A resounding howl pierced the air.
It was the evolved Garurumon, Akamaru, using his howl to intimidate his opponent.
Greymon wasn't fazed by this display.
However, such a provocation was hard for anyone to ignore, let alone the easily angered Greymon.
As expected, Greymon immediately charged, his massive horn aimed directly at Garurumon.
"Akamaru!"
Having instinctively inherited all of Garurumon's abilities upon evolution, Akamaru expertly dodged Greymon's attack.
Simultaneously, he launched himself forward, claws extended, aiming for Greymon's back.
Tail Whip!
Covered in natural weapons, Greymon seemed to have no weaknesses.
Facing the incoming attack, he lashed out with his tail, generating a sharp cracking sound as it ripped through the air towards Akamaru's flank.
If Akamaru continued his attack without evading, it would result in a double knockout.
As an agility-type fighter, he instinctively dodged.
There was no need to trade blows with a power-type opponent; he wouldn't win a war of attrition.
His only path to victory was through speed.
BAM!!
Although Greymon's tail whip missed, the sound, like an explosion of compressed air, was terrifying.
The spectators shivered; it was clear that a single hit would pulverize an ordinary person.
Nova Blast!
Greymon, without pause, turned and roared, unleashing a volley of fireballs.
Ice Wall!!
Akamaru's eyes narrowed in concentration.
Slamming his paws together, a massive wall of ice erupted from the ground, blocking the fiery onslaught.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
Ice and fire clashed.
The scorching explosions sent shards of ice flying as the high temperatures rapidly melted the barrier. Steam billowed outwards, briefly shrouding the arena in a thin mist.
"So strong!"
"That evolved puppy is incredibly powerful!"
"Puppy? That's a giant wolf!"
"I'd say it's stronger than many Jonin's summons..."
In the stands, the various Daimyo and feudal lords were enthralled.
They hadn't expected such a spectacular battle in the very first round of the official matches. And this was only a Chunin-level fight.
Wouldn't Jonin battles be even more amazing? It seemed that future missions could be assigned more frequently to Konoha; their completion would be faster and safer.
"This power… you actually just have to shout out loud for it?" The Third Hokage, observing Akamaru's ferocious evolution, felt a pang of regret.
According to his ANBU's intel, these children gained their mysterious power boosts by shouting specific phrases.
Back then, witnessing so many failures and mindful of his position, he hadn't been willing to yell like a fool.
It would have been too embarrassing if anyone found out.
However, Hinata's Tenseigan, Choji's Giant of Light Transformation, and even Kiba's evolved beast weren't things he particularly desired.
After all, he was old and didn't have many years left.
Still, witnessing this miracle firsthand rekindled a spark of hope within the Third Hokage.
Could this miracle grant him something that could strengthen his life force?
He didn't seek immortality, but a few more decades would be nice.
Asuma was still immature, his grandson Konohamaru was too young, and he still had many concerns.
Furthermore, he hadn't found a suitable successor for the Hokage position.
Perhaps, after the Chunin Exams, he should find a secluded spot and try shouting something himself? But if it only worked in crowded places, then he'd have to forget it.
He was the Hokage, after all; such undignified behavior was absolutely out of the question.
"Lord Hokage, Konoha truly is full of surprises.
"This pillar of light, this miraculous power… I've never seen anything like it in all my years in the ninja world.
"Is this something newly developed by Konoha?"
The Fourth Kazekage inquired in a low voice.
Hidden within the shadows of his wide-brimmed hat, his eyes subtly transformed into snake-like slits.
He wasn't looking at the Hokage beside him but was fixated on Akamaru in the arena, his intense curiosity evident.
Witnessing this miracle firsthand only intensified Orochimaru's urgency to execute his Konoha Crush plan.
Konoha couldn't be allowed to continue developing peacefully.
With so many geniuses, once they matured, they would become an insurmountable force.
He was also deeply intrigued by the source of this miraculous power. He would secretly instruct his subordinates to capture and study them.
Hiruzen glanced at the Fourth Kazekage, sensing the oppressive aura emanating from him, and his heart sank.
This was bad. Could the Kazekage be feeling threatened and targeting Konoha's geniuses?
After all, Sunagakure had so few of their own. It was also possible he was coveting this mysterious power.
Even Konoha didn't understand it yet, so it absolutely couldn't fall into the hands of another village.
He quickly responded evasively, "Haha, this is something the Inuzuka Clan recently developed. It's still in the experimental stage."
"However, I hear the success rate is quite low. Even the head of their clan can't guarantee a safe evolution for their ninken. This time, Kiba was simply lucky. If it had failed, his longtime companion would have died on the spot. That's not a loss most clans can afford."
Hiruzen, a veteran who had held the Hokage position for decades, instantly fabricated a plausible excuse to mislead the Fourth Kazekage.
"That's... a shame.
"Otherwise, we would have been willing to trade some of Sunagakure's unique, cutting-edge technology for your research results.
"Even... Shukaku."
Orochimaru retracted his snake eyes and continued to impersonate the Fourth Kazekage, turning to face Hiruzen.
As strategic weapons, Jinchuriki were among the most valuable assets of any village.
That's right, in the eyes of these high-ranking officials, Jinchuriki were deterrents, weapons of mass destruction, and commodities to be traded.
However, no village would readily exchange a Jinchuriki without significant benefits.
And Orochimaru, not truly being from Sunagakure but merely using the Kazekage's identity after assassinating him, casually used this as leverage against the Hokage.
"What? Cough... cough...
"Trade... Shukaku?"
Hiruzen's calm facade instantly crumbled. He hadn't expected the Fourth Kazekage to offer such a tempting proposition.
He was also chilled by the Kazekage's ruthlessness.
Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, wasn't just Sunagakure's strategic weapon; he was also the Fourth Kazekage's son.
To prioritize village interests to such a cold-blooded extent…
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