The battle grew more and more intense. The ground in the center of the arena had long since been completely destroyed. Flying rocks, sand, and the aftershocks of chakra had turned the entire stage into the center of a storm.
Yukio had unlocked part of Karma's power, allowing him to fly through the air and weave between the countless sand blades. Black Karma marks flickered across his forehead and arms.
With every attack, he tore through layer after layer of Gaara's sand defense.
Gaara, on the other hand, had the "Love" mark on his forehead growing brighter and redder. Fighting spirit and savagery mixed in his eyes as Shukaku's roars echoed endlessly in his mind.
"I can't drag this out any longer... Shukaku!"
Gaara let out a low shout and suddenly spread both arms.
The next moment, terrifying chakra burst out of his body like an erupting volcano!
The yellow sand went completely wild, instantly forming thick sand tentacles that lashed madly toward Yukio.
Yukio dodged several times in a row, but one sand whip still grazed his shoulder, tearing his clothes as blood seeped out.
But a second later, Karma's power activated again.
The wound on Yukio's body healed in just one second, even surpassing Hashirama Cells.
"So... so much chakra!"
Naruto couldn't help standing up in the audience.
Sasuke's eyes widened even more as he gritted his teeth and watched the battlefield.
If it were him instead, he probably wouldn't stand a chance...
Just then, the sea of sand beneath Gaara suddenly rose, and a gigantic sand monster slowly climbed out of the ground, a half-complete Shukaku.
Its enormous raccoon-like body was covered in heavy sand armor. One giant arm was raised high, and its fierce face was filled with brutality.
A suffocating wave of Tailed Beast chakra swept across the arena. Fierce winds howled, and yellow sand covered the sky.
The entire crowd exploded into chaos.
"A Tailed Beast! That's a Tailed Beast!!"
"The Sand Village actually released a Tailed Beast inside the exam arena?!"
"Run! We're finished!"
Even Konoha's jonin changed expression, and many spectators began retreating.
"How can this be allowed?!"
"Rasa! Tell your son not to go too far! He's going to hurt the villagers! Stop him now!"
Minato Namikaze suddenly stood up, his face extremely serious as he urgently looked at Rasa beside him.
Rasa didn't answer.
This was the signal to act.
Once Gaara released the Tailed Beast, they would begin.
Rasa slowly turned his head. A strange smile appeared on his normally calm face.
"Heh... Hehehe... Hahaha!"
Rasa suddenly let out a low, harsh laugh. The next second, his whole body turned into a streak of sand and charged straight toward Minato and Arisu.
He immediately used Cube Technique as his opening move and launched a deadly attack at both Minato and Arisu.
"What?!"
Minato's pupils shrank as he instantly formed hand seals to meet the attack.
At the same time, Arisu's usually calm expression finally changed slightly.
BOOM!!!
Rasa's sand ambush and Minato's Flying Thunder God collided instantly. The terrifying shockwave shattered every railing around the viewing platform.
Almost at the same time, violent explosions suddenly rang out across every part of Konoha.
BOOM!!! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Towering flames shot into the sky. Explosions broke out one after another at the village entrance, the shopping district, the residential area, and even near the Hokage Rock.
Black smoke billowed into the air as shrill alarm bells echoed throughout Konoha.
"Enemy attack! It's the Sand Village ninja!!"
"It's an ambush! Everyone be careful!!"
The examinees and spectators inside the arena fell into complete chaos.
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the others instantly entered combat, while Arisu and Minato on the platform became locked in fierce battle against Rasa.
Standing in the arena, Yukio looked up at the half-complete Shukaku, then glanced at the suddenly rampaging Rasa, his brows tightly furrowed.
"...What's going on?!", Yukio asked.
Gaara glanced at him calmly.
Before coming here, his father had already told him that the moment he released the Tailed Beast's power, they would begin.
"You're very strong. But once Konoha grows stronger, you'll only bring disaster to the ninja world. Die!"
The half-complete Shukaku threw back its head and roared. A gigantic sand claw came crashing down toward Yukio with enough force to destroy everything.
Yukio stood where he was, his eyes calm. Facing the enormous sand claw descending from above, he showed no intention of retreating.
His thoughts raced.
What should he use to get away?
Flying Thunder God? Or Karma's portal?
But his father had warned him again and again, not to reveal too many hidden cards on an occasion like this.
In the end, he chose the least noticeable option.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, his figure blurred slightly as he prepared to pull away.
At that moment, Shukaku's massive sand body paused ever so slightly.
A trace of panic flashed across its fierce raccoon face, something only a Tailed Beast could notice.
"Damn it... This is Teacher's only son! If I really slap him to death, how am I supposed to explain it to Teacher afterward..."
So it secretly held back. On the surface, the attack still looked overwhelming, but its speed and power had both been reduced by about thirty percent.
Deep underground, a White Zetsu clone quietly poked half of its pale face out of the earth, ready to pull Yukio into the underground space and protect him at any moment.
Just as the sand claw was about to land...
"Don't hurt my companion!!"
A passionate roar shook the entire arena.
Naruto's golden hair instantly turned crimson. A thick cloak of red chakra covered his body, and four Tailed Beast tails danced wildly behind him.
He had entered the Four-Tails Tailed Beast Transformation.
Opening his mouth wide, a tiny, highly compressed Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly formed and spun in his palm before he blasted it straight at Shukaku's sand claw.
BOOM!!!
The blazing purple-black Tailed Beast Bomb collided head-on with the sand claw. The terrifying explosion instantly blew the giant sand claw completely apart, sending yellow sand pouring down like a rainstorm.
Shukaku's massive body leaned back slightly as it let out a low roar, while secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
"That brat Kurama... His timing couldn't have been better."
On the viewing platform, the battle between Rasa, Arisu, and Minato had reached its fiercest point. Explosions, streams of sand, and flashes of Flying Thunder God filled the area.
The exam arena had become total chaos. The examinees scattered in every direction while the jonin quickly organized the defenses.
Standing not far away, Sasuke had already activated his Sharingan, but his pupils were shrinking violently.
He looked at Naruto's violent Four-Tails form, then at the faint black Karma marks appearing across Yukio's body. His throat moved as his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
"...Those two..."
The Sharingan he had always been so proud of now seemed so insignificant in front of the power those two had unleashed.
The Sharingan, the bloodline limit he had always taken pride in...
Looked completely ordinary compared to the cheats those two had.
Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm nervously, her voice full of urgency.
"Sasuke, let's run! This isn't a battle we can get involved in!"
Those words stabbed into Sasuke's heart like a sharp thorn once again.
He gritted his teeth so hard that his gums almost started bleeding. Deep unwillingness filled his eyes.
"...Dead last...?", Sasuke muttered under his breath. His body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from overwhelming unwillingness.
He used to be the second strongest among the three of them.
Now he had become the weakest.