BOOM—
With a deafening crash, Gaara was sent flying backward like a broken doll, slamming into the high wall of the arena.
The sheer force of the impact caused the stone wall behind him to crack.
For the first time in his life, Gaara had been injured. A large gash opened on his forehead, and blood began to flow, staining his vision red.
Drip.
Drip.
Gaara stared at his trembling hands, horrified. Blood dripped from his palms, and the tailed beast's chakra within him surged out of control.
"I'll kill you!"
"I'll kill you!!"
As the tailed beast's chakra flared violently, Gaara's injuries healed almost instantly.
But now, half of his face had morphed into the appearance of a raccoon.
"Huh?"
"A cat monster?"
Facing this sudden transformation, Sasuke remained unfazed. He wouldn't even blink if his opponent turned into a purple lion on the spot.
Lifting his Heavenly Heavy Sword, Sasuke pointed at the half-human, half-raccoon Gaara and said coldly, "Show me your full power."
"Because no matter what you try under my sword..."
"It'll all be pointless."
In their earlier fight, Sasuke had already used the Heavenly Heavy Sword to recover his chakra. At this point, he was in better shape than when the battle began.
A mere cat monster?
Just as Sasuke thought this, Gaara suddenly appeared in front of him.
Too fast!
Fortunately, Sasuke's Sharingan picked up the movement in time. He ducked and barely evaded Gaara's claw-like strike.
Whoosh—
Gaara, now partially transformed into his tailed beast, missed the first strike. Without hesitation, he followed up with a Wind Release aimed directly at Sasuke's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Sasuke instinctively pulled back, raising the Heavenly Heavy Sword to block.
Even so, the immense force of the Wind Release sent him flying, much like what had happened to Gaara earlier.
The only difference? Sasuke emerged unscathed.
"Heh... just as I thought. Nothing special," Sasuke sneered, brushing the dust off as he stood. His confidence in his own abilities—and the Heavenly Heavy Sword that could restore chakra—was unshaken.
Naruto, sitting in the stands, covered his face with his hands.
He couldn't bear to watch Sasuke get pummeled.
That earlier hit? Pure arrogance on Sasuke's part.
While it was true that Sasuke's current strength couldn't fully match a rampaging Gaara, combining the Heavenly Heavy Sword with his Sharingan should have allowed him to at least fight Gaara to a standstill.
At worst, the sword's chakra absorption would keep Sasuke alive.
But no. Sasuke just had to open his mouth.
"Pointless," he said.
"A mere cat monster," he said.
Naruto thought if Sasuke didn't get beaten up, that would've been the real surprise.
Back in the arena, the fight between Gaara and Sasuke raged on, with neither side holding back. But Gaara, consumed by rage, had now entered the third stage of his transformation.
His entire body took on the appearance of Shukaku, and the sand around him flowed like liquid, spreading across the arena.
Sasuke, who had managed to keep up earlier, now found himself steadily losing ground.
Up in the sky, Uzumaki Naruko held a microphone and shouted into it.
"Two-Sticks just charged in again!"
"Two-Sticks got sent flying by Gaara!"
"Two-Sticks is going back in!"
"Naruko, shut up!!!"
...
Whether Sasuke's performance was that bad or Naruko's commentary was just that terrible, Naruto wasn't sure.
What was clear was that the audience around him couldn't get enough of it.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, decided it was time. Tossing aside his wind-shadow hat, he revealed his true face to the Third Hokage.
"You..."
"Orochimaru!!!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Despite his age, the Third Hokage's reaction speed was still impressive. He sidestepped the hat Orochimaru flung at him and glared at his former student, his weathered face filled with a mix of sorrow and anger.
Around them, explosions erupted across Konoha.
"Protect the Hokage!"
"Fall back! Protect the Hokage!"
"Stand down!" the Third Hokage barked, raising his hand to stop the approaching ninja. "This is my fight. Orochimaru is beyond any of you."
"Go. Focus on protecting the villagers."
Years ago, he had spared Orochimaru, clinging to the hope of salvaging their bond as master and student. Now, Orochimaru had brought devastation to Konoha.
The Third Hokage could no longer allow himself such weakness.
Shrugging off his Hokage robes, he prepared for battle. Seeing this, Orochimaru turned and leapt onto the rooftops.
As the Sound Four activated a barrier, a glowing purple dome encased Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, sealing them off from outside interference.
Back in the arena, Hiashi Hyuga appeared before Naruto.
"Naruto, take Hinata and Hanabi and leave. The upcoming battles aren't something you can handle."
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, still being pummeled, then at the stubborn elder.
He nodded—then opened a portal behind Hiashi and kicked him through it.
"Alright, Hinata, take Hanabi and head back. Sakura, you too," Naruto said, creating several more portals.
Sakura hesitated, casting one last look at Sasuke. Realizing she wouldn't be of much help here, she decided to head to the hospital to assist the wounded instead.
Hinata, holding Hanabi close, hesitated for a moment. Gripping Naruto's sleeve, she whispered, "Naruto-kun... be careful."
Naruto smiled and pinched her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Once Hinata and the others had left, Naruto quickly opened portals to send Shikamaru and the rest of his friends to safety.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and the other Jonin were busy fending off Orochimaru's minions.
Might Guy glanced toward the barrier, itching to help the Hokage, but Kakashi stopped him.
"Guy, the Third Hokage can handle Orochimaru. It's his fight. Our job is to protect the village and stop these invaders."
The other Jonin nodded in agreement. They all believed in the Third Hokage's strength.
And more than that...
It was his chance to right the wrongs of his past.
Back in the arena, Sasuke, now desperate, thrust his Chidori into Gaara's chest. The attack nearly killed him, but Shukaku had had enough.
With a thunderous roar, the tailed beast began to fully emerge, ready to crush the arrogant Uchiha.
Just as Shukaku fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Sasuke, a golden totem suddenly flew into the arena, smashing into Sasuke and sending him flying.
"Hold onto the totem, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
"What?!" Sasuke yelled, disoriented.
Naruto grinned from the sidelines, shouting, "Trust me, you'll need it!"
And with that, the chaos only escalated.