As the voice of the Seventh Hokage, Namikaze Minato, echoed through the arena, the Chunin Exams officially began.
The first round was a combat match.
After Arisu's changes, this exam would begin with tests of strength, followed by written exams.
Cheating and other rule violations were strictly forbidden, and the unnecessary final-question test from previous exams had also been removed.
Everything was done to make the exam fairer and better reflect everyone's true ability.
These changes had been made personally by Arisu.
The large display lit up as the matchups rapidly scrolled by.
Soon, the first match stopped at the most noticeable position,
"First Match: Konoha—Yukio vs. Sunagakure - Gaara!"
The audience immediately erupted into excited discussion.
Many people turned toward the VIP platform, where Konoha's legendary figure Arisu and Sunagakure's Kazekage, Rasa, were seated.
"It's actually the sons of those two... Interesting. Let's see whose son is better."
"I think it'll probably be Rasa's son. If I remember right, that kid is a Jinchuriki..."
Amid the discussions, Arisu sat calmly in his seat without showing the slightest concern for his son.
His hands were folded together as he quietly watched the arena below.
Rasa glanced at Arisu beside him, the corner of his mouth moving slightly before he turned his attention back to the arena.
Yukio and Gaara stepped onto the battlefield almost at the same time.
The current Gaara was completely different from the tormented boy in the original story.
Shukaku had never gone out of control, and his father, Rasa, had never treated him with such harshness and cruelty.
The "Love" character on his forehead was still there, but there was much more calmness in his eyes. He was far better than the murderous madman from the original story.
Gaara looked up at his father on the platform.
This trip to Konoha wasn't only for the Chunin Exams.
He was also carrying out his father's strategy, the secret plan to attack Konoha.
Yukio stopped first, smiled slightly, and politely said, "Hello. My name is Yukio."
Gaara gave a slight nod, "Gaara. Please take care of me."
At that moment, Shukaku's serious voice sounded in Gaara's mind, 'Gaara, be careful. That kid across from you is Arisu's son.'
Others might not know, but Shukaku knew exactly who Yukio was.
"The teacher's son... Let me see how strong he is..."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the audience, Naruto Uzumaki was sitting between Sasuke and Sakura.
He couldn't help asking Kurama through their shared consciousness, 'Kurama, who do you think will win? That Gaara guy also has a Tailed Beast's power. Yukio doesn't have a bloodline limit or a Tailed Beast. Can he win?'
Kurama let out a deep laugh inside Naruto, 'Naruto, you don't need to worry. That kid Yukio will definitely win.'
'Instead of worrying about other people, think about yourself. Your father won't let you use my power. I can only give you a little Tailed Beast cloak.'
Naruto curled his lips, clenched his fists, and confidently said, 'I know, Kurama! My strength isn't just your power!'
The atmosphere on the stage gradually became tense.
After explaining the rules, the referee stepped back and loudly announced, "First match, get ready!"
Yukio and Gaara both took fighting stances at the same time as chakra began flowing through the air.
Everyone in the audience focused on this highly anticipated match.
The referee gave the order.
"Begin!"
The moment his words fell, Gaara crossed his arms, and the sand beneath his feet instantly surged as though it had come alive.
Countless streams of yellow sand formed sharp sand blades and rushed toward Yukio.
Yukio's eyes sharpened.
He lightly pushed off the ground, retreating as lightly as a willow leaf, while thrusting his right palm forward.
"Rasengan!"
A Rasengan glowing with blue light instantly formed in his hand.
The rapidly spinning chakra smashed directly into the incoming sand blades.
A violent explosion rang out.
The sand blades were shredded apart, and sand flew everywhere.
The audience cried out in surprise.
"What a powerful Rasengan! As expected of Lord Arisu's son!"
"Lord Arisu invented the Rasengan in the first place. It's only natural that Yukio knows it."
Rasa frowned slightly.
Arisu remained calm, wearing only a faint smile.
Gaara didn't stop.
The "Love" character on his forehead seemed to glow as Shukaku's power surged again.
Gaara shouted, "Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral!"
The ground shook violently.
A huge amount of sand rushed toward Yukio from every direction, trying to bury him completely.
Yukio took a deep breath.
"Gaara, your sand is strong."
"But it's not enough."
As he finished speaking, a black wedge-shaped mark suddenly appeared on his palm.
It was the Karma personally given to him by Arisu.
The moment the mark appeared, his presence instantly soared.
The power of the Karma erupted rapidly, releasing overwhelming pressure.
Black markings also spread across Yukio's body.
The audience immediately broke into discussion.
"What is that? A black mark... Is it some kind of forbidden technique?"
"It looks dangerous. Could it be a bloodline limit?"
"Is it a secret technique Lord Arisu gave his son? No wonder he's so confident!"
Even Namikaze Minato narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That's... Teacher's new technique?"
Arisu gently stroked his chin.
His son really couldn't keep it hidden.
He had originally planned for it to be Yukio's trump card.
He hadn't expected his son to reveal it so directly.
Well, it didn't matter.
The power of Karma was unfathomable.
Even if everyone saw it, they had no way to counter it.
Feeling Yukio's suddenly overwhelming aura, Gaara's expression also became serious.
"What is that!? Shukaku, do you know?"
Gaara asked in his mind.
Shukaku looked equally shocked.
"I don't."
Shukaku had some guesses, but he wasn't going to tell Gaara.
Gaara stopped holding back.
He raised both hands high.
Behind him, a massive phantom of the Sand Shukaku instantly formed.
"Sand Spears!"
Countless grains of sand gathered into sharp spears and shot toward Yukio from every direction.
"Father's gift really is useful!!"
Yukio smiled slightly.
The power of Karma made it feel as though every chakra pathway in his body was burning.
His figure flashed.
Almost like teleporting, he appeared in front of Gaara.
His right fist, wrapped in spiraling chakra and monstrous strength, shot forward.
"Rasengan Monster Strength Punch!"
His fist collided head-on with the Sand Shukaku phantom.
BOOM!!!
The massive explosion echoed throughout the arena.
The shockwave blasted up a thick cloud of dust from the ground.
Inside the dust, both figures were thrown backward at the same time.
Yukio adjusted himself in midair and landed steadily.
The Karma mark became even clearer.
His breathing was slightly heavy, but his eyes were bright.
Gaara was knocked back much farther.
Cracks spread across the sand armor on his right arm, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
On the platform, Rasa's expression finally changed.
Arisu gave a slight nod and thought to himself, 'This kid can already control Karma's power to a certain degree.'
Gaara wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Yukio.
"...You're strong. But I won't give up so easily."
He formed hand seals again.
Shukaku's power was released even further as more and more sand gathered wildly.
Yukio rolled his wrist.
The Karma mark flickered slightly.
"Then let's keep going."