The bald monk, upon regaining consciousness, saw Gaara alone arriving to rescue the examinees. He immediately tore his clothes, revealing the curse techniques on his body.
"Chakra Seal Technique, Senrigan Seal!"
Several blue chains then emerged from the monk's body and shot towards Gaara. Gaara had no choice but to use his sand to defend against these chains.
However, in order to protect the examinees, Gaara's absolute defense developed a weakness. He was then pierced in the abdomen by one of the chains, and Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast hidden deep within, had its neck directly bound.
The bald monk continued to play his pipa, and the chains were slowly pulling out the Tailed Beast's chakra. Gaara, of course, would not sit idly by. He immediately and with great difficulty attacked the bald monk with sand from the gourd on his back. However, the bald monk had erected a barrier around himself in advance, making Gaara's sand, drained of chakra, unable to breach it.
Following this, Shukaku roared from within Gaara's body, and a red chakra blast shot towards the sky. Shukaku had sensed the presence of other Tailed Beasts nearby and was calling for help.
Far away, Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki from Takigakure, immediately sensed Shukaku's signal. She abandoned the two Jonin guards disguised as examiners behind her, sprouted two wings, and flew directly towards Gaara's location.
"Star Lord, there are two people fighting ahead. That bald guy seems to have the upper hand, but his pipa playing is awful. It's not as good as yours."
As Ryo and Karin moved closer, Karin sensed two people fighting ahead. She seemed to dislike the bald monk, finding his music an insult to her ears.
"Don't worry about it. Just ignore it if you don't like listening. Let's observe first. This guy is using a sealing technique. He wants to extract the other person's Tailed Beast and seal it."
Karin reluctantly found a place to sit down, enduring the unpleasant music. Ryo was also helpless; he just wanted to gauge the strength of the current Kazekage, Gaara.
After a while, a small girl with dark skin and green hair suddenly flew from the sky. It was Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. Seeing a fellow Jinchuriki in distress, Fu flew down and tried to grab the chains with her bare hands.
However, the chains seemed to be specifically designed for Jinchuriki. As soon as Fu touched a chain, she felt as if she had been electrocuted and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing another Jinchuriki arrive, the bald monk exclaimed, "An unexpected bonus! Sealing two Tailed Beasts at once, this is too satisfying."
He then used the sealing technique again, extending a chain and inserting it into Fu's back. Thus, both Jinchuriki were subdued by a mere second-rate opponent.
The scene made Ryo laugh. Fu was too foolish, not even observing what the chains were before trying to grab them with her hands, leading to her suffering.
Gaara and Fu desperately tried to sever the two chains, but it was all in vain. Fu then quickly formed hand seals.
"Ninpō, Mushi-kaori!"
A surge of immense chakra was released from behind Fu, enveloping her and Gaara, and slowly forming a giant cocoon.
"Huh? Star Lord, I can't see them anymore. Should I go and blast that bald guy away?" Karin, seeing the two below envelop themselves in chakra, making them invisible from her vantage point, decided it was time to stop the bald monk, whose music was truly unbearable.
However, Ryo could see through the cocoon with his senses. Of course, he also knew that Karin possessed Kagura Shingan and could also see through it. Moreover, Karin now had Mangekyo Sharingan, so seeing through a chakra cocoon should not be a problem.
"Let's wait a bit longer, Karin. It's almost reaching its climax. I estimate the winner will be decided soon."
After a considerable amount of time, Kakashi's team from Konoha and the two Jonin from Takigakure finally arrived. Ryo finally showed a hint of a smile.
"Finally, they're here. I've endured a lot for you to pass the Chunin Exams. Master Tsunade, I've done a lot for your subordinates! Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten! You have to thank me!"
Karin, standing beside him, overheard an astonishing piece of information. Was Star Lord a disciple of the legendary Sannin's slug princess? This was truly surprising.
"Star Lord, are you a disciple of Tsunade, one of the Sannin? No, even the legendary Sannin couldn't teach such an excellent disciple as you."
Ryo pinched Karin's cheek. "Yes, I am Tsunade's disciple. I studied medical ninjutsu with her for a year. Although I could have learned it without anyone teaching me, it was too boring to do it alone, so I became her disciple. I'm considered half a Konoha ninja."
Karin was still astonished. It was true. Star Lord actually had a master. She had always thought he was naturally talented.
While Ryo and Karin were chatting, Neji had already entered the cocoon. Through his Byakugan, he determined that the Tailed Beast chakra could also be suppressed by striking pressure points. He then used the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist style, targeting pressure points and forcefully sealing the chakra of both Gaara and Fu.
Through her senses, Karin discovered that the two chains could no longer extract any chakra. She instantly understood that the battle was over. However, the bald monk was still unwilling to give up, playing his pipa with even greater intensity.
Ryo noticed Karin's impatience and gently patted her head. "Alright, alright, I know you're annoyed. I'll go send that bald guy to Nirvana. Wait for me here."
Ryo stood up, drew his Nichirin blade, assumed an Iaijutsu stance, and instantly appeared behind the bald monk.
The bald monk broke out in a cold sweat. When did this person get behind him? But there was no time to think. Ryo's Nichirin blade had already severed the bald monk's head.
The two chains inserted into the Jinchuriki also disappeared, as did the barrier. Lee and Tenten, who had witnessed Ryo in action, were astonished. He was too strong; they hadn't even seen him move before the bald monk's head was removed.
After finishing this, Ryo instantly reappeared beside Karin, embraced her, and flew directly towards Gaara and Fu.
"Yo! Konoha ninjas, we meet again. How about it, want to fight me?"
At this moment, Fu broke free from the cocoon and flew out. "Yahoo! So many people! Do you want to be friends with me? Eat together, bathe together."
The two Jonin who had followed to protect Fu immediately ran over, stopped her, and urged her to return to the village quickly. The Jinchuriki's situation had been exposed and they couldn't linger here any longer.
Neji and Gaara, upon emerging, also saw Ryo. Neji immediately assumed a fighting stance. He could tell that Ryo and Karin were very powerful; their chakra levels were comparable to those of Tailed Beasts.
"You're assuming a fighting stance towards me. Can I interpret this as a challenge?" Ryo asked, a slight smile on his face. Intelligent people always overthink. Preparing for battle upon meeting someone showed he was an excellent ninja.
Fu, having just been rescued, didn't want her two saviors to fight. She immediately went to Neji.
"Don't fight, let's play together! My name is Fu, and I'm a ninja from Takigakure."
Out of politeness, Neji also introduced himself. Then, Fu flew to Ryo, wanting to ask his name. However, Karin, as if facing a great enemy, hugged Ryo's arm, fearful that Ryo might be interested in this dark-skinned little girl.
"My name is Ryo, and this is Karin Uzumaki. We can be friends, but bathing together is probably not necessary."
Hearing that Ryo agreed to be her friend, Fu was overjoyed and spun around Ryo. Then, she extended her hands and grasped one of Ryo's.
"Great! My goal is to make one hundred friends. I'm very happy to be your friend."
Karin, on the other hand, was dejected. She pouted and pulled Fu's hand away from Ryo's.
"It is your honor that Star Lord agreed to be your friend, but you are not allowed to touch my Star Lord!"
The two Jonin beside them quickly pulled Fu away, urging her to distance herself from this boy named Ryo. This person was too dangerous; his unparalleled draw-and-cut was undeniably the action of a terrifying individual.