Chapter-66: Unleashing power of the Kenpachi

The trihead wolves surged forward like a relentless tide, their glowing red eyes gleaming with predatory intent. Their sleek forms darted through the shadows, each movement unnervingly coordinated as they closed in on Xero. The ground beneath their claws cracked and splintered, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. 

Xero, standing amidst the chaos, didn't flinch. Instead, he laughed—a wild, reckless sound that echoed across the clearing. The fire in his golden eye burned brighter as his excitement grew. Lowering his massive blade to his side, he paused, a cocky grin spreading across his face as though he were inviting the wolves to attack. 

"Kuro," Xero called out, his voice filled with exhilaration, "I'm going to show these tin dogs what real power looks like." 

Kuro didn't reply, his sharp eyes locked onto Saibogu Ichigō. His silence carried an unspoken trust, a mutual understanding born from countless battles fought side by side. 

Xero's grin widened as he raised a hand to his face. In one deliberate motion, he reached up and tore off his eyepatch, tossing it aside carelessly. For a moment, the clearing seemed to hold its breath. 

Then it came. 

A surge of energy exploded outward, rippling through the air like a shockwave. The force was palpable, sending a gust of wind tearing through the forest. Neji's Byakugan caught the surge before his other senses could even process it. His pearlescent eyes widened as he tracked the raw, unfiltered energy radiating from Xero's now-uncovered eye. 

The eye itself was a sight to behold—a swirling vortex of fiery gold and crimson, glowing with an intensity that seemed to burn through the air. Around Xero, a fiery aura ignited, crackling with arcs of energy that danced across his body. The ground beneath him scorched and cracked as his power surged. 

"What... is that?" Tenten whispered, her voice barely audible over the hum of energy. Her wide eyes stayed fixed on Xero, a mix of awe and unease creeping into her expression. 

Xero's entire demeanor shifted. The chaotic energy that had always fueled his fighting style was now tempered, focused into something far more dangerous. His strikes, once wild and unpredictable, transformed into devastatingly precise movements. Each swing of his blade tore through the wolves with overwhelming force, their mechanical bodies crumpling under the sheer impact. 

He moved like a storm, an unpredictable rhythm to his attacks that left his enemies scrambling to react. One moment, his blade cleaved through a wolf mid-leap, the next he was spinning through a cluster of attackers, sending parts flying in every direction. The fiery energy radiating from his eye infused every strike, amplifying his strength to inhuman levels. 

Neji stood frozen, his fists clenched tightly as he watched the display. His Byakugan traced the flow of energy emanating from Xero, and what he saw defied logic. The energy didn't follow a pattern—it was chaotic yet inexhaustible, as if it were drawing from an endless reservoir. 

"His power…" Neji murmured, his voice uncharacteristically uncertain. "It's unlike anything I've seen. It feels... limitless." 

Tenten glanced at him, her brow furrowing. "Limitless? Is that even possible?" 

Neji didn't answer. His gaze remained locked on Xero, his mind racing to make sense of the impossible. The intensity of the energy was unlike any chakra or technique he had encountered. It was raw, untamed, and yet Xero wielded it with a confidence that bordered on recklessness. 

Xero's laughter cut through the tension as he brought his blade down in a final, thunderous strike. The shockwave of the blow radiated outward, scattering the remaining wolves like leaves in a storm. The clearing fell silent for a brief moment, the ground littered with the shattered remains of the Cerberus Children. 

Xero turned, his fiery eye locking onto Saibogu Sangō, who was watching him instead of fighting Kuro. "You're next," Xero growled, his voice low and brimming with anticipation. 

Neji's fists tightened at his sides, his composure slipping for just a moment. Whatever Xero had become, whatever power he wielded, it was clear that it wasn't something born of ordinary means. And it left a gnawing unease in the pit of his stomach. 

—----

Meanwhile, as Xero unleashed his power, the shockwaves of his energy rippled far beyond the confines of the Forest of Death. The spiritual pressure emanating from his unleashed aura spread across the land, an invisible force that carried both intensity and unease. 

Miles away, in the bustling streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, several ninja paused mid-step. Conversations fell silent, and an inexplicable sense of tension settled over the village. Birds took flight in startled flocks, their cries cutting through the uneasy quiet. 

In the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was anything but calm. A seasoned Jōnin stood by a monitoring station, his sharp eyes scanning the live reports from the Chunin Exams. His frown deepened as his chakra senses flared, picking up on the foreign energy even from such a distance. 

"What is this power?" he murmured, his voice tinged with disbelief. He turned to a colleague seated beside him, his hands tightening into fists. 

The other ninja, a sensor specialist, sat rigidly, his face pale as he processed the readings in front of him. "It's overwhelming," he said, his tone strained. "Like nothing we've ever registered before. This… this is beyond Jōnin level." 

At the center of the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, set down his pen, his previously calm demeanor replaced by a look of concern. The aging leader rose from his chair, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the direction of the Forest of Death, though it was far beyond his line of sight. 

"From the Chunin Exams?" he said slowly, his voice laced with skepticism and curiosity. "That shouldn't be possible." 

Hiruzen's years of experience told him that this wasn't an ordinary anomaly. The sheer magnitude of the energy hinted at something far more dangerous—and far more significant—than any Chunin candidate should have been capable of. 

The office fell silent for a moment, the tension thick in the air. Then, one of the Jōnin spoke up hesitantly. "Hokage-sama, should we send reinforcements to the Forest of Death?" 

Hiruzen stroked his beard thoughtfully, his sharp mind weighing the possibilities. If this energy was coming from a participant, it could disrupt the balance of the exams. But if it was from an external force, the implications were even more dire. "No," he said at last. "We don't know enough. For now, we observe. Give me the crystal ball, I will watch them."