Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

Seeing Gaara's attack, the audience erupted with excitement.

Yellow sand filled the air, engulfing both Hayate and Shino, spinning in a fierce whirlwind like a washing machine.

This large-scale Ninjutsu was exactly what the crowd had been waiting for… an intense visual experience that gripped everyone's senses. It was worlds apart from the forehead flick that ended the Group A's final.

"Finally, it's my turn."

Gaara's face twisted into a manic grin as he commanded the sand with sweeping motions. The two caught within were tossed around, suspended in mid-air by the whirling sand.

But what surprised Naruto was Shino's persistence. He could have conceded at any moment, yet he held his ground.

Soon, Shino's actions provided an answer to Naruto's curiosity.

At some point, tiny insects had begun swarming across the pitted terrain, crawling rapidly and unfazed by the sand's force. Though small, they clung firmly to the ground, advancing toward Gaara with impressive speed.

Thousands of insects formed an army, creating a semicircular formation around Gaara.

When the insects reached Gaara's feet, each one of them leaped up wildly, latching onto Gaara and gnawing at him.

Despite their small size, their sheer numbers made them formidable. Together, these insects could devour even a creature as large as an elephant, let alone the smaller Gaara.

"Petty tricks."

Gaara snorted coldly and waved his hand to summon a sand shield. However, Shino's insects, which were clearly well-chosen, burrowed right through it. They seemed to be a unique desert species, well-suited to handling sand.

Still, they were only insects. Despite their resilience, they could not truly harm Gaara.

"Sand Coffin."

Gaara clenched his fist, and the sand encased the insects, squeezing them until they burst, splattering the air with blood mist.

After all, Gaara's sand wasn't just ordinary sand. It had been empowered by Chakra, giving it extraordinary potency.

It has to be said that Shino's plan to counter Gaara with desert-adapted insects was clever and showed his thorough preparation.

Unfortunately, Gaara's skill ultimately prevailed.

Seeing his insects destroyed, Shino's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth and raised his hand in a gesture of surrender.

Seeing this, Hayate quickly used his full strength to break through the sand barrier, then retrieved Shino and brought him to safety.

Because he was worried that any action would affect the battle's situation, he could only endure being attacked by sand and could do nothing about it.

Now that Shino had conceded, Hayate breathed a sigh of relief.

With sand facing off against insects, the Group B's final had proven to be a memorable battle.

"I now announce that the champion of Group B is Gaara!"

Hayate declared.

Upon hearing this, the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause.

This is a true showdown between Shinobi!

Each competitor had shown their ultimate techniques, leaving the audience thoroughly satisfied.

"Hmph!"

Gaara let out a dissatisfied snort as he returned to the stands.

Despite his victory, he wasn't entirely satisfied with the match. After being forced to hold back in his previous matches, he'd finally had a chance to go all out in this one, only for his opponent to concede, leaving him feeling unfulfilled.

"Come on, don't look so glum. In the final match, you'll be facing me. Go ahead and let out any frustrations on me."

Naruto said, patting Gaara's shoulder in reassurance.

Of all the Shinobi present, only few could withstand Gaara's attacks. And among the contestants, Naruto was the only one truly capable of holding his own against Gaara.

It wasn't a matter of others not giving Gaara a chance… it was simply that they couldn't withstand him.

That's why the previous contestants in Gaara's matches chose to forfeit the moment they realized they were outmatched. It really was their best option.

"You're the only one who understands me. It's a shame, though, that I won't be the one actually fighting in the next match."

Gaara said, and there's a hint of reluctance in his voice.

"What do you mean it won't be you?" Naruto was confused.

Gaara explained, "Before, when I communicated with Shukaku, he is willing to lend me his strength. But in return, I need to let him take control my body. We agreed that he'll be the one participating in the final match."

"I see."

Naruto replied, nodding in understanding, "But that doesn't mean you can't release your frustrations. When we get on stage, you can take a few swings at me to let off steam, then hand things over to Shukaku."

Gaara's eyes immediately lit up, "That's not a bad idea."

As the two of them discussed their strategy, the arena had been restored to its original flat state.

Holding the match roster, Hayate announced, "Next up is the final match that everyone's been waiting for! Would the champion of Group A, Uzumaki Naruto, and the champion of Group B, Gaara, please come to the arena."

Whoosh!

In a flash, Naruto and Gaara appeared on the arena.

Hayate continued, "The Group A champion, Uzumaki Naruto, has advanced to the finals with an impressive streak of luck. His swift movements in the last match were nothing short of ghostly. I believe we'll see him demonstrate his true strength in this final match and prove he's more than just lucky."

"As for the Group B champion, Gaara, not only does he have an incredible defense, but he can also manipulate sand for powerful, wide-range attacks. I can personally vouch for its potency, having experienced it myself. We'll see if Gaara's all-in-one attack and defense can secure him the final victory!"

"I believe everyone's looking forward to this, so without further ado, let's officially begin the final match!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hayate had retreated a hundred meters away.

"Come on, give it your all! No holding back!"

Naruto said confidently with his hands in his pockets.

"Then don't blame me for not going easy!"

Gaara replied, sweeping his hand through the air, unleashing a wave of sand toward Naruto.

The sand morphed into a variety of weapons, each one looked formidable. For most contestants, a single attack like this would turn them into a pincushion.

However, Naruto's agility was remarkable. After mastering the Eight Gates, he gained not only enhanced defense but also a tremendous boost in speed.

Even under normal conditions, Naruto's speed could rival that of Lee's when he opened the first gate.

In addition, thanks to his previous training with Tenten on Ninja Tools, Naruto had also developed a keen sense of predicting projectile attacks.

Although each of his evasive maneuvers covered only short distances, they were all perfectly timed to dodge Gaara's sand weapons.

One successful dodge could be chalked up to luck, but to do it ten times, a hundred, a thousand times… this was no longer coincidence but skill.

At this moment, Naruto looked like an exceptional dancer, weaving through danger with graceful ease...