Temari's contact information had slipped through his fingers, and Naruto felt somewhat regretful about it.
Still, the Third Hokage's good-cop routine had worked surprisingly well on a child like Gaara, who had been trampled into the mud since childhood.
Naruto had at least had Hiruzen Sarutobi show up every now and then when he was little, earning himself a bit of goodwill. Gaara had suffered far more.
He had finally found an uncle who cared for him, only for the Kazekage Rasa to specifically send that uncle to his death.
The saying that even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs simply did not apply to Gaara's father.
When Naruto suppressed Shukaku, he had shown Gaara kindness. That struck the deepest chord in Gaara's heart, after he had spent so long being shunned as a monster.
"Finally got off to a good start."
Naruto chuckled smugly and headed for the dango shop to find Izumi Uchiha.
The two of them went to Hana Inuzuka's pet shop afterward and spent half the day petting dogs.
It was not until the third day that Second Pillar came storming over and roared at Naruto, "Where the hell did you go yesterday?!"
Only then did Naruto suddenly remember that he seemed to have told Sasuke and Karin to meet at the Ninja Academy.
Karin lived with him, so naturally she had not gone. But he had completely forgotten about Second Pillar.
"Ahem, I got assigned an emergency mission at the last minute."
Naruto coughed twice, then pulled out the Chunin Ninja Exams application form and handed it to Sasuke. "Fill it out. We're registering today."
Sasuke shot Naruto a suspicious look, clearly reserving judgment on that excuse.
Karin stood nearby, desperately holding back her laughter.
The day of the exam arrived soon enough.