"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That Sound ninja's punching speed is insane!"
"No kidding! I couldn't even see it!"
"Is that really the level of speed taijutsu can reach?"
Although the exchange below had lasted only a fraction of a second, the spectators began to break into a flurry of exclamations.
As the Jonin leader of Team 7, Kakashi had long since lifted his forehead protector to reveal the Sharingan that once belonged to Obito. His face was etched with gravity. "Is that guy really a Genin?"
"His situation is likely like Lee's, he can only practice taijutsu, which is why his promotion has been delayed. Furthermore, achieving that kind of extreme speed through pure muscle alone implies a physical body tempered a thousand times over, far surpassing human limits. Kakashi, your student is in trouble," Might Guy explained meaningfully.
"Yeah, I can see that. If necessary, I'll step in and pull Sasuke out. Still, it's hard to believe a small village like the Sound could cultivate such an outstanding ninja," Kakashi remarked with a slight sigh.
After all, in the eyes of the surrounding great nations, the Hidden Sound was merely a fledgling village—weak, impoverished, and isolationist. This was their first time even participating in an event like the Chunin Exams. Who could have guessed that such an inconspicuous place would dispatch a Genin who could dazzle everyone so thoroughly?
On the other side, Ino, who had shared a brief interaction with Allen earlier, asked nervously, "Shikamaru! Do you think Sasuke can win?"
"Doubtful. You know better than anyone how strong those three Sound ninja are. Sasuke is good, but there's still a gap between him and them," Shikamaru replied in his usual lethargic tone, leaning over the railing as he rendered his judgment.
"Mhm! Mhm! And their cooking is incredibly delicious!" Choji chimed in, nodding in fervent agreement.
"You know these three Sound ninja?" Asuma asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yeah. During the second exam, we ambushed them, but we failed and were captured. But the guy down there didn't kill us; he actually treated us to a pretty decent breakfast."
At the mention of this, Shikamaru showed a rare moment of embarrassment. To a high-IQ genius like him, this was a certified "black history" moment, he had completely misjudged his opponent's strength from the start.
"Treated you to breakfast? Hahaha! It seems these Sound ninja are actually decent fellows," Asuma couldn't help but laugh. While ninjas from different villages were typically adversaries who slaughtered each other for missions and interests, that reality made finding someone willing to coexist peacefully all the more precious.
"Yeah. Except the ideas in his head are a bit... strange," Shikamaru agreed with a nod.
"Oh? How strange?" Asuma pressed, stroking his thick beard.
"He said that shinobi shouldn't just create slaughter and hatred, but should spread love and justice. He also claimed that when the Sage of the Six Paths founded Ninshu and spread Chakra, it was to allow people to understand one another and eliminate conflict forever. He said it's a massive irony that we ninjas use this power for destruction."
Before Shikamaru could organize his thoughts, Ino blurted out everything she knew. Asuma was stunned for a moment. He wanted to laugh several times, but for some reason, the laughter wouldn't come. Instead, he fell into a deep silence.
After a long pause, he said bitterly, "Directly negating the value of the Great Nations and the Hidden Villages? What a formidable fellow. It's a bit naive, but that level of poise and vision is certainly admirable."
"Sensei, you think what he says makes sense too?" Ino blinked in surprise.
"Well, how should I put it? While the logic holds up, reality is much more complicated. The adult world isn't as black and white as a child's," Asuma said, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. He turned his gaze back down to the preliminary match currently underway.
By now, Sasuke Uchiha had abandoned the idea of relying on taijutsu to win. His hand flickered with piercing white electricity, and the terrifying Lightning-attribute Chakra gathered there emitted a shrill, bird-like chirping.
Chidori!
The ninjutsu Kakashi had invented in his youth. To defeat the powerful enemy before him, Sasuke was finally forced to reveal this trump card early. Furthermore, due to the rapid consumption of Chakra, the Cursed Seal of Heaven seemed to activate; large black markings spread across half his body with startling speed, making him look both savage and terrifying.
"Die!"
With a crazed, bloodthirsty roar and influenced by the Cursed Seal, Sasuke sprinted forward at extreme speed, aiming to pierce his enemy's chest with the Chidori. Because the arena inside the tower wasn't particularly large, he reached his target in the blink of an eye.
The moment the silver lightning was about to touch skin, another hand firmly gripped the wrist of the arm wielding the Chidori, stopping it dead in its tracks.
"I told you before, your movements are too slow, and you lack sufficient power. It seems the renowned Uchiha are nothing special. No wonder your entire clan was wiped out by a single traitor," Allen mocked, deliberately putting on an air of extreme contempt.
Clearly, he was intentionally provoking the boy to see if Sasuke's Sharingan would evolve under the stress.
"AAAAAAAAHHH!!! I'll kill you! I'm going to tear you apart!"
Dominated by extreme rage, Sasuke's Sharingan didn't evolve, but the Cursed Seal of Heaven did. Within seconds, the black markings covered every inch of his body, and his physical structure and appearance began to change drastically.
"Not good!" Kakashi could no longer sit still. He used Body Flicker to appear instantly in the arena.
But before he could act, Allen gathered a massive amount of Chakra into his fist and slammed it violently into Sasuke's solar plexus.
BOOM!
The terrifying destructive force instantly shattered the natural energy the Cursed Seal was drawing from the environment. Sasuke was sent flying, smashing a crater into the wall before his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious. As he lost consciousness, the power of the Cursed Seal rapidly receded, and his appearance returned to normal.
Kakashi performed a quick check of his student's injuries. Confirming there was no life-threatening damage, he turned to say "Thank you," then slung Sasuke over his shoulder and carried him away. He didn't recognize that the youth standing before him was the same one who had once lived under his roof.
However, Neji Hyuga recognized Allen through that single punch. That level of microscopic control over Chakra was something he had never seen in anyone else.
Neji didn't rush to reveal his recognition. Instead, he sat quietly in his place, looking as if nothing had happened, waiting for Hayate Gekko to call him down. Yet, beneath his calm exterior, his heart was churning like a stormy sea; he could clearly sense the scent in the air before the arrival of a great storm.