Sasuke moved through the bustling crowd, intending to leave this dull place behind.
However, just as he was about to exit the gates of the Academy, three figures approached head-on.
Leading them was a red-haired boy around his age, with gloomy eyes. His skin was unusually pale, dark circles heavy under his eyes, and the character for 'Love' was etched in crimson on his forehead. And on his back, he carried a gourd almost as large as himself.
Beside him walked a blonde girl holding a giant fan and a boy with a proud expression, his face painted with purple markings.
They were Shinobi from Sunagakure.
As Sasuke passed by them, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
He slowly turned his head, his gaze settling on the red-haired boy carrying the gourd.
Something felt wrong.
A faint, almost imperceptible aura, filled with malice and hatred, was slowly seeping out from the boy's body.
This aura was all too familiar to Sasuke.
It was identical to that of the demon fox sealed within Naruto.
However, compared to the overwhelming, world-destroying pressure of the Kyubi, this aura was much weaker and far more unstable.
'A Jinchuriki...' Sasuke thought to himself, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
'No wonder Kakashi had been urging me to participate in this exam.'
'There's a presence of a Biju in this person.'
The dark-eyed Shinobi keenly sensed Sasuke's gaze and turned around sharply, his killing intent spreading. The faint sound of friction could be heard as his Chakra stirred.
The air instantly grew heavy and dangerous.
"Gaara. Calm down!"
The blonde girl, Temari's expression changed. She quickly placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder, trying to soothe him.
Beside her, Kankuro also stepped forward nervously, positioning himself between the two, and shouted sharply at Sasuke, "Hey, what are you looking at?!"
However, Sasuke ignored their warnings.
A trace of excitement he hadn't felt in a long time ignited in his eyes.
'How interesting.'
'Unlike that idiot who only knew how to take a beating, this guy in front of me seemed capable of actively using that power.'
He really wanted to see just how far this power could go.
Sasuke let out a soft scoff, his right hand slowly moving to rest on the pitch-black Indra at his waist.
His fingertips lightly tapped the hilt.
"Don't act recklessly! This is Konoha! If we cause trouble before the exam begins…" Temari's voice grew urgent. She could clearly feel Gaara's killing intent skyrocketing.
"Calm down, Gaara, this is Konoha!" The youth with painted face also whispered in warning.
The boy named 'Gaara' completely ignored his companions' pleas.
His vision was locked firmly on Sasuke, his eyes churning with undisguised killing intent and an almost pathological excitement.
"You..." Gaara's voice was hoarse, "You... are just like me."
Sasuke's eyebrows twitched slightly.
'Just like him?'
'What does that mean? I don't understand.'
'But this personality, generating killing intent just from a single glance, suited my taste just fine.'
Sasuke's right hand slowly began to draw Indra.
Just as the tension reached its peak and the situation was on the verge of exploding…
"Gaara. Stop!"
The blonde girl increased the pressure on his shoulder, almost pleading as she said, "Father specifically ordered us not to cause any trouble here!"
Upon hearing the word 'Father', the violent aura around Gaara finally began to recede.
He gave Sasuke a deep look before turning and leaving, surrounded by his companions.
'How boring.'
Sasuke's eyes returned to their usual flatness, and the hand resting on his sword hilt slowly lowered.
A confrontation that ended before it even began left him feeling inexplicably irritated.
He shook his head and prepared to leave as well.
Kankuro watched the direction where Sasuke had disappeared with lingering fear, muttering quietly, "A Genin from Konoha? His presence was intense."
"Curious about that person?"
A gentle voice, without any warning, sounded right beside Sasuke's ear.
Sasuke's steps halted abruptly. A flash of alertness passed through his eyes as he stared sharply at the person who had suddenly appeared behind him.
The newcomer was tall, clearly an adult, with round glasses and silver-gray short hair. A harmless smile graced his face.
"Don't be nervous."
Seeing Sasuke's guarded expression, the man raised his hands in a placating gesture, "I'm a Konoha's Shinobi too. You could say I'm your senior. My name is Yakushi Kabuto. Just call me Kabuto."
He smiled and extended a hand, seemingly offering a friendly handshake.
Sasuke merely stared coldly at him, showing no intention of responding.
The offered hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment before being withdrawn with some embarrassment.
Kabuto didn't seem bothered by this. He simply adjusted his glasses, and with a slight movement of his hand, a deck of cards appeared in his palm.
"This is a little thing I made myself. I call them 'Information Cards'."
He drew the top card from the deck and offered it to Sasuke, "This one has detailed information about that Sunagakure's Shinobi you were just interested in. Things like his mission history, details about his teammates... It might satisfy some of your curiosity."
Sasuke's gaze swept over the card, but he still made no move to take it.
He looked up, meeting Kabuto's eyes directly.
"What do you want by approaching me?"
Sasuke could sense it… the amount of Chakra contained within this man was no less than Kakashi's.
A Shinobi of such strength, yet still wearing a Genin attire, and approaching him with such deliberate, ingratiating tactics...
Moreover, his demeanor, with that constant faint smile, was eerily similar to the Captain of the 3rd Division in the Soul Society… Ichimaru Gin.
That seemingly gentle and harmless smile triggered a deep, instinctive discomfort within Sasuke.
Faced with Sasuke's direct question, the smile on Kabuto's face grew even warmer.
"Uchiha Sasuke. The famous genius of the village."
He slowly retracted the card, his tone dripping with what sounded like genuine flattery, "I merely wished to befriend a future important figure like yourself."
"After all, a genius like you is destined to become a remarkable figure in the village. Making a connection in advance can't be a bad thing, right?"
His words were smooth and seamless, full of the expected praise for a 'promising genius'.
However, Sasuke only responded with a dismissive cold snort.
'Since this man clearly had no intention of telling the truth, there was no point in wasting any more time.'
Sasuke stopped looking at Kabuto, turned, and strode away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Kabuto stood in place, the smile on his face freezing slightly. Behind his glasses, his eyes narrowed into slits as he watched Sasuke's figure vanish around a corner in the crowd.
A moment later, a Shinobi wearing Kusagakure's forehead protector appeared beside Kabuto.
He extended an unnaturally long tongue, licking his lips greedily, his eyes fixed intently on the direction Sasuke had left, filled with undisguised desire.
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