Bloodthirsty Gaara

After settling in, Team 8 left their room and headed through the corridor toward the tower's other floors. The tower in the middle of the Forest of Death was relatively small, with five floors in total. The first floor contained the reception area and arena, the second was the kitchen, the third and fourth held rooms and bathrooms, and the top floor housed the administration and monitoring rooms.

They quickly went downstairs and found the kitchen. Since the Chunin Exams were being held, the kitchen had prepared a large amount of food. When they entered, they discovered they were not alone. The Sand Village team was there as well.

"Hey, Gaara," Naruto called out in greeting as he waved and walked into the kitchen. The moment they saw Naruto, Kankuro and Temari immediately tensed up, knowing Gaara could erupt at any moment. Hinata and Shino were wary of them as well.

Gaara scrutinized Naruto before speaking.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you interest me."

Naruto responded with a smile.

"Sorry, I already have a girlfriend." With that, Naruto kissed Hinata on the cheek.

The corner of Gaara's eye twitched slightly. Beside him, Temari and Kankuro wondered if every Konoha ninja had a death wish.

With a sickly smile, Gaara said,

"Mother wants your blood. Then everyone will acknowledge my existence."

"Mother? You know Shukaku is male, right?" Naruto asked. "Besides, you don't need to make people acknowledge you through killing."

Gaara said, "Once I kill you, I will prove my existence forever."

"Instead of killing them, fight to protect them. Then they will acknowledge you forever," Naruto explained.

"Do you fight to protect people?"

"That's right. When you fight to protect the people you care about, your true strength will reveal itself."

"Foolish. We are nothing but killers. We live to kill. We are weapons."

"I've never seen myself as a weapon."

"You're a fool. I'll prove it to you. Once I kill you, everyone will notice my existence," Gaara said.

"Fine. When we meet in the arena, I'll prove to you that true acknowledgment comes from those who care about you." Naruto left the room with his team after saying that.

"Hey, princess, I'm going to talk to Anko. See you later." Naruto turned to tell her.

"Okay, see you later." After replying, she gave him a gentle kiss.

##Fifth-Floor Monitoring Room##

Naruto left his teammates and headed to the fifth floor alone. He walked up to the room and knocked. The door opened. Inside were the Hokage, Anko, Ibiki, and several Chunin.

"Naruto, did you need something?" the Hokage asked Naruto as he entered the room.

"May I speak with you and Anko alone?" Naruto asked.

Anko raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Of course." The Hokage agreed and gestured for everyone except Anko to leave the room.

Naruto quickly formed several hand seals and said, "Silent Domain." A faint flash passed through the room, and everything fell silent.

"Now, I want to examine your curse mark. You don't mind, do you?" Naruto said, and Anko involuntarily placed a hand over her neck.

"Why?" she asked. She did not like bringing up her past.

"I want to know whether I can remove it," Naruto said. Anko laughed.

"Kid, I admit you're strong, but this seal can't be removed," Anko said regretfully.

"Any seal can be undone," Naruto said. "Have some faith. Besides, there's nothing to lose by trying."

"Come on, Anko. You may not know this, but Naruto is a sealing master." The Hokage joined the conversation. Anko raised her brows and studied him carefully.

"You're saying this kid is a sealing master? Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Legendary Three, has tried before," Anko said.

"That's right. He has already provided our village with quite a few seals of his own creation. He improved explosive tags, created remote-controlled explosive tags, and even invented flash tags," the Hokage explained. Anko still looked doubtful.

"Let's make a bet. If I can remove it, you have to treat me to ramen."

"Deal." Anko sighed and took off her coat so Naruto could more easily reach her curse mark.

Naruto activated his Sharingan and perfectly memorized the seal's design. He pressed a finger against the mark and began injecting a trace of chakra. He noticed a faint glow flickering across the seal, and Anko frowned slightly.

This must be tuned to Orochimaru's chakra signature.

"Anko, I need you to activate the cursed seal." As Naruto spoke, he carefully observed her chakra pathways with his Sharingan.

"Fine," Anko replied. She poured chakra into the cursed seal, and it began spreading across her entire body. Black markings started to spread from the seal, covering her skin.

Naruto continued observing closely with his Sharingan.

"Interesting," Naruto said as he closed his eyes.

"Kurama, what do you think? Can we inject your chakra into the seal to break it?" Naruto asked.

"Injecting my chakra will destroy the cursed seal, but she will most likely suffer severe poisoning. Without an exceptionally skilled doctor present, she is unlikely to survive," Kurama replied.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw both of them staring at him.

"I need my grandmother's help," Naruto explained.

"Your grandmother?" Anko asked.

"My grandmother, Tsunade," Naruto answered.

"Oh my God, you're her grandson?" Anko half-screeched. Tsunade was a legend among all female ninja, everything every kunoichi aspired to become—both powerful and beautiful.

"Yes, but keep it secret. Now, I noticed that aside from leaking chakra, the seal also releases certain chemicals into the blood, most likely to create dependency. Whether or not we use the Nine-Tails' chakra, I'll need my grandmother to remove it." Naruto saw the disappointment on her face. Tsunade had left the village years ago.

"I have one more trick." Naruto vanished in a yellow flash after saying that.

The Hokage and Anko's eyes widened. Neither of them had seen a flash like that in fourteen years.

"That was...?" Anko stammered.

The Hokage asked,

"Do you believe me now?"

Anko nodded blankly. A few minutes later, Naruto reappeared in the room with a large scroll in his hands. He placed it on the floor and unrolled it, revealing a complex seal array.

"Anko, please sit in the center of the scroll," Naruto said, looking at her confused expression.