In the arena stands, fifty spectators who were actually disguised Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas revealed themselves.
In the distance, along with a puff of smoke, a three-headed snake was summoned. Its massive body crashed through the outer wall of Konoha and rows of houses collapsed wherever the snake's tail swept.
Three maws let out hisses simultaneously, and then began to frantically destroy everything in front of them.
In an instant, the entire Konoha fell into chaos.
In the arena stands, Naruto reached out and pressed his hand on Hinata's shoulder, channeling his own Chakra into her body.
Genjutsu Release!
The next moment, Hinata's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Naruto quietly watching her.
"Naruto-kun... I seem to have fallen asleep just now. What happened?"
Naruto said, "Konoha has fallen into chaos. Sunagakure and Otogakure have joined forces to attack Konoha. A war of this level is not something a Genin can participate in. Hinata, you must leave this place quickly and only come out after the battle here is over."
Upon hearing this, Hinata transitioned from confusion to clarity in a very short time. She nodded and said softly, "Naruto-kun, please be careful too."
After speaking, she ran toward the safety passage below the stands.
After seeing Hinata leave, Naruto drew a Kunai from his ninja tool pouch. With a flicker of his body, he knocked all the Otogakure Chunin rushing toward him to the ground.
Pfft... pfft... pfft...
"Kakashi-sensei!"
At this moment, Sakura's voice came from the side of the arena.
Immediately afterward, Kakashi brought Sakura through the chaotic crowd and rushed toward Naruto's direction.
Kakashi saw Naruto efficiently take care of several Otogakure ninjas, and his eyes widened slightly.
Although he had already learned from Guy about Naruto's rapid surge in strength, seeing Naruto instantly kill three Otogakure ninjas with his own eyes still made Kakashi, an elite Jonin, feel a trace of shock.
"Naruto, the situation is extremely critical right now. Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas have joined forces to launch an attack. Gaara has already been taken away by Kankuro and Temari, and Sasuke has chased after them alone."
"Someone needs to be responsible for protecting the audience under genjutsu and dispelling it. Anbu manpower is severely lacking right now."
"I am now officially issuing you an A-rank mission as a Konoha Jonin. Take Sakura and Shikamaru with you, and set off immediately to bring Sasuke back."
Naruto glanced at Sakura. "Kakashi-sensei, I can go alone. Sakura can stay behind to help dispel the genjutsu for those at the scene, that's more valuable than following me out."
"Shikamaru just finished his match, and his Chakra consumption was high. It's too dangerous for him to go chasing after people right now. It'll actually be faster if I go alone. Don't worry, I can find Sasuke."
Without waiting for Kakashi to nod, Naruto flickered and vanished from where he stood.
Kakashi stood in place, looking in the direction where Naruto had disappeared.
"Is Naruto this confident now? I hadn't even had the chance to summon Pakkun yet."
Sakura watched the direction Naruto had disappeared, her lips moving as if to say something, but in the end, she silently clenched her fists and turned to help the audience struggling under the genjutsu.
...
After leaving the exam venue, Naruto leaped rapidly between rooftops, Negative Emotions Sensing spreading out in all directions with him at the center.
Soon, the four presences of Sasuke, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari appeared within his sensing range, heading toward the forest on the northeast side of the village, moving at an extremely high speed.
Naruto pushed off with his feet as he sped off in that direction.
As for why he didn't let Shikamaru and Sakura come along—it wasn't that he looked down on their strength, but rather that what he was about to do was not convenient for anyone to see.
...
The joint forces of Sunagakure and Otogakure poured in simultaneously from multiple directions, engaging in fierce street fighting with Konoha's ninjas.
Kunai and shuriken crisscrossed through the air, the roars of exploding tags echoed one after another, and screams echoed as the once bustling and prosperous Konoha turned into a battlefield.
On the other side, Konoha's emergency response mechanism was quickly activated after a brief period of chaos.
Countless Chunin and Genin assembled urgently under the leadership of their respective captains.
The medical squad's stretcher teams shuttled between the ruins to rescue the wounded, while villagers and students were guided by ninjas into long lines, evacuating in an orderly fashion into the village's safety bunkers.
...
As Naruto left the residential area and just entered the forest, his Negative Emotions Sensing captured nine malicious presences rapidly approaching from behind.
The nine people were in a fan-shaped pincer formation, moving quickly but not extremely fast. Judging by this configuration, they were likely Otogakure pursuers. They were a mobile squad arranged by Orochimaru on the perimeter to intercept Konoha reinforcements.
"I don't have time to play ninja games with you." Naruto glanced back.
With a thought, Nine-Tails Chakra was activated in an instant, and golden light surged from his body, spreading all over him.
His hair was lifted upward by the Chakra, splitting into two horn-like shapes, and distinct black tomoe patterns condensed on his collar. His pupils turned into bright golden slit pupils.
Kurama Chakra Mode!
Naruto pushed off with his feet, his body transforming into a golden stream of light and vanishing from the spot.