The central tower of the Forest of Death stood like a silent sentinel over the graveyard of failed examinees. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had successfully navigated the deadly labyrinth, arriving at the end of the second exam. By sheer coincidence, they ran into Rock Lee and his teammates, who were already waiting at the entrance.
"Hey! It's the guy with the thick eyebrows!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Lee's signature feature.
"I didn't expect them to get here this early!" Sakura added, surprised.
Hearing Naruto's voice, Lee and the others turned around. When Lee saw Naruto, his eyes widened.
"It's you!"
Lee quickly grabbed Neji and Tenten, his voice rising with urgency. "That's him! The monster who beat Guy in his Eight Gates form!"
"Menma?" Neji and Tenten immediately looked closer, wanting to see what kind of monster could defeat a renowned Elite Jōnin like Might Guy.
"It's him," Tenten realized. "That arrogant, handsome blond guy from before the exam."
But something was off. Naruto's movements were exaggerated, and his personality was loud and energetic. Tenten frowned, unable to connect this boisterous boy with the cool, intimidating figure she'd seen earlier.
Neji recalled the incident too. "If he's so strong, why did he only arrive this morning? Even Hinata got here before them."
"I'm not Menma anymore! I'm Naruto!" Naruto retorted, annoyed by the label, and pointed a finger at Lee. "And you, Thick Eyebrows, I'm not giving Sakura to you!"
Sakura blinked. "Huh?"
Before she could react, Rock Lee appeared in front of Naruto in a flash, his eyes burning with intensity.
"I am not Thick Eyebrows! I am Rock Lee!" he declared. "And I will train hard, defeat you, and then I will finally ask Sakura out on a date!"
The air crackled as the two boys locked eyes. Sakura, standing off to the side, watched the scene with a growing sense of exasperation. A vein bulged on her forehead.
"You two idiots!" she yelled, unleashing a burst of speed. Bang! Bang! She punched both Naruto and Lee hard enough to send them stumbling. "Stop talking nonsense about who I'm going to date! That's my decision, not yours!"
She had originally planned to say she wasn't interested in either of them, but as she glanced at Naruto's profile, her thoughts shifted. After seeing Sasuke's dismissive attitude during the earlier exams, she realized her chances with him were slim to none. Even if Sasuke was out of the picture, there was still the Menma persona. Maybe if I agreed to Naruto's request, I could persuade him to switch to that form more often.
A shy, silly smile crept onto her face before she quickly shook her head. "Boring," she muttered, turning to walk past the group.
Suddenly, she frowned and shoved Naruto aside.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A barrage of sand bullets slammed into the spot where Naruto had just been standing, the impact leaving small craters in the ground.
Naruto thought Sasuke was trying to start another fight and rolled up his sleeves, ready to retaliate. But Sasuke simply looked at him with disdain.
"Idiot. Look at where you were standing."
Naruto turned to see the sand pellets on the ground, his face darkening instantly. He spun around, rage boiling in his chest, and saw Gaara and his team walking in from the outside.
"You! The panda-eyed kid!" Naruto roared, pointing an accusing finger. "You ambushed me!"
"Damn it, didn't I beat you enough yesterday?" he added, puffing out his chest. Despite the sand pellets looking relatively harmless, they had shattered the stone beneath his feet. As a master, Naruto felt he had to maintain his dignity.
Gaara, reeking of the fresh blood of at least four squads he had slain in the forest, gave Naruto a cold, indifferent glare.
"That wasn't an ambush," Gaara said, his voice chillingly flat. "If it were, you'd already be dead. Now move. You're blocking my way."
"Hey! You attack me and then tell me to move?" Naruto shouted, refusing to budge. "I won't let you pass! Try stepping over me if you dare!"
The vein on Gaara's forehead began to throb. Sand swirled slowly around him, rising from the gourd on his back.
Seeing the tension about to explode, Temari quickly stepped in between them, holding up her hands defensively.
"We were just saying hello!" she said, forcing a nervous smile. "Look at those sand bullets—they crumbled before they even hit the ground. They weren't meant to be offensive!"
Beside her, Kankuro whispered to Gaara, "Just hold on a little longer, Gaara. You'll be able to let it all out soon..."
It seemed the team's efforts to treat his injuries and even grill fish for him the night before had done some good. Gaara's expression calmed slightly, and the sand retreated into his gourd.
"During the upcoming exams," Gaara said, his voice dropping to a low growl, "I hope you and your companions don't run into me. Otherwise, I'll crush your bones, bit by bit."
Without waiting for a response, Gaara's body dissolved into sand, bypassing Naruto completely. He reformed a few feet away and continued toward the tower.
"Excuse us," Temari said politely, bowing slightly as she and Kankuro hurried after Gaara.
"Gaara, wait up!" Kankuro called out.
Only after they disappeared inside did Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Then, her expression crumbled into mock terror. She clutched her head, wailing dramatically.
"Aaaaah! It's all Naruto's fault! Why did he have to make him angry? What if he crushes my bones?"
Naruto, seizing the opportunity, puffed out his chest and patted Sakura's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sakura! I'll meet him and beat him for sure!"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "And what good is 'trying' supposed to do?"
Rock Lee, watching the tower entrance where Gaara had vanished, turned to Neji. "He gave me a really bad feeling."
Neji nodded grimly. "Very dangerous. Fighting him could be fatal."
The seriousness in their voices piqued Tenten's curiosity. She looked at Naruto, who was still preening in front of Sakura.
"Hey," she called out. "How did you guys end up on a guy like that's bad side? He looked like he wanted to kill you."
Naruto grinned, his pride swelling as he struck a pose.
"Talk about that? Suddenly, I'm not sleepy anymore! Believe it!" he declared, his voice booming. "See, I beat that guy up pretty badly to save someone! It was awesome!"
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