63The Book of Seals was stolenAI Model: gemini-3.0-flashChapter 63: The scroll of seals is Stolen
"Damn it, refund my money!"
"My secret savings! Uzumaki Naruto, give me back my hard-earned money!"
"It's rigged! This is a blatant fix!!!"
A mountain-shaking tsunami of mockery surged forward.
Hyuga Neji froze in place.
He had even prepared to stake his life on this battle.
At this moment, it felt like punching cotton; his overflowing fighting spirit vanished instantly.
"Hmph, you coward!"
Neji snorted coldly and turned to leave.
On the stands, Hyuga Hiashi felt his brain buzz, and his vision went dark; he could barely maintain his composure as the Clan Chief.
If he could, he even wanted to replace Naruto and fight Neji himself.
150 million Ryo—that was no small amount.
"...He really didn't come back."
Kurenai Yuhi leaned back in her chair listlessly, her eyes hollow as she watched the arena.
"Haha! I told you!"
Kiba punched the air excitedly from the side. "Nejiwon! Our Konoha Genius is amazing! That Dead Last really did wet himself in fear!"
Guy, Rock Lee, and Tenten all breathed a sigh of relief.
'That's great, Neji survived...' Hinata lowered her head, her hands tightly wringing the hem of her clothes.
On the main stage, the Fourth Kazekage let out a low laugh through his veil.
"Hokage-sama, it seems Konoha's 'will of fire' failed to give that child enough courage."
"Truly... a pity."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not respond.
He just stared at the empty tunnel, the unease in his heart finally reaching its peak.
A five-minute break.
The second match: Kankuro vs. Shino Aburame.
Many people took the time to drink water or use the restroom.
Even more people flocked to the betting stalls, their bloodshot eyes lighting up once again.
The staff were sweating profusely as the odds boards were constantly flipped.
"Go all in for me! Bet everything on Kankurowinning!"
"That's right, Kankuro is the Kazekage's son, an elite of the Hidden Sand Village. Could he really lose to some kid who plays with bugs?"
"Even though I lost a fortune just now, as long as I win this round, I can make it all back!"
The gamblers' frenzy reached its peak at this moment.
Hyuga Hiashi stared intently at the arena below, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his previously dull eyes.
He gestured for a servant again and said in a raspy voice, "Bet another 150 million... all of it on Kankuro!"
He was all too familiar with the Aburame clan, who excelled at using Parasitic Insects.
On the other side, Kankuro was a Puppet Master.
Inorganic Puppets would not be affected by Parasitic Insects; they were essentially the natural enemy of the Aburame clan.
"Master, this is too risky..."
The servant was breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Cut the crap! Go!"
Hiashi growled.
As the Clan Chief, he could never accept the Hyuga Clan suffering such an absurd loss under his watch.
This time, he had to win it back.
"The second match: Kankuro vs. Shino Aburame."
Shiranui Genma bit his toothpick, his gaze sweeping over the two. "Both sides, enter the arena!"
Shino walked into the arena silently with his hands in his pockets, countless tiny dark shadows flickering at his sleeves.
However, Kankuro, standing opposite him, did not unwrap his bandage-covered Puppet, 'Karasu,' on his back.
He first looked up at the Kazekage on the main stage.
After receiving a faint, cold glance from him, he shrugged.
For the upcoming Konoha Crush plan.
To save energy for the coming battles, he had no intention of fighting such a meaningless war of attrition.
"Hey, proctor." Kankuro looked at Shiranui Genma. "I forfeit this match."
Silence.
Deadly silence.
Then, the entire stadium erupted in a roar ten times more terrifying than before.
"Holy s***! Forfeiting again?"
"Give me back my money, I'm done!"
"I'm reporting this! This is a systemic scam! Sunagakure and Konoha are colluding to steal our money!!!"
The betting area went completely out of control.
Someone kicked over a table.
Someone grabbed a staff member's collar and wouldn't let go.
Others slumped to the ground on the spot, their eyes vacant.
Countless items, soda bottles, and even shoes rained down from the stands.
It's over.
Completely over.
Hyuga Hiashi was struck as if by lightning, falling straight backward, only to be caught by a quick-thinking Hanabi behind him.
"Father! Father, wake up!"
On the main stage, the Fourth Kazekage chuckled.
"Hokage-sama, it seems today's youth have quite the personality."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was also grim.
The Chunin Exams were meant to showcase each Village's military strength to the great nations.
Now, everything was a mess.
Soon, the third match began.
Shiranui Genma forced himself to ignore the noise from the audience.
"...Third match: Temari of Sunagakure vs. Nara Shikamaru of Konoha."
Temari carried her giant fan onto the field.
In the stands, Shikamaru looked up at the sky, then at Temari, and let out a long sigh.
"...What a drag. Maybe I should just forfeit too?"
As soon as the words left his mouth—
"Don't you dare!!!"
Ino's roar exploded at the same time.
"Shikamaru! If you forfeit too, Choji and I will definitely be killed by the crowd!"
Choji, holding a bag of chips, nodded frantically.
Shikamaru: "..."
He rubbed his temples, feeling his life turn bleak.
"Tch."
He walked forward as if accepting his fate. "Fine, fine, I'm going, okay?"
"But let's get one thing straight—I'm not going to risk my life."
"If I can't win, I'll surrender. Being a Chunin is a drag anyway..."
In the center of the arena.
Temari stood still.
Her gaze swept over Shikamaru, but her eyes showed no interest in the match.
Only irritation.
The fact that the Blond-haired Youth didn't show up made her extremely irritated.
Shiranui Genma raised his hand.
"Third match—"
"Begin!"
Just as the words fell.
Shikamaru had just raised his hands, his shadow not even fully extended.
The next instant—
"Summoning: Blade Dance."
A cold voice rang out.
BOOM!!! environment
Violent wind pressure suddenly erupted in the center of the arena!
A giant Kamaitachi swept out with a piercing whistle, instantly engulfing the entire arena; there was no escape!
Shikamaru's pupils shrank.
"...Holy s***?!"
He only had time to curse those two words.
The next second.
He was swallowed whole by the wind blades.
Dust rose into the sky.
The stands shook.
The gale knocked over the railings, sending the audience tumbling.
When the dust cleared.
Shikamaru lay at the edge of the arena, his eyes rolled back.
A one-shot.
The whole venue fell silent once more.
Winner—Temari.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was very grim.
After losing this match, he could only count on the final match, Sasuke vs. Gaara, to show some outstanding performance.
The fourth match.
Sasuke was late as usual, but fortunately, he appeared just before Shiranui Genma could declare a forfeit.
After training in the wilderness with Kakashi for a month, his strength had grown significantly.
At the same time, he had learned Kakashi's signature Ninjutsu, Chidori.
Sasuke and Gaara fought to a standstill, with Sasuke gradually gaining the upper hand.
This allowed Hiruzen Sarutobi on the main stage to breathe a sigh of relief.
Just then, a Cat-masked Anbu suddenly appeared behind Hiruzen Sarutobi using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Sandaime-sama, something big has happened!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "What is it? Why the panic?"
"The scroll of seals has been stolen!"
The Cat-masked Anbu broke out in a cold sweat. "The Anbu have already mobilized in full force to pursue the suspect. The opponent was clearly well-prepared..."
Before he could finish.
On the arena, Gaara had been injured by Sasuke's Chidori and entered a Berserk Mode.
At the same time, countless feathers fell from the sky onto the stands.
The gamblers who were rioting just a second ago were now slumped all over the floor in the next.
BOOM!!! environment
In the distance, the outer wall of Konoha Villagesuddenly shook.
The next moment.
A giant snake head emerged from the dust.
One by one, Summoned Snakes the size of watchtowers forced a breach in Konoha's defenses.
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally realized something was wrong.
On the main stage.
The Fourth Kazekage's figure suddenly closed in.
A Kunai was already held at Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat.
"Sensei."
"Long time no see."