"Boom!!!"
Almost the entire Forest of Death was shaken by the terrifying aftershock of this Tailed Beast Chakra Bomb! The violent airflow, like a tangible shockwave, spread in all directions, kicking up dust and broken branches. Ancient trees swayed violently, enduring a sudden storm.
All the examinees currently performing tasks in the forest stopped their movements in unison, looking in horror towards the direction from which the destructive energy came.
"What's going on?! What was that noise?! Akamaru, are you alright?!"
In the distance, Team 8's Inuzuka Kiba had just successfully subdued a squad using a trap he set, smoothly acquiring the scrolls they needed.
Before he could celebrate, the terrifying noise, like a natural disaster, made his face turn pale. He tightly hugged Akamaru in his arms—Ninja dogs' perception of danger far surpassed that of ordinary Ninja.
Akamaru now had his eyes tightly shut, his entire body curled into a ball, emitting tiny whimpers. This was the first time Kiba had seen his partner show such profound fear.
What kind of monster appeared over there?!
Although Shino Aburame still wore sunglasses, making his exact expression unclear, his slightly trembling body already betrayed his inner turmoil.
He clearly sensed that all the insect colonies residing within him were frantically warning him, conveying an almost instinctive threat of death.
This level of power… Should we really stay here? Wouldn't it be wiser to withdraw and escape the examination grounds now?
Hyuga Hinata's situation was even worse. The moment the explosion occurred, she instinctively activated her Byakugan to try and pinpoint the source, only to have her senses directly assaulted by the crimson Chakra, filled with malevolence and destruction.
Her legs gave out, and she squatted on the ground, tightly clutching her trembling shoulders, her face ashen. For Team 8, with their excellent reconnaissance abilities, precisely because they could clearly perceive the terror of that power, the mental shock they experienced was far more intense than that of ordinary examinees.
Just as the three were enveloped in fear, on the verge of deciding to withdraw—
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Several figures flashed out from the nearby woods at extremely high speed. They were uniformly dressed in the standard Konoha Anbu attire, with animal masks on their faces.
The leading Anbu captain quickly scanned the energy fluctuations still subsiding in the distance, then turned his gaze to the three clearly frightened Genin from their village.
"No need to panic."
The Anbu captain's voice came through the mask, "Hokage-sama has instructed that the power is within a controllable range and will not affect other areas of the examination grounds. As long as you stay away from the explosion's center, your assessment can proceed as usual."
After leaving this brief reassurance, without waiting for Team 8 to respond, the Anbu once again used the Body Flicker Technique, turning into several black shadows, and sped towards the central area where the battle erupted, leaving Kiba, Shino, and Hinata standing there, looking at each other, their faces filled with shock and confusion.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Forest of Death, the Sunagakure squad had just crushed a Hidden Mist squad that had overestimated themselves and tried to ambush them, successfully obtaining the required scrolls.
Following their original plan, they continued to disguise themselves as ordinary examinees, moving through the dense forest, awaiting the signal for their plan to officially begin.
However, the earth-shattering explosion in the distance and the subsequent violent Chakra impact instantly made Kankuro and Temari's faces turn pale, as if drenched in ice water.
The two of them had actually entered the Chunin Exams with a somewhat "fishing" mentality, as their strength far surpassed that of ordinary Genin, but upon sensing that cataclysmic power, they clearly realized—in front of such an existence, they were as insignificant as ants!
What on earth was that?! Temari's knuckles, gripping the Three-Star Fan behind her, turned white from the force. If they were to face such power head-on, they would surely be annihilated!
Just as Kankuro and Temari were seized by fear, hesitantly considering whether to temporarily avoid the confrontation.
"Ugh…!"
A pained groan came from their younger brother behind them. The two turned sharply, only to see Gaara supporting himself with one hand on the ground, the other hand tightly clutching his head, his body trembling slightly, and an extremely pained expression on his face.
"Gaara! Are you alright?!"
Temari suppressed her fear, taking a concerned step forward, but Gaara roughly pushed her away with a wave of his hand.
"Ugh… Shut up… Just shut up!"
Gaara's voice was hoarse and distorted, resisting the monster's roar in his mind.
"Stupid fox!!!"
Shukaku within him, stimulated by this terrifying Chakra of the same origin, fell into an unprecedented rage, constantly roaring and crashing within his consciousness. The intense mental struggle caused Gaara a splitting headache, and at the same time, he himself also had an inexplicable, restless reaction to that power filled with destructive aura.
After quite a while, Shukaku's commotion gradually subsided. Gaara gasped for breath, swaying as he straightened up again. He looked at his trembling older brother and sister, his cold eyes still devoid of any warmth.
"Go," he uttered a short and cold command, "Continue the mission."
"Co-continue?" Kankuro's voice trembled with disbelief, "But Gaara, that commotion just now…"
"Shut up," Gaara interrupted him, "Do you want to die?"
"…!"
Between the distant unknown threat and the certain death warning before him, Kankuro swallowed with difficulty, finally succumbing to the more immediate fear, and lowered his head. With Temari's equally pale face, the two had no choice but to brace themselves and follow Gaara, continuing towards the Central Tower.
— — — — — —
Just now, at the same moment Uzumaki Naruto's Nine-Tailed Chakra erupted and crimson light swept through the forest, the atmosphere in the Hokage Building's top-floor office was solemn.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his office chair, his hands steadily holding the crystal ball, his brows tightly furrowed, his gaze fixed like a torch on the real-time image displayed within the sphere.
Through the crystal ball's surface, he saw—Uzumaki Naruto's entire body enveloped in tangible crimson Chakra, his form rapidly changing within the light, ultimately transforming into a small Nine-Tailed!
However, Naruto, who had transformed into a small Nine-Tailed, not only did not lose his sanity but quickly adjusted his posture, his body firmly shielding Uchiha Satsuki and Sakura Haruno, completely separating them from the threat before them.
This isn't an uncontrolled rampage… A flicker of understanding and deep shock passed through the Third Hokage's eyes. This is… perfect control over the Tailed Beast's power! This is a truly perfect Jinchuriki form, unprecedented in Konoha's history!
Since that night many years ago, this was the second time he had witnessed Naruto actively guiding and wielding this destructive, violent power, and this time, that control seemed even more refined, more effortlessly managed.
This should have been a milestone worth celebrating and being proud of, meaning Konoha now possessed unprecedented strategic power.
But at this moment, no joy could be found on the Third Hokage's face. All his attention, all his surprise and gravity, had been firmly captured by another figure in the crystal ball—the figure standing atop the giant snake head, confronting the Tailed Beast-transformed Naruto from afar.
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