"Hinata, come on. Let's go take a look over there," Naruto said softly.
The three of them—Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari—were on the commercial street, while Naruto and Hinata had been on the snack street.
Hinata nodded, knowing Naruto had something to do.
The two strolled along at an easy pace, chatting as they went.
Over on Gaara's side, Kankuro and Temari were looking around in every direction. This kind of lively bustle was rare for them.
Just as the three of them let their guard down, three little brats came running their way, roughhousing as they went.
The one in the lead crashed headfirst into Kankuro on the left.
"Ah! Damn it, who was that?" Konohamaru, sprawled on the ground, groaned and clutched his forehead.
"Hey, brat, are you looking for trouble?" Kankuro's good mood had been spoiled, and he angrily grabbed Konohamaru, hoisting him into the air.
"Damn it, what do you think you're doing? Do you know who I am?" Konohamaru instinctively started to curse, but when he saw that the other person was someone he didn't recognize, he took a closer look. Then he spotted the forehead protector on his head.
The words he'd been about to yell promptly caught in his throat.
"Are all the brats from Konoha this annoying? Looks like I need to teach you a lesson." Kankuro was furious.
"Kankuro, this is Konoha. You'd better not cause trouble," Temari advised.
"Don't worry, sis. I'll just teach him a little lesson." As the Kazekage's son, Kankuro was used to doing whatever he pleased. Apart from his little brother, he feared no one—especially not some brat in Konoha.
In the distance, Naruto and Hinata stood watching in silence.
"They're here to take the Chunin Ninja Exams," Hinata said curiously.
"That's right. They're Genin from the Sand shinobi," Naruto said with a nod.
He wasn't close to Konohamaru at this point, but he knew the brat was the Third Hokage's grandson.
He began to wonder whether he should step in.
Even if he didn't, Kankuro wouldn't actually do anything to the boy. But if the Third Hokage found out, it would leave a bad impression. Naruto didn't want to make trouble for himself, especially when the other boy didn't have many days left to live.
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided it would be best to follow the original events. He didn't want anything unexpected to happen in these final few days.
Naruto started striding forward.
Hinata said nothing, staying where she was to watch.
"Hey, is it really okay for a Genin to bully a little kid? Especially here in Konoha?" Naruto suddenly appeared behind Kankuro and asked with a smile.
"When did he—?" Kankuro's pupils contracted.
"So fast!" Temari, standing beside him, hadn't even reacted in time.
"Big brother Naruto, save me!" The moment Konohamaru saw who it was, he perked up.
He wasn't close to Naruto Uzumaki, but he knew all about his reputation.
"Another brat? Are you threatening me?" Kankuro flew into a rage, trying to hide his shock.
He was about to attack.
"Stop, Kankuro. You're no match for him. Stand down." Just then, a cold voice rang out. Above the two of them, a boy with a gourd strapped to his back stood in midair.
Kankuro was about to say something, but Gaara looked at him impassively.
Kankuro's arrogance immediately evaporated.
He casually tossed Konohamaru to the ground.
Mo Huang and the other boy hurried over to help Konohamaru, then led him away.
"Hello. My name's Naruto Uzumaki. How about coming down so we can meet?" Naruto looked up at the boy with a smile.
Gaara slowly descended and looked at Naruto.
"I can tell you're strong, but I'll kill you," Gaara said coldly.
Kankuro and Temari immediately tensed, afraid Gaara might go on a rampage right there.
"Is that so? I look forward to it." After saying that, Naruto turned around and vanished. In an instant, he reappeared beside Hinata.
"Is there something special about that Genin?" The two turned and continued strolling. Hinata was curious; she'd already realized Naruto had come over specifically because of that Genin.
"Him?"
Naruto glanced at Gaara.
"He's just a lost little kid."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"He seems like he has some mental problems," Hinata said with concern.
"Maybe he's just nervous from not sleeping for too long," Naruto replied, not at all concerned.
Hinata frowned. That wasn't what she meant.
"Don't worry."
Naruto didn't explain.
Over the next few days, Naruto and the others trained on their own. The Chunin Ninja Exams mattered a lot to everyone else, but Naruto knew what was coming and wasn't worried. That didn't mean the others weren't anxious.
Time flew by, and three days later, the exams began.
Knock, knock.
"Who is it?" came a sleepy voice. Naruto had never liked getting up early, and Kakashi's influence had only made him even more of a late sleeper.
"Naruto, the Chunin Ninja Exams are today. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Hinata's gentle voice rang out.
Naruto jolted awake and leaped out of bed.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Hinata. He really had forgotten, and he felt guilty. Especially since the person he liked had caught him sleeping in, Naruto moved as fast as he could to wash up and get to the door.
"Ahem. Morning, Hinata," Naruto greeted her, looking embarrassed.
"Naruto, were you sleeping in again?" Hinata sounded a little reproachful. It was all Kakashi-sensei's fault for leading Naruto astray.
She'd have to keep a closer eye on him. She couldn't let Naruto turn into someone like Kakashi, especially when she thought of him always carrying a dirty book around.
A nagging suspicion began to creep into her mind. Could Naruto have—
At that thought, she turned her gaze and looked behind him.
"Uh, Hinata, come on in and sit down."
Seeing Hinata's expression, Naruto finally remembered that they were still standing in the doorway. He quickly invited her inside.
With the help of Shadow Clones, Naruto kept his house reasonably clean.
But that wasn't what Hinata wanted to see. Worried Naruto might pick up bad habits, she began checking the room for books as soon as she stepped inside.
Naruto didn't notice anything strange about Hinata's behavior. He assumed she was just curious.
"Hinata, have you eaten?" Naruto asked curiously, already starting to make breakfast.
"Not yet." Hinata had originally planned to ask Naruto to go out and eat with her, but she'd forgotten all about it while observing him.
The room was small, with a clear view of everything. The place was very bare, with almost nothing in it. As for books, Naruto wasn't much of a reader.
She glanced at Naruto's bedroom. In his hurry, he hadn't closed the door, so she could see inside at a glance. She relaxed a little; his bedroom was even more bare, with nothing in it.
And since Hinata seemed so interested in his home, Naruto didn't want to interrupt her. He could only head into the kitchen to cook. Fortunately, having chakra made everything much easier.