"What should I do with you?"
Faced with Kankuro's question, Gaara remained silent. His chakra was completely depleted, and he could barely stand, let alone resist.
Looking at Kankuro and Temari who had fallen before him, Gaara repeatedly apologized in his heart. He hadn't been able to lead them to victory, and survival itself was uncertain.
Gaara closed his eyes, his mind replaying the images of Kankuro and Temari shielding him, and Kankuro's final instructions: Win, Gaara, you must win!
"Reached your limit?"
Sasori watched the three fallen figures, calculating. He had intended to let anyone who could break his Hiruko pass. However, seeing their Sand ninja headbands, Sasori couldn't resist seeing their true limits.
Although Kankuro, the puppet master, had disappointed him, he had a decent personality, and might achieve something in the future.
Just as Sasori was about to finish the cleanup, Gaara, who had been lying on the sand, suddenly stood up. A complex curse mark pattern crawled across his body. He slowly raised one hand, and the surrounding sand began to gather.
A long spear adorned with fiery red patterns materialized in Gaara's hand.
"This is..." Sasori, in the air, frowned. He seemed to have seen this power and these curse marks somewhere before.
At this moment, Gaara opened his eyes and threw the spear with all his might. "I will definitely lead you to victory!"
"Sand Burial: Most Powerful Spear!"
...
Meanwhile, the spectators in the arena were captivated by the battles within the nine stages, with exclamations echoing through the stands. The seats, previously empty due to the uneventful journey of the past two days, were now fully occupied.
Even Might Guy and Kakashi, who had been engaged in spirited sparring, were now seated in the viewing area. Although their respective teams hadn't started yet, it didn't prevent them from observing other teams.
Even though the screens for the first and ninth stages were blank, it didn't diminish the audience's enthusiasm.
As members of the Akatsuki began to appear, deafening roars emanated from a certain VIP room.
"Fourth Hokage! How do you explain this! Why are Akatsuki members appearing in the Chunin Exams! Are you Konoha colluding with the Akatsuki to harm the young generation of our various ninja villages!"
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, upon seeing the red cloud black robes, was reminded of the Akatsuki's invasion of his village, Kumogakure. This forced him to question Minato Namikaze.
"That's right, why are Akatsuki members here? Fourth Hokage, you must explain to us!" As another major ninja village that had been invaded by the Akatsuki, Rasa also looked at Minato Namikaze with a grim expression.
"This, this..."
Minato Namikaze's forehead was covered in cold sweat. Who knew why the Akatsuki members had appeared? They were asking him, the Hokage, and he didn't know!
But no one would believe him if he said that. What excuse could he come up with? It was truly troublesome!
At this moment, Onoki, who always preferred to benefit from others' misfortunes, spoke up for Minato Namikaze. After all, his village, Iwagakure, had hired the Akatsuki for jobs before.
"What's wrong with the Akatsuki? I remember they're just a mercenary organization. Konoha hired them..."
Before he could finish, Deidara's face appeared in Onoki's vision. Onoki immediately rushed to Minato Namikaze and said angrily, "Speak! What is Konoha's relationship with the Akatsuki! Hand over my disciple Deidara immediately!"
Facing the questioning of the three Kage, Minato Namikaze offered a perfunctory response.
"I know you're all in a hurry."
"But please don't rush."
"Regarding the Akatsuki, we will definitely give everyone an explanation after the Chunin Exams."
Mei Terumi also added, "Everyone, please maintain your dignity. In front of the entire ninja world, I don't believe Konoha would do anything to offend all ninja villages, right?"
Hearing the Mizukage's words, the three Kage calmed down and pondered. They felt it made sense. Konoha had no reason to risk offending the entire ninja world unless they wanted to die.
"Hmph! After the Chunin Exams, we'll settle the score with Konoha and the Akatsuki!"
Ay snorted. If he hadn't known he didn't bring enough men, he would have already gathered his forces and gone to fight the Akatsuki.
Rasa and Onoki also returned to their seats. They knew that rushing now was useless. The Akatsuki were on Mikazuki Island far overseas; what use was their haste!
They would wait until after the Chunin Exams, then unite the three villages to pressure Konoha for information about the Akatsuki.
Seeing the three retreat, Minato Namikaze felt a temporary relief. He almost thought he was going to be ganged up on, and his resentment towards Lin Yu grew even deeper.
This won't do! This Hokage position isn't for anyone! I need to find a replacement quickly!
...
In a viewing area, Shisui watched the battle footage of the second stage with a frown. "This is just the Chunin Exams, is there a need to bring out the Third Kazekage's puppet?"
Lin Yu, sitting beside him, explained, "I told them to decide whether the challenging teams are qualified to pass based on their own judgment. Strictly speaking, breaking Hiruko grants the qualification to pass. However, Sasori probably wanted to see Gaara and the others' limits."
Shisui gave Lin Yu a strange look and said, "Based on their own judgment? Then if they're unlucky, won't it..."
"Luck is also part of being a ninja!" Lin Yu smiled and didn't reply.
"Teacher, aren't you worried they might not hold back?"
Lin Yu bared his teeth and chuckled, "If they can't hold back, ten times the compensation! Can they afford it?"
Shisui forced a smile. As expected of Teacher Lin Yu. If it were him, he would rather get injured himself than hold back. Ten billion in compensation, how many years of hard work would that take!
"Watch the match properly. Oh! Neji and Rock Lee are up against Kisame Hoshigaki."
...
In a cave several dozen kilometers from Konoha, a fox, a mink, and an old turtle basking in a pond were watching television with great interest. The screen was broadcasting the Chunin Exams.
"You smelly tanuki, leaving chakra in Gaara's body, you're cheating, you know?"
"Tch!"
Shukaku flicked its tail and pouted, "I did it to save his life. Who knew he'd use it for that."
Kurama gave it a "Do you think I believe you?" look and then lay down again to watch the broadcast.
"This is quite boring. How about we play a few rounds?"
"Are there stakes?"
"Of course there are!"
Then the fox and the mink looked at the Three-Tails, which buried its head in the pond and blew bubbles.
"These two are trying to trick Turtle again. It's really not easy for Turtle."