Kankuro had originally wanted to throw out a few sarcastic remarks, but then he remembered the beloved Jinchuriki little brother beside him, who killed without batting an eye, and immediately dropped the unnecessary thought.
The conversation came to an abrupt end.
Jinchuriki were practically walking humanoid nuclear bombs. In short, anyone would be terrified of using one.
Kankuro was scared—scared that his own little brother would transform and slap him to death.
Gaara remained silent throughout, seemingly not taking their words to heart.
The three of them entered Konohagakure Street, and their strange attire immediately drew the attention of passersby.
But people only gave them a few extra glances. The Chunin Exams were starting around this time, so it was not unusual to see a few Genin from other villages on the streets.
Amid the crowd, a boy in a gray short-sleeved shirt wandered around leisurely with a drink in hand. His blond hair was exceptionally eye-catching, while his face bore a lazy expression.
Naruto no longer needed to take the Chunin Exams. Kakashi was also busy training Sasuke and helping Sakura with her Taijutsu instruction.
In short, Naruto was the only one left with nothing to do.
Besides wandering the streets all day, his greatest hobby was sneaking into Konohagakure's game arcades after using the Transformation Jutsu to turn into an adult, then playing pachinko.
He was not wearing a Konohagakure forehead protector either, leaving his smooth forehead exposed as he went around having fun with that head of blond hair.
Since the Third Hokage did not want him participating in the Chunin Exams, he might as well let himself go.
Naruto had only wanted to take the Chunin Exams to provoke the system into presenting options. If it did not, he would not be too disappointed.
Even if it came to that, he could use the opportunity to find Hinata and unlock more Nine-Tails progress. Flirting with girls while growing stronger really was a wonderful feeling.
"Fox demon brat, get lost! I'm not selling you anything!" The mask shop owner glared at Naruto with a face full of disgust.
Naruto, who had been picking out fox masks, turned his head. He stared deeply at the owner for a moment, then unexpectedly put the fox mask on his face.
Step by step, he walked toward the owner.
The mask shop owner was startled by the silent Naruto in the fox mask. He abruptly backed away, only to fall flat on his backside.
When he turned back toward Naruto, the spot where Naruto had been standing was completely empty.
"Are you looking for me?"
Naruto's voice suddenly rang out, but he was standing directly behind the mask shop owner.
The owner lay on the ground with his hands braced against the floor. Looking up, he saw Naruto standing behind him in the fox mask, bent over and staring at him.
"Aah!!!!"
"A monster!"
"HAHAHA! What was that? Uncle, were you really that timid?"
The terrified screams mixed with Naruto's unrestrained laughter. Pedestrians on the street all turned to look, staring at the scene in the shop with horror on their faces.
Naruto did not care. He walked straight up to the owner, took off his mask, and revealed a bright smile.
"Uncle, are you selling the mask?"
"Y-Yes! I'm selling it!" The mask shop owner had been frightened senseless and did not dare make any more sarcastic remarks.
"Oh." The smile on Naruto's face abruptly vanished. He lightly tossed the mask onto the ground and said softly,
"But I don't want it anymore."
As he spoke, he stomped the fox mask on the ground to pieces. Then he turned and kicked the nearby mask rack over with a thunderous crash.
The force was so great that the masks on the rack shattered instantly with a loud bang.
The mask shop owner went pale with fright, his eyes wide as he watched his mask rack break apart and collapse.
Yet Naruto merely glanced at the owner sitting on the ground, then tossed a large handful of cash into the air and left with a smile on his face.
Seeing the fearful and horrified looks the villagers cast his way, Naruto wore a faint smile. I'm a Jinchuriki. I don't owe anyone anything.
Why should I put up with those bastards?
They want me to be a nuclear weapon, yet they still won't treat me decently. Why should I?
"Was that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?" In the crowd, Kankuro gestured with his chin in the direction Naruto had left.
"Probably." Temari nodded, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Come on, let's go meet him." Kankuro proposed eagerly.
"Don't cause trouble!" Temari firmly refused, lowering her voice. "Don't forget our mission. That Nine-Tails brat doesn't look easy to provoke!"
But before Temari could finish, the silent Gaara stepped toward the direction Naruto had gone.
"Gaara!" Temari reached out to grab him, but Kankuro stopped her with a smack.
For once, he wore a serious expression as he shook his head at Temari.
"It's best not to interrupt something once that guy has made up his mind."
Temari fell silent and could only withdraw her hand. With a sigh, she called for Kankuro to follow her.
This time, Sunagakure's participation in the Chunin Exams held by Konohagakure was not merely for the exams. They had also secretly formulated an attack plan for the Konoha Crush.
Temari and her two brothers were an important part of the plan. They had been sent to Konohagakure ahead of time to take the exams and gather intelligence.
That was precisely why Temari did not want trouble arising before their mission had even begun.
In an alley, Naruto suddenly stopped walking.
Nine-Tails' Recognition 13.2%
During his last date with Hinata, the progress bar had surged dramatically in almost no time, rising from 2.3% directly to 6.7%. Then, during the fireworks, it had shot up to 13.2%.
Compared to 2.3%, 13.2% meant Naruto could already use one-ninth of the Nine-Tails' power by himself. He could even enter the One-Tail state.
He turned around and saw the trio from Sunagakure standing outside the alley.
His gaze paused for a moment on Temari's exposed-shoulder fishnet outfit. Sunagakure's atmosphere really is more open. He could not help recalling a Temari fan illustration he had seen before being transported here.
Gaara stared at the blond-haired boy before him and spoke.
"I can smell the aura of my kind on you."
That was some serious edgy syndrome right from the start. Naruto knew that Gaara was still in his rebellious phase, so he did not bother arguing with him.
After all, Gaara was the legitimate Crown Prince of Sand, with Sand Village Princess Temari standing beside him, along with Kankuro, a young prince with no interest in the throne.
The three of them looked rather unconventional, which made Naruto lose all desire to converse with them.
He waved at Gaara with an impatient look on his face.
"I'm not part of some emo clan. How am I your kind?"
"What clan?" Kankuro asked in confusion.
"You guys have fun. I'm leaving." Naruto waved dismissively and turned to leave.
But as soon as he lifted his foot, killing intent instantly enveloped him. That dense killing intent came from behind him—from Gaara, the sand-loving guy.
Naruto looked back. Nine-Tails' chakra surged over his face, and his features suddenly transformed into those of a half-human, half-flame fox. He bared his fangs at the three Sand siblings and roared,
"Get lost. Don't make me say it twice."
Before you continue