The final match of the Chūnin Exams had arrived, also the climactic moment of the entire event.
To reach this stage, the competitors were undoubtedly the elite among the younger generation. In the audience, dignitaries and guests from various lands had gathered. Among them were high-ranking officials from multiple villages, whose purpose was not only to spectate but to evaluate the collective strength of the next generation of ninja.
Asuna, representing the Daimyō's household of the Land of Fire, was of course required to attend.
Seated in a high-security, private VIP section atop the stadium, Asuna looked a little bored. By her side stood Kirito, formally serving as her close-guard escort.
Today, the spectacle seemed to center around the grand tournament, but Kirito knew better.
Beneath the surface of this festival-like event, two powerful forces were quietly gathering momentum.
Soon, this arena would become a true battlefield.
And in the chaos of war, protecting Asuna's safety would likely be the most difficult part of this A-rank mission.
On the surface, Kirito seemed no different from the other spectators, his gaze sweeping over the stage like any regular viewer. But behind that calm demeanor, he was silently surveying every move within a hundred-meter radius, analyzing the flow of chakra and movement with acute precision.
So far, nothing had happened. But what did draw his attention was the distribution of elite Jonin stationed across key stairways and exits throughout the arena.
"Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Yūhi Kurenai, Maito Gai(Might Guy)… I see."
Kirito narrowed his eyes slightly.
Every passage was guarded by Konoha's top-tier Jonin. This confirmed what he had already suspected, when the Third Hokage assigned him this escort mission, it was not merely a test of his strength. It was also because the village no longer had the capacity to spare additional elite Jonin for Asuna's protection.
"The Third Hokage…" Kirito murmured to himself.
"He must've already known. Orochimaru plans to attack Konoha. And he's already made all the strategic arrangements to respond."
He stopped.
"And Orochimaru likely knows that too. But it doesn't matter to him. Even if the plan is exposed, nothing can stop him from carrying out this madness."
…
As time passed, the battles on stage grew increasingly intense, dazzling the crowd with fierce, high-level displays.
Kankurō vs. Shino Aburame – the Sand ninja forfeited.
Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari – a battle of wits and tactics.
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga – a fated clash of ideals and destiny.
But the final match was what truly captured the attention of every single guest present. A head-to-head showdown of overwhelming force:
Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara of the Sand.
Sasuke, having recently mastered Kakashi's famed Lightning Release technique, Chidori, had enhanced his speed and body coordination to a new level using Lightning Chakra stimulation. His performance was nothing short of astonishing. He repeatedly suppressed Gaara's sand-based defenses and, in a final blow, pierced through Gaara's supposedly impenetrable shield, wounding his true body!
However,
Sasuke's sudden strike also interrupted Gaara's summoning technique, forcing the Sand and Sound ninja forces to initiate their plan ahead of schedule.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the stands above the Kage seating.
The Kazekage moved first, instantly killing the Hokage's Anbu guards and taking the Third Hokage hostage!
At the same time, illusion teams of Sand and Sound shinobi, disguised as ordinary spectators, suddenly leapt into action, unleashing wide-scale genjutsu to incapacitate the audience.
A special-ops unit disguised as civilians threw off their cloaks and revealed themselves, armed and ready. But Konoha had anticipated this. Elite Jonin like Kakashi and the others responded instantly, engaging the enemy with precision and deadly force!
In a matter of seconds, the thunderous applause and cheers of the arena gave way to an eerie silence, broken only by the sounds of kunai clashing, chakra surging, and ninja slaughter.
But thanks to meticulous preparation on both sides, there was no panic.
Only disciplined, organized combat, a battle long in the making.
The Konoha Crush Plan, officially began.
Kirito gently laid the unconscious Asuna onto the cushioned sofa of the VIP booth.
He made no attempt to dispel the genjutsu placed on her.
In a battle of this scale, whether she was awake or not made no difference.
In fact, given Asuna's sheltered upbringing, being suddenly thrown into such bloodshed might scar her for life.
So Kirito thought, she might as well stay peacefully asleep, just once, as a Sleeping Beauty.
"Over there!"
A few meters away, two Sand ninja, previously hidden in the crowd, noticed something strange.
After releasing their genjutsu, most of the audience had collapsed into unconsciousness. But there stood Kirito, completely unharmed, in a very conspicuous position.
Worse, he was in the royal box, standing tall like a beacon.
Their illusion jutsu had a wide area of effect, but its power thinned with scale. Against singular, high-resistance targets, the results were limited. Even most Genin could break free with sufficient resistance.
And Kirito?
He wasn't even affected in the first place.
His Concept Armament: Phantom Cloak provided inherent resistance to both ninjutsu and genjutsu alike. A technique of this level simply couldn't touch him.
In fact, the Sand and Sound units had never intended to target Konoha ninja.
Their orders were to take out all civilian witnesses, to avoid being condemned for a sneak attack after the war. For ninjas, war had no morality, but for civilians, massacres could destroy a village's reputation forever.
So the first move was to eliminate all witnesses, putting the spectators to sleep.
Whoever remained standing… was a threat.
A Konoha shinobi.
And Kirito, still upright, unmoving and completely unaffected, became their immediate target.
With no further hesitation, the Sand and Sound ninja launched their attack!
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• TL/N •
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
> Naruto: Mind Control
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed