The man with the purple face paint snorted angrily.
"Kid, that really hurt, you know!"
Roughly, he reached out and gripped Konohamaru's collar, lifting him easily as if Konohamaru were nothing more than a rag doll. At that moment, Konohamaru was like a pitiful little chick, his legs kicking panickedly in the air, struggling helplessly.
"Kankuro, stop it! Don't cause trouble in someone else's village!"
the blonde-haired woman beside him said in a warning tone. However, Kankuro didn't seem to take his sister's words to heart at all.
He was still staring at the struggling Konohamaru in his hand, a cruel smile etched on his face, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.
Sakura immediately stepped forward, her face pale.
"W-we're sorry! This kid didn't mean to!"
She looked at Kankuro with a guilty expression then bowed her head deeply to apologize sincerely.
"Please let him go!"
However, Kankuro was not moved at all and didn't seem to appreciate Sakura's kindness. He still held Konohamaru tightly and wouldn't let go, his grip even tightening, making Konohamaru cough.
"Hmph, before those annoying people from your village come here, why don't you let me have a little fun with these brats first?"
Kankuro put on a fierce expression, looking cruelly at Naruto and Sakura standing before him.
"Hey! We've all apologized to you sincerely, isn't that enough?!"
Sakura frowned, starting to feel annoyed and a little scared by the threatening aura from the man in front of her.
At this moment, a figure shot out like lightning from Sakura's side; it was Naruto.
Without a word, Naruto reached out and quickly grabbed Kankuro's wrist that was gripping Konohamaru.
Then, with a bit of focused strength – a result of his physical training with Hana – Kankuro felt a strong grip and sudden pain in his wrist, making him reflexively release Konohamaru.
Naruto deftly caught Konohamaru before he fell.
"Damn it! Who are you, brat?!"
Kankuro growled angrily while shaking his aching wrist.
"How dare you interfere in my business? Are you also a Genin from this weak Konoha Village?"
he asked loudly with wide eyes, staring at Naruto who had suddenly appeared and was now standing protectively in front of Konohamaru.
However, Naruto ignored his question and turned, calming the still-shocked Konohamaru.
"Hey, brats, all of you hide behind me!" he said in a calm but firm tone.
Hearing Naruto's words, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon rushed to hide behind Naruto and Sakura, looking fearfully at Kankuro.
"Oh, how annoying!"
The girl with golden hair beside Kankuro, Temari, saw this scene and shook her head helplessly. She then turned to the other side, as if ceasing to care about the situation here.
"I told you not to look for trouble, Kankuro."
Just as Kankuro was about to unleash his anger on Naruto again and prepare to fight, a cold voice suddenly came from above,
"What are you doing in someone else's village? Causing a ruckus."
This sudden voice startled everyone present. Then everyone turned towards the source of the voice and saw a figure suddenly appear on the branch of a large tree nearby.
It turned out to be Uchiha Sasuke.
Currently, Sasuke stood calmly on the tree branch, both hands tucked into his pockets, looking down at the people below with his typical flat expression.
"Hmph, I'm no longer interested in this brat,"
Kankuro snorted, glancing disdainfully at Konohamaru.
"Instead, a stuck-up brat like you is even more annoying. Get out of my way now, or I'll finish you!"
Kankuro shouted at Sasuke with wide eyes. At the same time, he began to undo the bandages wrapped around the large bundle on his back and gently placed it on the ground near his feet. The bundle was now revealed to be a wooden puppet with a frightening appearance.
Seeing this, the blonde girl beside him, Temari, couldn't help but try to persuade him again with a worried tone:
"Hey, Kankuro, you're not going to use Karasu here, are you? Don't be impulsive. We could get into big trouble."
However, her persuasion seemed to have no effect whatsoever on Kankuro, who was already fired up.
At this moment, another voice, extremely cold, colder than Sasuke's, suddenly sounded from an unexpected direction:
"Kankuro, stop."
Hearing that voice, Kankuro, who was initially aggressive and ready to attack, suddenly froze as if struck by a spell. He froze in place. The angry expression on his face was instantly replaced by panic, and a tangible fear appeared in his eyes. Cold sweat began to bead on his temples.
Sasuke's heart tightened. That voice... the aura it emitted sent a chill down his spine. He immediately turned towards the voice, and to his astonishment, he found a boy with brick-red hair, thick dark circles around his eyes, and the kanji for 'love' (愛) carved on his forehead, had silently appeared on the tree branch behind him like a ghost. The boy carried a large gourd on his back and looked down with a terrifyingly blank expression.
Seeing the red-haired boy's appearance, Kankuro didn't hesitate at all and immediately and decisively stopped all aggressive movements he was about to launch. His hand that was ready to control Karasu hung limply.
When Naruto saw his opponent had stopped, he didn't take advantage of the situation to attack or pursue. Instead, he also chose to remain vigilant but didn't move forward, immediately retracting his battle-ready aura. For a moment, the entire scene turned deathly silent, as if the tense atmosphere earlier was merely an illusion.
The red-haired boy, Gaara, leaped down from the tree lightly, landing silently between Kankuro and Temari. He looked at Kankuro with a cold, disdainful gaze.
"You're just trash who only brings disgrace to our village. Why do you think we came all this way to Konoha?"
Gaara's tone was flat, yet filled with a veiled threat.
"Listen to me first, Gaara! These people... they started the trouble..."
Before Kankuro could finish his explanation, he was interrupted by Gaara again, this time with a more piercing voice.
"Silence. Or I'll kill you."
"'I...I know, Gaara. I-I'm really sorry. I won't do it again."
Kankuro was so terrified that he waved his hands frantically, his body trembling slightly. Temari beside him could only smile wryly at her brother's behavior.
Gaara then gave up on scolding Kankuro further and jumped to the ground, preparing to take Kankuro and Temari away, but was stopped by Sakura who bravely took a step forward.
"Wait!" Sakura exclaimed. "Judging by your forehead protectors, you are ninjas from Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand Village, right?"
Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari turned to her.
"The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire are indeed allies,"
Sakura continued, her voice trembling slightly but she tried to be firm,
"but the treaty prohibits you from entering another country's territory at will without official permission. Tell us your purpose for coming to Konoha!"
Although she was scared, especially of Gaara's terrifying aura, as a Konoha Genin, she felt she had a responsibility to think about the village's safety. Well, the presence of Sasuke and Naruto, who seemed stronger than usual, gave her a little confidence, but Sakura would never admit it.
Temari chuckled at Sakura's question.
"Huh, is this what they mean by 'the darkest place is under the lamp'? Don't you know anything? As you said, we are Hidden Sand Genin from the Land of Wind. We came here to participate in the Chunin selection exams together. Here's the proof."
While speaking, Temari took out a pass from her pocket and showed it to everyone.
The doubt on Naruto and Sakura's faces vanished.
Chunin Exams? Hana-neechan had told him about this.
Just as the three members of the Sand Village group turned and were about to leave, suddenly another voice was heard, stopping them again. And this time, the person speaking was actually Sasuke.
Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and said in his typical arrogant tone,
"Hey, you with the gourd on your back, tell me your name!"
He stared at Gaara with his sharp eyes, as if wanting to see what lay behind the boy's blank gaze.
Hearing this, Gaara slowly stopped, then turned slightly and looked at Sasuke with an extremely cold, emotionless gaze. Then, he answered expressionlessly:
"Sabaku no Gaara."
Just three words, but filled with an indifference and detachment that sent shivers down one's spine. He also looked at Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke lifted the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a thin, proud smile.
"Alright, I'll remember. My name is Uchiha Sasuke!"
His tone was firm and strong, displaying great confidence as an Uchiha.
As Naruto was about to open his mouth, perhaps to ask if they weren't curious about his name too, or perhaps to chime in after Sasuke, Hana's voice sounded in his mind again, this time with a more serious tone than usual. "Naruto-kun, you should be careful of that red-haired boy."
Naruto was stunned by Hana's serious tone and didn't get to open his mouth. "Careful? Why, Hana-neechan?" he asked inwardly.
"That boy... he's like you," Hana answered briefly.
Naruto frowned, his face looking confused. "What do you mean, like me? How could I be as cold and emotionless as him, dattebayo?"
Hana seemed to facepalm inside Naruto's mind.
"Oh, good grief, I'm not talking about your personality, Naruto-kun... I mean, there's a creature similar to me sealed within his body. But of course, not as strong, as intelligent, or as beautiful as I am."
After saying that, Hana seemed to puff out her chest proudly in Naruto's mind, asserting that she was far more superior than the 'thing' inside the red-haired boy.
After the genin from Sunagakure had truly left, the atmosphere became a little awkward. Sakura was about to try inviting Sasuke again, perhaps to discuss what had just happened, but Sasuke only said, "Troublesome," then leaped away, leaving them just like that.
Naruto sighed at Sasuke's behavior. He then turned to Konohamaru and his friends, who still looked a little scared.
"Well, since everything's settled, how about we continue with our original plan? Dango!"
Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon immediately cheered happily, forgetting the tense incident. Finally, Naruto invited Konohamaru and his friends to follow Naruto and Sakura to the dango shop he had mentioned earlier, while continuing to listen to Hana explain more about Bijuu and Jinchuriki in his mind. The day's adventure turned out to be far more interesting than he had imagined.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The next day, as usual, Team 7 awaited Kakashi-sensei's arrival. The morning sun was already quite high, yet their teacher's figure was still nowhere to be seen.
Sakura let out a long sigh and complained in an annoyed tone, "Why is Kakashi-sensei always late? Does he have a hobby of collecting all kinds of lateness in the world?"
Naruto only occasionally responded to Sakura's complaints with a mumble, but his mind was currently wandering far away. He was focused on listening to Hana's lengthy explanation about the Chunin exams. Although Naruto was a bit confused about how Hana could know so many details about the Chunin exam process, which he himself had only just heard about, he still listened attentively. Could it be... Bijuu also take the Chunin exams? Naruto immediately shook his head, banishing the absurd thought that had suddenly popped into his mind.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, as usual, simply remained silent in typical Uchiha fashion. He leaned against a nearby tree, his eyes closed but seemingly alert.
Finally, after a rather long wait, Kakashi's figure appeared among the trees. He approached casually and said in a familiar, innocent tone, "Sorry, sorry, I got lost on the path of life."
Sakura and Naruto stared at Kakashi with disbelieving looks. "The same excuse again?!" Sakura exclaimed in frustration.
Kakashi just smiled faintly behind his mask. He walked slowly towards his students and said with a sudden serious tone, "Alright, alright, stop complaining. Although this decision came rather suddenly, it's precisely because of my strong recommendation that you will participate in the Chunin Exams!" As he said this, he took out several pieces of paper from under his Jonin vest and handed them to everyone.
Hearing the words "Chunin Exams," Sakura's eyes widened and she asked in confusion, "Chunin Exams? What's that?"
Kakashi nodded and explained, "Well, simply put, the Chunin Exams are an important test to assess a ninja's strength and abilities. By passing this exam, a great Genin can be promoted to Chunin. However, I must state beforehand that my recommendation is not mandatory. It's up to you to decide whether to participate or not. If anyone wants to challenge themselves and take this exam, please sign this form. Remember, gather in classroom 301 of the Academy at 3 PM five days from now."
When Naruto heard this, he immediately jumped for joy and shouted, "Wow, Chunin Exams! How could I miss such an exciting event! I have to participate! I'll prove to everyone that I can be a great ninja!"
After that, with burning enthusiasm, he snatched the application form from Kakashi's hand and signed his name in a few hurried strokes.
Seeing Naruto make a firm decision, Sasuke, who was standing beside him, slightly lifted the corner of his mouth, revealing a thin, confident smile. Then, with an elegant and unhesitating movement, he immediately took a pen and neatly wrote his name on the application form.
Seeing Naruto and Sasuke make firm decisions, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little worried. She mumbled to herself,
'The Chunin Exams sound difficult... Can I do it? What if I fail and just embarrass Team 7?'
However, when she saw the determined look in Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes, an unyielding spirit suddenly welled up in her heart. So, although there were still some worries in her heart, Sakura finally gritted her teeth, strengthening her resolve to take the exam, and earnestly signed her name on the registration form.
"I... I will also take this exam," she said, her voice slightly trembling but full of determination.
After they dispersed, Naruto was about to return to his quiet home and wanted to listen to further instructions from Hana about the Chunin exams.
However, before he could take a step away, Hana suddenly asked for something strange.
"Naruto-kun, could you stop by a smoking supplies shop for a moment? I want you to buy me a smoking pipe and tobacco," Hana requested in a slightly sheepish tone.
Naruto frowned. "A smoking pipe and tobacco? What for, Hana-neechan?" he asked, confused.
"To give a gift to the Third Hokage," Hana replied with a reason that sounded fabricated.
Naruto was even more confused. Why did he have to give such a strange gift to Grandpa Hokage? But he already trusted what Hana said without further questioning.
Before giving it to the Sandaime, Hana asked Naruto to enter his subconscious for a moment.
Naruto complied without asking. He entered his subconscious and did as Hana asked. Hana just needed Naruto to bring the items into his subconscious, and the items would 'follow' Naruto. After that, whatever happened to the real items in the outside world was up to them. Naruto himself didn't understand how the process worked, but he trusted Hana.
Naruto finally realized that Hana-neechan's goal wasn't really to give a gift to the Sandaime. She just wanted to use that excuse to get a pipe and tobacco. But Naruto didn't consider it a problem. As long as Hana-neechan was happy, he would do anything.
As an office worker in her previous life, Hana often smoked to relieve her stress. And she had greatly missed that calming sensation of nicotine.
Hana apologized flirtatiously to Naruto in his mind.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I know I'm troubling you," Hana said in a regretful yet slightly teasing tone.
Naruto just replied casually, "It's okay, Hana-neechan. I'll do anything as long as Hana-neechan is happy, dattebayo!"
Naruto's innocent answer made Hana blush shyly in his subconscious, but she quickly composed herself and smiled happily.
Finally, she could feel nicotine again!