Konoha Stadium
Sakura anxiously watched the events unfolding in the arena. Sasuke had charged in a straight line at Gaara's wave of sand.
Sasuke's left hand plunged deep into the sand wave. The sensation from his hand confirmed he'd hit his target, but…
"This is… this is my blood… Argh… Aaargh!"
Gaara's agonizing scream erupted from within the sand wave. The sand enveloping Sasuke's arm suddenly writhed, and a searing pain shot through him, forcing him to yell out as well.
He poured more chakra into his hand, the fading lightning flaring back to full intensity. Planting his feet on the sand wave, Sasuke yanked his arm free and retreated rapidly. But a sand arm, larger and more defined than the one he'd faced during his match with Sakura, shot out after him.
Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm. What kind of jutsu is this? This arm doesn't even seem like a normal ninjutsu, and it's much bigger than before.
Gaara's sand wave dissipated, revealing his battered form. The sand arm detached from Gaara's body, leaving his shoulder a bloody mess. Gaara clutched his head and collapsed to the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"What do we do, Temari…?" Kankuro was visibly panicked by Gaara's injury. Gaara had never been hurt like this before. The One-Tail was almost certainly on the verge of going berserk.
Temari, seeing the inhuman look in Gaara's eyes, was also unsure. Having sensed something was wrong with the Kazekage, and already opposed to this mission, she felt her resolve wavering.
Aside from the severed arm, Gaara wasn't showing any other signs of losing control. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Wait a little longer."
Sakura saw the feathers drifting down from the sky and Naruto sleeping soundly beside her. It was clear: the Konoha Crush had begun.
She grabbed Naruto and slapped a Genjutsu Release seal on his forehead. He woke instantly, startled.
Kakashi gave Sakura a meaningful look and then dashed towards the Third Hokage's location. Sound and Sand ninja were suddenly appearing in the arena, attacking the Konoha ninja.
At the same time, Sakura felt a slight tremor in the ground, followed by several loud explosions from within the village.
"Sakura-chan, what's going on…?" Naruto asked, bewildered by the sudden chaos.
"It's an enemy attack. Orochimaru and the Sand Village," Sakura explained. "Take Hinata somewhere safe first. Then, if there are any civilians still in the arena, help them evacuate."
"The Sand Village…? But why…?"
"There's no time to explain! Just do as I say. I'm going to bring Sasuke back." Seeing the Four Violet Flames Formation rising around the main building, Sakura felt a slight sense of relief.
It seemed Orochimaru wouldn't have a chance to place the curse seal on Sasuke. All she had to do was bring Sasuke back, and once the Third Hokage sealed Orochimaru's hands, he would naturally retreat.
As soon as the chaos erupted, Kankuro and Temari appeared beside Gaara, who was still clutching his head and screaming in agony.
"What now, Temari?" Kankuro asked, slightly relieved that Gaara didn't seem to be completely losing it.
"The operation is terminated," a voice said from behind them. It was Baki.
"Baki-sensei…" Temari, seeing Baki and hearing his order, breathed a sigh of relief.
"The person on the viewing platform isn't the Kazekage. We've been tricked," Baki said gravely. "The Kazekage has likely been… assassinated… Damn it…"
Baki clenched his fists. He had supported this mission, believing it necessary to make the Land of Wind's Daimyo aware of the danger. Without that awareness, the Sand Village's situation would only worsen.
But when the operation began, Baki noticed that the Kazekage's actions weren't following the agreed-upon plan. As someone who frequently interacted with the Kazekage, Baki had already been suspicious of the changes in his behavior.
So, when Baki clearly saw that the person inside the Four Violet Flames Formation was Orochimaru, not the Kazekage, he knew the Sand Village had been played.
Now, he had no choice but to order his students to stop the operation. With the Kazekage likely dead, they couldn't risk losing their Jinchuriki too.
"You two take Gaara and retreat. I'll cover you," Baki told Temari and Kankuro, seeing Anbu ninja appearing in the arena.
"What the hell is going on?!" Sasuke asked, clutching his slightly injured arm, completely bewildered.
"…I'm sorry, but the Chunin Exams are over," Gekko Hayate said, drawing his katana and warily guarding against Baki.
"Your skills are already at Chunin level. As a Konoha ninja, you have a duty to perform," Hayate continued. "Pursue Gaara and his siblings."
Sakura arrived beside Sasuke just in time to hear Hayate assigning the mission to Sasuke, and she was immediately furious.
"Do you even understand what Gaara is? How can you order us, genin, to pursue him?" Sakura yelled at Hayate.
Hayate glanced at her coldly. "You're a ninja, not a baby who needs to be protected."
Sakura was stunned, as if struck by a blow. She paused, taken aback. All this time, Kakashi-sensei, Jiraiya-sama, and Tsunade-sensei had shielded her.
Without realizing it, Sakura had become accustomed to this protection. She'd been avoiding anything beyond her abilities, and when faced with a Jinchuriki, she'd always felt inadequate, believing it was a problem for Jiraiya or Kakashi to handle.
But Hayate's words were a harsh wake-up call. She'd relied too much on others' protection, always using her perceived weakness as an excuse to avoid strong opponents.
Although Sakura's goal had always been to protect her family and friends, deep down, she still desired to be protected, to rely on Naruto and Sasuke's future protection, to rely on Jiraiya, Kakashi, the Third Hokage, and the other Konoha ninja to resolve this crisis.
But Sakura was a ninja too… The village nurtured everyone, providing shelter for the genin. In times of crisis, the genin also had a duty to contribute to the village's defense.
"I understand," Sakura said, tending to the injuries on Sasuke's arm.
"Hn. Don't push yourself," Hayate added.
"Sasuke, let's go," Sakura said, helping him up.
"Hey, Sasuke, Sakura-chan…!" Naruto came running over from a distance.
"Huh? Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino," Sakura said, noticing the others.
"The Third Hokage is trapped. A large number of Sound Village ninja have appeared in the village. New mission, A-rank: the five of you will support the sealing squad and assist in capturing Gaara. Sakura, you're temporarily in charge," Kakashi said. "The sealing squad has already started the pursuit."
He made a hand sign and summoned a pug. "This is Pakkun. He'll lead the way."
After seeing the Third Hokage trapped in the Four Violet Flames Formation and the sudden appearance of a large number of Sound and Sand ninja, Kakashi had no choice but to abandon his previous plan. Plans could never keep up with changes.
Because of the sudden enemy attack, there weren't enough people to protect the sealing squad, forcing him to order the genin to assist.
Kakashi had to stay in the village to reduce the number of enemies.
"Try to stall them. I'll catch up as soon as I can," Kakashi said, before rushing back to the viewing platform.
"…Let's move, everyone. Pakkun, lead the way." Sakura didn't waste any more words. She led the four of them, following Pakkun in pursuit.
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