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As night fell, inside Goku's house.
"Whoa! These look delicious! Thanks, you guys, haha!"
Looking at the several large bags overflowing with fragrant fried meat cutlets, Goku put his hands together and thanked Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Rock Lee.
With that, he happily began to dig in.
Watching him eat with such enjoyment, the frustration that had been building up in Naruto and the others instantly dissipated.
Why were they frustrated? Because they had been waiting at the fried meat cutlet shop for the better part of the day.
It was their own fault, really. When they were ordering, they had completely failed to consider how long it would take a shop with only one employee to prepare the massive amount of food they had requested.
The employee hadn't said a word to warn them and had just quietly kept on cooking. By the time they realised something was wrong, it was already too late, and they had no choice but to wait.
As for whether the long wait would cause the first batch of cutlets to lose their freshness, Sakura had a solution.
Thankfully, she had learned how to use storage scrolls from Kakashi. She had bought a scroll and sealed the finished cutlets inside, preserving their freshness as much as possible.
In the end, their wish was fulfilled. Goku was happily eating the delicious fried meat, and they couldn't help but feel that their persistence and effort had not been in vain.
At the same time, in an inn that Konoha had prepared for the visiting Sand ninja, four figures were gathered, discussing something.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you say? That means you're pathetic. If I run into him, I'll kill him," Gaara, the youngest son of the Fourth Kazekage and the current jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku, said coldly after hearing Kankuro's account of the day's events.
After his father had subjected him to a series of bizarre and cruel experiments in his youth, he had gradually become a cold and bloodthirsty person.
Now, even when speaking of killing, his tone was completely flat, as if it were a mundane and predetermined fact.
"Gaara, do not underestimate the ninja of Konoha," a tall man with a white cloth wrapped around his head said, having heard the thick contempt in Gaara's voice.
"Even Kankuro felt that he was strong, which means he has the skills of at least a Chunin."
"Every ninja with Chunin-level skills has their own unique strengths. Even if you are powerful, you cannot let your guard down, or you might find yourself defeated unexpectedly."
He was Baki, the teacher of Gaara, Kankuro, and the blonde-haired girl from earlier, Temari.
As a particularly skilled Jonin of the Sand Village, he was deeply trusted by the Kazekage.
His mission to lead the three of them to Konoha for the Chunin Exams was merely a cover; their true purpose was to launch an attack on Konoha and gain benefits for their own village!
Gaara was a crucial part of this plan, and his safety was paramount before the operation began!
"Annoying."
Gaara clearly had no intention of heeding Baki's warning. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and adopted a "mind your own business" attitude.
Kankuro, having just been called pathetic by his younger brother, was furious, despite his usual fear of him. He gritted his teeth, a crunching sound echoing in the room.
"Alright, alright, we'll take this guy seriously. He might be strong, but we're no pushovers either. Kankuro was just a little careless." Temari, their older sister, quickly stepped in to mediate.
She knew both of her brothers' personalities well and often served as a peacemaker. She was already an expert at placating Kankuro.
"In any case, you all need to remember this. We have an important mission here in Konoha. For the sake of this mission, we cannot afford to make any mistakes!"
Baki, feeling a bit helpless with his student, gave up on him and addressed everyone. He wasn't worried about being overheard by anyone from Konoha.
Not only were their own men guarding the room's perimeter, but the room itself was protected by a soundproof barrier, ensuring that no sound could escape!
Meanwhile, in an unknown corner of Konoha.
"Lord Orochimaru, you have finally arrived." A refined-looking young man with long, silver hair pushed up his glasses and bowed respectfully to a beautiful woman before him.
"Hehe, Kabuto. How is the task I assigned you progressing?" Orochimaru's long tongue snaked out and licked his own face as he looked at the silver-haired young man with a sinister expression.
"Everything is ready, Lord Orochimaru. This is the general intelligence you requested on the more powerful ninja currently in Konoha." Kabuto took out a scroll and respectfully handed it to Orochimaru.
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, that's right. A mysterious man has recently appeared in Konoha. He has been training four of the Konoha genin every day."
"Oh? Is there anything unusual about that?"
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. Three of those four genin are the students of Kakashi the Copy Ninja. And one of them is the person you instructed me to pay close attention to: the Uchiha clan survivor, Sasuke Uchiha!"
Hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. Ever since his crushing defeat at the hands of the man named Itachi Uchiha, he had shifted his target for his next vessel to Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha.
The reason he was so fixated on the Uchiha brothers was his lust for the power of the Sharingan.
After witnessing the power of Itachi's Sharingan, his desire for it had grown to an unimaginable degree.
So, after his failure with Itachi, he had turned his attention to the only other remaining Uchiha, Sasuke. And his current trip to Konoha was intended to take him!
"Mysterious, you say?" he said, licking his lips as he looked at Kabuto. With his life's ambition at stake, he had to be concerned about this mysterious man.
"Yes. This person appeared in Konoha about two months ago. It is said that Kakashi and his three students encountered him while on a mission.
He does not wear a ninja forehead protector, and his attire is very different from the norm.
I have made many inquiries, but I have been unable to find out where he comes from.
His daily routine is also very regular; he basically goes back and forth between his house and the training grounds where he trains those genin.
I went to the training grounds to investigate after they had left and found that they seemed to be doing weight training every day.
Therefore, this person is likely a taijutsu ninja with considerable physical strength.
Kabuto, understanding what Orochimaru wanted to know, relayed the information with the familiarity of one who counts his family's treasures.
"A taijutsu ninja, you say? If that's all he is, he shouldn't be a major threat to our plans."
"As for his identity, the old man would never let someone of unknown origins into the village."
"The fact that you couldn't find anything means your skills are still lacking. When I have the chance, I will ask that old fool, Danzo."
"With his intelligence-gathering capabilities, he will surely know who this person is." After hearing Kabuto's report, Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh.
"My skills do indeed need improvement, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses with a subservient air.
"Hehe."
Seeing his obedient demeanour, Orochimaru chuckled softly and turned to leave. But after a few steps, he stopped and asked, "By the way, what is this person's name?"
Kabuto looked at his back and slowly uttered a name.
"Son Goku."
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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