I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick

Chapter 72: Raging Tempest, Diffusion Fist

Demonstrating that she wasn’t just talk, Temari waited until the Proctor gave the signal before unfurling the gigantic, metal-plated folding fan she typically carried around on her back. She was a specialist that specialized in Tessenjutsu and Wind Nature Transformation, using her gigantic fan to create tempestuous winds strong enough to slice through trees and even small boulders.

Though it was completely unnecessary, Temari felt empowered as she swung the 300kg fan and shouted, “Wind Release – Wind Scythe Jutsu!” unleashing a fearsome gale that threatened to swallow both Shino and his bugs. The blades of wind comprising the tempest were strong enough to leave deep scars in the stone tiles making up the training room floor, but Shino stood his ground, muttering, “Sorry…” as he commanded his insects to form a protective membrane.

Exhaling a slightly labored breath, Temari snapped her fan shut before leaping backward to create some distance between her and Shino. Her giant fan had the effect of enhancing all forms of Wind Release, but it also placed an equivalent strain on her Chakra reserves. She could only swing it a few times before exhausting herself, so, more often than not, she used the deadly ranged weapon as a club.

Noticing a few tiny insects trying to approach her via the cracks between the tiles, Temari muttered, “What a disgusting technique…” before leaping onto the wall behind her, standing parallel to the ground as she shouted, “How about it, Aburame-san!? How many of your precious insects need to die before you surrender…!?”

Dispersing the wall of insects, Shino remained silent as he looked down to find hundreds of his comrades littering his surroundings. He could quickly replenish their numbers, but as someone who went out of his way to stop people from accidentally stepping on bugs, Shino wasn’t happy, not in the slightest.

Deciding he would rather not sacrifice more of his colony for an ultimately meaningless promotion, Shino turned to the Proctor, a sickly-looking man with matted brown hair and perpetual bags under his eyes, stating, “I give up.” in a calm tone.

Nodding his head in affirmation, the Proctor, Gekko Hayate, raised his hand and declared Temari the victor. The quadra-pigtailed blonde exhaled a sigh of relief when she heard the news. Little did she know, her actions had earned her a nemesis. Even though the match had been called, Shino had some of his smaller, recently hatched bugs approaching her in secret. However, before any could get near enough to infect her with a disease that would make her allergic to meat, they mysteriously disappeared…

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After Temari’s brief bout against Shino, the next person to take to the training field was her younger brother, Kankuro. The boy usually bore a striking resemblance to his father, the Kazekage, but his Shinobi attire made it impossible to tell. He wore a black, baggy, full-body suit known as a Bunraku Puppeteer uniform. To further distinguish himself, he wore a black hood with cat-like ears that covered most of his head like an overly elaborate turban. Beneath that, he adorned his face with complex purple paint, giving him an even more catty appearance. Last but not least, as it was the thing that most defined him, he carried around a cloth-wrapped bundle on his back, within which sat one of Suna’s infamous mechanical puppets.

Not wanting to make the same mistake as Omoi, Kankuro also took time to consider his opponent before pointing at Shikamaru, stating, “That lazy look on your face is annoying me. Come down and-”

Before Kankuro could finish speaking, Shikamaru waved his hand and said, “Pass…” in a lazy-sounding tone. His actions earned him a disproving look from Asuma, but the disinherited Sarutobi heir didn’t say anything as it was ultimately Shikamaru’s decision to make. Besides, while he felt that Shikamaru was more than qualified to be a Chunin, most Genin remained as such for several years before finally being promoted. Failing to become one five months out of the Academy wasn’t a big deal.

Hearing his opponent give up without a fight, Kankura snorted through his nose while mentally breathing a sigh of relief. A Puppetmaster’s strength revolved around the use of hidden weapons and deception, so he wasn’t fond of the idea of exposing his secrets in front of a large crowd. Despite his appearance, he was an assassin, not a stage performer…

With Kankura vacating the training area, Temari’s youngest brother, an inordinately pale and sickly boy with no eyebrows, bright red hair, black rings around his sharp blue eyes, a giant sand gourd on his back, and the kanji for love tattooed above his left eye disappeared from his position on the catwalk. Sand had enveloped his body, briefly obscuring it before he reappeared in the training field with a neutral expression on his face.

“Gaara…”

Seeing her brother take the stage, Temari couldn’t help feeling nervous. She wasn’t worried that Gaara would be harmed. Well, she was, but it was far more likely that he would murder his opponent before attempting to go on a rampage. He was an integral part of their plan to invade Konoha, so if he lost control and unleashed the One-Tailed Demon Tanuki sealed within him, all their preparations would be for naught.

Fortunately for Temari, Gaara, at the very least, appeared calm as he searched for suitable prey. He had taken an interest in Sasuke, Naruto, and even Sakura before the Chunin Exams had begun, but if given the option, he would rather bathe in their blood on a much larger stage. For now, he would settle with a tiny morsel, directing his pupilless blue eyes at Lee, a person whose outfit made it ‘very’ apparent he was a Taijutsu specialist.

Narrowing his eyes, Gaara creeped nearly everyone out by declaring, “You…the one in green. Mother craves your blood…” in a raspy, bone-chilling tone.

Exhibiting no fear or hesitation, Lee struck a pose with his foot on the railing, his fist raised as if he was performing an uppercut as he shouted, “Then I’m afraid she’ll have to go thirsty! For I, Rock Lee, have no plans of shedding even a single drop of blood this day…!”

Punctuating his words, Lee surprised several people by leaping from the catwalk, flipping hundreds of meters through the air before landing deftly on his feet. Each of his legs was carrying 6,000kgs of weight, but he gave the impression he was light as a feather as he began to bounce and throw a few practice jabs, psyching himself up.

With Hayate permitting them to begin, Lee seized the initiative, leaping the two-hundred-meter distance between him and Gaara in less than a second, his form perfect and right leg extended as he shouted, “Dynamic Entry…!”

Just as it looked like Lee’s foot was about to become inseparably intimate with Gaara’s face, a thick wall of sand formed to both block and disperse the tremendous force behind the kick. However, the defense was far from perfect, Gaara’s eyes widening slightly as a few sand particles peppered his face like tiny pieces of shrapnel.

Undaunted by the fact Gaara had blocked his attack, Lee became even more excited as he flipped backward, shouting, “There’s more where that came from!” before sliding forward in an instant, his body low and stable as both of his fists impacted Gaara’s sand barrier at the same time. This time, however, it wasn’t just a few grains of sand peppering the stunned boy’s body.

When Tenten first introduced them, Wu immediately took a liking to both Lee and Guy. Thus, over the course of a year, he helped the energetic duo pioneer a unique attacking style modeled after the Gentle Fist, tentatively referred to as the ‘Diffusion Fist.’ It used the principle of diffusing Chakra through various mediums to concentrate and channel the force of a blow ‘through’ an object. As such, unless you had an incredibly durable body or understood the ‘trick’ behind it, it was nearly impossible to block attacks utilizing the Diffusion Fist method.

As he ‘did not’ know the secret of Lee’s attacks, Gaara abruptly found himself skidding across the training field before falling to his knees and vomiting as he collapsed onto his knees. He felt as though an invisible ‘ripple’ of some sort had passed through his body, disturbing his insides and disorienting him beyond anything he had ever experienced. If not for the fact he hadn’t eaten in a few days, he might have shit himself on the spot as it felt like his guts had been twisted in a knot.

Never one to strike a downed opponent, Lee kept an appropriate distance and advised, “Please, do not try to force yourself…! I’m certain you’re very powerful, but I simply cannot afford to lose until I reach the Finals!”

Hearing Lee’s remark, the look on Gaara’s face became monstrously ugly, veins bulging in his neck and temples as if he was trying to force out the girthiest turd of his life. He was even drooling, his eyes widening to their utmost limits as he adopted a ‘too large’ smile and shouted, “I’m going to fucking murder you!” before cackling like someone possessed.

Raising his right arm, the sand pooling and swirling around Gaara’s body rapidly fused into a solid mass resembling a four-clawed hand covered in sand-colored flesh and bearing strange blue markings. He then extended like Choji, the rate of extension creating a sonic boom as he attempted to grab and crush Lee.

Seeing the scene playing about below, a rare expression of shock marred Baki’s face as he internally griped, (“Damn this monster! This is precisely why I advised Lord Rasa not to permit Gaara to participate in the Exams! All we needed to do was have him drop out and stay in his suite until the Finals began!”)

Looking toward the area where most of Konoha’s people were gathered, every nerve in Baki’s body tensed as he found Hiruzen, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and several other Jonin staring directly at him. He was confused as to why they didn’t say anything or try to stop the fight, but it was clear they knew ‘exactly’ what Gaara was.

Causing Baki to tense even further, a familiar voice sounded in his ear, “Calm down, old man. Konoha also has a Jinchuriki participating in the Exams, so they don’t have the leeway to make accusations. Besides, it’s not like there are any rules strictly prohibiting Jinchuriki from taking part, so just play it cool.”

Recognizing the voice as belonging to ‘Saiko Dadi,’ Baki forced himself to appear calm. He doubted things were as ‘simple’ as the mysterious youth made them out to be, but Konoha’s lack of reaction lent more than a little credibility to his claims. Unfortunately, he lacked the means to converse with Dadi discreetly, or he would have immediately inquired as to why the boy was even present…

Surprising Baki a second time, Dadi, as if having read his mind, explained, “I’m here as insurance. Beyond that, I just like snooping around where I’m not supposed to. You old men are always on such high alert, but you can’t even detect me when I’m littering sitting on your shoulder or floating next to your ear. It’s fucking hilarious.”

Furrowing his brows slightly, Baki resisted the urge to comment as nearly every major player in the room, including the Hokage, was observing his every action. All he could do was silently follow the battle below, hoping against all hope that Gaara would come to his senses and not unleash the Shukaku completely. He was so focused on the fight that he didn’t even notice when Temari’s incredibly anxious expression suddenly turned into an embarrassed flush…

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(A/N: I bet none of you saw this development coming, hmmmm~?)