"Naruto, you're getting stronger..." Shikamaru commented, then stepped down from the waiting area. He looked at Temari, who was also walking down, and clicked his tongue.
"Why does it have to be a girl? So troublesome."
Shikamaru walked while gazing at the clouds in the sky. Honestly, why did he join the Chunin Exam again? Oh right, it was Asuma who signed them up. If he could, Shikamaru wouldn't have signed up at all.
But if he just gave up, he'd be looked down upon. That wouldn't be very manly either. So, how could he retain his masculinity without having to fight a girl?
Besides, winning wasn't necessary to become a Chunin, right? As long as he showed enough power and demonstrated the qualities of a Chunin, that should be enough. So how could he showcase that in this match?
As Shikamaru pondered, he reached the center of the arena. He gave Temari a dead-eyed stare, looking completely unmotivated.
Natsuro watched the pair in the arena and remembered that, in the end, they ended up together, right?
If that's the case, then he should go easy on her later when they meet again. After all, if he accidentally caused Shikamaru's wife to disappear, that wouldn't be good.
Then, Shikamaru showed everyone what it means to have a flawless strategy. However, just when everyone thought he would win, he surrendered voluntarily.
The reason? He said he didn't have enough chakra, and if he continued, he would be beaten badly, so he gave up.
Natsuro's eye twitched. Looking at Shikamaru's face, he just couldn't believe it. So, was this the reason they eventually ended up together?
Afterward, the third match began, but since Tōru didn't show up, the referee, Genma Shiranui, waited for a long time. By the time the audience began to get restless, Genma checked the time, sighed, and acknowledged that it could only be delayed this far.
Helpless, Genma announced Tōru's absence and Kankuro's victory.
Then, Genma called the contestants for the fourth match:
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara!
As soon as Genma made the announcement, the entire arena erupted in excited cheers.
Finally, they had waited for this – the last survivor of the Uchiha clan. And it was said that he was a genius. Most of the audience had come just to see Sasuke's battle.
They hadn't expected to see such a fantastic fight in the first round, followed by a brilliant tactical battle in the second. Now they would get to watch the match they were most looking forward to – the fight of the last Uchiha. This ticket was definitely worth it!
Sasuke quickly arrived at the arena, still shaken by the power Naruto had displayed earlier. That power was overwhelming. He had originally thought that learning Chidori put him a step ahead of Naruto, but now it seemed uncertain.
If he could hold out long enough to use Chidori in a direct confrontation, maybe he had a chance of winning. But… Chidori wasn't a technique meant to be used on comrades.
And Gaara? He seemed to be suppressing something. When he saw that red energy around Naruto earlier, Gaara knew that Naruto had a monster inside him, just like he did.
But why? Gaara recalled the smile on Naruto's face and how he got along well with the others after returning to the waiting area. Why did Naruto receive such treatment?
It had to be fake. It was all fake!
Gaara's body trembled, his bloodlust uncontrollable due to the stark contrast in how they were treated. If it weren't for the two clueless individuals he'd just encountered when he came out, he might not have been able to hold himself back any longer.
As soon as Genma announced the start of the battle, Gaara's bloodlust surged.
However, this bloodlust barely affected Sasuke. He had already faced killing intent many times before. How could he be afraid of it now?
Natsuro watched the fight between Sasuke and Gaara from below. Over the past month, Kakashi had been honing Sasuke's body to increase the power of his Chidori.
There was no doubt that, if not for Gaara's sand armor, Sasuke's fundamentals were much stronger than Naruto's. But unfortunately, Naruto had so much chakra that he could maintain his wind armor indefinitely, so Sasuke couldn't bypass it.
With Naruto having enhanced himself in so many ways, he had basically caught up to – or even surpassed – Sasuke.
At this point, if Naruto didn't try to clash directly with Sasuke's Chidori, his chances of winning weren't low. But given Naruto's personality, would he really avoid a direct clash, even if he didn't have the Rasengan? Knowing Naruto, it was impossible.
As for the battle between Sasuke and Gaara, it would be difficult for Sasuke to win. Despite lightning's advantage over earth, Gaara's current strength was beyond this level.
This was even while Gaara's mind was in disarray. If it were the later, more composed Gaara, Sasuke would be in real danger.
Although Gaara's seal was weak, causing Shukaku's influence to be overwhelming, it also made Gaara's power grow the most during this period. It was a give and take. However, Gaara probably didn't want this kind of power.
As Natsuro was thinking this, he suddenly noticed something. He saw feathers gently falling from the sky and sighed. It had come, after all.
This level of genjutsu had no effect on Natsuro. He watched the arena erupt into chaos, with explosions and smoke bombs going off near the Hokage's viewing platform. Natsuro knew:
Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan had begun!
As the illusion settled in, the hidden Sound ninja finally revealed themselves. Some of them even wore Konoha Anbu masks before, making Natsuro sigh.
The security had been tight recently, but there was nothing that could be done. The Chunin Exam was meant to invite ninja from other countries to participate, so Konoha's gates had to remain open, making infiltration unavoidable.
Natsuro had also noticed that there were more ninja in the stands than usual. However, he couldn't do anything about it. Many Konoha ninja had come to watch, and even the bodyguards of the various lords included numerous ninja. He had suspected there would be enemies among them.
But to see so many? That was unexpected. Sound Village wasn't that large – had they brought nearly all of their ninja?
As for Gaara, Natsuro left it to Naruto and Sasuke to chase him. At this stage, Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't be in any real danger, and Jiraiya was also watching over things, so there was no need to worry about that side.
With that in mind, Natsuro went over to Ino, who had been startled by the sudden turn of events. Seeing him, she felt reassured and asked, "Natsuro, what's going on?"
"Well, to put it simply, Konoha's ally, the Hidden Sand Village, has betrayed the alliance and launched a surprise attack on Konoha," Natsuro explained.
"How could this happen…" Ino was in disbelief. How could the Chunin Exam escalate into this?
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine," Natsuro said, patting Ino on the head. "Your jutsu won't be of much use in this environment. I'll take you to my mom, and you can help me look after her for a while."
"Huh? Uh." Ino hadn't fully processed what was happening before Natsuro covered her eyes with his hand. When her vision returned, she heard that familiar voice again.
"Natsuro, and Ino, you're here!" Shinai exclaimed in surprise, after seeing them.
"Yeah, Mom, keep an eye on Ino." Natsuro glanced at the surrounding civilians, who looked a bit on edge. When they saw his forehead protector and recognized his connection to Shinai, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright. Is Ino going to the shelter with us?" Shinai asked.
"Yes." Ino, now noticing the line of women and children around them and the ninja guards, realized something. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
"Natsuro, you be careful out there," Shinai said, looking at him seriously.
"Of course, Mom. Your son is really strong!" Natsuro smiled, then disappeared from sight.
Those around him, having witnessed this scene, and remembering how Natsuro had suddenly appeared, couldn't help but look at Shinai with admiration. Her son was clearly a powerful ninja!
At this point, some who knew Natsuro started spreading his name, and soon everyone knew. After all, Natsuro was Konoha's youngest Jonin, and quite famous.
Those who didn't know him before now couldn't help but look at Shinai with envy. Some even started coming over to promote their daughters, which made Ino immediately go on high alert.
It seemed Natsuro's decision to bring her here was the right one. Not only did she have to look after Shinai, but she also had to defend her own claim!
Shinai looked at the envious gazes around her and the people pushing their daughters forward. She couldn't help but feel a bit amused but also deeply proud. After all, that was her son!
Natsuro's battlefield wasn't at the arena, though. With his exceptional mobility, his battlefield was the entire village of Konoha. Initially, he had wanted to stay at the arena, but the Third Hokage had given him a direct order. This was the first time the Third had ever imposed a mandatory order on Natsuro.
So Natsuro agreed in the end. After all, even if he wasn't there, Jiraiya was, so things shouldn't get too out of hand, right?
With that thought, Natsuro retrieved the 'Ink' Sword he had sealed away earlier. He gently stroked the blade as if greeting an old friend.
"Old buddy, time to fight together again," Natsuro said as he flicked the blade, which gave off a soft ringing sound.
At this moment, the sensory field he had extended thanks to his Void State finally came into play, covering most of Konoha.
However, the same problem persisted: he could sense the presence of ninja, but he couldn't tell if they were enemies.
So his first targets were those already engaged in combat, as that would guarantee there were enemy ninja present.
And how would he get there?
A slight smile appeared on Natsuro's face. He had prepared enough soldier pills, and during this time, he had left plenty of Flying Thunder God marks all around Konoha.
Now was not the time to conserve chakra. Besides, the small-scale use of Flying Thunder God didn't consume much!
What followed was Natsuro's hunting time!
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Currently on Chapter 188 - Naruto: "So I Suddenly Have Relatives?"