Chapter 26 - The Konoha Crush Begun

The match was set to begin. Sasuke, who was confident and eager to showcase his strength, was ready.

On the other hand, Gaara, with an emotionless and cold look on his face, was equally prepared.

The match began. Sasuke went on the offensive right away, but all of his attacks were blocked by Gaara's sand shield, which protected him from Sasuke's assaults.

Sasuke threw shurikens and attempted a variety of attacks, but all were thwarted by Gaara's sand shield.

Sasuke began to increase his speed. He had been practicing with Kakashi for the past month for this moment. He managed to land one or two blows with his increased speed, but it still wasn't enough to break Gaara's shield.

At that moment, Naruto, standing amongst the other finalists, had a feeling of foreboding. "Why does it seem like something bad is about to happen?" he thought.

He was detecting a familiar dark chakra, reminiscent of the Chunin exam, which caused a wave of unease. "Could it be Orochimaru?" he wondered, while the fight between Sasuke and Gaara unfolded.

"I need to speak with Kakashi-sensei... immediately," Naruto decided, spotting Kakashi and Gai in the stands, accompanied by Rock Lee.

As Naruto made his way towards the stairs, Sakura queried, "Where are you heading, Naruto?"

"I have an important matter to attend to. Don't worry, I'll be back soon," Naruto answered, proceeding down the stairs.

He arrived at the spot where Kakashi and Gai were, engrossed in the spectacle below in the arena - the ongoing duel between Gaara and Sasuke.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto called out to Kakashi in a hushed tone.

"Is something the matter, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, noticing Naruto's troubled expression.

With a laugh, Naruto tried to hide his anxiety, "No, nothing. I just needed to tell you something... That's all."

Before Naruto could utter another word, a sound mimicking bird chirps filled the arena. It was familiar - Sasuke had mastered the Chidori.

The sight of Sasuke executing such a high-level Jutsu, especially without his teammates, left Gai and most of the spectators in awe. Sasuke charged at Gaara and his sand defense, Chidori at the ready.

As the stadium fell eerily silent, Sasuke struck Gaara's sand shield with his Chidori. For a moment, it seemed as if the shield had absorbed the attack...

"Did he hit him?" Rock Lee questioned.

Inside the sand shield, Sasuke's Chidori made contact with Gaara, Gaara began to bleed from the impact point. Suddenly, a loud scream emitted from the shield, causing the crowd to stir.

"What's happening?"

"What's going on?"

In response to the scream, Sasuke withdrew his hand and retreated, narrowly evading a sudden attack from a sand-formed hand.

"What's that?" Gai asked, puzzled.

"His chakra... It's transformed... It's dark, I can sense the darkness from here," Naruto observed.

"Oh no... That arm..." Kankuro, one of Gaara's teammates, thought with concern.

Sasuke dropped to one knee as the sand hand receded.

"Gaara, you reckless fool," murmured a Sand Jounin in the crowd.

"Is that thing taking over again?" Kankuro wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure, I've never seen this before, I think , he's hurt." replied Temari with concerned look.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Sakura resolved to accompany Naruto, leaving the Sand siblings and Shino Aburame behind.

"Kankuro couldn't forget the first time he laid eyes on that terrifying thing. The memory still sent shivers down his spine.

There was an eerie silence in the stadium as the hand returned to its original position. Sasuke, standing before it, wore an expression of worry on his face, a clear sign of his disbelief.

"What's going on...?" Sasuke whispered to himself.

Then, a harsh, disconcerting noise erupted from within the sand. Sasuke was frozen in shock, his eyes wide and unblinking.

Naruto found himself in a dilemma. He was clueless about the unfolding situation and any attempt to interfere could break the match rules. But he couldn't just stand there, doing nothing. He glanced at the Kage Box where the Hokage and Kazekage were seated, then turned his attention back to the arena.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." The examiner thought to himself.

Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn towards the sand shield. It was starting to crack, the noise loud and jarring.

Suddenly, the sand shield fractured and the particles fell away, revealing Gaara to the crowd.

Gaara was panting heavily, clutching at a wound caused by the Chidori. Blood oozed from his injuries as he slowly opened his eyes.

"He's injured...His shield didn't hold up long enough for him to change," Temari whispered to Kankuro.

Sasuke noted a change in Gaara's expression. "His look...it's different from before. What's going on...?" Sasuke wondered, studying Gaara's eyes.

Meanwhile, in the stands, a jounin wearing an Anbu mask was seated behind the spectators. He reached out and touched the person sitting in front of him, who immediately fell unconscious.

Then, the masked jounin began to perform hand signs. Suddenly, feathers began to drift down over the stadium.

"Kakashi, do you think..." Gai began.

"Yes, it's Genjutsu..." Kakashi confirmed, as he too started performing hand signs.

Nearby, Naruto observed all this. But he didn't need to act - his alert eyes caught every detail, and his dark glasses provided further protection.

Sakura and Shikamaru, too, recognized the Genjutsu and began performing hand signs.

Many of the spectators, except for a few jounin and chunin, succumbed to the Genjutsu and fell unconscious.

"So Kabuto has already unleashed the Genjutsu... The time must be near..." thought a Sand jounin in the stands.

In the Kage Box, the Hokage and the Kazekage exchanged glances.

"Shall we begin..."

Suddenly, smoke engulfed the box. Sasuke, Kakashi, Naruto, and everyone else not affected by the Genjutsu looked in shock at the Kage box.

"There's the signal..." a masked ninja outside the stadium commented.

"The operation has begun..." thought the Sand genin and the Sand jounin in the crowd. As the ninjas from outside entered the stadium, it was clear: an attack on Konoha had begun.

"In the Kage's chamber...

"What's happening, Lord Kazekage?" Hiruzen asked, looking at the Kazekage in confusion.

The Kazekage remained silent, his gaze fixed on Hiruzen. Suddenly, a ninja standing next to Hiruzen was hit with sharp, thrown knives, two of which struck him.

"Lord Hokage, you need to run, get out of here now..." the wounded ninja managed to say before collapsing.

Before Hiruzen could act, Kazekage moved swiftly, pressing a knife against Hiruzen's throat, and quickly left the Kage's chamber.

"We need to help Lord Hokage, let's move..." a member of the Anbu, the Leaf Village's special forces, said.

But as they tried to reach their leader, a wall of energy appeared, trapping Hiruzen and Kazekage within. One of the Anbu attempted to pass through the barrier, only to burst into flames.

The rest of the Anbu stopped in their tracks, "A Barrier Seal?" one of them questioned. "We need to figure out how to cross or destroy this barrier, but how?" another Anbu member wondered aloud.

"Lord Kazekage..." Hiruzen said, still held captive by the Kazekage within the barrier.

"A barrier technique, interesting!" Gai said, analyzing the situation.

"It's impressive that they managed to trick the Anbu... They're no ordinary foes," Kakashi noted.

"So, what's our next move, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Before Kakashi could respond, several Anbu members stepped forward to face them.

"What are you doing here? You should be guarding Lord Hokage," Gai said. But suddenly, the Anbu in front of them revealed themselves to be enemy ninjas from the Sound Village.

"What a bother..." Kakashi muttered.

"To think that the enemy was pretending to be our Anbu..." Gai remarked.

"The guy in the middle cast the illusion!" Naruto pointed out.

"Yes, there's no doubt about it," Kakashi confirmed.

"Then let me take care of him," Naruto volunteered.

Meanwhile, within the barrier...

"I didn't see this coming... The Sand Village turning against the Leaf Village like this..." Hiruzen remarked.

"The treaty was just a smokescreen to drop the enemy's guard. The time for petty games is over," Kazekage said in a taunting tone. "From here on, history will take a new course."

"Are you suggesting you're instigating a war?" Hiruzen questioned.

"That's correct," the Kazekage responded.

"One should avoid conflict through arms and should instead seek a resolution through negotiation. There's still time, Lord Kazekage," Hiruzen advised.

"Perhaps, as one grows older, they become too accustomed to peace... Sarutobi Sensei," the Kazekage retorted.

At that moment, Hiruzen seemed taken aback or shocked to hear the word 'sensei' from the Kazekage.

"You're... Orochimaru..." Hiruzen said, his expression filled with surprise and disbelief.

At the stadium, Naruto, Kakashi, and Gai stood in front of the enemy ninjas. One of them was still disguised as an Anbu Black Ops member, while the other four appeared to be Sound Ninjas.

Shikamaru and Sakura arrived at the scene, running towards Naruto. Sakura commented, "What's happening here..."

Naruto replied, "Konoha is under attack."

"Attack... what a drag," Shikamaru said, yawning in his usual nonchalant manner.

Meanwhile, at the border of the village, a snake with three heads was suddenly summoned. It launched an attack on the village, breaking through one of the enormous walls that surrounded Konoha.

The Sand Ninjas were also present, engaged in battle against the Konoha Jounins who were guarding the village from the wall.

Sasuke stood in the arena, facing Gaara with a confused expression. "What's going on?" he commented, seeking clarity.

Suddenly, the voice of Temari reached Sasuke's ears. "Stop it, Gaara..." Both Kankuro and Temari stood beside Gaara, trying to reason with him.

"I'll kill him..." Gaara declared, his face filled with a vicious killing intent.

"There's no meaning in continuing this fight..." Kankuro interjected. "Don't forget our mission," Temari added.

Gaara attempted to push Kankuro aside, but before he could, a man appeared on the scene. "What are you guys doing? The operation is already underway..." the man commented, his gaze fixed on Sasuke.

The examiner of the final exam then approached Sasuke, adding to the confusion. Sasuke, astonished and bewildered, asked, "What in the world is going on?"

"Gaara..." Temari muttered as Gaara fell to his knees. "His wounds are deeper than I thought... and moreover, his chakra is pretty drained," she observed, glancing at the man in front of them.

"In that case, why don't you use that power now?" the man suggested.

"That's not possible right now," Temari replied.

"Idiot! It's all because you didn't wait for the signal and tried to become the perfect possession!" the man scolded, his tone filled with irritation.

"What should we do now? Are you saying we have to do this without Gaara?" Kankuro said.

"Gaara's Sand is the trump card. You guys leave for now and try to heal Gaara's wounds. As soon as Gaara's chakra is regained, the mission will recommence," the man instructed.

"Got it," Kankuro acknowledged, and both Temari and Kankuro carried Gaara.

"What about you, sensei?" Temari asked the man.

"I'll try to suppress these guys," the man replied.

"Do you think things will go according to your plan?" the examiner, Genma Shiranui, asked, standing in front of Sasuke.

"I'll make them so," the man responded confidently. He then shouted, "Go!" as Temari and Kankuro started to leave the stadium, carrying Gaara with them.

"Is Orochimaru the host of the party?" Genma Shiranui questioned, causing Sasuke to look at him in shock at the mention of Orochimaru's name.

"Dunno... In any case, let's heat things up," the man commented, his tone filled with determination.

[2nd Chapter dropping tomorrow so drop powerstones for support.

A:T - I wish to communicate with you. I've been penning down this narrative, attempting to pour my heart and soul into it. However, capturing numerous events in words simultaneously can be arduous. Being a novice in the realm of writing, I strive to keep you captivated with my tales. Nonetheless, if you perceive that my efforts haven't met the expectations, I extend my sincere apologies.]