Could Men Be This Beautiful?

"Wait, wait! We'll talk!" another ninja hurriedly said.

"It was... Lord Baki who sent us. He said... to test the strength of Konoha's rookies this year."

Baki? The elite jōnin leading the Sunagakure team? The teacher of Gaara and the others in the original story?

Qingyu's heart sank.

They were already testing them? The joint event hadn't even started yet!

And what else was there to see? It wasn't as if they hadn't come for the Chunin Ninja Exams. They really just wanted to be sixth graders, huh!

Kakashi released his grip. "Go back and tell Baki he can test us, but not to go too far. If there's a next time..."

His killing intent flashed past. "I won't be so lenient."

The four Sunagakure ninjas fled, stumbling over one another.

The crisis had passed, but the atmosphere grew even heavier.

"Sensei, were they really sent by Baki?" Neji asked.

"Most likely." Kakashi put away his book.

"Sunagakure has been restless lately. You need to be prepared. This joint event... won't be peaceful."

Naruto clenched his fist. "Then we'll show them what Konoha Ninja can do!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but his gaze had grown colder.

Qingyu sighed.

It was only the first day, and they'd already run into something like this.

And the days ahead...

"Okay, get some more rest." Kakashi clapped his hands. "I'll take the second watch myself. Everyone, go to sleep."

Back in his sleeping bag, Qingyu still couldn't sleep.

Sunagakure's test, Baki's orders, and the "contact between Sunagakure and Otogakure" mentioned in Elder Setsuna's intelligence...

It all pointed to one thing: the Konoha Crush Plan might really be coming.

Was Orochimaru seriously that bold? He'd better have a million Mitsukis protecting him here!

"Scared?" Izuna asked inside his head.

"A little," Qingyu admitted honestly.

"Good. You should be scared," Tobirama said. "But fear won't solve anything. What you need to do is survive, then get stronger."

Qingyu clenched his fist.

Yeah. What good would being scared do?

Since he was here, all he could do was keep moving forward.

The desert night sky was especially bright with stars.

But the road ahead was shrouded in mist.

At noon on the fifth day, when Qingyu saw the imposing sandstone fortress on the horizon, he had just one thought:

So this was Sunagakure? This place was huge... and they called it a "village"? It was practically a kingdom!

Compared to this, Konoha was practically a rural backwater!

Qingyu: Reached the top level of Sunagakure!

"Whoa!" Naruto's eyes went wide. "It's huge! Even bigger than Kage Rock!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but his tightly pressed lips gave away his shock.

Neji's Byakugan flickered faintly as he seemed to assess the fortress's defenses.

Kakashi closed Icha Icha Paradise and said lazily, "Sunagakure City, the ninja village of the Land of Wind, was built around a desert oasis. Its outer walls are made of special hardened sandstone that can withstand sandstorms and invaders... Okay, the tour is over. Time to go in."

As they approached, they saw that a group was already waiting at the city gate.

A squad of Sunagakure ninjas, led by a stern-looking middle-aged man with short blond hair: Baki.

Beside him stood...

Kankuro, Temari, and... Gaara?

Gaara still carried his signature gourd on his back. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and his vacant stare made him look like an AI customer-service agent.

He stared at the approaching group from Konoha—or, more precisely, at Sasuke.

Sasuke stared back at him.

The air between them seemed ready to freeze into ice.

Qingyu quietly took half a step back.

What was between you two?! The way you're staring at each other could fill fifty episodes of a tragic romance spinoff!

Besides, wasn't Naruto the one you were supposed to get involved with?

"Welcome to Sunagakure." Baki stepped forward, his tone as official as a news conference.

"I'm Baki, in charge of Sunagakure's side of this joint event. Was your journey here smooth?"

Kakashi smiled until his eyes narrowed. "Thanks to you, it went quite smoothly. A few 'enthusiastic Sunagakure friends' came by to say hello last night, though. I sent them back early."

Baki's expression didn't change. "There are always some... ill-mannered people in the desert. I'll deal with it."

They looked at each other, the air crackling with an invisible clash.

Qingyu: So this is how adults talk in the workplace? I've learned something. Next time, I'll say, "I'll deal with it," too.

Even though I can't deal with anything.

If I can't solve the problem, I can still solve you!

"I'll arrange your accommodations first." Baki turned aside. "Kankuro, take them to the guesthouse."

Kankuro nodded. The face paint on his cheeks stood out in the sunlight. "Follow me."

The group entered through the city gate.

The sights inside left Qingyu wide-eyed again. The streets were lined with typical desert-style buildings, with ocher walls, domed roofs, and small, tightly spaced windows.

There were plenty of people in the streets, but everyone seemed to be in a hurry. When they saw outsiders, their eyes filled with wariness and... curiosity?

"This feels like being in a zoo," Qingyu muttered. "Are we the monkeys?"

"Sunagakure is relatively... closed off," Neji explained quietly. "They don't have much contact with the outside world, so it's normal for them to be wary of outsiders."

Naruto didn't seem bothered at all. He looked around excitedly. "Hey! They're selling food over there! Is that meat on a stick?"

Kankuro glanced back. "That's grilled scorpion, a Sunagakure specialty. Want to try some?"

Naruto froze. "S-scorpions?!"

Temari snickered. "Konoha kids are so spoiled."

Sasuke shot back coldly, "At least we don't use a fan as a weapon. Is it because the desert's so hot that you have to carry one everywhere?"

"What did you say?!"

Just as they were about to start arguing again, Kakashi stepped in. "All right, all right. Let's get to the guesthouse first."

The guesthouse was a three-story building on the western side of the fortress.

The room assignments were simple: Kakashi got a room to himself, and the four boys were split into pairs.

"I'm rooming with Sasuke!" Naruto raised his hand.

"No," Sasuke instantly refused. "I'll room with Qingyu."

Qingyu: ??? Sasuke-kun, are we that close? Don't just make that decision for me! And I'm not your destined best friend, either!

Neji said, "Then I'll room with Naruto."

Naruto: "Huh?!"

In the end, the pairs were Sasuke and Qingyu, Neji and Naruto.

After entering the room, Qingyu looked around. There were two beds, a table, and a small window.

It was simple but clean. The only problem was... it was hot.

The desert afternoon temperature was absurdly high. The room felt like a steamer.

Qingyu felt like he was about to be roasted.

"That's just how the accommodations in Sunagakure are." Sasuke calmly took off his jacket, revealing a black compression shirt underneath. "You'll get used to it."

Qingyu silently wiped away his sweat.

Could a man really be this beautiful?

And Sasuke-kun, how are you adapting so well?

Or had the Uchiha tsundere gene kicked in? You'd rather die of heat than say a word, just standing there and posing!

Where's my disciple?!

Sasuke: I have no idea!

He opened the window to let in some air, but a wave of heat poured inside, making it even hotter.

One of us was being steamed, the other dried out. We were totally at their mercy...

What kind of hellish place was this? I was really going to turn into a dried-up salted fish!

Forget it. I'll keep quiet.