"Little devil… I have to admit, you're quite brave."
Ash's voice was calm, almost lazy, yet filled with absolute dominance.
"Even if the Nine-Tails stood before me, it would still have to lie down respectfully. Let alone a so-called 'pillar of strength' like you."
The moment his words fell, a terrifying killing intent burst forth.
An overwhelming pressure instantly engulfed Gaara and the shinobi from Sunagakure, along with the Hidden Sand trio behind him. The air itself seemed to freeze.
I can't move…
The same thought appeared in everyone's mind.
Panic spread across their faces—especially Gaara's. This was the first time he had ever experienced his body refusing to obey him. Even his sand responded sluggishly, as if crushed by an invisible hand.
"Damn it… that stinking brat again," Shukaku cursed from within.
"Of all the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails is the biggest battle maniac. Clearly at the bottom of the food chain, yet it provokes the others every single time."
Despite their violent nature, battles between tailed beasts rarely ended in death. Their relationships were complicated—hostile, yet bound by shared existence. Each beast had its own temperament.
Shukaku wasn't stupid.
He dared to provoke the Nine-Tails precisely because of that relationship. But humans were different. Humans slaughtered tailed beasts without hesitation.
And Ash…
Even through the seal, Shukaku could feel genuine fear.
Let alone the absurd idea of eliminating him.
"I was just hoping to take a look at the Byakugan," Ash muttered casually, his gaze drifting toward Neji Hyūga. "Didn't expect to stumble upon a Jinchūriki instead."
His eyes shifted back to Gaara, and the three-tomoe Sharingan slowly spun into existence.
"Should I take Shukaku first?"
The thought surfaced—then vanished just as quickly.
"No… not yet."
"If I act now, Sunagakure and Konoha will be at each other's throats immediately. Worse, if it's discovered that Konoha wasn't responsible, the exposure risk to the Akatsuki rises."
"It's not worth it."
With his current strength, sweeping aside the Five Kage wouldn't be difficult.
But the Shinobi Alliance was another matter entirely.
This world was different from the original timeline. If the Five Great Nations united, the number of shinobi wouldn't be eighty or ninety thousand.
A million wasn't impossible.
"…That was close."
Sensing the killing intent recede, Shukaku finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
If Gaara died, so would they—eventually reborn, yes, but only after decades… even centuries.
Death itself was something no one wanted to experience.
Especially not beings that had lived for countless years.
And even survival offered little comfort. Sealing, suppression, or domination by Ash's Sharingan—none of those outcomes were desirable.
Compared to that, Shukaku preferred staying inside Gaara.
At least Gaara was easier to bully.
If luck's on my side, Shukaku thought bitterly, maybe I can even escape the seal one day.
Ash looked down coldly.
"Your luck ends here. Get lost."
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
In an instant, Ash vanished.
He reappeared behind Gaara and his teammates and delivered three merciless kicks. Their bodies shot forward like cannonballs, flying straight toward the central tower of the second exam.
Only after they disappeared from sight did Ash turn his attention elsewhere.
"Now then… let me see what the Byakugan can really do."
Neji's heart sank.
Not good. We've been noticed.
None of the three dared to move. Facing Ash directly felt more terrifying than any proctor or jōnin present.
Suddenly—
"Hidden Technique: Parasitic Destruction Insects!"
Countless chakra-infused insects burst from the ground beneath Ash's feet, binding him in place and anchoring him to the earth.
"Now! Retreat!" Shino Aburame shouted.
Without hesitation, Neji and Hinata Hyūga followed, retreating in Shino's direction.
"…Huh."
Ash clicked his tongue in mild amusement.
In the next instant—
Shunshin.
He vanished.
Reappearing directly in front of them, Ash casually stepped forward. The insects restraining him were instantly crushed beneath his movement, exterminated without effort.
A single step.
And the battlefield fell silent once more.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams—Thirty-Two Palms!"
Perhaps because of Shino's earlier intervention, the tension between Hinata and Kiba had eased considerably.
Seeing Ash blocking their path, Hinata's gentle expression hardened with resolve. Her pale Byakugan eyes snapped open as she assumed the Gentle Fist stance, her movements steady and precise.
Her figure blurred.
"Eight palms… sixteen palms… twenty-four… thirty-two!"
Hinata's hands struck in rapid succession, each precise thrust driving her chakra into Ash's tenketsu. Every hit was clean, controlled—chakra needles aimed directly at the flow of his energy.
"So this is the Gentle Fist," Ash thought calmly.
"Injecting chakra into the tenketsu to seal the opponent's chakra pathways… a refined and dangerous technique."
After taking the full Thirty-Two Palms, Ash stepped back and leapt onto a nearby tree, landing lightly as he assessed his condition.
"Hmph."
A pulse of chakra surged through his body.
Poof.
The foreign chakra lodged in his tenketsu was forcibly expelled, dispersing instantly.
"With her current strength, sealing my chakra is impossible."
Hinata's eyes widened.
"H–How is that possible…?"
Her Gentle Fist had been broken—cleanly, effortlessly.
At that moment, Ash raised one hand.
"Binding technique."
Black sealing runes erupted into existence, spreading like living ink across the bodies of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. In an instant, all three were frozen mid-motion, their bodies locked in place, unable to move even a finger.
"…Interesting."
Ash's gaze settled on Hinata.
"This girl's chakra feels extremely similar to Kushina Uzumaki's."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If my chakra were fused with Aura, even sensory-type ninja wouldn't notice. And yet…"
"This isn't chakra detection."
"It's closer to… perception."
A different kind of awareness—one that resonated faintly with the Uchiha.
"…Not chakra," Ash muttered. "But a sensation."
He frowned, studying Hinata carefully as she remained immobilized by the sealing marks.
(End of Chapter)
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