"The best way to get to know each other… is a good sparring match." Akio, the "founder"
The small grove took another beating. After several rounds of fights, the place was practically wrecked.
None of the matches had clear winners, though. Every time things reached a moment, Akio stepped in to stop them. A little competition was fine but deciding outright winners and losers could sour relationships.
"Anyone else want a round?"
The kids exchanged glances, their attention naturally shifting to the four who hadn't fought yet, Kimimaro, Haku, Karin… and Sakura.
"The first three are jonin from the Land of Whirlpools," Akio added casually, hinting they shouldn't go looking for a beating. Then he turned. "Sakura?"
Sakura's face stiffened. Fight who? She couldn't beat any of them… was she supposed to fight Naruto?
At that moment, Haku spoke softly. "Naruto, I've heard you've improved a lot."
Naruto blinked. "Yeah!"
Karin scoffed. "Still a weak little runt. Haku, don't tell me you want to fight him?"
Haku smiled sweetly. "Naruto, we've never sparred before."
Naruto muttered, "Fight Haku…?" Then he puffed up his chest. "Alright, let's do it!"
Akio scratched his head, slightly puzzled, but didn't stop them. There was no way Haku would actually hurt Naruto…
"Ice Style: Demonic Mirroring Crystals!"
Akio's lips twitched. Seriously? Against Naruto? Was that really necessary?
The mirrors blocked everyone's view completely. No one could see what was happening inside, so they strained their ears instead.
Then
"Ah! Haku—stop! That's cold! Hey, haha wait—!"
Naruto's voice echoed out.
Akio's expression immediately turned… strange. Thankfully, the kids around him were still innocent enough not to overthink it.
Only Karin, a bit more mature, blushed slightly. "What is she even doing in there…?"
Moments later, the ice mirrors vanished. Haku returned with a gentle smile, giving Akio an apologetic look.
Akio waved it off. "No big deal."
They turned to Naruto
He was lying on the ground, clothes tattered, staring at the sky like his soul had left his body.
Sakura hurried over, intending to use some medical ninjutsu, but as she got closer, she frowned slightly.
Something felt… off.
Then she burst out laughing.
"Naruto… your eyebrows"
Naruto slowly raised a hand to his face.
And froze.
His despair deepened instantly.
His eyebrows… were gone.
"Why… Haku…?"
Even now, Naruto had no idea what he'd done wrong. His brain simply wasn't built to remember offending someone two months ago.
"Cheer up, Naruto. Eyebrows grow back," Akio said, trying to comfort him, then added helpfully, "Why not just wear your headband lower? Honestly, it looks pretty bad on your forehead anyway. Might as well use it to cover things up."
Naruto silently pulled his headband down.
"So, anyone else want to spar?"
Time passed quickly. The next morning—Ichiraku Ramen.
Akio sat across from Kimimaro, Haku, and Karin, having breakfast.
"Elder, why did you call us here?" Karin asked softly.
Akio nodded. "Kimimaro has a small mission. You and Haku are just tagging along."
"A mission…?" Kimimaro looked up.
"No rush. We'll talk after the Chunin Exams."
Akio was already planning ahead. After the exams, he wanted Naruto and Sasuke to clash at the Valley of the End, see if he could squeeze out some "witness points." If that worked, he might even set up a match between Kimimaro and Gaara…
Konoha's newest S-rank ninja, Kimimaro, would probably wipe the floor with Gaara. A perfect way to shake things up completely.
After a moment, Akio raised an eyebrow. "By the way, did you notice Uchiha Hoshino from my team yesterday, Haku?"
Haku paused. "That girl?"
Akio smirked. "Nice, figured it out right away, huh?"
Haku smiled but said nothing.
Karin, on the other hand, looked surprised. "That was a girl? I thought something seemed off…"
"You're a girl too, how could she not be? And she's way cuter than you," Akio shot back.
Karin didn't even react. After all these years, she was completely immune to his verbal jabs.
"Kimimaro, after breakfast, want to walk around Konoha? It's been a while."
Kimimaro glanced at Akio.
Akio caught Karin's hopeful look and chuckled. "Go ahead. Haku's coming with me, assistant duty."
Karin celebrated internally: Perfect.
Time flew by, and the end of May arrived.
In three days, June 1st—the Chunin Exams would begin.
Ninjas from Sunagakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure… and even Otogakure had already arrived.
"Even the Sound Village is here? I didn't invite Orochimaru to this show. With Konoha's lineup, he shouldn't dare show up… unless this is just a normal exam?" Akio muttered, though he didn't quite believe that himself.
Soon, his attention shifted to something else entirely.
A new item called "Ninja Info Cards" had started circulating through Konoha's streets. The source? A small stall in the busy district, run by none other than Kabuto.
"Selling basic info on Chunin Exam participants. All proceeds go to Konoha Orphanage…" Akio read aloud, amused.
After Kushina had previously "borrowed" a massive sum from him and donated it, the orphanage had expanded all across the Land of Fire. Still, money didn't last forever, so Kabuto had clearly found a way to keep funds flowing.
And business looked good.
"Kabuto, where'd you get all this info?" Akio asked with a grin.
"Ah, sir! Here to donate again?" Kabuto greeted him warmly.
Akio's face darkened. "Your orphanage is richer than me now. Maybe you should donate to me?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "You joke. Many children from the orphanage attend the Ninja Academy, they gather information naturally. Data on other villages is more limited… perhaps you could help fill in the gaps?"
Akio ignored that and raised an eyebrow. "Got a card on me?"
Kabuto hesitated. "I only sell info on exam participants… but I do have one on you."
He handed over a card. Akio rubbed it, revealing a few short lines:
Uzumaki Akio
Elder of the Land of Whirlpools
Age: 100+
Strength: Unknown
The Strongest Man in the World
Akio fell silent.
He should have been pleased by the praise… but somehow, it felt a bit off.
"Guess the new generation didn't grow up sailing on my ship, huh…"
After a moment, he handed the card back. "Go ahead and sell it. You just gave me a business idea."
Kabuto: ???
Half an hour later
A brand-new stall appeared right across from Kabuto's.
Chunin Exam Betting Booth!
Champion Odds:
Tenten — 1:1.1
Toneri — 1:1.2
Gaara — 1:1.3
…
Akio glanced at Kabuto's stunned expression, then at the curious crowd gathering around.
Grinning widely, he shouted:
"Step right up! The founder's running the table, place your bets with confidence!"
Meanwhile, he muttered under his breath:
"Orochimaru… you'd better stir up some chaos. If things get interesting, the house takes it all…"
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