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The streets of Konoha bustled with life as Naruto and Sakura strolled alongside the excited Konohamaru Gang. Children laughed, merchants hollered, and the gentle hum of peace blanketed the village, or at least it seemed so.
But peace, Naruto knew, was often a fleeting illusion.
Before he could stop them, the trio darted forward like arrows loosed from a bow. Konohamaru's laughter echoed as he led the charge toward the Hokage Tower, his tiny frame weaving between villagers like a sparrow in flight.
"Waitā!" Naruto called, his voice sharp, but it was already too late.
Konohamaru's sprint was cut short with a thud as he collided head-first into someone solidāsomeone tall. The impact sent him tumbling backward into the dirt, dazed. Udon and Moegi skidded to a halt behind him, eyes wide with worry.
Konohamaru blinked, and then looked up slowlyāright into the stern, painted face of a man easily twice his size. The man's skin was tanned, but streaked with wild, purple paint under his eyes, making him look like a tribal warrior. His eyes were sharp, narrow, and slightly sunken, a constant scowl marking his features. His outfit was dark and fittedāblack mesh armor under a thick brown cloak.
But what caught the eye most was the massive object strapped to his back, wrapped tightly in cloth and bound with chakra threadāit looked like a coffin, or worse, a weapon of death.
"You got guts, little punk," The man growled, rubbing his chest where Konohamaru had bumped into him. "That actually hurt."
"Kankuro, don't make a scene," A cool, feminine voice spoke beside him.
Standing just behind him was a tall, striking blonde. Her light blue eyes were calculating, her long golden hair tied into four sharp ponytails like wind-blown blades. She wore a deep crimson short kimono top, slit at the sides for mobility, secured with a wide white sash.
A large, folded iron fan was strapped to her backāher signature weapon. Her expression was calm but stern, like a seasoned commander watching a young soldier fumble.
"Let it go. You'll get yelled at later," She added in a low voice.
Naruto and Sakura had already sensed the disturbance. As Sakura hurried to Moegi and Udon to help them up, Naruto stepped in, eyes narrowing as he scanned the strangers.
"Kankuro," Naruto said quietly, his tone calm but alert.
Kankuro's brows furrowed. "What did you justā?"
"Easy," Naruto raised a hand. "I apologize for my little bro here. He gets too excited sometimes. So how about you let him go, yeah?"
His smile was friendly, but behind it was a sharp edge, like a blade just sheathed.
Sakura, now beside him, recognized the tension instantly. She stood straight and close, alert. Her instincts, sharpened through training under Naruto's shadow, told her these weren't average visitors.
Kankuro huffed. "Tch. We're guests here. Doesn't mean we'll let your brats trample over us."
"Let's play with him before the strict ones show up," Kankuro smirked, his grip on Konohamaru's collar tightening.
But before the words had fully left his lips, Naruto vanished from his place with a gust of wind.
Body Flicker.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Kankuro. His hand shot forward, wrapping around Kankuro's wrist like an iron chain, and with a sharp twist, he struck the pressure point in his hand.
"Gah!" Kankuro grunted, caught off guard as pain shot up his arm.
Naruto yanked Konohamaru free, gently pulling the boy behind him.
"Listen," Naruto said, his voice low, cold, and commanding now. "You're guests. We've shown you courtesy. But next timeāif you lay a hand on someone I care about... I will tear your limbs apart."
Kankuro's expression soured as he pulled back his arm, still tingling from the hit. His eyes narrowed on Naruto now with caution, not just irritation.
This kid wasn't just some puffed-up genin. He had presence, and power coiled behind his every move.
Temari, meanwhile, was stunned. Her eyes had lingered on Naruto since he first appearedāsharp blue eyes, strong jawline, unruly golden hair that caught the light like fire. And now, standing with confidence, defending a child, his aura burning like the sun itself... she found her heart skip, if only for a second.
"ā¦Handsome and strong," She murmured under her breath.
"You say something?" Kankuro growled.
Temari coughed and turned away. "Nothing. Focus."
Kankuro's pride was clearly bruised. With a frustrated grunt, he began to unravel the cloth on his back.
"You're not thinking of using Crow, are you?!" Temari stepped forward, tone alarmed.
"Back off, Temari! This punk started it!"
Naruto smirked, folding his arms as if daring him to move. "I didn't think you had the guts to unleash Crow in the middle of the Leaf Village. Or are you hoping someone else shows up to save you?"
His gaze driftedāupward.
And there, hanging silently like a bat from a tree branch, was a figure cloaked in shadow. Red hair like desert sand, pale skin, and cold, seafoam-green eyes that pierced through the daylight like frost. The boy's arms were crossed, his face expressionless, but his chakra was a different storyādense, suffocating, seething.
Naruto didn't flinch. He met those eyes head-on.
"Reel in your bloodlust, brother," Naruto said softly, voice like steel. "I'm more sensitive to it than most."
A pause.
And thenā¦ Naruto let his own chakra leak. It rolled out slowly, like smoke from an ancient fireābut then surged, flooding the area in a crushing wave of killing intent.Ā
Even Sakura felt her knees weaken slightly, despite being accustomed to Naruto's power.
The sheer weight of his presence turned the air cold.
Temari gasped as she looked up at Gaaraāher brother. Even he looked stunned, brows twitching.
Naruto's smile returned, slow and menacing. "This is your only warning."
Gaara's lips twitched. For the first time, something flickered in his eyesāinterest.
Gaara slowly closed his eyes, his breath steady. He inhaled deeply, allowing the moment to settle, then opened his eyes once more ā their piercing turquoise gaze now sharper, colder, and unforgiving.
His attention shifted, blade-like, toward Kankuro.
"Kankuro," He said, voice low and steady, but layered with commanding authority. "Stop that."
The words cut through the air like kunai.
A tense pause fell upon the three siblings.
"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara declared, each word slow and precise, delivered like a final judgment.Ā
Temari's eyes widened, her confident posture faltering as a flicker of shame crossed her face. She exchanged a glance with Kankuro, whose smirk from earlier was now frozen.
Kankuro stiffened, his mouth opening as if to protest ā but no words came. His face twitched, a rare vulnerability breaking through.
"Gā¦ Gaaraā¦" He murmured, voice shaking with fear.
--- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ---
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