The Sand Shinobi Trio

Sakura and the others looked up in the direction of the sound and saw a Ninja Hawk flying overhead.

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I have other things to do today. You can train freely this afternoon! Dismissed!" With that, he left using a Body Flicker Technique.

"Naruto, Sasuke! A new pub opened near my house, let's go try it! We haven't had a get-together in ages!"

"Tch, no interest!" Sasuke the first to object. "I'm going home to eat!"

Ever since the mission to the Land of Waves, Sasuke has been acting strangely, always burying himself in his training. It seems that witnessing Haku's incredible skill as a ninja has been a blow to his ego!

"I've gained some insights from my cultivation recently, so I won't be staying with you guys tonight! I'm leaving now!"

"Hey! Wait a minute! Damn it, he's walking so fast!" Sakura and Naruto couldn't stop Sasuke, and watched Sasuke Earth Flow without looking back. The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a long while, Naruto finally said helplessly, "Then I'll go with you!"

Naruto is a decent friend, but he's just too stupid!

"Idiot! People will misunderstand if the two of us go to a pub together! Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen instead..."

"Okay! Let's go get some ramen! Hey, why aren't you coming?"

Sakura stood there, blushing, and said, "Naruto, um... could you help me up? I can't walk anymore!"

"Tch, what a troublesome guy!" Naruto's delivery of this line was so practiced it was as if he'd rehearsed it countless times; his contemptuous tone and disdainful gaze were perfectly executed. No, based on Sakura's understanding of him, this guy had definitely practiced secretly, just to show off in front of Sakura and Sasuke!

"Don't just mimic Sasuke's tone like that!" Sakura's forehead veins bulged, and she raised the Rasengan again! Wait, why am I saying it again?

"Sakura! That's dangerous! Don't swing the Rasengan around like that! Girls' breasts won't grow if you're too violent!" Naruto is good at provoking Sakura; Naruto touched on her sore spot again.

"Damn it, I don't care about breasts and gentleness anymore! Why do you keep emphasizing them! Stop running, stand still! If you're so capable, then stand still!" Sakura said angrily. Breasts and gentleness are fine on other people, she doesn't need them!

"I'm not stupid, I'm not going to stop! Hey, didn't you say you couldn't walk anymore? Why are you running so fast!"

"The thought of catching up with you and beating you up fills me with energy!"

Bang!

As expected, Naruto, running and glancing back at Sakura, bumped into someone at a corner. Sakura stopped, slightly taken aback by what she saw. The Naruto she had bumped into was a strange boy she had never seen before, his face covered in paint, accompanied by a tall, blonde girl. Upon seeing the Sand shinobi Forehead Protector on their foreheads, Sakura immediately recognized him—it was Kankuro!

"Ouch! I... Are all Konoha ninjas this reckless?!"

Kankuro touched his forehead, which was red from the bump, then grabbed Naruto's collar and asked arrogantly!

"Hehe... I'm sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean it." Sakura walked forward with a smile, subtly pulling Kankuro away from Naruto, Naruto was clearly annoyed by Kankuro's arrogance.

Kankuro was startled. He secretly increased his strength as the girl stepped forward, but when her seemingly delicate hand touched his, he felt an irresistible force that forcefully pried his hand off Naruto's clothes! Kankuro had used all his strength, but when faced with the girl's slender fingers, he felt as weak and powerless as if he were facing a steel clamp!

Kankuro's pupils contracted, and his expression changed slightly. Fortunately, his face was covered in thick camouflage paint, so Sakura and Naruto didn't notice. Taijutsu- type ninja? Kankuro had just entertained this thought when he immediately dismissed it. No! Taijutsu- type ninjas generally have wider hands, large knuckles, and are rough with thick calluses; conversely, a young girl's hands are more slender and straight, with smooth and fair skin, and only fine calluses at the base of the fingers. Even the hands of a female Taijutsu ninja wouldn't have such softness.

Genjutsu- type ninja? They used Genjutsu on me for a split second, making me believe they were using their full strength when they weren't?

Kankuro thought to himself. Despite his rough and reckless exterior, he was actually a very sensitive person. This was an essential quality for a puppeteer!

However, at the moment, Kankuro is still just a greenhorn.

"I was originally going to beat up that shorty... but since you're meddling in my business, I'll beat you up first!" Kankuro viciously!

Sakura's smile froze instantly, her emerald eyes coldly fixed on Kankuro. Want to fight? Sakura wasn't afraid of him. Ordinary puppets were as fragile as eggs in her presence; her Nintaijutsu and Monstrous Strength Technique, were natural counters to puppeteers!

"Hey, you big black pig! How dare you be so arrogant! I'll never forgive you! You idiot! Moron!" Naruto was also furious with him and shouted at Kankuro.

Kankuro was furious and raised his fist to punch the two of them, but a hand suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed his wrist!

"You dare to be so arrogant in someone else's village? I don't know if you're brave or stupid!"

Sasuke, who suddenly appeared behind Kankuro in Body Flicker Technique, looked at Kankuro coldly and said sarcastically. Sasuke's Body Flicker Technique was perfectly timed and executed, appearing behind Kankuro seemingly effortlessly and grabbing his hand at the same time. Even by Kankuro's standards, she secretly admired his skill! It seems that Sasuke's personal strength has improved tremendously without anyone noticing!

Kankuro was startled when Sasuke suddenly closed in from behind. If it had been a life-or-death battle, Kankuro would have been instantly killed by Sasuke with just that Body Flicker Technique. Fortunately, the thick body paint saved his face again, concealing his momentary panic. Then, he abruptly shook off Sasuke's hand and glared at Sasuke angrily.

"Another eyesore has appeared, daring to show up behind me without a sound. Humph... I hate seeing your arrogant attitude the most!" Kankuro untied the straps on his body and threw the half-person-high puppet he was carrying on his back onto the ground. The heavy puppet immediately smashed a crater in the concrete.

"Is this a puppet?" Sakura looked curiously at the unidentified object wrapped in bandages. Judging from the sound of it hitting the ground, its material seemed to be a very hard wood. In its inactive state, the puppet showed no Chakra reaction; in her Chakra perception, it was no different from a stone on the ground. It might be a trap in battle. Some puppeteers even liked to use puppets to disguise themselves as their real bodies to absorb damage, so puppeteers were all cunning and treacherous people. But in Kankuro, Sakura saw ruthlessness, but she didn't really detect any cunning.

Sakura didn't focus too much on Kankuro. Although he was quite powerful, he was far from being a threat to her. After observing him briefly, she turned her attention to finding someone who could pose a threat to her.

Where is Gaara of the Sand Waterfall now?

The unusual Chakra reaction behind her immediately caught Sakura's attention. Her reaction was incredibly fast, but Gaara's Sand Body Flicker Technique arrived behind her even before she could turn around. If Sasuke's Body Flicker Technique deserved a compliment from Sakura, then Gaara's Body Flicker Technique truly amazed her! The Sand Body Flicker Technique was beyond imagination. Instinctively sensing the threat, Sakura reflexively activated her Ultra-Pure Water Shield!

The next instant, Sakura realized she had overreacted and quickly withdrew her water shield. Gaara wouldn't fight her at this time and place. She had just been thinking that Kankuro was startled by Sasuke's Body Flicker Technique, but now she was even more startled by Gaara's Body Flicker Technique!

Sakura blushed, her blushing quite noticeable, unlike Kankuro's dark expression. Fortunately, everyone's attention was drawn to Gaara, and no one noticed the girl's momentary embarrassment. Except for Gaara, who was surprised to find that even Kankuro and the others facing him reacted a step slower than the pink-haired girl with her back to him. The girl's keen perception and extremely fast reaction speed made Gaara take a few more glances at her.

"He doesn't look like a strong person, more like one of those useless people who like to dress up... Probably a sensory ninja! Hmph, am I mistaken?" Gaara observed Sakura for a few moments without showing any emotion, then made up his mind, looked at Kankuro, and coldly rebuked, "Enough! Kankuro! Are you going to use Crow too? Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"

Kankuro quickly tried to explain with a smile, but Gaara wouldn't listen. "Shut up! If I see you causing trouble again, I'll kill you!"

Kankuro had always appeared extremely ruthless, was so frightened by Gaara's words that Gaara's eyes turned cold, Sakura immediately felt a chilling and immense killing intent. Even Sakura, who had already witnessed Zabuza's aura, was sent chills down her spine by this killing intent. That terrifying aura indicated that Gaara was not just trying to scare Kankuro, but that he might actually kill him!

Such terrifying killing intent! Just how many people has this kid killed?! Sakura stared intently at the short boy carrying the giant gourd. As Gaara passed by her and walked towards Kankuro, she seemed to smell the strong stench of blood in Chakra as they brushed past each other. The fierce and turbulent sand was like a wild beast trapped inside the gourd, seemingly ready to burst out and wreak havoc at any moment!

Gaara's immense and oppressive Chakra put Sakura under tremendous pressure.

Standing between Kankuro and Temari, Gaara said calmly, "We're not here to play around... Let's go!"