The Three Siblings Leave

Naruto felt nothing stir inside him.

He hadn't acted on impulse. Given who he was now and how he usually behaved, it would have been strange not to step in when Konohamaru was being bullied.

Konohamaru was his little brother, after all.

And just who was Konohamaru?

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's own grandson, lifted off his feet in public by a Sunagakure ninja on a Konoha street.

As a Konoha ninja, Naruto had every reason to stop it. No one could fault him for that.

He could earn Konohamaru's gratitude, make a good impression on the Third Hokage if he was watching through his crystal ball, and keep his true strength hidden.

Three birds with one stone.

It took Kankuro a moment to react.

"You brat, you..."

A kid who looked about Gaara's age had actually locked his wrist in place.

The humiliation stung. His right hand instinctively moved toward the puppet scroll on his back, his fingers already brushing its binding cord.

"Are you going to use Crow?"

Temari quietly placed a hand on Kankuro's shoulder.

"Stop, Kankuro."

"But this brat..."

Just then, a low, icy voice came from above.

"Stop..."

Everyone looked up at once.

A red-haired figure was crouched on a thick branch overhead. No one had noticed when he got there.

His arms were folded across his chest, and his pale blue-green eyes shone like cold lamps.

The character for "love" was carved into his forehead.

Sasuke stood beneath another tree not far away, his back pressed against the trunk. He didn't look pleased.

He had arrived after Konohamaru bumped into Kankuro and had deliberately chosen a spot hidden in the tree's shadow to watch.

He had thought himself well concealed, but before the red-haired boy spoke, he had glanced toward Sasuke as if he'd known he was there all along.

A chill ran down Sasuke's back. He knew I was hiding here the whole time.

"You're an embarrassment to the village."

Gaara dropped from the tree without a sound. Sand spread beneath his feet, then gathered again as though supporting his body.

He stood before Kankuro and spoke as calmly as if stating a fact. There was no anger in his voice, which only made him more frightening.

Kankuro flinched.

He knew his younger brother too well. The calmer Gaara sounded, the closer he was to losing control.

Cold sweat broke out on Kankuro's forehead almost at once and ran down the lines of his purple face paint.

He quickly set Konohamaru back on the ground and stepped away. Every trace of the swagger he had shown Naruto vanished.

"G-Gaara... This brat bumped into me first. I just wanted an apology..."

"Shut up."

Gaara didn't even look at him.

To Kankuro, that was mercy enough. At least Gaara was still letting him stand there.

Kankuro clamped his mouth shut. He didn't dare say another word.

Gaara's gaze passed over Kankuro and settled on Sasuke nearby.

He studied Sasuke for several seconds, as though examining an interesting object.

Gaara's stare made Sasuke uncomfortable. His Sharingan had yet to awaken, but his body instinctively tensed for a fight.

"You interest me."

Gaara's voice remained devoid of emotion. "What's your name?"

Sasuke frowned.

He hated being looked at that way. Gaara wasn't looking at him like a person, but like prey—or a corpse.

But Sasuke's pride wouldn't let him back down.

He raised his chin and answered coldly.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Sasuke Uchiha..."

Gaara repeated the name, as if tasting an unfamiliar food.

Then he looked away and turned to Naruto.

The way he looked at Naruto was different from the way he had looked at Sasuke.

He had assessed Sasuke like a hunter sizing up prey. When he looked at Naruto, it was more like he had found someone of his own kind.

"You noticed me earlier, didn't you?"

Gaara spoke slowly.

While he was in the tree, he had felt someone's awareness brush over him. It was faint, as easy to miss as the sound of a leaf touching the ground. But Gaara wouldn't miss it.

As Shukaku's Jinchuriki, Gaara had honed his awareness of his surroundings through countless assassination attempts and sleepless nights.

"Tell me your name."

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto met Gaara's gaze, his expression calm. "I did notice you earlier."

"As for why, I suppose it's because we might be the same kind of person."

Naruto knew, of course, about Shukaku, the One-Tail inside Gaara.

Shukaku kept trying to seize control of Gaara's body, leaving Gaara afraid to sleep. That was why the dark circles under his eyes were so pronounced.

Naruto had the Nine-Tails inside him, but his seal was perfect, so he suffered no such sleepless torment.

Gaara had also been raised as a weapon by his own father.

They were both Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. Of course they were alike.

At this point, Gaara felt nothing positive about being a Jinchuriki. He saw himself only as a lonely monster.

Naruto wasn't trying to change Gaara's view. He was placing the label of "monster" on both of them.

That way, Gaara would automatically see Naruto as someone who shared his suffering.

It was a crucial step in laying the groundwork for the Konoha Crush Plan.

Gaara fell silent for a moment.

He searched Naruto's eyes for any trace of deception or false kindness, but found none.

Naruto's gaze was clear. There was no fear, no disgust, and no attempt to curry favor.

There was only the honesty one might show someone just like oneself.

"The same kind of person?"

Gaara murmured the words, then turned his head away. His voice returned to its near-indifferent tone. "Hmph. Boring."

He turned around, sand flowing silently beneath his feet. After a few steps, he glanced back.

"Naruto Uzumaki. I'll see you at the Chunin Ninja Exams."

Kankuro and Temari exchanged a look of sheer relief, then hurried after Gaara. The three Sunagakure ninjas gradually disappeared down the Konoha street.

Before following Gaara, Temari glanced back at Naruto once more.

Only when the three were gone did Konohamaru finally seem to come unstuck. He let out a long breath.

Then he sprang into the air. His fear from being held aloft had vanished to who knew where, replaced by wide-eyed admiration.

"Whoa! Big bro, you were so cool!"

"You rushed in so fast! Before I could even blink, you'd grabbed that big guy's wrist."

"When did you learn a move that awesome?"