Kankuro hadn't thought much of it at first. They'd only just arrived in Konoha today, and Gaara had treated him coldly the whole way there. Temari's attitude toward him had been just as unpleasant, leaving him fuming with a bellyful of anger.
He'd assumed the kid he bumped into was just an ordinary resident of Konoha. He never expected him to be the Third Hokage's grandson.
Then this guy had come out of nowhere and launched into a long speech. To be honest, Kankuro hadn't understood most of what he'd said. He'd only caught that their actions were meant to provoke a war between the two villages—or even the two countries.
That had him panicking. Sure, they were there to carry out something called the Konoha Crush Plan, but that was all happening in secret. If they dared say that openly, there'd be three unidentified corpses outside Konoha by tomorrow!
And as for the Jinchuriki, it was only the One-Tail, and its seal wasn't even complete. Did they really think Konoha lacked the means to deal with Shukaku?
"Sorry, this guy was careless..." Temari hurriedly apologized. After pulling Kankuro away, she spoke quickly, all the while discreetly sizing up Nanfeng.
"But..." Kankuro opened his mouth, ready to say more, when a stone came hurtling down from the treetops above them. It struck his right hand, leaving a small gash, though no blood came out.
"Since you're shinobi here to take the Chunin Ninja Exams, you have to follow Konoha's rules while you're in the village. I don't think the three of you can take on all of us, can you?" Kankuro looked up darkly at the black-haired man sitting in the treetops.
It was Sasuke. Temari and Gaara had noticed him too. Gaara's eyes were full of provocation and savagery, probably because Shukaku's chakra was leaking out due to the incomplete seal. Temari, meanwhile, was completely smitten...
All the boys from Konoha she'd seen since arriving seemed to be pretty handsome. Unlike in their village, where they were all like this... Temari's thoughts were certainly honest.
As they faced off, Naruto appeared in front of Nanfeng. He looked at the group staring at one another, a huge question mark appearing over his head.
"What... happened here? Why are shinobi from another village in Konoha? Is this an attack?" Before Temari and the others could explain, Naruto immediately used Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After a massive surge of chakra, hundreds of Narutos stood packed together in front of them. Temari stared at the shadow clones in shock.
To be fair, plenty of other techniques could serve the same purpose, but they all shared one drawback: the amount of chakra they consumed increased exponentially with the number of clones.
Even a genius like Gaara could make only two with the Clone Technique. Any more, and his chakra would briefly run short.
But this blond-haired guy before them wore a simple, honest smile, and his chakra reserves were beyond terrifying!
"We're..." Kankuro had just started to speak when Naruto's shadow clones rushed forward and completely buried him. The street rang with punches, kicks, and the sounds of shadow clones bursting apart.
The commotion sent the residents who'd been hoping to watch from a safe distance scattering. They were ordinary people. Getting involved in a fight between shinobi would be like walking into a latrine with a lantern—asking to die.
Sasuke had been about to say something too, but one look from Nanfeng made him promptly shut his mouth. As for Konohamaru, Nanfeng reassured him and sent him back to the Hokage Office.
The kid was still young, after all. He shouldn't have to see something so frightening...
Nanfeng had noticed the look in Naruto's eyes from the start. Naruto had just heard that explosive news, and still had no way to vent his frustration. Now that a punching bag had landed right in front of him, it would've been a shame not to put it to good use.
"Hey, we're here to take the Chunin Ninja Exams, not to start trouble as some kind of enemy. If we were enemies, would we really show up openly on the streets of Konoha?" Once things had settled down a little, Temari hurriedly grabbed Naruto and stopped him from charging in again.
Naruto's clothes were a little rumpled, but he didn't have a single other injury. Kankuro, on the other hand, looked just a tiny bit worse for wear. Just a tiny bit.
"A puppeteer?" Sasuke frowned slightly as he looked at Kankuro's shattered body.
It was a distinctive profession in Sunagakure. Its puppeteers were famous throughout the shinobi world. The most renowned of them was the Scorpion of the Red Sand, who had come from Sunagakure. He was now with the Akatsuki Organization, where he seemed to have carried out plenty of difficult missions.
"Brat, you've got my attention now. I hope I don't run into you in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Otherwise, I'll show you what true cruelty means!" Kankuro emerged from inside the puppet and spoke to Naruto, who wore a harmless smile.
"So you're here to take the Chunin Ninja Exams? You should've said so sooner! I'm sorry I only found out after I'd finished beating you up!" Naruto smiled brightly, but there was a chill in his voice as he spoke to Temari and the others.
You didn't give us a chance to say anything... Temari thought helplessly. She was furious, but this was Konoha's turf, and they'd clearly be at a disadvantage if they started trouble. Besides, Kankuro had been the one in the wrong to begin with.
"Shut up. If you say another word, I'll kill you right here..." Gaara, who hadn't spoken in a long time, addressed Kankuro with Killing Intent.
"I'm interested in you. I hope I run into you during the Chunin Ninja Exams. Your blood should taste delicious..." Gaara eyed the three of them with a bloodthirsty stare, then turned and left the street.
"That guy seems pretty strong?" Sasuke frowned. It was the first time he'd ever felt such intense pressure from someone his own age!
Naruto looked troubled too. He felt a sense of kinship with Gaara.
It wasn't the chakra. It was the Nine-Tails inside him that gave him that feeling. It seemed there was a monster sealed inside that guy too.
"Desert Psammophila Gaara, the Kazekage's son, and a tragic... poor kid whose life has been nothing but misery?"
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