Konoha's market streets were alive with midday energy. Vendors shouted to attract customers, families strolled between stalls, and shinobi blended quietly into the crowd.
Everything felt lively and peaceful... except for a narrow alley where trouble was quietly brewing.
Naruto, having just caught up to Sasuke, suddenly felt the urge to mess with him. Grinning, he lunged forward and shoved—
Poof.
The "Sasuke" he hit vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"Huh—?!"
Before Naruto could react, his forward momentum carried him straight into someone else.
Thump.
He collided head-on with a tall boy walking beside a blonde girl carrying a massive folded fan on her back.
Both of them stumbled.
The boy steadied himself quickly, his face twisting into an irritated scowl.
"That hurt…" he muttered grumpily.
Beside him, the blonde girl placed both hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes as she sized Naruto up with a sharp, assessing squint.
--
Elsewhere, Kakashi had already left the Hokage's office.
He handed his completed mission report to Iruka, who accepted it and read through it carefully before smiling.
"So, I've formally received your report."
Then, hesitating slightly, Iruka looked up with a hopeful expression.
"Is Naruto… getting along with the others?"
Kakashi blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden question.
"Hm?"
His visible eye drifted lazily to the side, his usual dead-fish look returning.
"Well… he's doing okay."
Iruka smiled at that.
"I've been pretty busy lately," he said, scratching his cheek as a faint blush crept onto his face. "I haven't had a chance to see him even once since he got back."
"I'm a little concerned."
Kakashi studied him for a moment, then slipped his hands into his pockets.
"As you know, Iruka-sensei, Sasuke is also in Team Seven," he said casually. "And Naruto sees him as a rival. That does make things a bit… straining."
Then Kakashi smiled—just slightly.
"But the upside is that Naruto's abilities are developing at a remarkable pace."
"To the point where he might surprise you."
Naruto, unlike the canon version of himself, was far stronger thanks to Kushina still being alive but his personality remained just as loud and reckless as ever, enough to make people worry despite his growth.
"I see," Iruka said warmly. "That's good to hear."
Despite having worked all day, he felt oddly refreshed.
--
"Stop that, or you'll get yelled at later," the blonde girl said sharply.
She watched as the boy beside her grabbed Naruto by the collar—only for Naruto to grab him back just as aggressively, the two glaring at each other from inches away.
"I'm sorry! He's always fooling around like this," Sakura said quickly, stepping forward and trying to defuse the situation.
Who are these two? she wondered inwardly.
She turned her head, looking around instinctively.
"…Where's Sasuke?"
Only then did it sink in—she hadn't noticed when he'd used the Clone Jutsu at all.
"Hey! Stop it! Let go of me!" Naruto shouted, his face twisting into an ugly scowl as he struggled.
"Heh," the boy sneered. "So you're Konoha genin, huh? Fine—let's play with you before the strict one comes running."
"Take this!"
Naruto suddenly lashed out, kicking him straight in the stomach.
"Guh—!"
The boy staggered backward several steps, finally releasing Naruto.
"You little punk!" he snarled.
Then his fingers twitched, moving in a strange, deliberate rhythm—eerily reminiscent of Donquixote Doflamingo pulling invisible strings.
Suddenly, Naruto's body locked up and he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
"Hahaha!" the boy laughed, shaking his head mockingly.
"Konoha shinobi are really weak…"
Only then did Sakura notice the symbol on their clothing.
Foreign ninja…?
Why are they here?
A knot of nervousness twisted in her stomach as she realized this wasn't just a random scuffle anymore.
--
Naruto's fingers dug into the stone pavement.
For a brief moment, the laughter echoed in his ears.
"…Weak?"
His head lifted slowly.
Dust slid from his blond hair as he pushed himself upright, blue eyes burning with something sharp and stubborn.
"Hey."
Kankurō's eyes narrowed, cold and unfriendly.
Naruto stood fully upright, brushed the dust from his clothes, and clenched his fists—his back straight, his expression dead serious.
"Don't go acting all high and mighty just because you landed one cheap move," Naruto said, voice loud enough to draw attention. "You don't get to decide who's weak."
Then he jabbed a thumb into his chest.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! And I don't care if you're from another village, another country, or another planet..."
His grin spread wide, wild and fearless.
"—I don't lose to bullies!"
Before Kankurō could react...
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof—poof—poof—!
The alley exploded with smoke.
One Naruto became three.
Three became six.
"Keh—?!" Kankurō barely had time to register it.
"Let's go!"
"Yeah!"
"Payback time!"
A clone swept low, kicking his legs out from under him.
Another slammed a punch into his ribs.
The original Naruto came down from above...
"DOUBLE COMBO!"
WHAM—CRASH!
Kankurō's body skidded across the ground before slamming flat onto his back, arms and legs spread wide, eyes rolling back as he froze in place...
...perfectly posed.
Dead still.
Flat on the ground.
A textbook Yamcha-style defeat pose.
Silence.
Naruto landed lightly, brushing dust off his jacket as his clones crossed their arms smugly before vanishing one by one.
He looked down at Kankurō, snorted, and crossed his own arms.
"Tch. Did you really think I was easy to bully?"
Temari stared at Naruto, then at her brother, Kankurō.
Her eyes lingered on Naruto for a second longer than before, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
Sakura stood frozen, eyes wide.
That was… Naruto?
Since when was he so strong?
Wait… wasn't he always?
The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her head. Impossible. Naruto was just a lousy idiot—nowhere near Sasuke-kun.
Sakura suddenly shivered.
"…Huh?"
Her thoughts snapped apart as a chill crawled up her spine, prickling her skin like ice water.
She turned just in time to see Kankurō slowly pushing himself off the ground.
Dust slid from his clothes as he straightened, one hand wiping at his lips.
Red.
A thin smear of blood.
His eyes darkened.
The lazy arrogance from before twisted into something dangerous... something ugly.
Killing intent poured off him.
Temari's expression changed instantly.
"Kankurō," she warned, her tone tight. "Wait. You're not seriously going to use Crow, are you?"
"Shut up!" Kankurō roared.
He snapped his head toward Naruto, veins bulging at his temples, teeth clenched so hard they creaked.
"I'll kill this Konoha brat!"
His fingers twitched, already reaching for the seals...
Before he could finish.
A calm voice echoed in the ears of everyone present.
"So," the voice said coolly, "you're going crazy in a village that isn't even your own?"
"What gives you that confidence?"
Everyone froze.
All of them turned.
Standing a few steps away was Sasuke.
Hands tucked casually into his pockets.
Head tilted slightly downward.
Eyes slightly curious.
"Sasuke!"
"Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto and Sakura called out at the same time.
Sasuke didn't even glance at them.
His gaze never left Kankurō, calm and appraising, like a spectator watching a clown perform.
When his Shadow Clone had vanished earlier, Sasuke had immediately sensed something was off. With nothing better to do and admittedly curious about these foreign shinobi—he had followed the disturbance.
Well…
Truthfully, he'd been looking for an excuse to throw hands.
"And where did you crawl out from, smart-looking asshole?" Kankurō spat, completely unaware of who he was dealing with. "I hate your type the most."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, choosing not to respond.
"Who cares," Kankurō continued, sneering. "I'll kill you along with them since you saw it anyway."
"Blame yourself for being unlucky, kid."
He took a step forward—
SLAP.
The sound cracked through the alley.
Kankurō froze.
His head snapped to the side, eyes wide in disbelief as his palm pressed against his cheek.
Sasuke was suddenly standing right in front of him.
"…You—"
SLAP.
Another sharp crack echoed.
Something white clattered across the stone.
A tooth.
It rolled once… then stopped.
Kankurō staggered backward, his face turning deathly pale.
Sasuke stood there calmly, arm lowering as if he'd done nothing more than swat a fly.
"You talk too much," Sasuke said flatly, his eyes flicking to the blood on Kankurō's lips and the tooth on the ground before lifting again.
"Is this how the Sand trains its ninja—screaming in alleys and threatening people until someone hits back?" He stepped closer, expression bored.
"You came all the way here just to lose teeth and dignity." His gaze hardened.
"If this is your confidence… you're not dangerous. Just embarrassing."
The air went dead silent.
Naruto's jaw dropped, while Sakura stared in stunned disbelief.
Temari caught her breath, her hand already moving toward her ninja fan without thinking.
Kankurō… got slapped.
Twice.
And she didn't even see it happen.
Kankurō trembled, rage and humiliation boiling over as blood dripped from his mouth.
"You—! I'll—!"
Sasuke took one step forward.
That was enough.
Kankurō's words died in his throat.
His instincts screamed.
This wasn't a normal genin.
This wasn't someone he could bully.
He...
He was dangerous.
Sasuke bent down casually, picked up a small stone, then straightened.
His eyes narrowed.
"I don't like people watching me secretly," he said coolly. "Especially if it's a freak."
Swoosh.
The stone cut through the air and slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree.
For a split second—nothing.
Then...
A figure dropped into view, hanging upside down from a branch as if gravity meant nothing at all.
Red hair. Empty, hollow eyes.
Both Temari and Kankurō's expressions changed instantly as they recognized the new arrival—fear flashing across their faces.
"G-Gaara…"
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