Naruto: Reborn with the Template System

Just as Guts had anticipated, the kid...Naruto after a full month under his father's personal guidance, had achieved near-complete mastery over the Rasengan.

Even without the Nine Tails hacks, this version of Naruto had already far surpassed his original counterpart at this stage.

From the stands, Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.

Not only Hanabi and Hinata, but now even Naruto, who was once a laughingstock trailing far behind him in talent, was starting to catch up?

Damn it…

At this rate, how will I ever achieve revenge?

But Naruto wasn't the only one who had grown stronger.

Hinata, now stepping into her own power as the first to begin unlocking the Hyuga lineage's real potential, stood even further ahead.

Although Yin-Yang Release couldn't be mastered as easily as a chakra-based jutsu like the Rasengan, the sisters had made tremendous progress.

While they hadn't formed any new technique directly based on Yin-Yang release yet, just integrating that energy into Hinata's Gentle Fist had elevated her strength by several levels.

And so, Gentle Fist: Eight Gate Rotation—a move stronger than most average Jōnin techniques—overpowered Naruto's Rasengan in a clean, precise exchange.

It wasn't a flashy battle.

But it was fierce. Gritty. Intense.

And the crowd loved it.

"Winner: Hyūga Hinata!"

As Shiranui Genma announced the result, a wave of applause erupted throughout the stadium.

Even Namikaze Minato smiled with admiration and nudged Guts beside him.

"I lost to your student, huh? Not bad, Guts."

Guts smirked and gave a small nod, his eyes flicking toward Hinata, who bowed gracefully to Naruto after the fight.

She'd earned this.

With no delay, the second match began.

This was the one many had come to see:

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara of the Sand.

Lightning and sand collided as soon as the match started, shocking the crowd into silence.

Gaara's control over sand met Sasuke's Lightning Release head-on. Using intense physical effort and high-speed movement mimicked from Rock Lee, Sasuke moved at blistering speed—fast enough to momentarily match Gaara's defenses.

Through his Sharingan, he had copied Lee's taijutsu and integrated it into his own style.

Even Gaara's gourd sand couldn't follow him cleanly.

The match had everyone leaning forward in their seats.

"What a genius," muttered "Rasa," seated on the far side of Minato.

Unknown to the crowd, Gaara's Tailed Beast, Shukaku, had been unusually silent ever since their arrival in Konoha. After a single stare-down with Guts, it had gone dormant, sensing something far beyond its comprehension.

But now, things were shifting.

Gaara was injured.

Cracks formed in his shield of sand, and Sasuke's breathing grew ragged. His chakra reserves were nearly spent, and his physical stamina was on the edge.

This was it.

He would finish it with his newest move.

Chidori.

Lightning crackled violently in Sasuke's hand as he sprinted toward Gaara at full speed.

Gaara raised his ultimate defense: Sand Shield, thick and heavy.

But it didn't hold.

With a thunderous crack, Chidori pierced Gaara's shoulder, sending blood splattering.

And that was the trigger.

"Aaaaahhh! M-Mother! It's my blood! It's my blood!!"

Shukaku's chakra exploded violently from within Gaara's body.

His control broke.

The Tailed Beast's energy poured into the arena, wild and chaotic.

From the crowd, Kushina a fellow Jinchūriki was the first to notice the shift.

Her eyes widened. "No...he's going berserk!"

Before anyone could react, a storm of black feathers began raining down over the entire arena.

A massive Genjutsu spread like wildfire, targeting everyone present.

"Genjutsu?! Dammit!"

The veterans Minato, Kakashi, Terumi Mei, and a few others reacted instantly, redirecting chakra to cancel the illusion.

But most civilians, Genin, and even a few Chūnin weren't so lucky.

One after another, they slumped over, unconscious.

The illusion took hold.

Until red lightning cracked across the sky.

The arena shook violently, and the illusion collapsed like glass.

Everyone who had been affected suddenly jolted awake, gasping in confusion.

At the center of it all, a figure stood calmly.

"Get the civilians out of here. Now."

It was Guts who had unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, nullifying the illusion effects. He then calmly ordered the civilians to be taken to safety.

BOOM—!!

A blast erupted.

Before anyone could react, Guts launched a punch...one that broke the sound barrier.

The man seated to Minato's left, supposedly the Fourth Kazekage was blown off his chair and through the stadium wall like a cannonball.

Debris flew. Gasps echoed.

Silence fell.

Two Sand Jōnin guards flanking the seat instinctively reached for their kunai but froze in place.

Guts's eyes locked onto them with pure, undiluted killing intent.

Not even Conqueror's Haki.

Just raw bloodlust.

Their kunai clattered to the ground, hands trembling uncontrollably.

Both Namikaze Minato and Terumi Mei shot to their feet at the exact same moment.

All at once, chaos erupted.

From the shadows of the audience stands, the Sand Shinobi and Oto-nin who had been lying in ambush sprang into action.

Within seconds, everything devolved into all-out battle.

High above, the audience stands became a battlefield. Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai, and the other elite Jōnin immediately engaged the attackers, countering with coordinated precision.

Down in the arena, Hinata and Hanabi remembered what Guts had told them before the exam.

Without hesitation, they leapt up to stand beside him, flanking him like loyal shadows...ready to fight.

Across the field, the Sand Siblings,Temari and Kankuro rushed into the arena and swiftly carried off the injured and unstable Gaara.

Their orders from "Rasa" had been clear:

When the plan begins, unleash Shukaku to wreak havoc across Konoha.

But Temari had been against the plan from the beginning.

Gaara couldn't control the One-Tail's power, and unleashing it here would be disastrous—not just for Konoha, but for the Sand Village's own forces.

With Gaara already nearing a full rampage, they prioritized evacuating him instead.

Kakashi, who spotted their movement, immediately turned to his squad.

"Team 7! Pursue them! Do not let Gaara escape!"

Back on the main platform, Guts stared at the massive crater in the wall he'd just made.

"Orochimaru-senpai~" he called out with a smirk, his voice calm but laced with sarcasm. "That punch just now... didn't kill you, did it?"

Around them, everyone froze.

Wait...Orochimaru?!

Murmurs spread like wildfire.

"Hehehe… Still as impressive as ever, Guts-kun."

A raspy voice echoed from the rubble.

From the shadows, a twisted figure slowly emerged.

The mask had long fallen, and the skin on his face began to peel unnaturally, like a rubber mask coming undone.

What lay beneath wasn't the face of Rasa…

But a massive, pale serpent.

A white-scaled python face emerged from a humanoid body, stretching and distorting the already horrific visage.

"Disgusting…" Hanabi muttered in revulsion, her eyes narrowing.

Guts had expected to see Orochimaru's usual smug expression.

But this snake-like visage?

Even he was mildly taken aback.

Orochimaru, now in partial snake form, gave a twisted grin.

"A pity, Guts-kun… You missed one detail. Your instincts were correct, but you overlooked something...the Second Tsuchikage's Decoy Technique. That illusionary clone trick was good enough to fool even you."

As he finished speaking, Orochimaru coughed out a mouthful of blood, Guts's punch had still landed hard.

His body slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"He's dead."

Ao, the Mist ninja, rushed over, checked the body carefully, and confirmed it.

"No pulse. No chakra. He's gone."

But no one celebrated.

Instead, an eerie silence settled.

Something didn't feel right.

Guts's eyes narrowed slightly with a red light flashing in them.

Suddenly, Guts's eyes shifted. He spoke calmly and casually, saying, "In the direction of the Sarutobi family... what's with that strange chakra?"

"What!?"

Namikaze Minato's expression changed instantly.

In the blink of an eye, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished, reappearing high atop the stadium for a better view.

From there, he spotted it...

A massive, rectangular barrier engulfing the Sarutobi Clan's land, glowing with dark red and violet flames.

"That's... the Four Violet Flames Formation!" Minato exclaimed.

It was a high-level barrier...a sealing jutsu capable of trapping even a Kage.

Behind him, Guts casually appeared at his side without any teleportation mark, yet with a speed rivaling Flying Thunder God.

"So that's the real plan," Guts said with a faint smile, hands in his pockets.

"It's not the 'Konoha Collapse Plan' after all..."

He chuckled softly.

"It's the 'Sensei Killing Plan.' Orochimaru's target isn't the village...it's the Third Hokage."

Minato's eyes widened as he clenched his fists.

Guts, on the other hand, seemed far more amused than concerned.

His attitude seemed more like he was watching an interesting show, in contrast to Namikaze Minato's worry and shock.

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