proctor by the arm and pulled him back behind him. His other hand flicked, barely moving, and the sand crumbled mid-air, falling harmlessly to the floor.
This time, he wasn't hiding it.
Everyone had seen it clearly.
The iron, invisible to the eye, had responded to Naruto's chakra, disrupting Gaara's control.
There were no more secrets.
"ā¦So you're really showing it off now, huh?" Kakashi murmured from above, eyes unreadable.
Naruto didn't look back. He stepped forward instead.
Gaara hissed, gathering another wave of chakra, but it was too late asĀ Naruto's fist blurred.
CRACK!
It slammed into Gaara's chest with controlled force, knocking the redhead back several meters. His eyes rolled back, and the chakra wave around him collapsed. His body hit the ground, knocking him unconscious.
A few gasps spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Naruto stood over him for a second longer, looking at Gaara. He had whispered something into Gaara's ear while he punched him, and only the two of them knew what it was.
Then, without a word, he turned away.
Rock Lee was now being treated by medics near the arena edge.
Naruto walked past him silently, his gaze softening for a moment as he glanced down at the boy who had given everything in his fight.
"You did good, Bushy Brows," He whispered under his breath.
Shunshin.
In a swirl of leaves, Naruto vanished and appeared back in the stands.
Hayate stood frozen for a moment. He turned toward the Hokage's box. "ā¦Lord Hokage?"
A silent pause.
"Hayate!"
The voice came sharply.
Anko stepped forward, speaking on behalf of Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose eyes still calmly watched the arena.
"Lord Hokage says this time, Naruto will be excused for his interference," Anko relayed. "Any more interventions, thoughā¦ he's disqualified."
Hayate blinked and then nodded his head. "ā¦Understood."
"Uzumaki Naruto," He called out to the stands. "You are excused from penalty... for this time only."
Naruto, now leaning against the railing casually, raised a hand in acknowledgment. His expression was cool and unbothered.
He had done what he came to do, and everyone had seen it.
On the sidelines, Kakashi crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing as he regarded his student from afar.
"ā¦He really is full of surprises," He muttered. "But stillā¦ Naruto, don't show your cards like that too soonā¦"
As if hearing him, Naruto glanced over his shoulder, and their eyes met.
Naruto smirked faintly and mouthed without speaking. "I know."
Kakashi sighed, but smiled beneath his mask. "Of course you doā¦"
------
A low hum returned to the hall as the dust of the previous clash slowly settled. The audience, still reeling from Naruto's shocking intervention and Lee's awe-inspiring display of raw power and spirit, began to murmur once again.
From the medical bay in the corner, muffled voices reached Gai's ears as he stood rooted to the ground, his fists trembling at his sides.
The sound of measured footsteps drew closer. A medic in a clean white bodysuit approached, his face grim beneath the mask.
"Are you the teacher of that young man?" The medic asked, gesturing toward the stretcher where Rock Lee lay, unconscious but still.
Gai gave a small nod, the weight in his chest growing heavier.
The medic exhaled before delivering the report. "The boy's body has sustained severe trauma. Comminuted fractures across both the left arm and leg, and extensive tearing of the muscle fibers. His chakra pathways show signs of acute strainā¦ bordering on collapse. Recovery is possible, but it will take time."
Gai remained silent, his eyes locked onto Lee's battered form.
"Complete bed rest for at least two to three months," The medic continued. "Plenty of supplements. Specialized recovery pills. And under no circumstances should the boy attempt any kind of training in the first month."
"That is all." With a respectful bow, the medic departed.
Gai stood there for a few more moments, then bowed deeply in thanks, more to fate, to providence, than to the medic himself.
'This is the cost of opening the Fifth Gate... on his first attempt.' His mind replayed every second of the fight, the youthful flame in Lee's eyesā¦ and the brutal toll it exacted on his body.
From above, Naruto stood quietly, arms crossed, leaning against the rail.
'This outcomeā¦ It's far better than what could've happened.' He thought.
In another world, another time, Lee had been broken in body and spirit, nearly doomed to a life without his shinobi path.
But here, Naruto had seen to it that fate took a kinder turn. A painful recovery, but not a permanent end.
"Gaara, are you okay?" Kankuro's hesitant voice broke the stillness on the opposite side of the hall.
Gaara, now seated against a pillar, said nothing. His cracked sand armor had flaked off almost entirely, revealing his pallid skin and weary eyes. Blood still stained his forehead, and yet his expression remained eerily calm.
He looked up at Kankuro and Temari with nothing but disdain, snorting at their concern before turning his gaze elsewhere.
His fingers flexed slightly.
'Naruto Uzumakiā¦ What are you trying to do here?'
The memory returned of Naruto's fist crashing into his chest, and a cold whisper brushing against his ear like wind across desert stone:
"Come meet me at night at the back of the Hokage Rock."
The words haunted him now, looping like a curse that refused to be buried by bloodlust.
...
Minutes passed, and once more the participants of the Chūnin Exams found their places in the stands.
A few whispers abounded about Naruto, about Lee, about the impossible jutsus and unthinkable power surging in genin cloaks.
Finally, a gust of robes signaled the descent of the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen stepped forward toward the arena.
"The issue from earlier has now been resolved," He declared, voice stern yet tempered with wisdom. "The final match will proceed."
Hayate stepped forward, clearing his throat with another hoarse cough. "Thenā¦ Let the final match of the preliminaries begin."
All eyes turned toward the far edge of the stage.
---- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ----
Spoilers for the next five chapters!
Chapter 211: Last Match
Chapter 212: Winds of Preparation
Chapter 213: Two Jinchūriki
Chapter 214: A Son's Tears
Chapter 215: The Last Embrace
--- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ---
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