"You dead fox, how dare you talk about me! Is this something a fox would do?"
Shukaku pointed fiercely at Naruto on the TV screen, spewing venom at Kurama. He thought giving Gaara a bit of special treatment was already going above and beyond, but he never expected this big fox to be so cunning.
"You call this cheating, you know?!"
Kurama didn't even look up, scoffing, "If you compare our chakra amounts, the little bit you gave Gaara is about the same proportion as the chakra I sealed within Naruto. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself, you stinky tanuki, for being too weak."
"You!"
How dare he call Shukaku weak? This was absolutely unbearable.
"See if I don't smack you to death, you dead fox!"
"When you're out and about, it's strength that speaks, stinky tanuki, you're just weak!"
Isobu watched the two Tailed Beasts rolling around and silently bubbled in his heart: Fight, fight, when you're both badly injured, Kaku will come and pick up the scraps!
...
"This generation of Genin is really interesting."
Broken iron sand mixed with yellow grit, a spear with a red pattern was firmly embedded in the ground, surrounded by fragments of iron sand.
Scorpion's young face showed a hint of surprise. He didn't expect Gaara to unleash such a killing blow at the last moment, breaking the Third Kazekage's iron sand defense. It was a pity, though, he was ultimately too young.
Scorpion put away the intact Third Kazekage puppet and walked towards Gaara expressionlessly.
At this moment, Gaara, having thrown his last spear, was utterly exhausted. But he still half-crouched on the ground, panting heavily. Gaara knew he couldn't fall. If he also lost consciousness, it would mean his team was eliminated, and all their previous efforts would be in vain.
This was unacceptable to Gaara, as it also contained the hopes and efforts of Kankuro and Temari.
Footsteps slowly approached. Gaara forced himself to look up, his fighting spirit undiminished.
Scorpion looked at the boy with the same hair color as himself and said indifferently, "Congratulations, you've passed the test."
Gaara remained silent, his gaze fixed on Kankuro and Temari. Scorpion, seeing Gaara's concern, said, "They're fine. It's just a common paralytic and sedative poison."
To deal with a few Genin, Scorpion didn't need to use his carefully concocted deadly poisons. After saying this, Scorpion turned and disappeared into the alley. He didn't have time to clean up; his Hiruko puppet was destroyed, and he needed to gather parts for repairs.
After Scorpion left, Gaara finally couldn't hold on and collapsed onto the sand. But soon, a figure with long blue and white hair landed in front of him.
"Gaara, are you alright?"
...
The third challenge. The original fountain plaza had completely lost its former appearance. Potholes were scattered across the ground, some filled with water, as if dug by hand and then flooded by a tsunami.
Kisame Hoshigaki sat on the remains of the fountain, one arm bare, muttering, "Even this guy's disciple is this fierce. The real deal might actually be too much for me. Maybe I should go back and train for a few more years?"
Kisame had never forgotten the "groin kick revenge" from Might Guy and was determined to repay the humiliation, and doubly so. Two kicks!
But after fighting Rock Lee, Kisame, who was initially full of confidence, became worried again. He might not be a match for Might Guy, and might even be kicked in the groin again.
"This is troublesome!"
Kisame glanced at Rock Lee, who had collapsed in a pit not far away, his expression growing grimmer. Although he hadn't gone all out, Lee had broken at least seven or eight ribs. Combined with the aftereffects of forcefully opening the Eight Gates, this child would likely be bedridden for half a year, and it was uncertain if he would fully recover.
"Could that guy have a sudden urge and just rush over from Konoha to kill me?"
The more Kisame thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and he immediately decided to pack up and flee back to the Hidden Rain Village.
"Don't... go. I can still... fight."
"Hmm? This kid hasn't lost consciousness yet?"
Kisame gave a soft exclamation, and his urge to flee intensified. He absolutely had to get away. He couldn't afford to mess with these two guys who were like father and son!
*Shing!*
Two figures appeared on the battlefield. Tsunade, wearing a white coat, quickly ran over to check on Rock Lee's injuries. After a moment, Tsunade's beautiful brows furrowed, but then she relaxed. She was confident she could heal such injuries.
It was clear that Kisame had held back, otherwise, Rock Lee would truly have been crippled.
"Rin, carry him onto the stretcher."
Accompanying Tsunade was Rin Nohara, whom they hadn't seen in years. Rin had now fully mastered Tsunade's teachings, with a faint diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
As she grew older, Rin's appearance became more and more beautiful and charming. The only thing that remained unchanged were the two purple markings on her cheeks.
"Um..."
Seeing the two women suddenly appear, Kisame felt a bit awkward. "Please tell them that the third challenge has been passed."
With that, Kisame picked up Samehada at his feet and fled as if chased by demons. He clearly remembered what Nagato and Obito had told him.
"In Konoha, never provoke beautiful women. It's not because they're strong, but because they might have an unbeatable man behind them."
At the time, Kisame blurted out, "And guys you two can't handle?"
Obito and Nagato both said, "If you provoke them, it might be us who end up dealing with you."
The memory sent a shiver down Kisame's spine. The red-haired man who had once knocked him down with a single punch appeared in his mind. He'd rather fight Might Guy to the death than deal with women!
Tsunade looked at the fleeing Kisame in surprise. "An Akatsuki member, quite polite."
Rin nodded in agreement, "Mm!"
...
The fifth challenge. The battle had ended. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio lay on the ground in disarray. Choji, in particular, had lost a significant amount of weight. Beside him was a box containing three-colored pills, the red chili pill that should have been inside was missing.
It was evident that Choji, to maximize his strength, had taken the pill and combined it with Shikamaru's strategy and Ino's Mind Body Transmission Technique to fight the immortal ninja Kakuzu.
The battle in the fifth challenge was no less intense than in other challenges, and even more astonishing. Who would have thought that the usually lazy and gluttonous Choji would sacrifice himself for his teammates? His father, Choza Akimichi, had told him that taking the red pill could increase his strength tenfold, but the side effect was death.
Choji was now completely unconscious. Ino, having overexerted herself mentally, had also fainted. Only Shikamaru, who had exhausted his chakra, remained conscious on the battlefield.
Standing before the three was a person who, apart from his tattered clothes, appeared unharmed. But at his feet lay a fallen monster and a mask split in two.
Kakuzu was very annoyed. He had been too careless. He never expected that the plump boy, who looked like a pig, would unleash such terrifying power at the last moment. Coupled with a momentary lapse in his concentration, he had slipped up.
He had been stabbed in the heart by a dagger using the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique, which was the condition for passing he had stated from the beginning.
Kill him!
He hadn't expected these brats to actually do it, especially their coordination. Kakuzu scoffed. His coordination with Hidan wasn't as good as these youngsters.
Kakuzu suppressed his killing intent. Although he had lost one heart, it was still acceptable. But if he lost ten billion, it would be worse than killing him.
"Pass."
Kakuzu casually dropped the word and disappeared down the street. He needed to find suitable individuals to replenish his hearts.
After Kakuzu left, Shikamaru relaxed. He then crawled to Choji's side, enduring the pain, and repeatedly called Choji's name.
"Choji! Choji!"
"Why are you so stupid? It's just an exam, why do you have to push yourself so hard?"
"How will I explain this to your uncle?"
Tears welled up in his eyes. Shikamaru was filled with self-blame. If he had surrendered earlier, Choji wouldn't have taken the red chili pill. It was all his fault!
*Bang!*
A figure wearing an "Eat" headband fell onto the battlefield. He took Choji from Shikamaru's arms, his eyes filled with relief.
"Leave the rest to me."