Blood rain fell upon the Forest of Death.
"He couldn't feel any pain in the end… because I'm strong. He died without suffering."
Gaara of the Sand stood with his umbrella, admiring his handiwork as his chilling voice echoed. He had just finished off three Rain ninja with brutal efficiency.
"The torrent of sand soaked with the tears and blood of the dead… it shall bestow even greater strength upon the Asura."
The grotesque scene left the nearby observers of Team 8 three Genin and one dog frozen in fear. They clutched their mouths, hardly daring to breathe.
Akamaru trembled in Kiba's arms for warmth. Shino sweated profusely, his insects crawling restlessly beneath his skin. Hinata, using her Byakugan, saw it all in crystal clarity, her pupils trembling uncontrollably.
Raised in a relatively peaceful era of Konoha, the new generation had never witnessed such sheer brutality. It shook them to the core.
A bloodthirsty maniac had infiltrated the Chunin Exams, and worse, his power was on a completely different level. If he spotted them… they'd be dead.
And the killing-machine version of Gaara was frighteningly sensitive to the scent of others. He had long noticed the spying trio.
"Sand Binding Coffin!"
At that moment, Temari and Kankuro had just confirmed that the scroll held by the Rain ninja was indeed the "Earth" scroll they needed. But it was already too late to stop Gaara. His actions were swift, deliberate, and merciless.
In the original story, Temari and Kankuro had to plead with Gaara using every ounce of sibling bond to halt his spree. But here, Orochimaru had already taken action disguised as the Kazekage stoking the darkness in Gaara's heart.
Ever since arriving in Konoha, the bloodlust within Gaara had swelled to unprecedented levels.
Indeed, it was Orochimaru's doing.
Now, Gaara was completely intoxicated by slaughter.
"Anyone who stands in my way… must die."
A massive hand of sand surged toward the trio and their dog with overwhelming force.
"Run!!!"
Kiba shouted, urging his teammates to flee in the opposite direction.
But how could they outrun Gaara's sand?
In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded. In front, behind, left, right nothing but a sea of golden sand.
They were in serious danger!
"Fang Over Fang!"
Kiba and Akamaru launched their full-powered combo attack, breaking through one patch of sand but it was immediately filled by more. The sand was endless.
"Damn it! We can't break through! And my insects can't absorb the chakra from this sand!"
Hinata said nothing. She could only keep punching.
Neither her Gentle Fist nor Shino's bugs could do much. They could barely manage to shatter the grasping sand hands that were constantly trying to tear them apart.
They were barely surviving. Their bodies were covered in wounds. Hinata would have died already if not for her teammates protecting her.
It was hopeless. The image of the Rain ninja being crushed to death was still fresh in their minds. Team 8 fell into despair.
Gaara's area-of-effect sand techniques were overwhelming. At this point in the story, Team 8 didn't even stand a chance. Their only reason for surviving this long was that Gaara was toying with them like a cat with mice.
"Konoha ninja really are entertaining."
Gaara watched them struggle, bloodstained and amused. His killing intent was so strong it even silenced Temari and Kankuro. They wanted to stop him, but didn't dare to speak.
"It ends here. They won't feel any pain. My power has surpassed even the ability to die with suffering."
He stretched out his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.
The crushing sand surged tighter, threatening to smother Team 8 once and for all.
Was this the end of Team 8? Would Konoha's prodigy Shino die before he could ever shine? Would Hinata's feelings for Naruto never be confessed, buried along with her? Would Kiba's dream of becoming Hokage die here, in the sand?
No!
Boom!
A green chakra-cloaked fist exploded through the sand, punching open a massive gap and revealing the world beyond.
The rampaging sand paused, then surged forward again like a tidal wave, aiming to swallow this new intruder and turn the triple kill into a four-piece combo.
"Rotation!"
A deep blue chakra vortex spun forth, clashing head-on with the wave of golden sand. The collision sent out shockwaves like a tempest.
When the windstorm settled, Hyuga Neji stood in front of Team 8, adopting the Gentle Fist stance.
His expression was grave, Byakugan fully active, veins bulging around his eyes. The boy standing before him… was likely the strongest ninja in the entire exam.
Ever since mastering Rotation, Neji had thought himself unrivaled among the Genin. But now, he realized there was always a higher mountain.
"I told you long ago, Lady Hinata. You're not suited to be a ninja. You should give up."
"Neji-nii..."
With Neji shielding them, Hinata forced herself to her feet. The chakra burnout left all of Team 8 on the verge of collapse.
Rock Lee supported Kiba, who was bleeding and battered, while Akamaru lay weakly by his side. Kiba had taken the brunt of the assault he probably wouldn't make it to the next round. Shino, covered in wounds, took Kiba from Lee's arms and offered thanks.
Neji ignored Hinata's gratitude, eyes fixed on Gaara.
"I can't stand by and watch my comrades be slaughtered."
A true embodiment of the Will of Fire.
Though Neji's defense had worked, he had clearly been pushed back. His ultimate technique had barely deflected a single basic strike.
This wasn't good.
"You Leaf ninja really are annoying. But whatever," Gaara sneered. "You'll die too."
More sand spilled from the gourd on his back, seemingly endless.
Rock Lee stepped forward beside Neji, taking his stance. "If you want to hurt Konoha shinobi, you'll have to get through me first."
Up on a tree branch, Tenten unfurled a scroll full of ninja tools, ready to jump into battle at any moment.
Team 8, the recon unit, had been beaten. Now it was time for Team Guy, the combat unit, to step in.
"We're here too."
From the nearby brush, Shikamaru raised his hand, sweat on his brow. Behind him stood Ino and Choji, equally nervous.
Gaara's earlier battle had created a massive disturbance, drawing attention from other teams. Team Asuma had arrived not far behind Team Guy.
Now, it was the Sand Siblings who were surrounded.
Temari and Kankuro, realizing the odds were shifting, quickly stepped beside Gaara and instinctively formed a triangular formation. Gaara didn't care. He hadn't asked for help. They just moved on their own.
Temari shouted, "Are you Konoha guys planning to gang up on us?!"
Shikamaru scratched his head and sighed. "So troublesome… But if you're planning to keep fighting, then yeah, we will."
At this point, neither side truly wanted a full-scale clash. Temari and Kankuro never approved of wanton killing, and Kankuro was just about to persuade Gaara to stop.
But
"Shut up, Kankuro."
Gaara's rage surged. The Shukaku's screeching grew louder in his mind. He tried to say something to de-escalate though he had no respect for these Leaf kids, an all-out fight might put Temari and Kankuro in real danger.
Suddenly, pain stabbed into the back of his neck. A wicked chakra in the shape of tomoe began to spread.
The last image flashing in his mind was of the "Kazekage" before the exam. What had that man done to him?
"Kankuro. Temari. Get out of my way!"
Gaara roared.
"Don't get in my way!"
His final shred of reason was devoured by murderous rage.
Now in full killing-machine mode, Gaara didn't care about being surrounded. He flung out his hand, and waves of sand burst in every direction.
Everyone from the Leaf...
Must die!
Round two begins.