"Crack! Crack!"
"Naruto, congratulations on successfully passing the Chunin Exam!"
After the Chunin Exams, Naruto Uzumaki happily returned home with the village's certificate of appointment. Just as he opened the door, two party poppers went off. Along with the confetti, ribbons rained down on Naruto's head.
Namikaze Yoriichi and Uzumaki Kushina had been watching Naruto's battle. After he won, the two left the Chunin Exam venue and prepared a celebration at home. Kushina even made a cake for Naruto to celebrate his promotion to Chunin.
"Mom, Yoriichi..." Naruto looked at the scene in front of him, tears welling up unconsciously. He was deeply moved by his family's love.
"Brother, congratulations!"
"From now on, you're a Chunin of Konoha."
"You passed the Chunin Exam right after graduating from the Academy. Brother, you're truly a genius!"
Bofeng Yoriichi looked at Naruto with admiration and longing, showering him with praise. Seeing his younger brother look up to him so much, Naruto laughed and patted his head, not even trying to be modest.
"Really? Hahahahaha!"
"Yoriichi, you're an honest kid."
"Hahaha!"
Uzumaki Kushina saw that Naruto was getting carried away and quickly patted Yoriichi on the head before turning to Naruto with a serious expression.
"Naruto, you can't let passing the Chunin Exam make you arrogant!"
"Becoming a Chunin means you'll be leading a team on missions, and the lives of your subordinates will be in your hands."
"As your mother, I'm very proud of you, but as a Jonin of Konoha, I still have to remind you."
"Naruto, you have a long way to go before you can become a true leader. Don't slack off—keep working hard!"
Hearing Kushina's words, Naruto slowly restrained his smile. Then, with a firm expression, he said, "Mom, don't worry! I'll definitely become a competent Chunin!"
"Not only that, I'll become Hokage and surpass all those before me!"
Naruto clenched his fists, declaring his ambitions to his mother and younger brother. At that moment, Naruto seemed to shine, radiating confidence. Seeing this, Bofeng Yoriichi's eyes lit up, captivated by Naruto's presence.
Unlike the cheerful atmosphere in Naruto's home, Uchiha Fugaku's residence was filled with tension. Although Fugaku and Raiden had left the village for a mission, Mikoto and Uchiha Itachi remained in Konoha and had watched Sasuke's battle.
Sasuke's match against Gaara had been intense. Gaara had mastered Magnet Release and controlled his sand with great skill. Even with the Sharingan and Chidori, Sasuke was no match for him. Although he managed to wound Gaara with Chidori, he ultimately lost due to chakra exhaustion.
If the examiner hadn't intervened, Sasuke might have suffered serious injuries at Gaara's hands.
In the end, Konoha acknowledged Sasuke's strength and combat awareness, promoting him to Chunin.
But this kind of promotion wasn't what Sasuke wanted.
Both Naruto and Karin had won their matches, while he had failed. His pride took a heavy hit. From the moment he left the Chunin Exam venue until he arrived home, Sasuke remained silent, his face clouded with gloom.
"Sasuke, why are you still sulking after passing the Chunin Exam? You should be happy."
Mikoto, of course, understood her son's emotions, but she wasn't good at comforting people.
"Mom, I want to be alone for a while," Sasuke muttered without raising his head. He got up, walked to his room, and closed the door behind him.
Mikoto was worried and wanted to say more, but Itachi stepped forward, gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and spoke softly.
"Mom, let me talk to him."
"Don't worry. Sasuke will be fine."
Itachi left the living room and approached Sasuke's room. When knocking got no response, he quietly opened the door and walked in.
Sasuke hadn't even changed out of his battle-worn clothes. He lay on the tatami mat, wrapped up in his blanket, looking utterly defeated.
"Sasuke, Gaara of the Sand is incredibly strong," Itachi began.
"If he had completed enough missions, he could very well have been promoted straight to Jonin."
"Losing to him isn't shameful."
Itachi gently patted Sasuke on the shoulder, speaking in a calm and reassuring voice. But rather than comforting him, Itachi's words only made Sasuke more frustrated.
"Not shameful?! Why wouldn't it be?!"
"Even Naruto, the so-called dead last, won! Even a girl like Karin won!"
"But I lost?! And to a Sand Ninja, no less?!"
"Isn't that disgraceful?! Has any Uchiha ever lost a one-on-one match against an opponent of the same level?!"
Sasuke abruptly lifted his head and shouted, his eyes burning with humiliation. In front of others, Sasuke wouldn't cry. But in front of Itachi, he allowed himself to be vulnerable.
Itachi's attempt to console him had only deepened his frustration.
He wanted to uphold the Uchiha Clan's pride, yet he had been ridiculed instead. In the stadium, whispers had compared him to his genius brother, Itachi—Sasuke was always the one who fell short.
"Sasuke," Itachi murmured. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction. It was clear Sasuke's self-esteem had taken a heavy blow.
Seeing his brother like this, Itachi let out a quiet sigh before his expression hardened.
"Sasuke! If you keep thinking this way, Naruto will surpass you!"
Itachi grabbed Sasuke's collar, pulling him forward so they were face-to-face. His sharp gaze locked onto Sasuke's.
Sure enough, Sasuke froze, momentarily stunned by Itachi's presence. His mind went blank, and his pupils lost focus.
"Being left behind by Naruto? Left behind by Naruto!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Sasuke lowered his head, muttering to himself. Itachi's words had struck a nerve.
Seeing Sasuke's obsessive reaction, Itachi furrowed his brows. His younger brother's fixation on surpassing others was starting to become unhealthy.
"Sasuke, strength isn't just about mastering jutsu or having a powerful body."
"It's about the heart!"
"A true warrior has confidence. A true warrior has determination."
"Real strength comes from within. If you don't understand this, you'll never truly surpass Naruto."
"You may surpass him for a while, defeat him in a battle or two, but you will never suppress him forever!"
"Because Naruto has a stronger heart than you!"
After saying this, Itachi stood up and left Sasuke's room. While Sasuke's behavior disappointed him, his love for his brother hadn't lessened. He believed Sasuke would eventually overcome this setback.
Once alone, Sasuke stared at the ground in silence, reflecting on Itachi's words. That night, he skipped dinner and stayed locked in his room.
Mikoto and Itachi decided to give him space, knowing he needed time.
Meanwhile, at the Namikaze household, the family enjoyed a rare moment of peace, until a knock at the door interrupted them.
When Minato opened the door, he was momentarily surprised before smiling and welcoming the visitors inside.
"Master Kazekage, I didn't expect to see you."
"What a rare guest. Welcome!"
Namikaze Minato looked at Rasa, who was dressed in casual clothing, greeting him with a warm smile. However, his keen gaze held an underlying scrutiny, something Rasa did not fail to notice.
It was none other than Kazekage Rasa of the Hidden Sand Village, standing at Minato's doorstep, accompanied by his three children—Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.
"I'm truly sorry to disturb you," Rasa said politely.
"Lord Hokage, you don't mind, do you?"
Rasa glanced toward the living room, where Naruto was sitting, then made a lighthearted remark, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"You're joking. Please, come in and have a seat." Minato smiled and led them inside to the living room.
"I assume Lord Kazekage isn't here for a casual visit." Minato wasted no time in getting to the point. He knew Rasa wouldn't have come at this hour just to reminisce. There wasn't much in their past to reminisce about anyway, so he asked directly.
Rasa cleared his throat before speaking. "This time, I'm here to request Hokage-sama's help." Without hesitation, he gestured toward Gaara.
"Lord Hokage, this is my son, Gaara."
"I'm sure you've already noticed—he is the Jinchuriki of the One-Tail from the Hidden Sand."
"This is just like your own child."
From the corner of his eye, Rasa glanced at Naruto, who had been sitting quietly beside Minato.
"I was aware," Minato acknowledged. "If there is something you need, Lord Kazekage, please speak freely. If there's anything I can do, I'll certainly assist."
Minato had noticed Gaara's status as a Jinchuriki when he first entered Konoha, but he never paid it much attention. After all, having a Jinchuriki was nothing extraordinary in Konoha, which had four of them.
"Gaara is my youngest son," Rasa continued. "His mother—my wife, Karura—died in childbirth."
"From the moment of his birth, Gaara was protected by Karura's lingering power and became the Jinchuriki of Shukaku."
"The seal placed on him was designed by Elder Ebizo and reinforced by over a dozen skilled sealing experts from the Hidden Sand."
"But the seal's effectiveness was far from ideal."
"Shukaku's chakra constantly leaks, and those leaks are laced with its negative emotions."
"Ever since Gaara became a Jinchuriki, these negative emotions have been corroding his mind."
"This has made him unable to sleep at night. The constant insomnia twisted his personality, making him irritable, violent, and dangerously unstable."
"With a temperament like that, the Sand Village has always been fearful of Gaara losing control, potentially causing a disaster."
"To put it bluntly, as a father, I once considered having him eliminated. I even sent assassins after him to prevent him from becoming a threat to the village."
Rasa lowered his gaze as he spoke. When he admitted to attempting to assassinate his own son, the Minato family was visibly shocked. A father ordering a hit on his own child? That was something they had never heard of.
Despite their shock, they did not interrupt Rasa, allowing him to continue.
"As a father, I must seem incredibly incompetent," Rasa said with a bitter smile. "But believe me, I never wanted this."
"I blamed Gaara for Karura's death, and with Shukaku's influence, his emotions have remained unstable."
"I never knew how to approach him, how to be his father."
"But since we arrived in Konoha, I've noticed a change in him. He can sleep now!"
At this, Rasa's eyes lit up.
"Gaara, who has never had a proper night's sleep, can finally rest! When I investigated, I discovered that someone had altered Gaara's seal."
"The Tailed Beast chakra that was constantly leaking has stopped."
"No one in the Sand Village is capable of this. The only ones who could have done it are the seal masters of Konoha!"
"It was Uzumaki Raiden! He reinforced Gaara's seal during the Forest of Death exam!"
Rasa's voice carried a mix of excitement and urgency, but Minato remained composed. He still wasn't sure what Rasa was asking for.
"Lord Hokage, only Konoha and the Hidden Cloud have produced perfect Jinchuriki."
"The Cloud would never assist the Sand. That leaves Konoha as our only hope."
"I beg you, please help Gaara control Shukaku's power. Let him live as a normal person."
"This isn't just a request as Kazekage, but as a father!"
With those words, Rasa rose from his seat, bent at the waist in a deep bow, and then went further—prostrating himself on the ground as he awaited Minato's response.
"This..." Minato was momentarily stunned by the display. He hadn't expected Rasa to go this far. Though his sincerity was evident, Minato still couldn't immediately agree.
Leaving aside whether it was even possible to artificially create a perfect Jinchuriki, Konoha itself had only ever had one—Raiden. The others had never achieved the same level of control.
Even if it was possible, this wasn't something Minato could decide alone. It was up to Raiden himself.
Just as Minato was pondering his response, Rasa suddenly spoke again.
"If Hokage-sama agrees, the Hidden Sand will follow Konoha's lead from now on!"
That was no small promise, yet Minato still couldn't give an immediate answer.
"In truth, I don't have the authority to make that decision," he finally said.
"To be honest, Konoha had little to do with Raiden becoming a perfect Jinchuriki. It was purely due to his own extraordinary talent."
"To this day, Konoha has never been able to produce a second perfect Jinchuriki. I don't know if it's something that can be replicated, so I can't say for sure whether we can help."
"Raiden is currently in the village. Lord Kazekage, you should ask him personally when he returns."
"He is the Fourth of his village, and there are things even I cannot command him to do."
Minato's words were straightforward. Rasa straightened his posture and nodded, understanding the reality of the situation.
His visit to Minato was prompted by Naruto's use of the Tailed Beast's chakra during the Chunin Exams. Unlike Gaara, Naruto had remained conscious and in control.
Rasa had hoped Konoha had a method to create perfect Jinchuriki, but it seemed he had been mistaken.
Rasa sighed, a deep sense of guilt flashing in his eyes as he looked at Gaara.
Gaara, who had never seen such an expression on his father's face, felt his heart race. A foreign warmth spread within him—an emotion called hope.
Gaara didn't understand what it meant to be moved. He only knew that, at this moment, something within him felt warm. It was an emotion he had long been deprived of—care.
Minato, noticing Gaara's expression, spoke up.
"Lord Kazekage, you need to spend more time with your son."
"Even if a perfect Jinchuriki can be created, there's something even more important—connections."
"Raiden has family and friends in Konoha. He receives love, and in return, he shares that love with those he cherishes."
"You named him Gaara, didn't you? I believe his mother must have chosen that name for him. She loved him dearly."
The first part of Minato's words was directed at Rasa, but the last sentence was meant for Gaara himself.
A person with an empty heart could never become a perfect Jinchuriki. Minato understood that better than anyone.
"Lord Hokage."
"Thank you. We won't trouble you any further."
Rasa took one last look at Gaara, bowed once more to Minato, then led his children away.
Before leaving, Gaara lingered, staring at Naruto for a long moment before silently following his father out the door.
"Dad, why would that Kazekage try to assassinate his own son? Was it really just because Gaara might be dangerous?"
Naruto asked as he watched their retreating figures.
"Perhaps that was part of it," Minato murmured. "But more than anything… it was fear."
"Naruto, you should be grateful to be in Konoha. Only Konoha has the strength and confidence to subdue a rampaging Tailed Beast and prevent it from devastating the village."
"Only Konoha has warriors who do not fear the Tailed Beasts."
Minato sighed, unwilling to dwell on Rasa's abnormal parent-child relationship.
"Is it because of Uncle and Father?" Naruto didn't fully grasp the meaning behind Minato's words, but Yoriichi understood immediately. Watching Rasa and his children leave, he murmured softly.
(End of Chapter)