"Got him!" Naruto was just about to celebrate when the two Sound ninja—Dosu and Kin—moved at the same time. One threw a feinting punch, the other flicked out several senbon, barely managing to block Sasuke's shuriken.
Zaku, however, wasn't so lucky. Several flaming shuriken buried themselves in his back and legs.
"AAAH—!" Zaku screamed. Only then did he realize his teammates hadn't just stood by—they had outright used him as a shield while counterattacking Sasuke.
That kind of behavior instantly enraged all three genin of Team 7, who had been raised under Konoha's teachings and Kakashi's guidance.
Naruto was the first to leap out. He charged straight at Dosu, yelling as he ran, "You bastard! That's your teammate!!"
Dosu answered with a sonic punch that sent Naruto flying several meters back. The shrill vibration left Naruto's ears ringing, bright red blood spilling from them.
Gaara stood with his arms crossed, his face completely blank, as if he didn't care at all. But the sand beneath his feet—reeking faintly of bloodlust—was already stirring on its own, making Temari and Kankuro tense as hell.
As for Naruto, backing down over something like this just wasn't in his nature.
He'd always been like this—unyielding in his beliefs, never afraid of setbacks. If anything, the more he was pushed, the harder he fought back.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With his shout, Naruto split into five shadow clones. Six Narutos in total, each gripping a kunai, rushed Dosu together. Two clones were taken out immediately. The remaining four formed hand si again—twenty-four Narutos appeared, only for ten to be blown apart by an enraged Dosu. By the time fourteen remained, Naruto was already right on top of him!
Too naive, Dosu sneered inwardly. He'd noticed earlier—the dense blond idiot was clearly using the clones as bait. The one hiding behind them, preparing to strike with his fist, had to be the real body!
"Found you!!" Dosu ignored the other clones and punched straight at that "real" Naruto!
The Naruto he targeted curled his lips into a grin. Got you, dumbass.
First of all, every shadow clone was solid—any attack that landed would work just fine.
Second, the Naruto Dosu thought was the real one was actually just another clone.
The real Naruto suddenly shot up from below Dosu. His fist snapped upward in a vicious uppercut, slamming straight into Dosu's chin!! The explosive force actually launched Dosu into the air.
Even so, Dosu wasn't completely helpless. As he was knocked backward through the air, he fired a sonic blast at Naruto.
It turned into a straight-up exchange of injuries.
Naruto staggered to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring stubbornly at Dosu.
The sound wave had struck his chest and rattled his insides, but his recovery was abnormally fast. After wiping the blood away, he didn't even need a hospital visit—he'd be fine soon enough.
Naruto faced Dosu.
Sasuke took on Zaku.
And Sakura, without question, went up against Kin.
It wasn't an easy fight—but it wasn't hopeless either. Especially Naruto. He was clearly getting stronger the longer the fight dragged on, looking determined to beat Dosu into the ground.
Watching Naruto like this left Gaara deeply unsettled. Kankuro asked if they should go help, but Gaara didn't respond at all. He was completely absorbed in his own thoughts.
The first time he'd met Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara had seen him as weak—so insignificant he wasn't even worth killing. But ever since that vision, it wasn't just the future Naruto… even the Naruto standing here now had begun to change how Gaara saw him.
Why would someone get angry for an enemy?
Why would he fight for others?
They were the same—both sacrifices of their villages, both treated as weapons. So why did Naruto Uzumaki grow stronger for the sake of others?
No matter how much he thought about it, Gaara couldn't understand.
And that confusion sparked a deep interest in Naruto Uzumaki.
Completely unaware of any of this, Itama Senju stood off to the side, totally stunned.
Members of the Uzumaki clan and the Uchiha clan fighting side by side… and he couldn't even tell what clan their enemies belonged to. And what was that about an adult Uchiha who appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly?!
Most importantly—
What did they just say?!
The Uchiha were wiped out?!
And the one who did it… was an Uchiha?!
Exterminated… his own clan?!
Itama's still-young mind was flooded with chaotic questions, so much so that he didn't notice when something slick and cold wrapped around his waist…
If it had been an ordinary python, no matter how well it hid, even if Itama failed to notice it, the Sand siblings surely would have.
But this snake slid through the underbrush without triggering a single warning.
When Itama suddenly felt his waist tighten and cried out—
That thick, brownish python—wider than an adult man's wrist—transformed into a human arm.
And that arm was far too unnatural.
Its owner stood over ten meters away, yet the arm stretched like a boneless creature, looping all the way around Itama's waist.
Who was this?!
Just how many freaks were going to show up in this Chunin Exam?!