"Match three: Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara of the Sand!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
One prodigy. One enigma. Two weapons disguised as boys.
In the competitors' box, Sasuke's obsidian eyes flicked toward the arena, where Gaara had already begun descending — silent, expressionless, gourd slung over his shoulder. The weight of it didn't seem to bother him at all. Like a scorpion carrying venom.
The murmurs grew louder. Everyone had heard rumours about Gaara's performance in the preliminaries — brutal, emotionless, surgical.
And Sasuke… was late.
That is, until the air crackled.
Flash.A sudden blur of movement.Sasuke stood in the arena. Lightning still sparked around his form.
People barely had time to blink.
He hadn't walked down. He had flashed down.
Genma raised an eyebrow. "You took your time."
Sasuke said nothing. His gaze was locked on Gaara. Cold. Measured. But behind his eyes — something twisted, almost twitching — a storm of obsession and hunger. He hadn't looked at Naruto once today, but in his mind, he hadn't stopped thinking about him. The battle against Temari, today against hyuga girl, the whispers of his growth.
"Begin!"
And the fight exploded.
Speed vs Sand:
Sasuke vanished with a burst of chakra, closing the distance in an instant.
He appeared behind Gaara mid-air, aiming a vicious spinning kick.
THWACK.
But his foot met sand — a shield reacting faster than reflex, rising from Gaara's gourd and taking the full force.
Sasuke backflipped away, barely avoiding a retaliatory spear of sand that stabbed at his side.
In the stands, Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "He's faster than before."
Guy nodded. "Too fast for a genin. That training…"
Down below, Sasuke smirked.
"Can't hit you head-on, huh? Then I'll just go through you."
He blurred forward again, this time with a burst of Chidori-like chakra flickering along his arms — not the full jutsu, not yet, but a prelude.
Gaara's sand reared up, creating a wall.
CRACK.
Sasuke slammed into it — and cut through. Not cleanly, but deep enough to draw blood.
Gaara flinched.
Blood.
His own blood.
For the first time, his eyes widened.
His fingers clenched.
He screamed.
The Monster Awakens:
"You… hurt me. You made me bleed!"
Gaara's voice trembled, not with fear — but with ecstatic rage.
The sand began to churn violently around him, not defensive anymore, but hungry. It spiraled upward, forming jagged limbs and spikes — a partial transformation. Cracks formed along his skin as something underneath pushed outward.
The crowd murmured in horror.
Inside the stands, Baki watched with barely concealed anxiety.
Kankurō whispered to Temari, "He's losing control."
Tsunade, seated next to the Hokage — still technically an observer, not yet officially in power — narrowed her eyes.
Sasuke's expression didn't change — but a flicker of uncertainty passed through his gaze.
He had seen something like this before.
Itachi.
Not this transformation — but this unreasoning will. This pressure that bent the air.
Gaara's voice came again, shrill and breaking. "I'll show you… "
The sand surged forward like a tidal wave.
Sasuke activated his cursed seal.
Power Unleashed:
Black marks crawled up Sasuke's skin. His chakra surged, wild and dark.
From the stands, Kakashi stood abruptly. "He's using it again—!"
The cursed seal flared around Sasuke's shoulder and jawline. His speed increased tenfold.
He darted across the field, slashing and twisting, attacking from angles Gaara's sand couldn't defend quickly enough. Cuts opened along Gaara's arms. The transformation stalled.
But every blow Sasuke landed — every faster, sharper, darker strike — fed something inside him too.
And it was starting to show.
His movements weren't just tactical now. They were cruel. Merciless. Reveling in dominance.
He wanted to break Gaara.
Clash of Shadows:
Gaara's partial Shukaku form burst out — one clawed arm made of sand reaching down like a scythe.
Sasuke roared — and this time summoned Chidori.
Lightning shrieked from his hand.
He leapt forward, straight toward the monster.
For a heartbeat, the entire arena held its breath.
CLASH.
Lightning and sand collided in a burst of chakra and screeching energy. The attack didn't pierce Gaara's full transformation — but it cracked it.
And Gaara screamed — not just in pain, but disbelief.
Blood sprayed from his shoulder.
And then — the transformation began to 'collapse'.
The Aftermath:
Sasuke stood panting, hand smoking from the impact. The marks of the cursed seal had spread halfway up his face. His eyes — crimson Sharingan — were locked on Gaara.
Gaara lay crumpled, trembling, clutching his shoulder. His gourd was shattered.
"You're not like me," Sasuke muttered.
But his voice sounded wrong. Too cold. Too empty.
Genma hesitated, but then raised his hand.
"Winner: Sasuke Uchiha."
The arena didn't cheer.
It whispered.
The sand began to slither slowly back into Gaara's body — as medics rushed toward him.
And above, unseen by all…
Orochimaru, in Kazekage robes, watched silently.
His smile stretched thin behind the veil.