Might Guy stared at Akuma's back, his expression clouded with deep worry. The killing intent that Akuma had unleashed just now… even he, a seasoned jōnin, had felt a moment of fear.
Beside him, Rock Lee and Neji exchanged uneasy glances. Rock Lee opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Might Guy placed a firm hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. Now wasn't the time to question Akuma.
Nearby, Kakashi's gaze sharpened as he watched the boy. His lone visible eye narrowed, as if trying to see beyond Akuma's calm exterior, searching for the truth hidden within him. Behind Kakashi, Sakura trembled uncontrollably, her body moving on instinct to hide behind her sensei's back, seeking safety from the monstrous presence she had just felt.
Naruto, meanwhile, stood frozen in place. His body refused to move. Words refused to come. The fear rooted him to the spot, his wide eyes locked onto Akuma.
All around the arena, an eerie silence spread like wildfire. Everyone was thinking the same thing: What just happened?
Even the Sand siblings had felt the suffocating weight of Akuma's killing intent. Temari still clutched her iron fan so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Even after the pressure vanished, she didn't move, staring blankly ahead until finally snapping back to her senses.
Her eyes darted down to Gaara, who lay slumped beside her, completely unconscious. Panic surged through her chest.
"Gaara! Wake up!" she cried out, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him desperately. Please… wake up… Even though Gaara terrified her, if something happened to him here, their entire mission—and her life—would be in danger.
"Temari… is Gaara okay?" Kankuro asked, his voice low with worry. He looked down at Gaara's limp form, noticing that his sand hadn't even moved to protect him. There were no physical injuries either. His mind raced in confusion and dread.
If his sand didn't protect him… if no attack landed… then… was it that boy's killing intent?
The thought alone sent a cold shiver down his spine. Even he had been terrified to his core, but Gaara had passed out from it. That wasn't normal. Kankuro's paranoia spiked. Is this an ambush by the Hidden Leaf? Did they already discover our mission?
Before his thoughts could spiral further, Gaara's eyes snapped open.
"Gaara! Are you okay?!" Temari asked, her hands still trembling as they cupped his face.
But his eyes… they were bloodshot, veins bulging so violently that some burst, streaks of red blood streaming down his cheeks like tears of rage. His teeth ground together in a feral snarl.
"I WILL… KILL… HIM!!!"
His murderous gaze locked onto Akuma's back as he surged forward, but Temari and Kankuro grabbed his arms desperately, holding him back with all their strength. Their grips trembled in fear, but neither let go.
"Gaara! We were specifically told not to mess with that boy—remember?!" Kankuro hissed, straining against his brother's overwhelming strength.
"I DON'T CARE!!!"
With a furious roar, Gaara hurled Kankuro aside like a rag doll. His body slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch, leaving a deep crack in the concrete as he collapsed, coughing up blood.
"Gaara, stop!" Temari cried out. Then, leaning in close, she whispered desperately into his ear, "We're still in Konoha. If you attack him now, the Suna Council's plan will fail. Finish the mission first… then you can do whatever you want with that boy."
Gaara's heaving shoulders slowed. His eyes flickered to Temari. Slowly, shakily, he forced himself to calm down, though his bloodlust didn't fade—it only deepened, growing darker and more twisted. Temari felt her knees weaken under the sheer weight of it.
Down below, the Third Hokage watched the scene in silence. Several jōnin exchanged uneasy glances, discussing and wary of Akuma's terrifying presence. The Hokage raised a hand slightly to catch their attention.
"Do not get involved with the children's conflict," he said calmly. "Focus on the matches."
Then he gestured toward Gekkō Hayate. "Begin the next match."
His eyes lingered on Akuma for a long, thoughtful moment before scanning over the rest of the genin gathered above.
"The next match: Nara Shikamaru versus Kin Tsuchi."
Shikamaru won his match quickly, using his sharp wit to trap Kin Tsuchi in his Shadow Possession Jutsu. She struggled, but he forced her to slam her own head into the wall, knocking her out cold. The victory was so effortless that Shikamaru sighed in annoyance as he released his technique.
"Troublesome…" he muttered, walking back to the observation deck with his hands in his pockets.
Without wasting any time, Gekkō Hayate stepped forward and announced the next match.
"The next match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Inuzuka Kiba."
Hearing his name called, Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. He leapt to his feet, fists pumping in the air.
"HELL YEAH!! It's here, finally! It's my turn!!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs, practically bouncing from foot to foot with anticipation.
Beside him, Rock Lee remained unusually quiet, lost in his own thoughts, staring down at the arena silently.
"Hoooo!!! Yaaaa!!!" Naruto continued to yell, unable to contain his energy. Finally, Sakura grew irritated and punched him squarely on the head.
"Shut up and focus, idiot!" she snapped.
Meanwhile, down in the arena, Kiba smirked confidently, looking up at Akamaru perched on his head.
"Haha, it's our lucky day, Akamaru. We can definitely beat him," he said arrogantly.
"Bark!" Akamaru yipped in agreement, his little tail wagging.
The fight began with Kiba charging forward aggressively, aiming to end it quickly. But to everyone's surprise, Naruto was holding his own with unexpected ease, dodging and countering with speed and instinct that made even some of the jōnin raise their eyebrows in surprise.
Akuma watched the fight silently, arms folded across his chest. But inwardly, displeasure welled up within him.
This… isn't right. In the original timeline, Naruto struggled against Kiba. He was beaten down, humiliated, forced to use that ridiculous "Deadly Fart" technique to win…
But here, Naruto didn't even need to try that hard. He won the match swiftly, defeating Kiba with a clean, decisive strike that knocked him out cold.
Akuma's brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing as he watched Naruto's victorious smile.
He's growing stronger… far stronger than he should be at this point.
Akuma clenched his fists slightly. Despite his efforts to minimize his influence on the timeline—avoiding unnecessary interactions with villagers, keeping to himself, remaining a silent observer—things were changing. The events he remembered were shifting in subtle but significant ways.
It's unpredictable… dangerous. I need the timeline to remain stable until the exams end. After that…
His gaze drifted down to Naruto, who was waving to the crowd with a wide grin plastered across his face.
After that, I will adjust as needed.
Akuma let out a quiet breath, his eyes returning to the arena floor, waiting for the next match to begin.