Shukaku Has Arrived

The meeting lasted for half an hour, after which the Jonin who had received their missions departed.

After finishing their meal, the three of them returned to their respective homes. Having been away for so long, they decided to take the day to rest properly, agreeing to continue their training together the next day. Upon returning home and opening the door, Naruto was immediately choked by the dust inside.

"Did I forget to close the window?" Naruto wondered.

He took a look and discovered that the house was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Because so much time had passed, Naruto couldn't tell if anyone had entered, but there was nothing of value left here to lose anyway.

"I remember closing the windows properly." Seeing the dust in the room, Naruto couldn't help but feel suspicious.

At the same time, he extended his right hand, and a wind sphere similar to a Rasengan appeared, absorbing the dust and making the room much cleaner in an instant.

Naruto naturally couldn't have guessed that because of that drop of blood, Danzo had frequently come to investigate him. However, Naruto was also vigilant regarding Konoha; there was nothing in his house to begin with, and even if there were, he wouldn't keep it there.

Even though the members of Root were careful, they still left behind traces.

He decided to get a good night's sleep; Naruto wouldn't worry about Konoha's affairs.

The next day, Naruto and the others had agreed to train together, but when Sasuke arrived, Naruto frowned.

"Long time no see, Sakura." Looking at Sakura behind the Second Pillar, Naruto couldn't help but frown.

He wouldn't go so far as to say he hated her, but he certainly didn't have any good feelings toward her.

"Well, we're on break, so I went to see Sasuke. I heard you were all meeting up, and since it's been a while, I wanted to come see my old classmates." Sakura wasn't stupid; she could see that Naruto disliked her, which left her puzzled. Although she used to bully Naruto often, it shouldn't have been enough to make him hate her. Internally, she was thinking that if Sasuke hadn't insisted on coming, she wouldn't have bothered to see Naruto at all.

"Alright, since that's the case and we have free time today, let's all hang out together." Naruto quickly reacted. Because of the Chunin Exams, all squads were on break, and since Sakura was here, it wouldn't be appropriate to train.

Taking this time to relax and have fun with the others was a good idea.

"Mm-hmm." Sakura had initially felt that Naruto was very annoying, but after hearing his words, she suddenly felt he wasn't so bad after all.

Naruto couldn't be bothered to say anything else; two Shadow Clones appeared to go find Shikamaru, Kiba, and the others.

Naruto's original body and Hinata went fishing to relax and chat. Before long, Shikamaru and Choji arrived, with Shikamaru looking as if he hadn't woken up yet.

"You bastard, is this how you plan to spend your time off?" Naruto couldn't help but tease when he saw Shikamaru's state.

"This is what life is about. I'm not like you, a training fanatic." Shikamaru walked over to Naruto's side with practiced ease and picked up a fishing rod to join him.

Soon after, Choji arrived as well. He didn't like fishing, so he sat to the side, eating snacks and chatting with the two of them.

Tenten and Neji also walked over. When Rock Lee saw Sakura chatting nearby, his eyes lit up.

His body vanished in an instant, reappearing right in front of Sakura.

"What are you doing?" A bowl-cut head suddenly appearing in front of her startled Sakura.

"I like you! Please go out with me!" Rock Lee said excitedly.

Neji felt speechless.

Tenten couldn't help but take a few steps back, signaling that she didn't know him.

Naruto was drawn by the commotion behind him and couldn't help but glance over, but he quickly lost interest. Sasuke also just took a look, marveling at the other boy's speed.

As for helping, Sakura wasn't on the same squad as him, so even if he were to intervene, it wouldn't be his place.

"No way, I don't like thick eyebrows." Sakura rejected him instantly. She nervously glanced at Sasuke on the side, but feeling disappointed when she realized Sasuke wasn't paying attention to this side.

Rock Lee was instantly crushed and looked dejected, but he quickly filled with fighting spirit again, circling Sakura and talking about how youth never gives up.

The boys didn't care about the noise behind them; they continued to relax, fish, and chat, eventually bringing up the topic of the Chunin Exams.

"The joint Chunin Exams, huh? You all signed up?" Sasuke frowned.

"Don't even think about it. You know what Kakashi-sensei is like; we'll definitely be the last ones to sign up." Naruto couldn't help but complain.

The Second Pillar couldn't help but think of Kakashi's dead-fish eyes and immediately understood.

The group couldn't help but laugh; everyone knew about Kakashi's habit of being late.

They chatted and had a barbecue, laughing and joking.

That evening, Kakashi brought the application forms for the Chunin Exams. The three of them didn't hesitate and filled in their information immediately, completing the registration. Kakashi was very confident in the strength of the three, so he just gave a few words of advice before heading off to get busy again.

The next day, Naruto and Hinata were out shopping, laughing and eating as they walked, when suddenly Naruto stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Hinata asked, looking curiously at Naruto's expression, her heart filled with excitement.

"It's nothing," Naruto said with a smile.

In his heart, he was actually quite happy. The food had arrived; the aura of the One-Tail Shukaku was here. Although he had never seen the One-Tail, the Tailed Beast's chakra was filled with negative emotions. The moment Gaara and his group stepped into Konoha, Naruto had sensed their presence.

Hinata secretly rolled her eyes. She wasn't stupid; how could she not see that Naruto was very happy? At the same time, she understood that Naruto had many secrets.

Over in Konoha, Gaara and his group looked at the prosperity of the village and couldn't help but feel moved. In Sunagakure, even during the day, few people went outside because of the heavy sandstorms.

"Kankuro, let's go find a place to stay first. You two can walk around, but try not to cause any trouble," Baki said to the three of them.

As a veteran Jonin, he understood the minds of these youngsters very well.

"Don't worry, we'll be careful," Temari promised quickly. As the children of the Kazekage, they knew the nature of this mission.

At the same time, he secretly gave Baki a look that meant he should keep a close eye on Gaara.

"Let's go, let's head out and look around together," Temari said softly.

Seeing Kankuro nod, Gaara remained silent and appeared somewhat gloomy, but the two of them were already used to it.

The three of them looked left and right at Konoha; the villagers of Konoha were already accustomed to such people and knew they were from an outside village.

Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails suddenly raised its head.

"The scent of that stinking raccoon dog." Because the seal was gone, the Nine-Tails' perception was very clear; the moment Gaara arrived in Konoha, the Nine-Tails instantly sensed the chakra of the One-Tail, Shukaku.

"Happy? Your brother is here," Naruto's figure appeared here, teasing the Nine-Tails.

"He has been targeted by you." The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes; staying within Naruto's body, it knew very well how strong Naruto's perception was. If it could sense him, Naruto must have discovered him as well.

Naruto smiled without saying a word, his figure slowly fading away.

"What exactly are you trying to do, you guy?" The Nine-Tails truly found it increasingly difficult to see through Naruto Uzumaki.