I am the most popular character in Naruto!

Genma Shiranui diligently presided over the competition, but inwardly he was extremely anxious.

Damn it, Kakashi, when are you going to bring Sasuke back?

If I don't come back soon, those guys upstairs will kill me!

His gaze swept across the audience, and the next moment, his expression relaxed.

Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in the audience like a whirlwind, both with confident expressions on their faces, which immediately put Genma Shiranui at ease.

Chapter 628 Disdain

The battle between Temari and Nara Shikamaru proceeded exactly as it did in the original story.

After a great deal of meticulous calculation, Shikamaru perfectly demonstrated his ability to calculate and plan the battle, as well as his intelligence gathering ability, combat skills, combat bias, and attitude towards his opponent.

For someone with his high intelligence, the purpose and essence of the Chunin Exams were already crystal clear to him.

Therefore, both the examiners and the Kage watching from above had a high opinion of Nara Shikamaru.

This guy really knows how to make the most of his strengths. Compared to Hyuga Neji, who was already a shoo-in for becoming a Chunin, Nara Shikamaru showed us what it means to lose out if you don't let him become a Chunin.

What's even more enviable and infuriating is that this guy casually showed off. When he was about to win against the beautiful Temari, he began to psychologically pressure her as she walked step by step into his trap.

Shikamaru walked step by step toward Temari, and after breaking down her mental defenses, she actually raised her hands in surrender, citing insufficient chakra and stamina as reasons.

It's hard to say about Shikamaru in the original work, but how could the current Shikamaru, after undergoing a thousand years of training, possibly have problems with insufficient stamina and chakra?

In other words, this kid simply thought Temari was pretty and that he was already fully capable of becoming a Chunin, so he let Temari win the game.

Otherwise, why would you call him a thief?

After realizing that Shikamaru had let her win by throwing the game, Temari, who longed for a strong opponent, was immediately tempted.

Well.

On the surface, she did appear unwilling to accept defeat, but deep down she was clearly won over by Shikamaru.

After all, strong-willed girls like this are often extremely envious of others.

To win over a girl like Temari, you need to completely overwhelm her, shatter her defenses, then move her with your emotions, calmly handle the situation, and show your own immense strength.

That way, she will be completely devoted to you.

However, this kind of unwavering devotion won't last a lifetime. Once you show weakness in any area, you'll be bullied by her.

Unless you can still impress her in some way, you're destined to be henpecked for life.

Far away.

In short, Nara Shikamaru not only achieved a perfect score in the Chunin Exams, but also won the heart of a beautiful woman from a neighboring country.

Keep in mind that Temari is the eldest princess of Sunagakure, so Nara Shikamaru definitely hit the jackpot.

After the match concluded successfully, Genma Shiranui ran to the front of the stage again to announce the start of a new round of matches.

"The next match!"

"Sunagakure, Gaara!"

"Battle!"

"Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke!"

"Both sides, please enter the arena!"

No sooner had Genma Shiranui finished speaking than Gaara let out a cold snort.

He jumped directly onto the railing and then leaped onto the competition platform.

bang

Large swathes of quicksand gathered at Gaara's feet, forming a giant hand that directly supported Gaara's body.

"oh--!"

"Amazing!!!"

A gasp rippled through the audience. After witnessing Shikamaru's incomprehensible battle of wits, the audience clearly needed a battle they could understand and find enjoyable.

Gaara's grand entrance is something that audiences really enjoy.

This is why the "funding warrior" is actually more popular than a certain bald guy.

"This time there shouldn't be any more delays, right?"

Gaara crossed his arms and impatiently landed on the platform, frowning at Genma Shiranui as he said, "Uchiha Sasuke, how can there be anyone left behind in a clan that has already been destroyed? We should hurry up and take care of them."

In this environment, for some reason, Shukaku within Gaara kept transmitting a violent emotion towards him.

Is it afraid?

afraid of what?

Gaara didn't know how to resolve Shukaku's emotional issues within him, but Shukaku's emotional problems were making him feel very bad.

When he's in a bad mood, he wants to kill someone.

The feeling of irritability made Aragaki extremely uncomfortable; the fact that the match had been dragged out for several games was enough to make him unhappy.

"Uchiha Sasuke, please come up to the stage!"

Genma Shiranui was somewhat annoyed by Gaara's attitude. He shouted coldly at Sasuke, hoping that Sasuke would teach this arrogant brat a lesson.

What's with the attitude?

You are the best in Sunagakure, but not the best in Konoha!

I'm the strongest ninja in the entire Konoha world, okay?!

"Go, Sasuke."

Kakashi tugged at his mask, trying to conceal his emotions. "Defeat him!"

"Do I need to tell you that?"

Sasuke sneered, "Hmph, those flashy guys, I could easily defeat them even without the Heaven's Curse Seal!"

After saying that, Sasuke flipped over and jumped off the audience seats.

His movements were relaxed and graceful, which, combined with his handsome face, made him look dashing and carefree.

But that wasn't the end of it. Sasuke suddenly changed direction in mid-air, almost defying gravity, and disappeared into the sky.

"Uh-oh!"

"This may seem simple, but it's incredibly powerful!"

The knowledgeable ninjas in the audience gasped in surprise, knowing that changing direction in mid-air is an extremely difficult thing.

Sasuke did it so easily, as if it were effortless.

Hula

A whirlwind arose, and Sasuke, amidst leaves and a hurricane, appeared before Gaara with a cold expression.

The two looked at each other with cold eyes; as two unparalleled geniuses, their mindsets were the same.

Crush him, crush him, and let him know who is truly number one!

"Both sides, prepare!"

"Form the seal of opposition!"

Genma Shiranui focused his gaze on Sasuke Uchiha, his eyes filled with anticipation for him.

Sasuke didn't see Genma Shiranui's gaze; he was just staring intently at Gaara.

Gaara's gaze revealed not only bone-chilling coldness, but also utter disdain.

The Uchiha clan?

It's just a family that's already been wiped out; it's not worth mentioning.

"Gaara of the Sandstorm?"

Sasuke also adopted a disdainful expression, casually raising the opposition hand seal with one hand in his pocket.

Gaara, who was originally in a very agitated state, suddenly laughed after seeing Sasuke's behavior, his mouth widening in a bloodthirsty grin.

"Sasuke Uchiha..."

He also raised the seal of opposition with one hand, and then, as Genma Shiranui said "The match begins," countless yellow sands shot into the sky!

Chapter 629 Sasuke VS Gaara

The sky is full of yellow sand!

Compared to the yellow sand released against Rock Lee during the Chunin Exams preliminaries, the yellow sand now was completely different.

If Gaara wasn't hiding his strength back then, it means that in that month, not only did Sasuke and the others grow stronger, but Gaara also grew tremendously.

It must be said that geniuses are geniuses; even in just one month, their improvement is terrifying.

The swirling yellow sand caused gasps from all the spectators. The Konoha Barrier Team ninjas immediately dispersed around the audience seats and worked together to set up a barrier to protect the audience from being accidentally injured.

After all, we can't let these "big spenders" who only come to watch the battle for money be under too much threat.

What reassured the Konoha barrier team and the audience was that Gaara's attention was entirely focused on Sasuke. His control over the sand was extremely precise, with not a single grain of sand falling onto the barrier; each grain of sand had its own purpose.

Destroy this ninja before you—that is Gaara's ultimate instruction to these sands!

"Ha, all you do is play in the sand..."

Sasuke sneered, "Are you sure your sand can keep up with my speed?"

In the previous battle, Rock Lee had clearly told everyone how Gaara should fight.

Speed ​​is the best way to restrain Gaara!

The reason is simple: Gaara is a turret-type ninja, a standard large-area AOE mage.

Mages are always bewildered when facing assassins.

Casting spells requires a pre-cast animation, and releasing ninjutsu also requires hand seals.