In the heart of Konoha's bustling street, chaos was erupting.
Sakura Haruno stood with clenched fists, her face twisted in pure fury. That expression alone was enough to make any sane person run.
And the target of that rage?
"HELP!!!" Konohamaru cried at the top of his lungs, sprinting like his life depended on it — which, to be fair, it probably did.
He turned a corner at full speed—
BAM!
—and slammed face-first into something solid. He bounced back with a thud, landing on his butt with a groan. Rubbing his head, he looked up dazedly...
...only to see two unfamiliar figures standing before him.
"Ow… that hurt," the older boy muttered. His voice was calm, but his eyes were anything but friendly.
This was Kankuro, and without warning, he grabbed Konohamaru by the collar and lifted him effortlessly into the air.
"Hurts, doesn't it, you little punk?" he repeated, his grip tightening.
"Hey—! Let go—!" Konohamaru kicked and struggled, but Kankuro just narrowed his eyes and added a bit more force.
From the side, a girl with blonde hair and sharp teal eyes — Temari — gave a lazy glance and muttered, "You might wanna ease up a little. If someone sees you, you're gonna get your ass kicked."
Her words were more of a casual warning than actual concern. She didn't lift a finger to stop him.
Just then, Sakura caught up, skidding to a stop. Her expression flipped from rage to awkwardness as she realized Konohamaru was now in someone else's hands.
"A-Ah! Sorry about that!" she apologized quickly, bowing slightly.
But Naruto Uzumaki wasn't having it.
"HEY! Put him down — now!" he shouted, stepping forward with a glare.
Kankuro didn't even blink. He held Konohamaru up like a ragdoll, as if Naruto's words didn't even reach him.
"You bastard…" Naruto clenched his fists. Watching Konohamaru squirm like that made his blood boil.
He didn't hesitate — rushing forward to free the kid himself.
But just as he closed the distance, Kankuro's fingers moved subtly—
And in the next instant, Naruto's legs buckled.
His body stumbled and collapsed to the ground like he'd been hit with vertigo, eyes wide with confusion. "W-What the…?"
Some kind of jutsu?
Kankuro let out a mocking snort, his tone sharp and dripping with contempt.
"Tch. So this is Konoha's so-called shinobi? Pathetic," he said mercilessly. Then, without holding back, he sneered, "You're seriously annoying. And for the record… I can't stand bratty little punks who act all high and mighty."
As he spoke, his expression darkened. A cruel smile crept across his face.
"Honestly... I kinda wanna kill him."
Sakura's expression twisted in shock, and even Naruto froze for a second.
Konohamaru's two friends, Moegi and Udon, were trembling beside a nearby post, eyes wide and filled with tears.
Temari, still leaning against the wall with folded arms, sighed and glanced away, pretending she hadn't heard anything.
"Do what you want," she muttered. "Just don't drag me into it."
Kankuro chuckled coldly. "First, I'll crush this little dwarf—then I'll shut up that loudmouthed blond idiot."
As he raised his fist with murderous intent and brought it down—
"Damn it!" Naruto's eyes widened in fury. "STOP!!"
He surged forward without hesitation.
Swoosh—
Suddenly, Konohamaru dropped from Kankuro's grasp, landing hard on the ground and coughing violently as he gasped for air. Kankuro staggered back, his hand shaking.
"Gah—!"
Blood splattered across the street.
A sharp, jagged stone had embedded itself deep into his right palm—the very hand that had been holding Konohamaru. Red seeped out from around it, trailing down his wrist.
"What the hell...!?"
Kankuro gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing in pain and disbelief.
He turned his gaze sharply to the side—toward a tall tree at the edge of the road.
There, perched casually on one of the branches, was Sasuke Uchiha.
He twirled another small stone between his fingers, his expression calm and unreadable.
"You're acting way too cocky… for someone trespassing in another village," Sasuke said coldly, eyes locking onto Kankuro with piercing focus.
As soon as Sakura caught sight of Sasuke, her eyes lit up like fireworks.
Her entire demeanor instantly shifted—rage and panic giving way to starry-eyed admiration.
"Sasuke-kun~!" she practically sighed, clasping her hands together.
The sudden change in her tone made even Naruto twitch.
"Tch... damn it," Naruto muttered under his breath, face scrunching in frustration. "That bastard always steals the spotlight…"
Next to them, Temari's eyes flickered toward the boy in the tree. Her cheeks tinged ever so slightly red as she thought, He's... kinda handsome.
Meanwhile, Konohamaru took full advantage of the moment to scamper away, dashing behind Naruto like a squirrel escaping a hawk.
Back on the street, Kankuro's face twisted with irritation.
"Great… another annoying little brat."
Sasuke, still perched on the branch, narrowed his eyes. Without a word, he clenched his fist—and the stone crumbled into fine dust between his fingers.
His voice dropped cold and sharp as steel.
"Leave. Now. Or I'll kill you."
The killing intent that radiated from him wasn't an empty threat.
Sasuke had already tasted the blood of enemies before—and to him, taking another life would be no more difficult than blinking. His gaze carried that weight, that calm ruthlessness that only someone used to death could wield.
Down below, both Kankuro and Temari stiffened, their expressions shifting from annoyance to unease.
This wasn't like before.
This wasn't some Konoha kid acting tough.
They felt it—real bloodlust. The kind that told them this boy would strike if pushed.
Kankuro's face was pale, jaw clenched. But even as alarm rang in his heart, he forced himself to hold his ground.
If I back down now… I'll disgrace the name of Sunagakure.
His pride flared hotter than his fear.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the pain in his bleeding hand and slowly lowered the puppet wrapped behind him onto the ground. His other hand moved into position.
He glared at Sasuke with a twisted expression, preparing to go all out.
"Fine then… you'll learn what the Sand can do—"
"That's enough, Kankuro."
A cold, emotionless voice cut through the air like a blade.
Sasuke's eyes flicked to the source.
Standing silently on another branch of the tree… was Gaara.
The gourd on his back gleamed faintly under the sunlight. His face remained blank, his eyes cold as desert stone as he looked down at Kankuro.
"Don't embarrass us here."
The entire atmosphere shifted the moment he appeared.
Kankuro flinched. Even Temari's breath caught in her throat.
When did he get up there?! Neither of them had sensed him at all.
Sasuke didn't look much surprised. He simply watched with calm indifference, measuring the red-haired boy with a new level of interest.
Kankuro was visibly shaken now. His hand still throbbed with pain, and under Gaara's cold gaze and Sasuke's killing intent, he stammered in panic.
"I-I got it… I love... Gaara…"
Sasuke, still perched on the branch, cast a glance at Gaara without a word. Their eyes met...both holding cold intensity within them.
In that brief exchange, neither spoke.
But in their hearts… they both knew.
This one will be a rival. A dangerous one.
Without warning, Gaara's body dispersed into sand and reformed silently on the ground below. He stood, calm and unreadable, brushing the dust off his robes.
"We're not here to play," Gaara said flatly, voice emotionless. "Let's go."
Kankuro and Temari didn't argue. They obediently turned to follow Gaara without another word.
But just as they were about to leave—
"Stop right there!"
Sakura dashed in front of them, arms spread in protest. Her face was stern.
"Your escorts—none of them are Konoha shinobi! Even if you're allied with the Land of Wind, that doesn't give you permission to enter our village so casually!"
Temari raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. With a smirk, she pulled out a folded pass from her pouch and flashed it lazily in front of Sakura's face.
"Chūnin Exams," she said smugly. "We're registered participants. All official. You can verify it if you want."
Sakura's face twisted with frustration. She'd planned to use this as an excuse to get some payback for Konohamaru—but clearly, that wasn't going to happen.
And with Sasuke having already injured Kankuro, pushing it further would only stir trouble.
She clicked her tongue and backed off.
With that, the three sand siblings slowly turned and began walking away again.
But—
"Hey. You up front," Sasuke suddenly called out.
The trio stopped in place.
"What's your name?"
Temari's head whipped around instantly, eyes lighting up. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly.
"Y-You talking to me?" she asked hopefully, brushing her hair back.
Three large stress lines popped on Sasuke's forehead.
"No. I meant the gourd guy next to you."
"…Oh." Temari deflated instantly and turned away, cheeks burning in embarrassment.
Gaara turned back slowly. His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed interest.
"Gaara of the Sand," he said. "You... I'm curious about you too. What's your name?"
"…Sasuke Uchiha."
A tense silence followed—until—
"Wait, wait, WAIT!"
Naruto suddenly jumped in, waving both arms frantically. "What about me?! Aren't you curious about me too?!"
Gaara gave him a long, deadpan look.
Then turned away.
"…Not interested."
Naruto froze in place, his soul leaving his body.
"Wha—!?!"
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