Shinki, the adopted son of Gaara.
At the final arena of the Konoha Chūnin Exams, tens of thousands of spectators from the Five Great Nations filled the circular stands surrounding the battlefield. They had traveled great distances for one purpose alone—to witness the brilliance of the next generation of genin.
Twelve finalists stood on the stage, waiting for their matchups.
From beginning to end, Shinki's gaze never left Xue.
As Gaara's adopted son, the inheritor of Magnet Release: Iron Sand, and one of Sunagakure's top championship candidates, he had already learned through internal channels that this An'yin girl truly possessed remarkable strength.
That only fueled his anticipation.
"So you're An'yin Xue, huh… I can't wait to fight you."
On An'yin's side, Xue and Feng remained calm.
Only Gansuke was sweating buckets.
Oh no… it's starting!
Anyone is fine, just don't let it be that Sand ninja, Shinki!
Yesterday I heard that after the second exam, some Iwagakure guys tried to pick a fight with him and almost got crushed to death by his iron sand…
The referee, Rock Lee, shouted loudly,
"Now, the first round of matchups begins!"
Names began rolling across the massive screen.
Shinki vs. Gansuke!
"Hah…"
Shinki shook his head and sighed, disappointment filling his eyes. In his view, Gansuke—who barely had any presence—was unworthy of being his opponent.
"Gah!"
Gansuke's heart jumped into his throat.
Of course… it had to happen.
Rock Lee announced,
"All contestants who are not matched, please move to the resting area!"
Shinki's teammate Yodo teased,
"Nice luck, Shinki. A free win, huh~?"
Shinki replied helplessly,
"I'm not happy about it at all."
Feng patted Gansuke's stiff shoulder.
"Don't be nervous. Just perform normally."
Gansuke gave a bitter smile.
"I'll try…"
The other contestants withdrew, leaving the stage to Shinki and Gansuke.
They took their positions.
Gansuke's square face clearly showed his awkwardness and tension.
Shinki spoke calmly.
"If you have no fighting spirit, you should surrender now. Otherwise, you might lose your life. Once the battle begins, I won't hold back against anyone."
Gansuke raised his head, clenched his fists, and met Shinki's gaze.
"No. I'm just nervous. That doesn't mean I lack fighting spirit."
Shinki replied,
"But I can see you're shaking."
Gansuke's shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.
He hurriedly explained,
"I-I shake when I'm under pressure. I get nervous, but also strangely excited at the same time. I can't control it. P-Please don't mind it. Go ahead."
Shinki shook his head.
"I've already warned you. Whatever happens next is on you."
—Magnet Release: Iron Sand!
"Slash!"
With seals formed, iron sand rose from the ground and wrapped around Shinki's body, forming a grainy black armor.
In the Kage viewing area—
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Oh… that's Gaara's adopted son, Shinki? The Iron Sand user!"
Gaara couldn't hide his pride.
"Shinki's strength isn't inferior to mine back then. That boy named Gansuke is going to have a hard time."
"Rustle…"
Countless iron sand particles gathered in midair, forming dense clusters that shot forward with Shinki's raised hand.
—Iron Sand Drizzle!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Miraculously, the Gansuke who had been trembling in place just moments ago suddenly dashed away the instant the attack arrived.
"Pretty fast."
Shinki's eyes narrowed slightly as he redirected the iron sand to pursue.
Gansuke sprinted and weaved, dodging the pursuit just like Sasuke once circled around Amaterasu.
"So that's it… These iron sand bullets are just a bit slower than my Body Flicker."
"My mastery is only about half of Feng's, but at least I've stabilized myself!"
"Now… I need to establish terrain advantage!"
"Ha!"
The moment the pressure eased, Gansuke clasped his hands before his chest.
—Wood Release: Demon Bamboo Dance!
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Countless green bamboo stalks erupted wildly from the ground.
The stands immediately burst into uproar.
"What is that?!"
"Bamboo?!"
"There's a jutsu that makes bamboo?"
"I've never heard of it!"
Konohamaru leaned over the railing, eyes blazing.
"Bamboo… similar to the plants Moegi creates with Wood Release? A variant form?"
"But Moegi has Senju blood. That makes sense. What about Gansuke?"
In the Kage seats, Naruto stroked his chin.
"Ah… I see. That boy might be a Senju mixed-blood."
Kurotsuchi turned to him.
"Senju mixed-blood?"
Naruto nodded.
"After the Warring States era, not all Senju followed the First Hokage to Konoha. Some abandoned the ninja life, gave up their surname, and lived in seclusion."
"Some researchers say that if a mixed-blood awakens Wood Release, it can mutate into herb-type variants."
In one corner of the stands, Fuyuko smiled gently.
"So it's causing a stir, huh? Even though it's not my line to say… my dear son, go all out and shine."
Shinki was caught off guard by the intersecting bamboo.
He dodged and flashed through them, but still couldn't avoid being struck in the chest.
"Slash!"
The bamboo bent under pressure and split into fibers at the tip.
Though his iron sand armor blocked the piercing, the rebound force sent him flying.
After stabilizing himself, Shinki stared in shock.
"This guy… has been hiding his strength too?"
"Good! Then let's really have some fun!"
—Iron Sand Wings!
Black, razor-sharp wings spread from Shinki's back, slicing through all obstacles as he swooped low.
A third eye of condensed iron sand, floating in the shadows, locked onto Gansuke among the bamboo.
—Iron Sand Spear!
"Buzz!"
A spear formed beside him and shot out faster than Iron Sand Drizzle, piercing straight through Gansuke.
"Ah!"
Gansuke screamed as he was launched into the air—then shattered into fragments of bamboo.
"A bamboo clone? It fooled my Third Eye?!"
Shinki hovered in the air, scanning the field.
"Where's the real body?"
Only two possibilities.
Either hidden in the bamboo forest…
Or underground.
Then bury everything.
—Magnet Release: Iron Sand Tsunami!
"Rooooar!"
A waterfall-like wave of iron sand swept downward, instantly swallowing the bamboo forest.
Overwhelming.
The gap in power was obvious.
"Looks like it's over…"
That was the general consensus.
"Impressive, but ultimately flashy and useless."
"They should call the match and send in medics."
But Rock Lee, standing on the side wall, stared intently into the iron sand.
How familiar…
No one understood better than he did the despair of being buried like that.
Memories of blood and sweat surged up.
He clenched his fists.
"Is it really over, youngster?"
Underground, Gansuke hid using Earth Release.
Feeling the increasing pressure, his expression hardened.
"So strong… Is this what elite genin from the Five Great Nations are like?"
His thoughts drifted back to childhood.
Sunlight over Peach Haven.
His father holding his hand.
"Gansuke, do you know? Lord Shadow gave you that name. It means: The brave are aided by heaven."
"He and I both hope you'll always have the courage to move forward."
"I honestly don't know if I can beat him…"
"Boom!"
Demon bamboo burst upward, tearing through the iron sand!
Gansuke surged out, forming seals at lightning speed and snapping two bamboo rods from his side.
"But giving up without trying will only leave regret!"
—Earth Release: Earth Spear Technique!
"Buzz!"
Dark energy spread from his wrists into the bamboo rods, coating them completely and vastly strengthening their hardness, resilience, and tensile strength.
"Slash! Slash!"
Using bamboo as blades, he slashed wildly through the iron sand torrent.
Until—
Shinki's shocked face reappeared before him.
Gansuke lowered his gaze and clenched one reinforced hollow bamboo rod between his teeth.
My chakra isn't strong enough to match Master Kakuzu's power…
But amplification jutsu—
I have my own way!
One-handed seals!
"Lord Shadow, please watch over me!"
"I'll answer your and Father's expectations with courage!"
—Demon Bamboo Style: Wind Release Pressure Cannon!
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