A/N: This chapter will feature the appearance of a non-canon character with a primitive form of Sage Mode. It should be noted that this character won't be significant for some time yet; however, if enough of a hullabaloo emerges over the issue of this Sage Mode, I am willing to retcon this chapter. Due to other concerns, if I do retcon it, it will likely be the only chapter that is released, and it will be released next week. There are a couple of reasons for introducing it in this way, but for now I'll leave those aside.

Also, at the moment, I'm considering whether to begin releasing a new series; specifically, I'd be releasing a 'Side Arcs' series. The idea emerged when I was rereading things I'd written for the future of this series and realized that some characters who I consider important have not been explored properly. This 'Side Arcs' series would cover characters who do not have this development. The closest thing to it in standard Naruto would likely be Kakashi Gaiden; however, rather than being a flashback, it'll occur in present time 'beside' the present series. If there's sufficient interest, I'll begin releasing Side Arcs alongside the main series starting in June.

The wire cage glimmered. The setting sun descended. A dry heat lay over the battlefield, darkness and shadow covering the paths of the sand. Clouds swept over the sky.

"Yare, yare, daze." Chinmoku ran his hand through his hair. "When will you understand that it isn't necessary to deal with your holy soul?" His hands clapped together rapidly. "I'm using that, you two. Keep them busy."

"Right-ho, captain!" the chubby girl saluted. She turned her gaze to the Sand Siblings, her expression stern and stubborn.

Heat radiated outward from Chinmoku's body. Chinmoku knelt. The hands landed on the knees, the darkness blasting downward. Chinmoku's eyes closed. He sat motionless on the sand, his expression turning quietly silent.

"Flame Style: Engulfing Storm Wave!" The large girl clapped her hands together, her eyes glowing as she inhaled. Light poured down from the body.

The earth of the stadium shifted. The roaring flames rose through the air, screaming sparks echoing from the body.

Gaara's eyes widened. His eyebrows furrowed. What should I do? There's a plan here, certainly. Knowing that much, certainly...

"Water Style: Ocean Storm Technique!" The younger girl clapped her hands together. Her black hair ran down her back.

The water sprayed against the flame. Drops of water rose upward in the air.

I see how they got this far. All three of them are ninjutsu experts. That great fortune, their inheritance of chakra, has carried them through life. "But that ends here. Temari?" Gaara demanded, his voice stern.

Steam shot toward the three Sand Siblings, gushing from the twin attack of the flame and water.

The sand blasted backward, a dark flame rising from the body of the whirlwind.

Temari leapt upward, her fan shooting down. "On it," she confirmed. The fan's edge glowed with green light.

Wind Style, maybe? Some form of nintaijutsu? The chubby woman growled. She can't simply blast it away that easily.

A whirlwind of water, air, and flames rose into the sky. The whirlwind turned sideways, the destruction swinging toward the side of the dome.

That could do it too, the ten-year-old girl thought, her eyes wide. She reached downward, her large eyes opening wider.

"Hey! That's coming straight for us!" Kiba shouted. "This isn't funny, you know!"

Neji folded his arms across his chest impassively. Let's see whether they can lose so easily as we did.
His eyes opened slightly wider. Blue reflected from the eyes. ...I see. Something is going on with that boy...

Deikōgi's hands laced together. She exhaled, her cheeks puffing in and out rapidly. Her hand landed on the bag at her side, reaching into the zipper.

White clay emerged from the mouth.

A wall of clay rose around the dome. Intricate artistic designs focusing on spirals, thorny domes, and the image of spiral staircases crashed downward.

Gaara stared upward, his eyes wide. Hm? What's going on, here?

The chubby woman spun sideways, her blade stabbing into Gaara's foot. "Hey! You looking upward?"

Gaara's eyes widened. Not good. I haven't readjusted after that last battle. My mind is still imperfect. It still requires a certain source to move forward… He reached downward.

The blade ignited.

"I am Yukime, of the Forge!" Yukime's hand tightened. The sword darkened.

Gaara gritted his teeth. He extended his hand.

Sand extended around the body, pouring downward. The tendrils of sand rushed toward the glowing sword and the vitrified sand in the dust of the bowl.

"Karasu—"

Smirking, the girl spun forward. Her foot slammed into the puppet.

The surface of the wrapping shattered briefly.

Irritating. Kankurō growled. His hand tightened on the strings. A rapid tug tightened the strings.

Blades shot out of the statue. The wrapping unfurled, white bandages ripping apart as the strings tugged the item open.

The girl gasped. Falling to the ground, she stretched her hand toward her leg. Her fingers twitched, her muscles tensing.

"Poison…"

Blood dripped from the sandaled feet, the sandal pierced.

The girl fell motionless. Her body lay motionless, her body paralyzed by the poison released. Water poured through the sky, the raindrops reflecting from the pool.

"And as to you…" Temari grinned. Her arm slashed outward, her hand turning in rapid and dark circles.

The fan shot forward. Again, green energy surrounded the edge of the fan.

Gaara swallowed, his eyes wide. The whirlwind surrounded the base of the ground.

A sickle wind rose from the ground, the whirling winds spinning around the base of the dark sky.

Helplessly, Yukime rose through the air. Sand kicked upward, the whirlwind swinging around the edge of the battle dome.

"Guess this is done, then." Naruto sighed. He reached sideways, picking up some of the food. "I wish I'd seen more." He reached into the bowl with the chopsticks.

Asahi sighed. She reached upward, her hand rubbing her temples. "You aren't paying much attention, are you? Are you some kind of dumbass? Take a look at Chinmoku."

"Huh?!" Naruto's eyes widened. He stared at the battlefield. "Oh, man! I get it!" He gasped.

"Can you shut up? Some of us are trying to watch." Sasuke leaned forward, pulling out a handful of the rice.

"Heh… guess your titles were all talk." Gaara chuckled, taking a step forward. His eyes narrowed.

"You are the naïve one, Gaara of the Sand. Not all of our team's titles are mere talk, as you put it. Even that is uncertain, however. I've finished that…"

Gaara's eyes widened.

Black scales covered Chinmoku's forearms. Chinmoku's eyes, slitted like a cat's, opened wide, bright crimson. "You're not the only one who's a monster here. A true ninja should be willing to throw away their humanity. Thank you two."

A silence fell over the stadium.

"But what the hell is going on?" Naruto demanded. "Seriously, what's going on with his face?"

Asahi groaned. "Seriously, how do you live with this guy?"

Naruto growled.

"To be fair, it is rather remarkable that he's awakened it at all." Kōju rubbed her temples. She leaned forward, taking a bite of one of the mochi balls. "You see, he's using Sage Mode. It's quite rare indeed, even among its originators in Hidden Stone. He must be something very special indeed to use an old technique like that."

Naruto grinned. "I get it. I'll learn to do that, too!"

Sasuke snorted. "Maybe when we all become saints or something, but that's not happening any time soon."

"Nothing… at all." Yukime groaned as she fell to the ground, her face dripping with sweat.

"Win for us…"

Chinmoku's lips curled upward. "Sure will." His hands clapped together rapidly. Waves of pressure spread from his feet, blasting into the surrounding ground and figures. A heat rose from the body, dry, scorching, the kind of heat that burns flesh from bone and leaves nothing behind but ashes.

Gaara's eyes widened. This feeling. I know it, I recognize it, but...

Sage Art: Dragon Breath! Waves of blistering heat blasted down on the field.

A momentary silence fell over the arena.

Naruto closed his mouth, his blue eyes round as wheels. Whoa! What's going on?!

Sasuke gritted her teeth. Her body shivered. Sweat dripped down her face. This is something else...

Kōju lowered her hands. Her fingers tightened on the straw. ...Ugh... The plastic straw crinkled as she pushed the sides together. I'm scared...

The sand glowed hot. Slowly, the sand crystallized into glass.

Gaara's eyes widened. His hands lowered. I can't move the sand like this! Damn it!

"But for you…" Chinmoku vanished. His fists slammed into the foreheads.

Both Temari and Kankurō screamed as they flew backward through the air. Bruises formed on the pair's foreheads.

"I have no time for delay. Out of curiosity, are ring outs permitted in this fight?" Walking over calmly, Chinmoku pressed his kunai to Gaara's throat.

Gaara's eyes widened in shock. What just happened?

"Yeah…" the examiner stammered, his face filled with shock.

"Then there you have it. My victory is complete—my pardon. Our victory is…" Chinmoku fell silent. His eyes turned sideways rapidly.

The puppet emerged through the ground.

Chinmoku shot upward through the air. His arms tugged on the surface of the wire cage. Switching back around, he shot toward the puppet.

Heh… Kankurō smirked.

The puppet opened.

Ah. Chinmoku's hands clapped together rapidly. A log fell to the ground. Chinmoku stood motionless across the field, his crimson eyes narrowing.

Gaara shot into the container.

Substitution, here? Kankurō gulped. Damn…

"Kankurō. Release me."

Kankurō rapidly forced open the container.

Gaara scowled. His sand twisted up around his body as he stood motionless, his arms folded.

"Let me see if I have this right. Using chakra strings to manipulate yourself, whip around, and then… reenter… Am I mistaken?" Chinmoku looked upward. "You also got her back in, probably tying her to her own body.

Kankurō's eyes widened. This guy is completely freaky. Gaara's usually calm and collected outwardly… but I can't even see this guy blink an eye at my techniques. He's right, too. This bastard's vision is excessive.

"Yeah… that's right. That was a dirty trick you used back there… solidifying it." Gaara growled. His fingers extended. Sand twirled around the body of the dark shadows of the earth.

"Dirty trick?" Chinmoku smiled. "I don't see it as anything of the kind. You see, between ninja, there is only fighting."

"You're really starting to piss me off…" Gaara growled.

"My emotion does not answer yours. I am indifferent."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "That is patently impossible…"

"Oh?" Chinmoku remarked, his eyebrow rising. "And tell me, why is that?"

"You must feel the same as me."

"Gaara. In your lifetime, do you remember how many people you have killed? Do you remember their faces or names?"

Gaara's eyes widened.

"Such an ant as you is not worthy to be crushed by me. Basically, I don't believe the same things as you. Your vision of the world and mine differ. I said it before…" Chinmoku's eyes narrowed. "I didn't want to face you until the grand finale of the final round. As it is I've revealed too many of my abilities. Initially, I didn't aim to kill you. That circumstance has now changed."

Gaara's eyes widened. "How about this, then?" He extended his arm toward Yukime.

The sand gathered over Yukime's head. Needles built from the sand, growing heavier and more blunt swiftly.

"I'll kill her if you so much as say any word other than defeat!"

"That is… the same here. It's the same for me." Smirking, Chinmoku's hands rose. "That tactic might have worked against a soft ninja. I am not…"

Gaara lunged forward, his fingers tensing.

The needles rose, growing sharper as Gaara focused.

"Summoning Technique!" Chinmoku clapped his hands together rapidly.

A black drake appeared beneath Kankurō. The sharp, dark head rose, a contrast defined by sharp angles and deep darkness, purple shadows.

Naruto gasped in shock.

The dragon's mouth engulfed Kankurō.

"Soft. If you kill her, I will destroy your hope of advancement…"

The examiner's eyes widened.

Gaara emitted a loud noise somewhere between a growl and a bark. His eyes tracked the dragon.

The needles hovered motionless over Yukime's body.

Yukime's eyelids fluttered.

"Now. We're back where we started… with me possessing the advantage. Cooking him will be much faster than Sand Burial or Sand Needles, either, based on what I observed. So. What will you do…? Gaara-kun…" Chinmoku smiled quietly.

"Sacrificing a teammate for that purpose…"

Chinmoku tilted his head to the side.

"You really are like me…"

"Tie!" the examiner shouted hastily. "Moving on to the next event… the third round will be held in a month's time! Train well!"

Sand gathered around Gaara's hand.

Chinmoku dismissed the summoning.