"So this is the level of Konoha's genin?"
"They're taking nearly half the slots. Even when the other four great villages team up, they can barely keep up. When did Konoha get this fierce?"
"Winning three rounds straight—are they on some kind of stimulants?"
"Hah, Konoha finally lost one. If they'd won again, they'd be ascending to heaven."
"Is this really the Chunin Exam? These kids feel scarier than the jonin in our village."
"This is the foundation of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Every genin here was hand-picked—future elite jonin."
"Don't talk nonsense. In past years, genin were never this strong. This exam is special. You can't treat it as the norm."
"Why is it special?"
"Because of Uzumaki Naruto. A true genius raises the bar for everyone else. He crushes egos, ignites pride, and forces peers to grow—or be left behind."
It only took a few minutes of footage for the ninja world to realize something terrifying.
Konoha's future was limitless.
With the power of a single village, it was already pushing against the entire ninja world.
"If the genin are this strong, what about the Chunin? The jonin? What did Konoha do to become this frightening?"
"It makes no sense. Seven or eight years ago, Konoha was stagnating. Their mission count was lower than Cloud and Stone. Their strength was clearly declining."
"And in those seven or eight years, the only real change was Uzumaki Naruto—growing stronger day by day."
"Are you saying Konoha's transformation is all because of him?"
"That's ridiculous. One person, no matter how monstrous, can't single-handedly revive a village."
"…But the facts are right there. Konoha really is different now."
The debate raged on.
On screen, Rock Lee turned into a green whirlwind, hammering Gaara's sand sphere from all directions. Razor-sharp sand spears burst out like a hedgehog bristling with spikes.
Then the screen cut.
High in the sky, a blood-red firework exploded—brilliant and ominous.
The camera snapped upward.
Every viewer's heart followed it, nerves stretched to the breaking point.
The footage slowed.
The Five Kage appeared on the high platform.
The moment the signal flared, their expressions shifted.
In slow motion, every detail was laid bare for the entire world to see.
"Look at them. None of the Five Kage look surprised. They clearly expected this. The only question was who would make the first move."
"The Kazekage's eyes were the coldest—pure killing intent."
"The Third Hokage froze for a split second. He probably didn't expect Sunagakure to strike first. Weren't they allies?"
"The Raikage looks fired up. That battle lust is overflowing. Cloud really is aggressive by nature."
"The Tsuchikage and Mizukage withdrew—neutral stance. But look closely: the Tsuchikage hesitated. He wanted in, but held back."
Every micro-expression was dissected.
The ninja world erupted.
Especially ordinary civilians.
A chill crawled up their spines.
To them, the Kage were untouchable legends.
Yet here they were—scheming, calculating, smiling while stabbing each other in the back.
The illusion shattered.
The footage sped up.
Smoke exploded.
The Third Hokage was seized and dragged to the highest rooftop. The Sound Four erected the Four Violet Flames Formation, trapping Orochimaru and the Hokage inside.
Orochimaru's true identity was revealed.
The master-disciple feud left audiences gasping.
Then the other two Sannin appeared—Jiraiya and Tsunade—confronting the Kazekage and Raikage, locking the battlefield in a deadly stalemate.
In moments, layers of conspiracies, grudges, and betrayals were laid bare.
Shock gave way to a strange excitement.
People were peeking behind the curtain of power.
Fresh. Forbidden. Addictive.
"Isn't that woman in green the big spender who cleaned out our casino? She's a ninja? One of the Sannin—Princess Tsunade?"
"That white-haired creep who spies on hot springs is a big shot too?"
"Orochimaru is the Hokage's student? He's really going to kill his teacher?"
"So Konoha's Three Sannin cover gambling, lechery, and human experimentation? Their teacher doesn't look so clean either."
For the first time in history, the Five Kage were displayed clearly before the world—judged, discussed, stripped of mystique.
Before, people worshipped them from afar.
Now?
Disillusionment set in.
That's it?
Just eyes, noses, mouths—ordinary people.
The Hokage was a worn-out old man.
The Tsuchikage looked frail.
The Raikage was a loud, muscular brute.
The Mizukage looked like a kid.
The Kazekage at least looked cool.
But still—
"I can't beat you, but I'm better-looking!"
The halo shattered.
Then the scene shifted back to the arena.
Gaara emerged from the sand cocoon.
The One-Tail, Shukaku, roared into existence.
The world went silent.
People stared at the massive monster, dread flooding their hearts.
Even Konoha's villagers—who had lived through the Nine-Tails incident—didn't truly understand tailed beasts.
Others had never seen one at all.
Now they had.
Fear took root.
"I gained power… terrible power…"
"I lost everything…"
Gaara's memories played.
A hollow, desperate boy.
A raging monster.
Two souls colliding—then merging into a complete tailed beast.
The audience felt their chests tighten.
The pain was real.
Red Sun TV's narration cut in:
"Tailed beasts are ancient beings of nature, once roaming the hidden corners of the world. Then ninjas captured them, sealing them into humans through forbidden techniques—creating strategic weapons known as Jinchuriki."
"Gaara is one such Jinchuriki. The son of the Kazekage, sealed with Shukaku at birth by his own father."
"The existence of Jinchuriki is a tragedy. Treated as weapons. Feared. Isolated. Deprived of warmth. Many grow twisted… just like Gaara."
The world finally understood.
"So that's why he turned out like that."
"Anyone treated like a monster from childhood would break."
"Tailed beasts… Jinchuriki… How many cruel things like this exist in the ninja world?"
"Peace? Don't joke. A single Chunin Exam nearly sparked a world war. As long as the five villages exist, peace is impossible."
"Look—the monster's rampaging. The audience must be doomed."
"Impossible. If casualties were that high, news would've leaked."
"Wait—who's that?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade abandoned their pursuit of the Kazekage and Raikage, moving to stop Shukaku.
Shukaku began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb.
The pressure alone made viewers tremble—even through the screen.
Then—
A single figure fell from the sky.
Boom!
The monster crashed into the ground, screaming in agony.
One man. One beast.
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