Ugh—aaaah—!
Gaara let out a miserable howl as his body underwent a ghastly transformation. Skin split inch by inch across his cheeks and arms, revealing a dark-red substance beneath that looked like coarse sand.
One eye morphed completely into Shukaku's bloodshot, vicious tanuki eye. Half his body was covered in a crude armor of sand, and a colossal tail made of sand and Chakra erupted from his back, thrashing wildly!
He had entered a partial Tailed Beast state.
At this moment Gaara seemed a patchwork of human and beast, radiating a brutality several times fiercer than before.
M-my body… Shukaku…
His remaining human awareness struggled, but Shukaku's will roared to take control.
Hahaha! More! More slaughter!
Shukaku's voice shrieked inside Gaara's mind, warped and crazed.
In his half-Tailed Beast form his speed and power skyrocketed; his control of sand became more fluid and terrifying. A gigantic sand claw ripped the earth apart and lunged toward Hinata with world-destroying force!
Hinata's pale eyes remained calm. Facing the horrific half-Tailed Beast, she clenched her right fist and punched!
Bang!!!
Fist met sand-claw with a dull boom like a drum.
The seemingly indestructible sand arm cracked from the point of impact, web-like fissures racing across it, then shattered with a burst, scattering into a sky full of grit.
Pure strength overwhelming!
The half-Tailed Beast Gaara staggered back, the last bit of humanity in his eyes filled with disbelief and deeper madness.
Not enough! Still not enough! Give me… your whole body!!
Shukaku's will crushed Gaara's resistance completely.
More of Shukaku's Chakra gushed out. Gaara's body swelled further; sand tails condensed rapidly as his entire frame transformed toward the full Shukaku, the dreadful energy warping heaven and earth!
Yet the instant the full Tailed Beast form was about to complete, Hinata moved.
Her figure flashed above Shukaku; Gaara's main body lay embedded in the beast's forehead.
She raised her right fist again—this time cloaking it in spiritual power.
This farce ends now.
The cold words fell. Fist, carrying terrifying physical force and pure spiritual power, smashed downward.
Gaara hastily gathered sand to defend, but the fist pierced the barrier effortlessly.
Thud—!!!
A muffled crash, as though striking the Soul itself, echoed through the forest.
Time seemed to freeze.
The surging Shukaku Chakra was cut off at its source by an invisible hand; the formed body collapsed instantly.
The sand armor peeled away inch by inch, the hideous tanuki visage receded like a tide, leaving only Gaara's pale, pained face.
His bloated body shrank rapidly until the frail red-haired boy lay white-eyed, crumpling unconscious to the ground.
One punch—just one punch—had knocked fully-Tailed Beast Gaara back to his original form.
Kiba and Shino held their breath; Temari and Kankuro slumped to the earth.
Hinata landed, never glancing at the unconscious Gaara, and closed her eyes.
She would try to enter the Tailed Beast space and meet Shukaku.
Powerful Divine Sense shot out like invisible tendrils, easily piercing the weakened mental defenses of the unconscious host and wounded Tailed Beast, delving deep into Gaara's mind—
…an endless darkness, the "ground" a cold water surface.
The air reeked of despair, loneliness, and violence.
At the center stood a huge cage of sand, and within it a vast, raccoon-dog-like monster covered in purple sealing glyphs—Ichibi Shukaku. Wounded from the outside world, it looked listless, yet its great eyes still burned with rage and hatred.
Outside the cage, in a gloomy corner, a child-sized Gaara hugged his knees, trembling, trapped in endless nightmares and solitude.
Hinata's Divine Sense Incarnation appeared, instantly drawing Shukaku's attention.
Who?!
Shukaku roared, shaking the whole space.
You! Hateful woman! You dare set foot here?!
Hinata's avatar regarded Shukaku calmly, her cool voice echoing.
Your power doesn't seem like much.
Insolence!
Shukaku raged, huge claws pounding the cage with thunderous crashes.
Were it not for this cursed Seal, I'd swallow you in one bite!
Ignoring the tanuki's tantrum, Hinata had only wanted to test whether she could enter this space; apparently, she could.
Confirming that, her Divine Sense withdrew… Outside, Hinata slowly opened her eyes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several sharp whistles rang out as Anko Mitarashi led several Konoha examiners and Anbu members to the devastated battlefield at top speed.
The enormous apparition of Shukaku that had nearly shattered the Forest of Death barrier, together with the earth-shaking battle, had alarmed every proctor.
Landing, Anko swept her gaze across the scene—Gaara unconscious and barely breathing; Temari and Kankuro pale and collapsed.
And Hinata, serene as ever.
Her eyes finally fixed on the transformed terrain, and she sucked in a breath.
This place looked nothing like a forest anymore; sand lay everywhere.
Without hesitation Anko ordered,
Medical Team! Check the Sand ninja Gaara immediately!
Team 8, continue the exam.
Hinata signaled Kiba and Shino, then turned and walked off; the two snapped out of their daze and hurried after her.
Meanwhile, in other corners of the Forest of Death.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio, advancing cautiously, all stopped at once, staring in shock toward where Shukaku had appeared.
Even at a distance they had felt that terrifying Chakra and seen the mountain-sized sand monster.
Hey… what was that thing?
Akimichi Choji forgot his chips, his chubby face full of terror.
No idea… I've never seen anything like it.
Yamanaka Ino went white; Nara Shikamaru's brows knit tight.
What a pain… how many monsters have slipped into this Chunin Exams?
Elsewhere, Tenten and Rock Lee—engaged with a Rain ninja squad—also witnessed the spectacle.
Wh-what is that, Lee? It looks incredible!
To think such a powerful opponent exists here!
Rock Lee's blood burned with excitement.
Teams that had already collected their scrolls and were heading for the tower felt the same shock.
Every examinee in the Forest of Death was shaken by Shukaku's appearance and the sudden vanishing of that immense power, finally grasping how perilous this exam truly was.
Hey hey… isn't this a bit much? Why are there monsters like that in the Chunin Exams?
…[Single-handedly gravely injured the Ichibi Jinchuriki and contacted Shukaku. Story deviation: 8000 points gained.]
The System's voice sounded in Hinata's mind.
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