"What kind of person… is that guy?"
Naruto, Satsuki, and Konohamaru's figures completely disappeared at the end of the street, and Kankuro muttered to himself. He looked down at the faint, healed wound on his wrist that had left no scar, his heart filled with confusion and surprise.
What was that Chakra… a Medical Ninjutsu?
"…"
Temari remained silent, her gaze still fixed gravely in the direction Naruto had left. The impact the blond boy had on her far exceeded her imagination.
Was Naruto really a Ninja younger than herself? That on-the-spot composure, the sharp methods to instantly subdue an enemy, and the seasoned, smooth handling of conflicts afterward… Temari had never seen such qualities in any peer.
"You two are truly shameless."
Suddenly, a cold, emotionless voice, like grinding sand, abruptly rang out.
Hearing this voice, Kankuro and Temari's bodies instantly stiffened. They laboriously looked up towards the source of the voice—on a branch of a large tree nearby, a figure stood at some point. Red hair, carrying a giant gourd on his back, a dark 'love' character carved on his face, and what was most unsettling were his eyes, filled with a numbness and cold killing intent utterly unfitting for his age.
It was their younger brother, Gaara.
After the words fell, Gaara's figure dissolved into a scattering of sand, rustling down from the tree, then rapidly reassembled on the ground in front of the two, reforming into human shape.
"Lis… listen to me, Gaara…" Kankuro's face was filled with fear and caution, completely devoid of his previous arrogance. "Th… they started it first…"
"Shut up." Gaara's voice was completely flat. "What do you think we came to Konoha for?"
He tilted his head slightly, his dull eyes sweeping over Kankuro, and added a sentence that almost solidified the air.
"…Be careful, or I'll kill you."
Hearing this, Kankuro's face instantly turned pale, and more cold sweat seeped from his forehead. He almost immediately responded subserviently. "So… sorry! It's my fault! I was wrong! Please… please forgive me…"
However, Gaara completely ignored his brother's terrified pleading. His gaze once again turned towards the direction Naruto had left, and in the depths of those cold eyes, a rare, extremely faint hint of doubt flickered.
That person… is not simple. Not just his strength… also, what was that strange feeling just now?
In the brief time Naruto appeared and displayed his abilities, Gaara clearly felt that his heart, which had long been filled with darkness and murderous desires, had actually sprouted a strange, indescribable restlessness, and a… peculiar sensation he had never experienced before.
This unprecedented feeling made Gaara confused, even somewhat irritable. He couldn't understand, nor could he define this emotion.
Finally, he forcefully suppressed all the churning thoughts, regaining his perpetually cold expression, and indifferently said to the two still in fear:
"Enough. Let's go, we're not here to play."
— — — — — —
"What? The Jinchuriki of the Ichibi? Naruto, are you sure?"
On the other side, after hearing the information provided by Naruto, Kakashi's usually lazy dead-fish eyes instantly sharpened, and his tone became unprecedentedly serious.
"Yes, I'm sure." Naruto nodded affirmatively. "Kurama personally told me that the Sunagakure team indeed has a presence called Ichibi Shukaku, and like me, he is a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. Kakashi-sensei, is this situation… common among allied nations?"
Although Naruto already knew the names of the other Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki, Kurama had 'personally' given him a 'science lesson'.
Despite most of the process being Kurama bragging about how easily he crushed the Ichibi—he finally had a legitimate reason to reveal this crucial information.
This situation is certainly not common! Alarm bells rang in Kakashi's mind. A Jinchuriki from another village, as a strategic weapon, their whereabouts are always top secret, and they rarely appear so easily within another country's borders, especially at a time like this. What exactly is Sunagakure planning?
"I understand, Naruto." Kakashi made a quick decision, instructing in a deep voice, "In the upcoming Chunin Exams, be sure to stay away from the Sunagakure team, especially that Jinchuriki named Gaara. This information is extremely important, and I will report it to Hokage-sama immediately."
Before he finished speaking, Kakashi's figure disappeared in a puff of smoke, rushing to the Hokage Building at the fastest speed.
Hopefully, this information will allow the Third Hokage to prepare in advance.
Naruto mused. In the original work, the "Konoha Crush" claimed far more victims than just the Third Hokage; many Konoha Ninja and civilians also died in that attack. Hopefully, this can reduce some unnecessary sacrifices. Of course, Naruto would also have all members of the [Ember] Organization on standby around Konoha during the Chunin Exams, just in case.
"Hey, Naruto!" Just then, a low voice with clear displeasure sounded in Naruto's mind. "Why didn't you give that Shukaku's Jinchuriki a piece of your mind just now?"
It seemed Kurama was very regretful that Naruto didn't beat up Gaara on the spot, thus missing a prime opportunity to prove to Shukaku that "this old man's Jinchuriki is much stronger than yours." He had missed a perfect chance to mock him.
Naruto responded internally, "Kurama, be reasonable. He didn't provoke us first, so we can't just attack him for no reason, can we? That would cause serious diplomatic issues. Besides, you just wanted to beat up the Ichibi, didn't you? Isn't it a bit unfair to drag an innocent Jinchuriki into it?"
Naruto's rebuttal was reasonable, but Kurama still seemed a bit sulky, grunting and not responding immediately.
Watching the big fox sulking in the mental world, Naruto quickly soothed him with a tone like coaxing a child, "Don't rush, Kurama. The Chunin Exams are about to begin, and then we'll be able to 'legitimately' fight the Ichibi's Jinchuriki. Who knows, perhaps we won't even need to seek him out; that impatient Shukaku might just jump out himself! When that happens, won't you be free to do as you please?"
This depiction of the future clearly hit Kurama's sweet spot. Imagining the scene of crushing his old rival in front of everyone, his dissatisfaction was quickly replaced by anticipation. Just like that, Naruto once again successfully appeased his hot-tempered partner.
A few days passed in a flash.
On July 1st, Konoha 63, the large-scale joint Chunin Selection Exams, hosted by Konoha Village and co-participated by Sunagakure, Amegakure, Grass Hidden Village, Takigakure, and Otogakure, officially began.
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