Chapter 128: Temari vs. TentenSakura Haruno's words were incredibly hurtful and filled with intense personal attacks, yet they also allowed Ino Yamanaka to see a glimpse of her true inner thoughts.However, the primary use of Ino's family Ninjutsuwas for interrogation and gathering intelligence; in battle, it had to be used in conjunction with Nara Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu.Otherwise, as long as the opponent moved at high speeds, it was difficult for her technique to hit, which would instead give the opponent an opening to exploit.Consequently, Ino decided to use Taijutsu to finish the fight, and the two fell back into a phase of trading blows until they both collapsed to the ground, unconscious.Gekkō Hayate stepped forward to check their condition and found that both had fallen into a coma. Therefore, he ultimately declared the match a draw, and both lost their eligibility to advance to the next round.Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi entered the arena, picking up their respective students and carrying them to the balcony. The two girls had only suffered superficial injuries; their unconsciousness was merely due to exhaustion, so they didn't even require medical treatment.The battles continued, and the fifth round was once again a clash between two kunoichi: Temari vs. Tenten.Tenten's support squad was the most powerful so far. The cheers from Lee and Might Guy were incredibly loud, accompanied by some very over-the-top remarks."Go for it, Tenten! We'll support you with all our might! Defeat her by staking the power of your youth!" Lee shouted, as if every cell in his body was screaming with effort.Guy also said with great satisfaction, "Keep going, Lee! Put in more effort and continue giving her your youthful and passionate encouragement!"This battle was much more visually appealing than the previous one, and it also lasted a very short time.Tenten truly lived up to her title as "Konoha's Little Rich Girl." She immediately threw a large number of Ninja tools, though Temari easily dodged them.Subsequently, Temari brought out her giant fan and said, "I have a total of three stars here. Once they are all revealed, it will be the moment of your defeat!"Such words did not make Tenten back down. She quickly ran a circle around Temari, then leapt high into the air, simultaneously pulling out a Scrollfrom her vest and unfurling it in mid-air.Various Ninja tools appeared, flying toward her opponent in a sky-covering barrage, but Temaricalmly opened a section of her fan.With just a gentle swing, a fierce gale erupted, blowing all the Ninja tools to the ground. In reality, the reason Tenten struggled so much was that Temari's Ninjutsu acted as a direct counter to her.However, Tenten still had one last trump card. She produced two more Scrolls and stood them upright on the ground.Then, Tenten formed hand seals and unleashed her signature move, the Twin Rising Dragons. A massive amount of Ninja tools spiraled and danced like two giant dragons, finally flying toward Temariunder Tenten's control.But Temari relied on the same effective tactic; she simply waved her giant fan and blew the Ninja tools aside.But this time was different. These Ninja tools were connected by Tenten's Chakra Threads. As they scattered on the ground, Tenten manipulated the weapons to attack Temari once more.Yet Temari had sensed this long ago. While dodging, she sat atop her giant fan and maneuvered behind Tenten."Oh no," Tenten realized too late. Temari unleashed her Sickle Weasel technique, creating a massive tornado. Despite Tenten's best efforts to resist, she was powerless to withstand it.She was like a withered leaf inside the tornado, at risk of being torn apart at any moment. The wounds on her body continuously multiplied until she finally lost consciousness, crashing heavily to the ground and losing the ability to move.But Temari didn't seem to intend to let her off, extending her giant fan for a follow-up strike. Seeing this, Lee moved to intervene.At that moment, a figure appeared in front of Tenten before he could. It was Naruto. He extended his arm and blocked Temari's fan; no matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn't budge an inch.Naruto spoke expressionlessly, "The match is over. You've already won, so there's no need to be so heavy-handed!"With that, Naruto grabbed the fan and spun it with force. Temari could no longer hold on and released her tight grip.Naruto snatched her fan away. Temari was about to step forward, but a sharp, piercing aura suddenly erupted from Naruto's body, instantly freezing her in place, too terrified to move.Naruto then threw the fan onto the ground and turned to check on the unconscious Tenten. After confirming she was fine, he picked her up, handed her over to the Medical Ninja, and jumped back up to the second floor.Only then did Gekkō Hayate snap out of it and hurriedly announce Temari as the winner. However, upon hearing the news of her victory, there wasn't a trace of a smile on Temari's face.She seemed to be dazed with fear, staring blankly at the spot where Naruto had just stood, not even picking up her most precious weapon.Gekkō Hayate reminded her several times, urging her to leave the arena so as not to affect the next match, but Temari remained unmoved, as if she hadn't heard him."That blonde kid's Killing Intent is so heavy... he's definitely not a simple character. I've only ever seen an aura like that from Gaara.""But what's wrong with me? I was actually unable to move just from him looking at me."While Temari was lost in thought, Gaara saw her state and finally made a move. He controlled his sand to wrap up both Temari and her weapon, bringing them to his side.Finally coming to her senses, Temari brushed the sand off her clothes, picked up her fan, and said to Gaara very seriously, "Brother, that man is truly terrifying.""Even though I know how strong you are, if you ever face him, you must be careful. The sense of dread he gives me... might even exceed yours."Gaara looked at her and nodded solemnly. Kankuro, who had been somewhat indifferent, saw their grave expressions and began to mutter to himself."Is that blonde Guy really that strong? Even Gaaraseems to be extremely wary of him. Why didn't I feel anything?"
