On the other side, Orochimaru—who had been confronting Uchiha Sasuke—felt deeply bewildered by the sudden appearance of Shukaku's complete form.
He had assumed this exam had produced a promising talent and had merely pushed the One-Tail Jinchūriki into tapping the beast's power.
Yet… the full form is out… is this something a mere Genin is supposed to handle!?
"This is… absolutely insane!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru turned his gaze back to Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke's body was covered in tiny wounds, his breathing ragged and Chakra nearly spent, yet the fighting spirit in those black eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest.
What caught Orochimaru's attention more was the faint flicker of blue lightning around Sasuke—signs of Lightning Release Chakra stimulating bodily activity.
'Still raw, far from refined, but to grasp and apply such a technique at this age—his gifts are undeniable!'
"Impressive Fire Release, and this embryonic Lightning Release Chakra Mode…" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as if he'd found a rare specimen. "Sasuke-kun, you've truly caught my eye."
"Pity… we're out of time; that Shukaku won't wait. As a token of my appreciation for your talent…"
Orochimaru's head shot forward!
His neck stretched like a boneless serpent, bridging the gap faster than Sasuke's nerves could react.
"Let me give you a parting gift!"
Sasuke's pupils shrank; he couldn't even raise a guard or dodge, watching that eerie smiling face rush toward him.
"Crunch!"
Orochimaru opened his mouth, bared sharp fangs, and sank them into Sasuke's neck.
Agony flared, followed by something sinister being injected through those teeth.
"Ugh—!"
Sasuke cried out, body convulsing.
A mark of evil power seared deep into his soul and flesh.
Orochimaru's neck snapped back; he admired the three comma-shaped black seals rising on Sasuke's neck.
"Enjoy that power, Sasuke-kun… we'll meet again."
The instant those words fell, his body melted into the tree trunk and vanished, leaving only Sasuke kneeling and clutching his neck in pain—and, in the distance, Shukaku's earth-shaking roar… Tejima Shinichi stood in the monster's vast shadow, looked up at the mountain-sized beast, and chuckled.
"Hmph… bad sleep really makes you cranky—unleash the full power at the drop of a hat!!!"
He watched as Gaara's upper body emerged atop Shukaku's head.
"Well… since things have come this far…"
Tejima rolled his wrists, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Perfect chance to test my strength. Three months training Wood Release and never a real workout—an opponent like you…"
A grin tugged at his lips.
"Why not enjoy it?!!"
...
In the Konoha Crush Plan, Shukaku makes its debut!
Gaara, now Shukaku, fixed its gaze on the tiny yet detested figure below.
"I never thought… you'd force me into this form…" Gaara's voice boomed through Shukaku. "Since you've seen it… die!"
Shukaku's colossal right arm rose, whipping up a gale. Countless grains of sand formed a palm that blotted out the sky, smashing straight toward Tejima.
"Too slow!"
Tejima flickered, leaving only a faint after-image behind.
"BOOM—!!!"
The sand palm crashed, the ground quaked, dust surged sky-high, leaving a huge hand-printed crater.
At its center—nothing.
Tejima reappeared dozens of meters away, robes fluttering, unscathed.
"Tch!"
Gaara growled; Shukaku's arm swept up again, and more sand sprang to life, turning into spikes and tentacles that lunged at Tejima from every direction.
Tejima danced between the sand, light as the wind; each move slipped past effortlessly—those grains couldn't even graze his clothes.
"Let's test the waters, then."
While dodging, his hands flashed through seals.
"Monkey-Horse-Dragon…"
"Water Release: Hard Water Whirlblade!"
Vast Chakra compressed furiously in his right palm; the air whined with rotating water.
A thirty-centimeter azure water lance formed instantly, its high-pressure stream spinning at a terrifying speed.
Tejima glanced at Shukaku's incoming arm and flicked his right hand.
"Go!"
The Hard Water Whirlblade shot out like blue lightning, ripping the air with a shriek as it slammed into Shukaku's right wrist.
"PSSH—!!!"
The compressed jet cut through the beast's sand arm like a hot knife through butter.
Then—
"BOOM—!!!"
The Whirlblade exploded, releasing a huge spiraling waterspout of water-nature Chakra.
Shukaku's entire right arm, starting at the wrist, disintegrated under the savage pull and slice, scattering sand into the air.
The severed hand crashed nearby, thudding into the ground.
Deprived of Chakra, the hand dissolved into ordinary sand, piling into a small dune.
At the stump, sand writhed and tried to re-form, but far more slowly than before.