Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki-Chapter 725 - 725: Senko Gekkō

Shikamaru's forfeit was perfectly reasonable—or so everyone believed.
From start to finish, he had been completely overwhelmed.
Temari, on the other hand, hadn't even exerted herself. Her repeated ninjutsu barely drained her chakra at all, which was why she could erupt with such fierce chakra at the end.
"First match: Temari wins!"
Seeing the outcome set in stone, Hayate Gekkō stepped forward to announce the results.
Temari's father, Rasa, couldn't contain himself. He looked absolutely triumphant as he watched his daughter's excitement.
"Well? My daughter's strong, isn't she?"
"Hahaha! I spent a fortune crafting that Three-Star Fan. Its quality is unmatched in the entire Sunagakure."
"It's the perfect match for Temari's Wind Release techniques!"
"That Nara brat didn't lose unfairly at all."
Rasa was grinning from ear to ear.
And honestly, it made sense. His daughter had won, after all.
Seeing him laugh so smugly, Kazuyama Gekkō and Minato Namikaze exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison:
"Shut up, you sand-kicking idiot!"
Rasa: ?????
These two bastards!
In the stands, most of the audience broke into applause. Temari's ninjutsu had delivered exactly the kind of visual impact a crowd wanted.
Those roaring winds had given them the exciting match they came for.
"Shikamaru actually lost like that?"
"Oh my god! I can't believe it!"
As Shikamaru's teammate, Yamanaka Ino knew exactly how skilled he was.
With his high intelligence and Shadow Imitation Technique, there was no way his strength was that shallow. Losing without even a chance to counterattack was unthinkable.
"No helping it. Her technique was too powerful and had too wide a range."
"There was no way to suppress her."
"But Ino, didn't Asuma-sensei come?"
Sakura Haruno quickly defended Shikamaru—not because he was weak, but because his opponent was too strong.
She also looked around, noticing something odd. Among the spectators, almost no Konoha shinobi were present.
"I don't know. Kakashi-sensei from your class isn't here either, right?"
"Who knows where they all went? On such an important day, too."
"Hmph!"
Just like Sakura noticed—the crowd was large, but almost everyone was a civilian.
There were barely any ninja in the massive arena aside from the security staff.
What was going on?
...
Soon after, Hayate Gekkō announced the participants for the second match.
Senko Gekkō vs. Gaara.
The crowd instantly erupted.
Gaara's reputation in Konoha wasn't well-known, but the Senko Gekkō was a completely different story.
The Gekkō residence's reputation in Konoha grew stronger by the day. Though few in number, every member was a powerhouse.
And especially the clan head, Kazuyama Gekkō—one of Konoha's Twin Stars, the Ghost.
A shinobi on par with the Hokage's Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze.
"Oh? Didn't expect Senko to appear so soon."
"Too bad Pakura is on high alert right now. Can't come watch the match herself, tsk tsk."
On the highest platform, Rasa stood up. The relaxed expression from earlier vanished—his face was now tense and serious.
Kazuyama Gekkō, by contrast, remained calm—even though it was his daughter stepping onto the battlefield.
"Hmph! You bastard, aren't you afraid your daughter might lose?"
"Lose? Impossible. Unless Gaara uses Tailed Beast Transformation, he's not her match. You think Crystal Release and Transparent Escape Technique are for fun?"
Kazuyama Gekkō didn't bother giving him more than that.
On the field, Gaara and Senko Gekkō were already in position, staring each other down.
"Father always told me Gaara of Sunagakure is a powerful shinobi."
"Even though I don't like fighting… if my opponent is you, I don't mind."
Senko Gekkō smiled slightly as chakra surged through her body.
Gaara felt pressure he had never experienced before—the unmistakable weight of a true powerhouse.
"I originally wanted to fight Michihito Gekkō…"
"But if it's you, that's fine."
Both fighters were overflowing with battle intent.
Seeing this, Hayate Gekkō immediately signaled the start of the match.
Every eye in the arena locked onto the two of them, afraid to miss even a moment.
"Boom!"
The battle erupted instantly. Gaara made the first move. His gourd opened, and the sand shot out like a hunter rushing to seize Senko Gekkō.
But Senko didn't panic. She touched the air lightly with one hand, and pink crystal instantly formed a powerful barrier, blocking all the incoming sand.
"Hm?"
After his first attack, Gaara prepared the next—only to discover that Senko had vanished.
All that remained was the crystal she created moments before.
"What? Transparent Escape Technique?"
As Kazuyama's student, Gaara recognized the situation at a glance.
While defending, Senko had used Transparent Escape to disappear from sight.
Gaara immediately recalled all his sand and spread it outward.
Transparent Escape could conceal chakra and visual presence, but it couldn't hide physical impact.
Using sand to detect her movements was an excellent choice.
But Senko wasn't using Transparent Escape the same way her father did.
"Crystal Release: Meteor Shower."
Her voice echoed from above.
In the next instant, countless pink crystal fragments filled the sky.
Gaara instantly raised all his sand to defend overhead.
Since the crystals fell from above, protecting from above was the natural response.
"Don't look only upward, you know."
"Crystal Release: Higanbana!"
But Senko's Crystal Release covered far more than the air.
Crystals materialized all around Gaara, blooming into beautiful flower shapes—yet each flower was a deadly weapon, every petal a razor-sharp blade.
"Sand Shield!"
Gaara was forced to defend fully. He had no choice—Senko's attacks came from every direction.
He couldn't focus on just one side. With no alternative, he enclosed himself completely with sand, barely maintaining the defense.
"Only defending is a losing strategy!"
"Heh!"
The moment Transparent Escape dispersed, Senko reappeared behind Gaara, gripping a massive blade taller than she was.
The pink blade pulsed with chakra—its power was unmistakably deadly.