Chapter 140: Hoopa, the Spectator

Atop the rooftops surrounding the third stage of the Chūnin Exams, a crowd of shinobi had already gathered.

"Is the Hokage really… gone?"

"Impossible! Lord Hokage was incredibly strong!"

"Damn that Orochimaru… betraying his master like that."

"..."

Voices of grief and anger filled the air.

Swish—

A figure suddenly appeared, landing lightly on the rooftop.

It was Kakashi.

Stepping forward, his gaze fell upon Hiruzen Sarutobi, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Kakashi, you're back?"

Kurenai noticed him first, greeting him softly.

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah… but I was still too late."

Pa!

Might Guy patted Kakashi's shoulder. "We did our best."

Kakashi nodded again, his expression shifting slightly.

"What about Asuma? How's he doing?"

Might Guy shook his head.

"He took one look and left. Two Anbu are following him—he'll be fine."

Hearing this, Kakashi didn't ask further.

Meanwhile, the news of Hiruzen Sarutobi's death was spreading like wildfire.

More and more shinobi kept arriving—if someone who didn't know better saw the crowd, they'd think there was some sort of grand event happening.

Swish—

Not long after, Jiraiya appeared, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Hiruzen's body.

He still couldn't believe it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi… had died at Orochimaru's hands?

To him, the idea was laughable.

"Lord Jiraiya, you're here!"

Many shinobi visibly relaxed at Jiraiya's arrival.

Without Hiruzen, they felt lost—like a ship without its captain.

Jiraiya nodded slightly, acknowledging their greetings before stepping forward and examining Hiruzen's corpse.

His expression darkened.

"How did the old man die?"

Aside from one deep stab wound, Hiruzen's body had no other visible injuries.

That alone shouldn't have been fatal.

Hearing Jiraiya's question, the shinobi shook their heads.

They had no idea.

Inside that barrier, all they had seen was a mass of trees—they could only hear the battle, not see it.

By the time they entered, Hiruzen was already gone.

Jiraiya let out a sigh, choosing not to ask further.

"Alright, back to your duties—this isn't the time to stand around."

Konoha's attackers may have retreated, but there was still a lot of work to do.

The gathered shinobi nodded before dispersing.

Soon, only Jiraiya and Cynthia remained on the rooftop.

Kakashi and the others had left—they had their own tasks to handle.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, several figures appeared beside them.

"Ryo, you're back?"

Cynthia greeted him.

Ryo nodded, his gaze shifting between Jiraiya and Hiruzen's body.

His eyes widened slightly.

He had never seen Jiraiya this serious before.

After a brief moment, he looked away and turned his attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Seeing the lifeless body, Ryo's expression remained calm.

"Boss Ryo, I'll be leaving now."

Jiraiya didn't linger, picking up Hiruzen's body before vanishing into the distance.

Now, Ryo finally turned to Cynthia.

But the moment he saw her, he froze.

"Cynthia… where's Hoopa?"

Something had felt off for a while now—something was missing.

And now he realized—there was no noisy voice complaining nearby.

Hoopa was gone.

Cynthia's expression turned slightly confused.

"Wasn't Hoopa looking for you? I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Looking… for me?"

Cynthia nodded.

"Yeah. The moment you left, Hoopa ran off. I couldn't stop it."

Ryo's mouth twitched as he expanded his mental senses, searching the area.

His mind was a mess.

One moment of distraction, and Hoopa was already missing.

Meanwhile—

Atop a large tree, a small figure hid among the branches, watching with excitement.

It was Hoopa.

Its gaze was fixed ahead, where Naruto—his fighting spirit blazing—had engaged Gaara in battle.

And Naruto was unleashing his most powerful technique—

Talk no Jutsu.

But Gaara's expression twisted in response.

The Chakra of Shukaku began to surge uncontrollably within him.

Nearby, Temari and Kankuro—who had been battling Sasuke—paused and turned their attention toward Gaara.

Their faces paled.

"Oh no!"

The moment they saw Gaara's transformation, those were the only two words that came to mind.

Previously, every time this happened, someone was always there to suppress Shukaku before it got out of hand.

But this time?

The ones strong enough to stop it were all off fighting elsewhere.

"ROOOOAAARRR—!!"

A deafening roar shook the area.

Gaara's body began to morph, his transformation accelerating.

"Hahaha! I'm free! I'm finally free!"

A booming voice echoed through the battlefield as Gaara's entire form shifted into Shukaku's true appearance.

"Since I'm out, you all can just DIE!"

Shukaku scanned the battlefield, its malicious gaze locking onto Naruto, Sasuke, Temari, and Kankuro.

Temari's face turned pale.

"This is bad! We need to get out of here—NOW!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Temari swiftly recalled her summoned ferret and grabbed Kankuro by the arm, immediately retreating from the scene.

Facing Shukaku directly was a death sentence—there was no way they were going to risk their lives in this battle.

"Hahaha! Leaving? You think you can escape?"

Shukaku's laughter rumbled through the air, its massive maw opening wide as it unleashed a series of powerful wind blasts, aiming at the fleeing group.

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

Explosions rang out as the ground shattered apart, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.

The battlefield was left scarred with massive craters, but despite the devastating attack, not a single person was hit.

Temari, Naruto, and the others had managed to barely evade Shukaku's onslaught.

"Hahaha! This is so fun! More! More!"

A gleeful childlike voice rang out from above.

Perched atop a nearby tree, Hoopa clapped its tiny hands, its eyes twinkling with excitement.

Its carefree laughter echoed across the battlefield.

For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze.

The intense clash between life and death was momentarily overshadowed as every combatant—whether in terror or fury—turned their heads toward the unexpected spectator.

The sight that met their eyes left them utterly speechless.

Hoopa sat comfortably in the treetops, swinging its legs as if watching a grand performance.

It was grinning from ear to ear, completely unbothered by the chaos below.

Even Shukaku hesitated.

Was… this tiny creature not afraid?

Did it just say this battle to the death was… fun?

For a few seconds, everyone struggled to process the absurdity of the situation.

Were they being watched like actors in a play?

Did this thing think it was some kind of theater show?

Even Shukaku, despite being a raging embodiment of destruction, found itself momentarily stunned.

"What the hell is this? Since when did the world change so much?!"

It had just broken free, eager to unleash its wrath, but now—before it could even start—some tiny creature was cheering from the sidelines like an excited child?

For the first time since its release, Shukaku felt genuine confusion.

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