Unlike the other villages, the Hidden Sand's participants for the Chūnin Exams, including Gaara, didn't travel together. Instead, they split into several groups heading toward the Hidden Leaf.
The most secretive group, naturally, was the one with Gaara.
Leading the team was Elder Chiyo, accompanied by Temari and Kankurō.
Temari suddenly asked, "Elder Chiyo, after participating in this Chūnin Exam, will Gaara stay in the Hidden Leaf?"
"Mm," Chiyo nodded.
Temari pressed, "When can Gaara return to the village?"
Chiyo's expression grew complex. "I don't know."
In the past, Temari and Kankurō would have been thrilled not to be around Gaara all the time. But after their last trip to the Hidden Leaf, Gaara had changed.
He was no longer the terrifying figure he once was. Instead, he'd become a calm younger brother, and the three siblings had been getting along quite well lately.
Kankurō teased, "Why don't we stay in the Hidden Leaf too?"
Temari thought for a moment. "That works!"
Gaara said calmly, "You don't need to stay in the Hidden Leaf for my sake."
Temari shook her head. "I don't feel safe leaving you alone there."
"The Hidden Leaf's not bad," Gaara said, thinking of the orange-haired boy who, like him, carried a tailed beast inside.
Chiyo spoke up, "This trip to the Hidden Leaf is mainly to keep you safe, but you need to take the Chūnin Exam seriously. According to intelligence, the other villages are sending their new-generation geniuses. The Hidden Sand can't afford to lose too badly!"
Gaara's interest piqued. "Will Uzumaki Naruto be participating?"
Chiyo glanced at Gaara, surprised by his focus on Naruto. "Yes, the Hidden Leaf's jinchūriki is on the participant list. Besides him, the Hidden Leaf is sending the Kurama clan's heiress and an Uchiha with the Mangekyō!"
Kankurō groaned, "Damn, all tough opponents!"
Temari looked at Gaara, thinking, "Thankfully, our village has Gaara!"
Aside from Gaara, the Hidden Sand's new generation lacked standout figures. Temari considered herself strong among her peers, but compared to the Hidden Leaf's prodigies—especially the Kurama clan's heiress—she fell short.
Gaara said, "I'll do my best!"
Chiyo's lips curved upward.
The current Gaara, though outwardly similar to before, was fundamentally different inside. The most noticeable change was the fading of the dark circles under his eyes.
This small detail was significant—it showed that Shukaku's corrosion of Gaara was slowing, or even receding.
Chiyo's keen insight left no doubt about Gaara's potential. As long as Shukaku didn't hold him back, even at twelve years old, Gaara already possessed elite jōnin-level strength.
If Gaara could communicate with Shukaku and borrow its power, he'd be a Kage-level powerhouse, rivaling the Fourth Kazekage!
Chiyo mused, "As the Akatsuki hunts tailed beasts, the remaining jinchūriki are moving toward becoming perfect jinchūriki. Even those tailed beasts are afraid!"
…
Land of Grass, Outside a Rogue Ninja Camp,
Two figures crouched in the grass, eyeing a nearby rogue ninja camp.
Due to the recent war in the Land of Grass, the Grass Village still hadn't recovered, making the country a haven for rogue ninjas.
Though the Grass Village was trying to eliminate these rogue ninjas—mostly defectors—they were hampered by a lack of manpower, slowing their progress.
These rogue ninjas, living day-to-day, acted without restraint, robbing caravans and even banding together to attack towns guarded by Grass Village shinobi.
The rogue ninjas in the camp ahead had just raided a small town, looting wealth, killing, and setting fires. Even the two Grass shinobi guarding the town couldn't escape and died at their hands.
In the grass, one of the figures whispered, "Chino, did you send the message back?"
The other nodded. "Yes, I released the messenger pigeon in the woods just now."
Undoubtedly, the two hiding in the grass were Ryūzetsu and Chino, whom Shinji had sent back to the Grass Village.
Ryūzetsu sighed, seemingly recalling something. "Even if we sent the message, it's probably useless. This camp has at least twenty or thirty rogue ninjas, and I heard there's a jōnin-level expert among them. With the village's current manpower, we can't muster a sufficient force to take them down anytime soon!"
Chino was stunned. "Are we just going to watch them escape? They just attacked an entire town!"
Ryūzetsu hesitated.
Judging by the camp's migration direction, they were clearly planning to flee westward out of the Land of Grass. After committing so many crimes here, it was natural for them to seek refuge elsewhere.
But letting them slip away like this left Ryūzetsu unwilling.
Chino suggested, "Why don't we take action?"
"Just the two of us?!" Ryūzetsu was taken aback, shaking her head. "No, it's too risky!"
Chino said, "We can sneak attack at night!"
Ryūzetsu still shook her head. "Even if we can take out one or two, there are too many in the camp. Our odds are too low!"
Chino thought for a moment. "How about this: if they spot us, we escape! With our speed, they shouldn't catch us!"
After weighing the options, Ryūzetsu finally nodded. "Alright, even if we only take out one or two, it's better than watching them escape!"
…
Nighttime.
The moonlight was cold, bathing the land.
Such bright moonlight wasn't ideal for a sneak attack, but Ryūzetsu and Chino couldn't wait. Crouching low, they quietly approached the camp.
"Move!"
With a lip-signal, the two sprang into action!
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Like phantoms, they silently reaped lives under the moonlight. Too tense to notice, they didn't realize that as they killed more, they had silently wiped out the entire camp of twenty or thirty rogue ninjas.
Even the jōnin-level ninja they had particularly feared didn't have time to sound an alarm before being slain in their joint ambush.
Looking at the camp filled with corpses, a calmed Chino said in disbelief, "We killed all of them?"
Ryūzetsu was equally stunned.
At that moment, Ryūzetsu's brother, Ryūran, arrived hurriedly with two squads. Seeing the camp littered with bodies, they too were shocked.
Snapping out of it, Ryūzetsu asked, "Brother, why are you here?"
Still dazed, Ryūran replied, "I… I came to call you back to participate in the Hidden Leaf's Chūnin Exam…"
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