"Thank you for your patronage! That'll be fifty ryo in total."
The dango shop's matron cheerfully handed a neatly packed skewer box to the pink-haired girl.
"Thanks."
Sakura took the dango and immediately picked out a skewer, munching as she made her way toward the Chunin Exam arena.
As she chewed on the soft and chewy dumplings, Sakura mentally confirmed that she had already deployed all of Konoha's usable combat strength to deal with Orochimaru, Rasa, and Ōnoki.
Jiraiya was hidden in the audience, while Tsunade was disguised as an ANBU close to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Even Maruboshi Kosuke had been assigned patrolling duty within the village.
And White Cloud Asa—stationed far away at the borders—had been urgently recalled.
Troops were also deployed along the borders with the Wind, Earth, and Lightning nations.
Although there was currently a lack of top-tier ninja at the frontlines, if the Wind, Earth, or Lightning nations did launch an attack, they'd have to first take over Grass, River, and Frost countries.
That would buy Konoha enough time to react and rally a counterattack.
Most importantly, no matter how many elite ninja Konoha had right now, none could match the influence of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
It wasn't just his strength. More than that, it was his prestige, the will of the people, the symbolism—his very presence was the bedrock of Konoha.
He had been Hokage for decades. For most citizens, Sarutobi had always been the Hokage since the day they were born.
Right now, Hiruzen meant more to Konoha than even Tobirama Senju ever could—unless Hashirama himself came back from the dead.
Even Minato Namikaze couldn't compare to him.
If Hiruzen were to die due to Orochimaru's schemes, and war erupted simultaneously, the blow to Konoha would be catastrophic.
Even if Tsunade could stabilize the village later, the damage would have been done. Konoha would have lost a Hokage to a mere conspiracy.
No one in the village wanted to see that happen.
With a snap of her wrist, the skewer stick in Sakura's hand suddenly shot out, nailing a small green snake slithering in the grass.
Her green eyes turned cold as she stared at the lifeless snake.
People die when they're killed. Even if Orochimaru had countless escape methods...
If he actually killed Hiruzen Sarutobi…
Sakura's jade-green eyes flashed with killing intent.
She didn't care whether Orochimaru had noble intentions or grand ideas for turning Konoha's gears...
If he truly took Hiruzen's life, then no matter where he ran—across the ends of the earth—she would hunt him down relentlessly, erasing every single cursed seal he ever left behind.
---
Meanwhile…
Violent wind blades raged across the field, slicing through towering stone pillars and redirecting their trajectory. They crashed into the ground near the blonde girl, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
Temari, breathing heavily, looked up at the black-haired girl in the sky. Her beautiful eyes flashed with frustration and helplessness.
Only now did she truly understand Kankuro's feelings of helplessness.
That damn girl had been flying in the air this whole time! And what was worse, it seemed like her flying technique barely used any chakra, allowing her to stay at a safe distance indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Temari's signature Three-Star Fan required wide sweeping motions. Just one glance and her opponent could predict her next move.
If she used that move…
Temari glanced over at the audience, bit her lip, then turned toward Genma Shiranui—who had a senbon in his mouth and stood as the match referee.
"If my next attack ends up hitting the audience, I won't be held responsible, right?"
Genma blinked in surprise, but casually replied:
"Do as you like. We have barrier operators on standby—they'll handle it."
His response was transmitted via a small radio attached to his collar, alerting the team managing the arena's defenses to prepare for a potentially large-scale jutsu.
"Perfect."
Temari sighed lightly, then bit her finger. Her expression turned sharp and fierce.
High above, Kurotsuchi watched Temari's actions with growing concern.
"Earth Style: Just Rock Technique!"
This was Kurotsuchi's strongest Earth-style technique. A powerful jutsu that excelled in both offense and defense.
In the original story, Ōnoki once used this technique in tandem with Gaara's sand to block Madara Uchiha's Yasaka Magatama.
Of course, Kurotsuchi hadn't fully mastered it. Compared to her grandfather Ōnoki, her version was still far weaker. But it was enough for the current battle.
A massive stone golem rose from the ground, its enormous feet shaking the earth as it stomped forward. Towering nearly eight meters tall, it advanced toward Temari like an unstoppable force.
At the same time, Kurotsuchi dove down from the sky, hoping to interrupt Temari's jutsu in time.
But…
"Summoning Technique!"
Temari's jutsu had already been completed. A white weasel, wielding a scythe, appeared beside her in a burst of smoke.
"Dance of the Sickle Wind!"
Temari swung her Three-Star Fan, merging her chakra with the summoned weasel to unleash her ultimate Wind Style combination technique!
In that moment, Temari fully embodied her identity as the Wind Shadow's daughter. A storm of wind blades exploded in all directions—wild, devastating, and absolute.
No blind spots. A full-area attack.
Ground, air—nothing escaped her fury.
Originally, Temari hadn't planned to use this move. But her father, Rasa, was watching from the viewing platform. Kankuro had already lost to Kurotsuchi. Gaara was also observing the match closely.
If she also lost to Kurotsuchi, then the Wind Shadow's children would have all fallen to the Rock Princess. That would make the Sand Village appear weaker than the Stone.
Even if Gaara was strong...
The upcoming opponents were no pushovers either.
Uchiha Sasuke was formidable, not to mention Sakura Haruno—a direct disciple of the Hokage—waiting to dominate.
From Temari's perspective, Sakura's opponent, Rock Lee, was a mere clown. At best, a stepping stone arranged by the Hokage for Sakura's guaranteed promotion.
Temari had every reason not to lose.
So she was giving this everything she had.
As the devastating storm surged outward, a transparent, pale-blue barrier shimmered into place around the arena—erected by the security team to contain the destruction.
"NANI?!"
Kurotsuchi's expression changed dramatically as she witnessed the arena flooded with all-encompassing wind attacks.
She was still too far from Temari.
And earlier, in order to evade Temari's attacks, she had flown too high. Now, even if she hid behind her Just Rock construct, she wouldn't have enough time to avoid the storm.
"Damn it!"
She cursed Rasa under her breath.
You told me she was a Chunin exam genin?!
This is clearly above Chunin level! Even elite Jonin would struggle!
Of course, she conveniently forgot the fact that she herself had been forced to remain a "special Jonin" just to "fish" in this exam—on the direct orders of Tsuchikage Ōnoki.
With no time to think, Kurotsuchi rapidly formed hand seals and activated her Kekkei Genkai.
"Lava Style: Eruption Pillar!"
She spat out streams of grayish lava, which rapidly hardened and formed a stone wall before her!
It wouldn't be enough to stop the endless wind blades, but it bought her the precious seconds she needed.
Immediately, she formed another hand seal:
"Earth Style: Rising Excavation!"
(End of Chapter)
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