Bab 91: Chapter 91: Why Is Sasuke Specializing in Fire Style?
"Welcome to the Third Round of the Chūnin Exams!"
"The first match will feature Sasuke Uchiha, the Icy Blaze from Konoha…"
"Versus Gaara of the Sand from Sunagakure!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let me hear your cheers!"
Dressed in a Nine-Tails Ahri costume, Uzumaki Naruko held a microphone as she stood on a floating doorboard, enthusiastically broadcasting the match.
On the ground, Uzumaki Qiao Feng struggled to keep up with her, lugging around a heavy camera while also carrying his personal sound system.
Of course, this was entirely self-motivated.
Konoha, as the hosting village of the Chūnin Exams, did not officially endorse such behavior.
The Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage exchanged exasperated looks upon spotting the flamboyant figure floating in the air.
"That unmistakable blonde hair…" The Third Hokage sighed inwardly. He didn't need to think twice to realize it was one of Naruto's antics—especially given the familiar shadow clone assisting in riling up the audience.
"Naruko! Naruko!"
"Naruko!!"
The villagers in the stands waved their hands excitedly, chanting her name. Everyone was captivated by the bubbly and beautiful "girl," completely unaware that she was just a transformation jutsu performed by a certain mischievous blond.
"Naruto-kun, that's…?"
Hinata turned to Naruto in confusion, her lavender eyes blinking with curiosity.
"That's… a long story."
Naruto rubbed his temples, feeling a headache similar to the Third Hokage's. Instead of explaining, he shoved a snack into Hinata's hands, effectively silencing her.
"Big Sister!"
Nearby, a small Hinata-lookalike, Hyūga Hanabi, glared daggers at Naruto. Seeing her sister nestled close to the blond troublemaker, happily snacking while chatting, made her furious.
In Hanabi's eyes, Uzumaki Naruto had outright stolen her beloved sister.
"Naruto… where is Sasuke?"
Sitting next to them, Sakura huffed, clearly exasperated by the couple's flirting. Her tolerance for this shameless display of affection was running thin; she wanted to see Sasuke already.
"It's been a month since Kakashi-sensei took him away for training. Where is he?"
"There," Naruto said nonchalantly, pointing toward a high wall in the distance.
Sakura followed his gaze and immediately spotted Sasuke, draped in a black cloak and standing still atop the wall. His cool, aloof demeanor made Sakura's face flush bright red.
---
"Please, both contestants, step into the arena," coughed Hayate Gekkō as he officially began the match.
From the Sunagakure side, Gaara approached the field with measured steps, his gourd strapped to his back. His face remained emotionless, but the intense battle intent burning in his eyes was unmistakable.
On the other side, Sasuke leaped gracefully off the wall, somersaulting mid-air before landing with precision.
"I've been waiting for this…" Gaara began.
"Enough talk!" Sasuke snapped, cutting him off before he could utter the embarrassing nickname he dreaded. His cold expression briefly cracked before he quickly composed himself again.
---
"Begin!" announced Hayate.
The moment the words left his mouth, Sasuke vanished from his spot, launching an aggressive assault. His speed created several afterimages, each crackling with faint lightning.
Naruto, watching from the stands, felt a pang of envy. Damn… That brat's Lightning Style is starting to look like a proper Three Thousand Lightning Strikes technique.
Gaara remained expressionless, his sand instinctively rising to block the afterimages. His confidence in his absolute defense was unwavering.
Suddenly, Sasuke appeared directly above him, his hands already forming a rapid sequence of seals.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
A barrage of fireballs, resembling blooming petals, rained down on Gaara.
Raising a hand, Gaara's sand moved as if alive, easily intercepting the flames and dispersing the attack.
Undeterred, Sasuke disappeared again, reappearing at various angles around Gaara.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Each technique flowed seamlessly into the next, his chakra reserves seemingly endless. Since acquiring Orochimaru's cursed seal, Sasuke's chakra had increased drastically, allowing him to unleash jutsu without concern for conservation.
His plan was simple: bombard Gaara with fire-style techniques, then engage in close combat once he found an opening.
Gaara, meanwhile, surrounded himself with sand, forming a protective sphere that endured the onslaught.
---
"HAHAHAHA!" Sasuke suddenly laughed.
He knew his fire techniques alone wouldn't break through Gaara's defenses. Slowly, he reached behind his back, drawing the large Executioner's Blade.
"For me to need a weapon…" he said with a smirk, "It means I acknowledge your strength."
As Sasuke struck a dramatic pose, a surge of sand erupted from the ground, ensnaring him in an instant. In the blink of an eye, two spheres of sand had formed on the battlefield: Gaara's protective cocoon and the smaller sphere trapping Sasuke.
"Sand Coffin!" Gaara's hand clenched into a fist, intent on crushing Sasuke within the sand.
"SA-SU-KE!" Sakura screamed, leaping to her feet in panic.
Naruto glanced at her briefly, his hands still busy feeding Hinata.
"Relax, Sakura," he said with a smirk. "Sasuke hasn't even activated his Sharingan yet."
"But…"
Even with Naruto's reassurances, Sakura couldn't calm down. She nervously scanned the battlefield, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sasuke.
Hinata, however, spoke up softly.
"He's fine."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're sure? You haven't even activated your Byakugan."
"Just trust me," Hinata said with a shy smile.
---
BOOM!
The sand sphere shattered, revealing Sasuke, who stood unfazed, his Sharingan spinning with three tomoe. The Executioner's Blade rested on his shoulder as he glared at Gaara with cold, scarlet eyes.
"Listen, Redhead," Sasuke growled. "Next time, let your opponent finish their lines."
Gaara's eyes widened in disbelief. He had faced countless foes, yet none had ever escaped his Sand Coffin unscathed—until now.
Sasuke wasted no time, forming hand seals as he infused the blade with his fire chakra. Flames erupted along its length, causing the temperature of the arena to skyrocket.
"Let's see how you handle this," Sasuke said with a smirk.
Dragging the flaming blade behind him, Sasuke dashed toward Gaara with blinding speed, flames trailing like a fiery serpent.
The oppressive heat left Gaara stunned. His sand moved instinctively, but he could already smell the charred scent of his singed hair.
"Take this!"
With a triumphant cry, Sasuke swung the flaming blade, releasing a five-meter arc of fire that tore through the air, heading straight for Gaara.
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