Three figures stood blocking the path to Room 203—two males and one female, each wearing the distinctive headbands of Sunagakure. Their positioning appeared deliberately confrontational, stretching across the width of the corridor.
"Excuse me, could we pass through?" Shin asked politely, addressing the trio with a respectful nod.
Naruto, however, was more focused on the appearance of the taller male figure. His eyes widened, and he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, what a weird-looking guy!"
The object of Naruto's amusement was dressed entirely in black, with an oddly shaped hat that created a cat-like silhouette. Most striking, however, was his face—covered in elaborate purple markings that created a distinct theatrical appearance.
Sasuke, standing beside Naruto, narrowed his eyes slightly and examined the figure more closely. His gaze moved to the large object wrapped tightly in white bandages strapped to the Sand ninja's back.
Between the distinctive face paint and the wrapped object, Sasuke immediately recognized what he was looking at. "A puppeteer," he thought to himself.
As the son of the Uchiha clan leader, Sasuke's knowledge of shinobi traditions and techniques from other villages far exceeded that of most genin his age. The puppet masters of Sunagakure were legendary in certain circles, known for their deadly precision and tactical versatility.
"Brother," Chiharu whispered, tugging gently at the corner of Naruto's jacket. She too had recognized the signature style of the Sand puppeteer. Unlike her brother, she had paid close attention during their father's lessons about foreign shinobi techniques.
Naruto had never excelled at theoretical knowledge; most of what Minato had taught them about other villages had gone in one ear and out the other. To him, the stranger simply looked ridiculous.
The puppeteer's expression darkened at Naruto's continued laughter. With his face paint accentuating every change in his features, his growing anger only made him appear more comical to Naruto, whose laughter increased in volume.
"I'm very sorry," Chiharu quickly apologized, grabbing her brother's arm and attempting to guide him around the trio to reach the registration room.
Despite the Academy corridor being reasonably spacious, the three Sand ninjas had positioned themselves to occupy nearly eighty percent of the available width. It was a deliberate tactic—subtle enough to maintain plausible deniability, but obvious in its intent to anyone paying attention.
Chiharu maneuvered toward the rightmost portion of the hallway, approaching the blonde kunoichi who stood in the middle of the trio. "Excuse me," she said with a polite smile.
The blonde girl, with four distinctive ponytails and a massive folding fan secured to her back, didn't acknowledge Chiharu's words. She remained motionless, as though Chiharu hadn't spoken at all.
A slight frown formed on Chiharu's face. Though generally gentle-natured, she wasn't naive. It was increasingly apparent that these three weren't blocking the path by happenstance—this was deliberate provocation.
Before Chiharu could speak again, Sasuke—who had been observing silently—stepped forward. "Get out of the way," he stated coldly, his tone leaving no room for misinterpretation.
The puppeteer's painted lips curled into a taunting smile. "Kid, what exactly do you think you'll do if I don't move?" His voice carried a playful menace, clearly trying to provoke a reaction.
Sasuke's eyes flickered momentarily with anger, but he restrained himself. Creating an incident before the exams even began would be counterproductive. "This is Konoha," he replied evenly, "it's not your place to act recklessly here."
"Heh." The puppeteer's sneer widened as he shifted his stance slightly, his fingers twitching in a way that suggested he might be preparing to use his techniques.
Before the situation could escalate further, the red-haired boy—the shortest of the three—who had remained silent until now, turned toward the puppeteer. "Kankuro," he said, his voice eerily calm and emotionless, "shut up."
The effect was immediate and surprising. Kankuro, who had projected such confidence and arrogance just moments earlier, visibly tensed. A flash of unmistakable fear crossed his features, and he swallowed whatever retort he had been about to make.
"What do you guys want?" Naruto demanded, finally recognizing the hostile intent behind the confrontation. His earlier amusement evaporated, replaced by the defensive anger typical of his temperament. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto had little concern for diplomatic niceties or the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure.
The red-haired boy turned slowly to face Naruto directly, his pale green eyes ringed with dark circles meeting Naruto's bright blue ones.
"Are you Namikaze Naruto?" he asked, his voice unsettlingly devoid of emotion.
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Who are you? Why do you know my name?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. He was certain he had never encountered this strange boy before.
Instead of answering, the red-haired youth shifted his gaze to Chiharu, studying her with the same unnerving intensity.
Namikaze Naruto and Namikaze Chiharu, the blonde kunoichi thought to herself. So these are the two that Father specifically instructed us to watch for—the Hokage's children.
Temari assessed the siblings with a critical eye. They look like ordinary kids, she mused, a dismissive expression briefly crossing her features. Simultaneously, she felt a twinge of pity for them. It was simply their misfortune to have been singled out by Gaara.
Even having the Yellow Flash of Konoha as their father wouldn't protect them within the confines of the Chunin Exams. As for Gaara, such distinctions meant nothing to him. He acknowledged no authority, respected no lineage.
"My name is Gaara," the red-haired boy finally stated, turning his attention to Sasuke. "You look... interesting. What's your name?"
Sasuke, still puzzling over why the arrogant puppeteer had shown such obvious fear toward this diminutive boy, met Gaara's gaze unflinchingly. "Uchiha Sasuke," he replied, matching Gaara's detached tone.
"I'll remember you," Gaara stated simply. Then, without further explanation, he addressed his companions. "Kankuro, Temari, let's go."
His words carried the unmistakable weight of a command rather than a suggestion. Neither Temari nor Kankuro showed any inclination to question him.
Sakura, Sai, and the others instinctively stepped aside, creating a path for the three Sand ninja to pass through. The tension in the hallway remained palpable even as they departed.
"Strange guy," Naruto muttered, narrowing his eyes as he watched them leave. This Gaara person appeared normal on the surface, but something about him felt profoundly wrong. Every movement, every word seemed calculated and unnatural.
If pressed to explain, Naruto might have said that Gaara reminded him somewhat of Sasuke—cool and detached—but with something far more disturbing lurking beneath the surface.
Shin turned to Naruto with a concerned expression. "It seems those guys were specifically interested in you and your sister," he observed thoughtfully. "I suspect this Chunin Exam won't be as straightforward as we hoped."
"Targeting us?" Naruto's pupils contracted slightly as realization dawned. "Because of Dad?"
Though Naruto often struggled with theoretical knowledge of the shinobi world, he was intimately familiar with his father's accomplishments. During both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars, the renowned elder Chiyo of the Sand Village and the Fourth Kazekage himself had suffered decisive defeats at Minato's hands.
It made a certain kind of sense—because he and Chiharu were the children of the Fourth Hokage, they were receiving this "special attention" from the Sand ninjas.
Rather than appearing concerned by this revelation, Naruto's face suddenly broke into a broad, challenging grin. "If that's how they want it, then bring it on!"
He had never been one to shy away from conflict. In fact, for someone like Naruto, this represented an opportunity—a chance to prove himself on his own merits. He had no desire to rely on his father's reputation or to receive special treatment because of his lineage.
If these Sand ninja wanted to target him and Chiharu because of who their father was, then he would simply have to defeat them one by one and show them exactly what a Namikaze could do!
"Haha, this is getting more interesting by the minute," Sasuke commented, a rare smile slowly spreading across his typically stoic features.
He had initially believed that Naruto and Chiharu would be the only participants worth his attention in these exams. But it seemed Kakashi's warning had been prescient—the Chunin Exams would indeed hold challenges he hadn't anticipated.
As they finally made their way into Room 203 to submit their registration forms, both Naruto and Sasuke felt the same unfamiliar sensation—a mixture of excitement and wariness that signaled the beginning of something significant. The Chunin Exams would test them in ways they couldn't yet imagine, and neither was willing to back down from the challenge.
Chiharu, walking between them, observed their matching expressions of anticipation with a mixture of amusement and concern. Unlike her brother and his rival, she sensed something deeply troubling about Gaara—something that went beyond mere competition or village rivalries.
The sand ninja's eyes had contained something inhuman, a void that reminded her of stories she'd heard about those who had been irrevocably changed by the power sealed within them.
As the daughter of a former Jinchūriki, Chiharu recognized the signs. Gaara wasn't just a dangerous opponent—he was someone fighting a constant battle against the demon inside him. And from what she had glimpsed in those pale green eyes, it appeared to be a battle he might be losing.