Neji was enraged because he believed the Sand ninja had no right to insult the shinobi of the Leaf Village—
Gaara, on the other hand, was simply annoyed by how noisy they were.
Kankuro and Temari wanted to say something in response, but facing Gaara's terrifying strength, they ultimately didn't dare speak up.
Though Gaara himself had taken an interest in Neji.
"Those are the famed Byakugan of the Leaf, huh?
If I get the chance… I'd love to kill you."
He said this coldly in the public voice channel, speaking directly to Hyuga Neji.
"Then bring it on," Neji retorted with a cold snort.
He crushed a minion with a single palm strike, leveled up to Level 3, and continued laning alongside Sako.
Gaara didn't respond further. He kicked a nearly-dead minion to finish it off, then began pressuring the lane hard toward Naruko.
"Hmph. Sand ninja…
Once I win this match, I'm definitely going to make you pay."
Kiba Inuzuka clenched his fists in frustration.
He had originally wanted to yell at Gaara and the Sand siblings in the public channel, but the memory of Gaara's earlier blood-chilling aura made him hesitate.
Still, that didn't mean he was willing to just sit back while outsiders insulted his fellow villagers.
"Gaara, huh?"
Hayashi Ren, now done clearing the Red Buff camp, turned his gaze toward top lane, where Gaara was relentlessly pushing against Naruko.
He muttered to himself:
"Looks like it's time for me to pay a visit up top."
Meanwhile, the chat feed began to explode with comments from familiar legendary figures:
[ID: Senju Tobirama]
"Has the Sand Village always been this aggressive?"
[ID: Senju Hashirama]
"I don't think so. I remember their First Kazekage being pretty reasonable."
[ID: Uchiha Izuna]
"Sand ninja? What kind of garbage is that? Are they even relevant?"
[ID: Uchiha Madara]
"Hmph. Has the ninja world changed so much… that even filth like Sand ninja dare to dance?"
These heavyweights of the shinobi world were disgusted and insulted.
They wanted to shoot back with their own messages, but seeing the names of these four—"The God of Speed," "God of Shinobi," "The Unbreakable," "The Demon of the Battlefield"—
They froze in fear.
These were undisputed legends.
Even the bravest commenters only dared to stew in silence.
[ID: Jiraiya]
"Hehehe… The current Leaf isn't what it used to be, gentlemen."
[ID: Senju Tobirama]
"What do you mean by that?"
[ID: Orochimaru]
"Hehe… Lord Second, the current Leaf is full of weaklings and incompetents. The strong have vanished, and the elders who run the place are a bunch of outdated fossils.
Honestly, it's no wonder we're being looked down on by other villages."
Orochimaru's cold laughter echoed through the chat.
[ID: Senju Tobirama]
"Hiruzen, Danzo—what the hell is going on?!"
Tobirama's message was filled with anger.
His instincts were screaming that something had gone horribly wrong within the Leaf Village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
He didn't know how to explain it to his teacher—nor could he refute anything Orochimaru had said.
Because it was all true.
[ID: Konoha's Darkness — Danzo]
"That's not true, Lord Second. You can't believe the words of a rogue shinobi who's already betrayed the village."
[ID: Senju Tobirama]
"Hmph. It better not be."
Tobirama's reply was icy.
He still held on to the belief that no rogue ninja could speak anything of value about the Leaf.
In his era, Konoha had been a unified, powerful, and proud village. So he ignored Orochimaru's taunts and focused instead on watching Hayashi Ren's movements.
Meanwhile, somewhere deep underground in the Hidden Sound Village…
Inside a secret lab, a pale-faced man with black hair and serpent-like golden eyes let out a sinister smile.
His long tongue flicked out like a snake, licking his lips as he muttered:
"So… they no longer trust me?"
"That's fine. Let them enjoy their ignorance for now.
But it won't be so easy to hide the truth… next time."