All eyes in the stadium were now expectantly fixed on the competition field below.
With the departure of Shikamaru who 'surrendered with style' and Temari who was still slightly annoyed but declared the winner, the place became empty and quiet for a moment.
Everyone, from ordinary citizens to high-ranking officials, eagerly awaited who the next contestant would be to take the stage and present an equally exciting battle.
Shiranui Genma stood casually in the middle of the field, a senbon still tucked between his lips.
He looked towards the VIP balcony, specifically towards Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, as if asking for direction or confirmation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply, a slight wrinkle of worry on his old face.
He then shook his head slightly towards Genma, signaling that 'the awaited person' had not yet shown his face.
"Not here yet, huh?" Shiranui Genma muttered to himself, also feeling a little helpless with this situation.
He removed the Senbon from his mouth and was about to say something to the audience to calm them down, but right at that moment, a gust of fast-moving yellow sand flashed before his eyes, landing silently in the middle of the arena.
Genma Shiranui's pupils constricted slightly in surprise. Unconsciously, he glanced back slightly, only to see Sabaku no Gaara now standing there, carrying a giant sand gourd on his back with both arms folded in front of his chest, looking at him with a calm yet cold and oppressive expression.
It was a very strange and slightly terrifying sight.
Although no clear expression of anger or hostility was visible on Gaara's face, Shiranui Genma, as an experienced Jōnin, felt as if he were facing an unpredictable ancient beast.
A beast devoid of any rationality and possessing only a pure and limitless killing intent, which unconsciously made the muscles throughout his body tense in caution.
In the VIP stands, the Fourth Kazekage (Orochimaru in disguise) watched the event with a faint smile behind his veil.
"It seems my son, Gaara, can't wait any longer to fight, Hokage-dono," he said in his characteristic hoarse voice.
"So, where exactly is the Uchiha Sasuke we are all waiting for?"
"He... he might be arriving soon," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied with a slightly strained tone, trying to hide his worry.
He could sense a killing aura from Gaara that was much stronger and more unstable this time compared to the preliminary round or the incident at the hospital.
"Lord Kazekage, with all due respect, the Genin from your village... seems a little... strange and different today."
The Kazekage just smiled mysteriously, a smile that sent shivers down the spine.
"Perhaps because of some tough missions he undertook before, his mentality has been slightly affected. Young people are sometimes hard to predict, aren't they, Hokage-dono?"
('Would he be affected by missions and then appear with such a dense and terrifying killing aura? What kind of nonsense is this?!') Sarutobi Hiruzen scowled inwardly; he clearly didn't believe a single word of the Kazekage's lie-filled explanation. There was something very wrong with Gaara, and perhaps with this Kazekage as well.
In the middle of the arena, Shiranui Genma took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He put the Senbon back into his mouth, then looked at Gaara and said in as professional a tone as possible,
"Uchiha Sasuke has not yet arrived. According to the rules, if he doesn't appear soon, I will announce your victory by WO (Walk Out)."
"No need to rush," Gaara replied in a cold and flat voice, his dark-ringed eyes looking at Shiranui Genma with almost no emotional fluctuation. "I... can wait."
Shiranui Genma was silent for a moment upon hearing Gaara's unexpected answer.
His eyes unconsciously glanced back towards Sarutobi Hiruzen in the VIP stands, as if asking for further instructions.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded faintly at him, signaling to follow Gaara's wish for the time being.
Shiranui Genma understood. He looked back at Gaara.
"Very well. Since you, as one of the contestants, do not object, then we will wait for another ten minutes according to the applicable competition rules. If Uchiha Sasuke still has not arrived after ten minutes from now, then his participation in this Chunin Exam will be automatically canceled."
Gaara's gaze still looked empty and unfocused, then as if he remembered something important, he suddenly turned his head slightly towards the contestant preparation seats where Naruto and the others were:
"In that case... if that Uchiha doesn't come, just let me fight that Uzumaki Naruto."
'Kill him... I really want to kill him... his blood... his blood will surely taste delicious to Mother...' That dark and bloodthirsty thought swirled again in Gaara's head.
"Hehe. Interesting." Shiranui Genma chuckled softly, the senbon in his mouth vibrating slightly.
"Alright. Your request is noted."
Because initially, based on the draw, the match between Gaara and Sasuke was indeed scheduled as the second match.
Although the order of the matches had now changed slightly due to Sasuke's absence, the flow of the match schedule hadn't actually changed much.
The winner between this Sasuke and Gaara fight would later compete with the winner of the first match, namely Uzumaki Naruto.
So, if Sasuke was truly declared disqualified to compete today, then Gaara's next match would automatically be against Naruto.
Perhaps he had received an answer that was satisfactory enough for him, because Gaara then closed both his eyes and stood there silently in a state as if dazed or possessed.
The yellow sand that had been slightly churning around his feet was now entirely absorbed back into the large gourd on his back, and his entire body now felt so peaceful and calm, as if he were sleeping while standing or meditating.
It would have looked much more peaceful and calming if only he wasn't continuously emitting such a cold and bone-chilling killing aura.
When Shiranui Genma announced that they had to wait for another ten minutes, it was clear that most of the spectators in the stadium were not happy at all.
They started shouting, whistling, and even throwing empty mineral water bottles, popcorn wrappers, and used tissues towards the arena as a form of protest.
However, they were all just ordinary people throwing things emotionally.
They didn't have enough strength or accuracy to reach the center of the arena, let alone hit or affect anyone there.
It was all just their way of venting their dissatisfaction and boredom from having to wait.
As everyone was waiting impatiently, time continued to pass minute by minute, and finally, the designated ten minutes had passed.
Gaara opened his eyes almost exactly when the ten minutes were up. And instantly, the killing aura that had slightly subsided in his body now became much stronger and denser than before.
But this time, the target of his killing intent was no longer the Uchiha Sasuke who had yet to arrive, but Uzumaki Naruto who was now sitting anxiously in the contestant preparation seats.
Shiranui Genma let out a long sigh.
What else could he do at a time like this? It was impossible for him to delay any longer.
He couldn't even think of a reasonable excuse anymore if the person in question, Uchiha Sasuke, indeed had no intention of attending.
So, with a heavy heart, he could only raise his right hand and speak slowly with a slightly louder voice amidst the dissatisfaction and hubbub of all the spectators in the stadium:
"I declare that Uchiha Sasuke is not present within the specified time limit, thus he is declared disquali—"
Right at that moment, before Genma finished his sentence, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Fourth Kazekage, Asuma, Guy, and several other ninjas with excellent perception abilities, all sensed something.
Their eyes seemed to light up at the same time, and their gazes all immediately focused sharply on one point in the center of the competition venue.
As their gazes all converged there, suddenly a small whirlwind appeared out of nowhere from the ground in the middle of the arena, blowing various small objects and scattered dust on the field everywhere.
At the same time, two figures, one tall and one shorter, appeared suddenly within the whirlwind, accompanied by a voice that sounded very casual and slightly annoying:
"Yo! Arrived safely... though a little late, hehe."
The whirlwind suddenly disappeared, and Hatake Kakashi now stood there, covering the lower part of his face with the latest edition of "Icha-Icha Paradise" in his hand, and his eyes crinkled as he smiled kindly at everyone.
Uchiha Sasuke, standing beside him, could only roll his eyes in annoyance:
"Kakashi! If I had actually been disqualified just now, I swear I would fight you to the death after this!" he grumbled in a cold tone.
Who knew that this person, his own teacher, apparently had a crater-sized hole in his brain.
He clearly knew that time was almost up and they could be late, but he still insisted on stopping by the bookstore first just to buy the latest work from the "Icha-Icha Paradise" series, which Sasuke found utterly worthless.
They should have been able to arrive much earlier before the second match began, but now they had almost gotten Sasuke disqualified just because of an adult novel.
Sasuke became angrier and more annoyed every time he thought about this.
It would be very strange if he could still be polite and courteous to Kakashi after all this.
Shiranui Genma, who was standing near them, was so touched that he almost cried tears of emotion (or perhaps annoyance).