"Why?"
"Why did you save him!?"
Just as Gaara looked like he was about to erupt in anger, his question suddenly cut through the tension.
Everyone present froze in surprise.
Shigure had saved Chōji—wasn't that reason enough?
They were comrades from the same village. Wasn't it natural for one to help another?
But Gaara's perspective was different. To him, Chōji was weak, practically worthless. Why would anyone risk themselves for someone like that?
This contradiction gnawed at Gaara. Why would anyone save something so insignificant?
Even Sasuke and Naruto sensed that something about Gaara's reaction was strange.
"Answer me!"
Boom!!
The sand behind Gaara surged like a storm. Grains spilled from the cracks in the floor, gathering in a massive wave at his back.
The crowd tensed, frowning at the sight.
Gekkō Hayate immediately stepped forward.
"This is the Chūnin Exam! Ninja of Sunagakure, control yourself—otherwise you'll be disqualified!"
But Gaara ignored the proctor completely. His gaze remained locked on Shigure.
"Hey! What's your problem?" Naruto shouted. "Chōji's our comrade! What's wrong with Shigure saving him?"
Comrade?
Gaara froze for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Shigure slowly stood, lifting his head to meet Gaara's piercing eyes.
"That's right. Because he's my comrade—I'll save him, no matter what."
On the ground, Chōji stirred faintly, a weak smile forming at those words.
"Comrades…?"
The sand's furious storm abated. Some flowed back into Gaara's gourd, the rest scattering harmlessly across the arena floor.
The sudden shift—from violent eruption to eerie calm—left Konoha's veteran shinobi puzzled.
What's with this kid from the Sand? Is he unstable?
Shigure sighed softly as he watched Gaara sink into thought. Truly a problem child of Sunagakure…
Compared to Naruto, Gaara's childhood was even harsher.
Though born the Kazekage's son, he received no love—only experiments and torment from his own father. Everything was done in the name of making Gaara stronger, but in Shigure's eyes, that didn't make the Kazekage a father.
[Great Sage: Congratulations, host. You have obtained the new skill: Sand Manipulation.]
[Sand Manipulation: A ninjutsu that uses chakra to control sand. By infusing sand with chakra, its hardness and strength can be increased, and it can be shaped freely for attack or defense. No hand seals are required.]
Sand Manipulation…!
So Gaara's power wasn't a Kekkei Genkai, but a unique secret technique.
No doubt, it came from the influence of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast.
Shigure's eyes narrowed. Then how does this Sand Manipulation compare to my Ice Release—Ice and Snow World?
[Great Sage: The two are fundamentally different. Sand Manipulation uses chakra to control existing matter—sand—and fortifies it with chakra to make it as hard as steel.]
[Great Sage: The host's Ice Release: Ice and Snow World combines chakra nature transformations to create and control ice and snow. While chakra can influence their formation and durability, the natural hardness of ice and snow cannot be greatly increased. Although Ice Release can strengthen its creations, the principles behind the two techniques differ entirely.]
Completely different?
But Shigure had modeled his Ice and Snow World after Gaara's abilities. How could their principles be so distinct?
[Great Sage: When developing Ice and Snow World, insufficient data forced me to rely solely on the host's memories for calculations. While the effects resemble Sand Manipulation, the mechanisms are not the same.]
So then… which is superior? My Ice Release, or Gaara's sand?
[Great Sage: Sand Manipulation is superior.]
[Reasons:
Consumes less chakra while achieving stronger offense and defense.
Faster control speed.
Wider effective range.]
Shigure's jaw tightened. So his technique outclasses mine that much…?
"Great Sage, can you integrate the Sand Technique into my Ice Release—Ice and Snow World?"
[Great Sage: Of course.]
[Analysis and calculation in progress…]
[Estimated completion time: 1 hour.]
Only an hour?
Good. The preliminary rounds would drag on for several more hours anyway, so he had the time to wait.
Shigure leaned back slightly, letting the Great Sage continue its calculations. For now, he had no interest in watching the endless matches between nameless Genin. The only reason he remained was to give the Great Sage time to gather more data.
But while the calculation process ran, the Great Sage couldn't analyze additional ninjutsu. And truthfully, Shigure felt little need to observe the weak techniques of ordinary shinobi.
During this period, Naruto and Sasuke each fought their matches. Both advanced smoothly to the finals, as expected.
Gaara and Temari also secured their places.
Just like in the original sequence of events, the battle between Sakura and Ino arrived. Yet this time, their rivalry seemed far less bitter. Perhaps because neither viewed the other as a true competitor anymore. The result ended in a draw, eliminating both from advancement.
Shikamaru, meanwhile, relied on his sharp intellect to win two battles without wasting energy.
Most notably, Gaara's second opponent turned out to be Neji Hyūga. Despite Neji's refined Gentle Fist, he was completely helpless against Gaara's sand. The Hyūga clan's taijutsu might shut down chakra points, but it meant little against sand that shielded Gaara before Neji could even touch him.
By then, Shigure had stopped paying attention to the matches altogether. Instead, he closed his eyes, focusing on the changes within himself as the Great Sage completed its optimization.
New Technique Acquired!
[Great Sage: Congratulations, host. You have obtained a new skill—Ice Release: Ice and Snow Control.]
Shigure opened his eyes slowly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Ice Release—Ice and Snow Control…
This new ability combined the advantages of Gaara's Sand Manipulation with Shigure's own Ice Release. He could now control ice and snow directly, reinforcing them with chakra to drastically increase their durability.
A snowflake as hard as steel—such a thing was now possible. Of course, the chakra cost was considerable, flowing out steadily like water from a spring.
Gaara's Sand Manipulation only infused chakra into sand to change its external hardness and shape. Shigure's Ice and Snow Control, however, could alter the very nature of the ice itself through chakra property transformation.
That was the true essence of Ice Release—the inherent power of ice and snow.
If his nature transformation was strong enough, even a snowflake could freeze an enemy solid.
Sand Manipulation was limited to control and reinforcement. Gaara himself could not create sand—he relied on what was already there.
But Shigure could both create and strengthen. His Ice Release: Frozen Moment allowed him to generate ice and snow at will, and now his new control technique refined it further.
The two abilities stood on entirely different foundations.
As Shigure quietly attuned himself to this evolved ninjutsu, the proctors finally announced the results of the preliminaries.
The finalists were set.
From Team 7—Shigure, Naruto, and Sasuke had all advanced.
Among the other Konoha shinobi, Shikamaru, Shino, and Hinata stood among the chosen.
From Sunagakure, Gaara and Temari had also earned their places.
Just like before, only eight remained.
...
TN:
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