The Chunin Exams were in their final stages. The atmosphere in the arena was electric, with the most promising genin from Konoha and other villages competing under the watchful eyes of the Kage and spectators.
Satoru Gojo was in the Jonin viewing area, although his presence remained a mystery to most. He was wearing his blindfold, which made him even more peculiar, and he was absentmindedly chewing on a dango skewer.
""My, my, these guys are a bit slow," Gojo muttered, watching the match. "Though the blond one has spirit. And the bat-like kid is decent too."
Kakashi was at his side, his Icha Icha book in hand, but his attention was divided between the arena and the unpredictable sorcerer.
"The level is high this year. Especially among Naruto's team."
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The air became heavy, thick with killing intent. A purple barrier was erected around the Kage Box, and an explosion ranged out, signaling the start of the invasion of Konoha. Ninjas from Otogakure and Sunagakure began to attack, and chaos erupted in the arena and the stands.
"Ah, there it is!" Gojo exclaimed, smiling broadly and amused. "Finally, some action!" I thought I'd die of boredom!"
As the jōnin and Anbu mobilized, and Kakashi prepared for battle, Gojo simply stretched. He didn't move in disgust, but with a calmness that infuriated the others.
"Gojo-san, we have to act!" Kakashi said urgently. "This is a coordinated attack!"
"Yes, yes, I know," Gojo replied, waving a hand. "I'm just deciding the best way to impress. Perhaps a dramatic entrance?" Or just make all the bad guys disappear at once?"
As the invading ninjas began to ascend the stands, terrifying the civilians, Gojo snapped his fingers. "Hmm, how about we give them a little push?"
In an instant, and without anyone seeing a single movement from Gojo, the invading ninjas advancing up the stands stopped in their tracks. Their bodies contorted in impossible ways, some began to float upside down, others were crushed by an invisible pressure. There were no jutsus, no hand seals, just a terrifying distortion in the space around them.
"What...what's going on?!" a chuunin yelled, as he watched the enemies being "neutralized" by an invisible force.
Gojo, still wearing the blindfold, tilted his head. "Just a little reminder of who's in charge here. "I don't like it when people interrupt a good show."
From the Kage box, Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, felt the immense pressure of the Limitless spread through the arena. His carefully orchestrated invasion plan was crumbling before a power he couldn't understand. His blood ran cold. He knew it was Gojo. Only he could do something like this.
"Stop the invasion!" "Retreat!" Orochimaru hissed to his forces through his earpiece, panic palpable in his voice. "The priority is retreat!"
Konoha's Anbu and Jōnin, who had already thrown themselves into combat, were perplexed to see how the invaders, who had only a moment before been a threat, were now fleeing in terror or lying incapacitated by an unseen force. Those who managed to escape did so with genuine terror on their faces.
"The Kazekage has ordered to retreat!" a ninja from the arena shouted, confused by the sudden and chaotic order.
As the bulk of the Invading forces fled, Gojo approached the Kage box, his aura turning icy cold. He sensed Orochimaru's presence, if not through chakra.
"My, my, Snake Lord," Gojo said, his voice echoing off the purple barrier. "I thought you were a bit more original. An invasion?" Seriously? It's so... cliché. And I thought I told you I didn't like my programs interrupted."
Orochimaru, trapped within the sound barrier of Hiruzen and the other kages, tensed. He couldn't move. He felt Gojo's invisible gaze upon him, a pressure that was far more terrifying than any blow.
"You won't get away with it this time," Gojo continued, with a humorless smile. "And the next time you try something as boring as this, I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
With a wave of his hand, the barrier dissolved, and Orochimaru, without waiting for Hiruzen to react, dashed off, his pale skin reflecting pure terror.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been preparing for a deathmatch with Orochimaru, was dumbfounded. The invasion had been neutralized, the main villain had fled, and all because of the intervention of the unpredictable blind sorcerer.
The arena, which minutes before had been a Chaos, was now in a stunned silence, broken only by the cries of the wounded and whispers of amazement.
Gojo yawned. "Well, that was kind of fun. Now, where were those dangos? I'm hungry."
Konoha had been saved, but not by its ninjas, but by a wild card operating by its own rules, and whose intervention had drastically changed the course of history.
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