NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: 7. Rest...
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**Third Person POV**
Naruto turned and left the arena without sparing Neji a glance. Amidst the quiet yet respectful gazes of the audience, he realized that with this fight, he had proven himself worthy of bearing the Namikaze name. He had also reminded the lurking spies of the terror associated with facing the Yellow Flash.
**Naruto POV**
"I've done everything I could. I even had to use the *Talk no Jutsu*. Now it's up to Neji—either he lets go of his hatred or allows it to consume him. I hope sacrificing my dignity wasn't in vain."
"Well, I did it for Hina-chan. If it's for her, I'll gladly go out of my way to use the *Talk no Jutsu* again."
As I sat down on a bench, I saw Kakashi and Sasuke arrive. I thought, *Well, my fight lasted a bit longer than in the original timeline, thanks to all the melodrama these idiots stirred up about my name being revealed.*
**Third Person POV**
The audience was too shocked to react to Kakashi and Sasuke's entrance. Their minds were in turmoil. Most of the shinobi were contemplating the implications of Naruto's heritage being revealed, while the civilian extras were weighed down by guilt for how they had treated the Fourth Hokage's son.
The spies, however, were already planning to rush back to their respective villages as soon as the exams ended. One Iwa ninja, unable to contain his panic, tried to leave immediately but was swiftly knocked out by Guy.
**Kakashi POV**
"I noticed everyone looking at Naruto with a mixture of awe and unease. I couldn't help but glance at him too, and what I saw made me subconsciously mutter, 'Sensei.'
"His image seemed to overlap with that of my sensei, the Fourth Hokage. I felt my mind drift back to the time when I chose Sasuke over him. But seeing the changes in his aura and the damage to the arena, I could tell how much he had grown. And I was glad since he wouldn't have grown so much if he trained with me. He might even be approaching my level of strength.
"Realizing I had been staring for too long, I regained my composure and returned to the benches."
**Sasuke POV**
"The first thing I noticed upon arriving wasn't the cheers I'd anticipated, but the destruction in the arena. Neji was nowhere to be seen, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Naruto, who had undergone a complete transformation—not just in appearance, but in the chakra and aura he unconsciously radiated.
"For a moment, I wondered if this was an imposter using transformation jutsu. But I quickly dismissed the thought. As my teammate, he couldn't stay a dead last forever. I actually wanted him to get stronger—the stronger he is, the better our fights will be.
"As Kakashi made his way to the benches, I locked eyes with Gaara and sent him a challenging look. He returned it with equal intensity, layered with killing intent."
**Gaara POV**
"As I walked toward the arena, Mother's voice grew louder and more insistent.
"'She wants the Uchiha's blood,' she said. I gazed at him as if he were already dead and released all my killing intent."
**Sasuke POV**
"I felt the killing intent, but compared to that night, it was nothing. I smirked as I heard him mutter, 'Mother wants your blood.'
"Before I could dwell on who this 'mother' was, my instincts, honed by training with Kakashi, screamed at me to dodge. A massive hand of sand erupted from where I had just been standing.
"Reacting quickly, I channeled lightning chakra into my body, increasing my speed to rival Lee's without his gates. I rushed toward Gaara, but his sand defense stopped me just short of reaching him."
"As the fight continued, I felt the toll on my body. I had only mastered the basics of lightning chakra transformation, making it taxing on my reserves.
"I realized I needed to end the fight with a single attack. Gaara showed no signs of chakra exhaustion, while my own reserves were down to 60 percent.
"Charging myself with lightning chakra again, I prepared my final move. Gaara, assuming I couldn't break through his defense, had stopped resisting.
"This was my chance. I formed a Chidori and dashed toward him like a lightning bolt. My Chidori sliced through his sand defense and struck him, drawing blood. I thought I was about to claim victory. *How wrong I was.*"
**Gaara POV**
"Blood? Blood! BLOOD!
"It's not my blood, right?"
"My killing intent flooded the arena. I snarled, 'How dare you injure me? How dare you make me unpresentable to Mother? I'll kill you! I'll erase you to prove my existence to her!'
"I screamed and rushed out of the arena ready to bring destruction to konoha."
**Third Person POV**
Suddenly, the entire arena was shrouded in a massive genjutsu. Most genin and even some chunin fell unconscious. Shikamaru, pretending to be asleep, was kicked awake by Naruto.
Kakashi quickly took command, ordering Sasuke to pursue Gaara and Naruto and Shikamaru to assist him.
**Naruto POV**
"I muttered solemnly, 'So, it's finally started.'
"Before rushing after Sasuke, I took one last look at Hiruzen, who was now trapped in a barrier with Orochimaru. Then I turned and sprinted toward Sasuke and Gaara with Shikamaru close behind."
"𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗻..."
*Peace*
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