From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 437 Lu Mingze: Be good, don't move.

With Sasuke Uchiha's brilliant performance preceding them, the subsequent battles seemed somewhat 'boring' to everyone.

Until, two familiar names appeared scrolling on the electronic screen.

Gaara VS Naruto Uzumaki!

"Naruto."

Looking at the name on the electronic screen, Sasuke felt even more worried.

She had personally experienced it; Gaara of the Sand Village was far more powerful than any ordinary genin.

She can use her speed to avoid those annoying sands, but what about Naruto?
Just then, Naruto came out of the lounge.

However, his pale face and lifeless, somewhat vacant eyes exacerbated Sasuke's already worried mood.

"Are you OK?"

Sasuke quickly stepped forward, grabbed Naruto's sleeve, and his bright eyes held a hint of indescribable emotion.

"I'm fine, just a little tired."

Naruto forced a smile, pulled Sasuke's hand away, and lowered his head, obscuring his expression: "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile."

"Please come to the stage, both sides!"

Moonlight Gale coughed weakly, then urged.

Naruto leaped down from the high platform and landed steadily on the arena. Looking at Gaara opposite him, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Just then, he suddenly heard Sasuke's voice coming from the viewing platform behind him:

"Hey, you at the bottom of the class, don't forget our promise!"

Naruto paused for half a second, without turning around, but raised his fist and said in a deep voice, "Ah, I won't forget, we must meet during the Chunin Exams!"

"Sasuke, is Naruto really alright?"

For some reason, Sakura suddenly pictured Naruto covered in mysterious patterns, his eyes filled with worry.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Sasuke took a deep breath and smiled gently, "He can definitely do it, because... he's the man I approve of!"

Upon hearing this, Sakura looked at Sasuke thoughtfully, a bold guess popping into her mind.

Could it be that Sasuke Uchiha, who has been regarded as a goddess by countless boys since childhood, has fallen for that idiot Naruto?!
"Sasuke!"

Gaara's gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Sasuke, his longing eyes brimming with terrifying killing intent.

"Hey, where are you looking?" Naruto frowned and shouted at the other person, "Your opponent is right here!"

However, Gaara completely ignored him and continued to stare intently at Sasuke.

Among this group of genin, the only one he could respect was Uchiha Sasuke; only she was worthy of being his opponent!
what?
If you ask Erii, she has already withdrawn.

At the start of the competition, after witnessing Erii's strength, the Jonin from various countries could no longer contain themselves and jointly appealed to the Hokage, arguing that the participants from Yugakure had violated the rules.

Ultimately, after discussions among all parties, Erii was directly awarded the title of 'Chunin' and withdrew from the exam.

After all, having such a supermodel 'contestant' in every aspect is nothing short of a game-changer for everyone else!

Even among the current genin, the title of "Great Demon King" has been subtly circulating, demonstrating just how terrifying Erii's dominance is.

Okay, back to the topic.

"Duel, begin!"

With a swift gust of moonlight, the competition officially began.

Swish swish.
As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto threw out several shuriken.

Sasuke had told him that the other party's ability was to control sand, and that he had to be careful, but he planned to test it himself.

As expected, the shuriken was blocked by the wall of sand.

The sand seemed to have its own consciousness, a situation Naruto had never seen before. At this moment, he finally understood why Sasuke had said that this person was quite troublesome.

"I will win, I must win!"

Deep in his heart, Naruto kept repeating to himself, his eyes growing ever more determined: "Even without relying on anyone's strength, I can find my parents!"

The next moment, he crossed his hands to form a mudra.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naruto used a standard tactic as the first strike, intending to test his opponent's strength.

A dozen or so Narutos with identical appearances surrounded Gaara from all sides, charging toward him as he crossed his arms.

"The opponent I want is not you."

Gaara remained indifferent, not making any move.

Strangely, the sand seemed to have a mind of its own, gathering into several whips several meters long, whipping out fierce storms in the air.

Bang bang bang.
The dozen or so shadow clones were instantly annihilated.

Taking advantage of the moment when the scattered smoke obscured his vision, Naruto charged forward with his kunai in hand.

A sharp kunai, appearing from a blind spot, pierced Gaara.

But, unsurprisingly, the sand gathered again to form a wall, blocking the opportunity he had worked so hard to create.

Gaara glanced at Naruto, then grabbed the latter with sand and slammed him heavily to the ground.

boom!
This was no small matter; the ground sank in.

The sand wrapped around Naruto's arm did not release him; it remained tightly locked in place. Then, it dragged the bleeding Naruto out of the pit and violently flung him against the wall beside him.

boom!
The solid wall was smashed into a human-shaped dent.

Naruto tilted his head back and spat out a mouthful of blood. He was completely disoriented, as if countless stars were swirling around him, and his mind was buzzing.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto~"

Sasuke and Sakura on the viewing platform paled, their expressions a mixture of fear and worry.

"You are too weak, Naruto Uzumaki."

Gaara maintained his stance with his arms crossed, like an arrogant demon king, scrutinizing the struggling Naruto, and said coldly, "I have no interest in the weak, so get lost."

"Don't get too cocky!" Naruto struggled to his feet, panting heavily, and stared intently at Gaara: "I haven't lost yet!"

With that, he charged at Gaara again: "Shadow Clone Technique!"

This time, dozens of real clones were created, almost filling the entire arena, with Naruto's figure everywhere.

Since quality can't solve the problem, let's solve it with quantity!

This has always been his belief: if you can't beat me, overwhelm me with sheer numbers!
"What an enormous amount of chakra."

Sarutobi Asuma said with slight surprise, "Many Jonin can't create so many shadow clones in one go."

"Don't forget, he inherited the physique of the Uzumaki clan."

Kurenai Yuhi understood, but still looked on with envy: "When will I have this much chakra?"

As the two Jonin talked, the situation on the field became increasingly serious.

Naruto, who intended to win by sheer numbers, not only failed to gain any advantage, but Gaara also wiped out most of his clones with a single move.

"A barrage of sandstorms!"

Gaara finally changed his posture, seemingly annoyed by the harassment, and slowly opened his palm.

Suddenly, the seemingly loose sand transformed into round sand bullets, firing through the air with a piercing shriek, like a roaring machine gun.

The dense barrage of sand bullets swept past like a torrential rain!

In the blink of an eye, a large number of shadow clones were wiped out, and the white smoke from the explosions almost covered the entire arena.

bang bang bang
The continuous explosions of the clones stimulated Naruto's nerves.

It's important to know that when a shadow clone dies, it transmits the pain back to the original body.

"The weak should be aware of their own weakness."

Gaara sneered, then manipulated a large amount of sand, transforming it into a roaring torrent that crashed down on Naruto.

"This move is bad!"

Sasuke, watching from the viewing platform, was horrified and shouted, "Get out of the way, Naruto!"

However, her suggestion was ultimately a step too late.

Naruto, who was trying to escape the sea of ​​sand, was still caught by the ankle, and soon the sand spread to his entire right leg.

"Damn it, let go of me!"

Naruto struggled frantically, but the sand was like chewing gum; once it stuck, it was impossible to peel it off.

"Use one leg to make up for your ignorance."

Gaara's eyes hardened, and his five fingers suddenly clenched together: "Sand Binding Coffin!"

"Naruto!"

Click!

The ear-piercing and chilling sound of bones cracking, accompanied by Naruto's screams, echoed throughout the entire arena.

Crimson blood oozed from the sand.

"Now, do you understand?"

Gaara stared coldly at Naruto, who was groaning in pain, a look of enjoyment on his face: "There is an insurmountable gap between you and me. The opponent I am interested in has never been you, but Uchiha Sasuke!"

Naruto endured the excruciating pain with all his might, clenching his teeth tightly to keep himself from making a sound.

However, Gaara's mocking voice pierced his heart like a knife, and an unnamed rage burned within him.

It was as if a voice was saying: Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!

Moonlight Gale's pupils contracted slightly, his heart clenched as he sensed the unusual atmosphere, which seemed to be gradually becoming heavy.

Naruto's blue pupils, without his noticing, transformed into vertical pupils like those of a wild beast, scarlet and savage.

"not good!"

Hayate Gekko's expression changed drastically, as if he had realized something: "This is... Nine-Tails chakra? Is the seal about to be breached?!"

At this moment, in Naruto's inner world.

In a dimly lit cell, a nine-tailed demonic beast, its vertical pupils gleaming with a savage crimson light, seemed to whisper seductively, "That's right, just like that, hate! Slaughter!"

An eerie red chakra kept seeping out of the cell, gradually spreading outside.

However, at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the dark, damp space filled with sewer pipes.

"who are you?"

Nine-Tails stared at the short figure it had never seen before.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Lu Mingze."

A cute boy dressed in a neat suit and wearing a bow tie arrived at the prison cell door, smiling as he looked at the terrifying monster inside.

"Kid, I have no interest in playing around with you, get lost!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox ignored it and growled like a wild beast, "Otherwise, I wouldn't mind eating you!"

However, the next moment.

On the boy's smiling face, his pupils suddenly turned a brilliant golden yellow, as if hot lava was flowing through them!
An indescribable, terrifying pressure, as if it were the only supreme being in the world, engulfed mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and enveloped the Nine-Tailed Fox!

hum!
The dark, damp space was trembling violently!

Nine-Tailed Fox's pupils contracted sharply, as if it saw a black dragon with wings covered in corpses. Its existence was like the embodiment of the rules of death. Under its will, violent energy flowed and brewed continuously, like a vast and magnificent power as a planet. For the first time in its life, it directly felt true death!

"shush"

Lu Mingze raised a finger to his lips and smiled, "You're not allowed to interfere in Naruto's battle, understand?"

Nine-Tails stood there stunned for a long time, feeling a tremor deep within its heart. It swallowed hard and nodded blankly, "I know, I know."

"Very good, very well-behaved."

Lu Mingze stroked its fur, revealing a meaningful smile.

Outside, without the Nine-Tails' help, Naruto immediately fainted.

Looking at the unconscious Naruto, Hayate Gekko breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Gaara and raised his hand: "Sunagakure, Gaara wins!"

(End of this chapter)