At this moment in Konoha, the village was bustling with life. Hotel owners wore wide smiles—this wave of fortune had finally arrived. Every inn was packed to capacity.
Even the late-arriving shinobi teams were forced to cram four or five to a room.
By two in the afternoon, every participating ninja had gathered in the main examination hall.
Meanwhile, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stood in front of Ichiraku Ramen. After slurping down their bowls, the trio headed toward the exam venue.
As they walked, Naruto's eyes were drawn to a figure ahead—carrying a large sand gourd on his back.
Gaara.
Feeling Naruto's gaze, Gaara turned around slowly. His eyes were cold, piercing. At that moment, something stirred inside both of them.
The chakra of their tailed beasts.
Kurama's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
"Naruto! You'd better put that brat in his place during the exam."
Naruto frowned.
"Tch… Why should I listen to you?"
Inside Gaara, Shukaku's voice whispered with dark amusement.
"That kid's the same as you… If you can't kill him, what's the point of your existence?"
Veins pulsed in Gaara's eyes. A twisted grin tugged at his lips. His gaze locked onto Naruto like he could see straight through him.
"Kill… kill… kill… kill…"
He muttered it over and over, like a possessed mantra.
Kankuro, walking beside him, suddenly felt a chill. He turned to look—and froze.
Fear flashed across his face.
"Shit! Why's Gaara losing it already?! There's no trigger!"
He glanced at Temari.
"Temari! Do something!"
Temari's face paled. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead as she quickly moved to block Gaara's view.
"Gaara... come on, just hold back for a little while, okay~?" she said softly, almost pleading.
"Wait until the actual exam. Then you can do whatever you want~"
"Please… listen to your sister, yeah~?"
But her coaxing only made things worse.
Gaara shoved her aside and slowly approached Naruto.
Their eyes met.
Naruto's breath caught. Gaara's bloodthirst was so palpable that Naruto involuntarily stepped back.
"Y-You… what are you doing?!"
Gaara reached out, aiming to grab Naruto's collar—when suddenly, his hand was knocked away.
Sasuke stepped in, red eyes spinning with a 1.5-tomoe Sharingan. He glared into Gaara's eyes.
"Hey. If you wanna fight, you'll have your chance during the exams."
"Don't screw around now. If you don't wanna get promoted to Chunin, fine. But we do."
He grabbed Naruto and Sakura's hands and bolted toward the exam hall, muttering as they ran:
"Hurry. That guy's dangerous. Stay sharp in the next round."
But Gaara's eyes remained locked on Naruto's back as he spoke in a low, emotionless voice:
"We're the same."
Naruto stopped.
His eyes turned to Gaara—complicated, searching.
That look... it's just like how I used to be…
So full of hate for the world. So alone.
But I'm not alone anymore… I have Pervy Sage… Hikaru-nii… Kakashi-sensei… Sakura… Sasuke… and even Shikamaru.
All those who stood beside him had become his strength.
Naruto turned around and waved.
"Hey! I'll be waiting for you in the next exam!"
"Don't get knocked out in the written test, got it?"
"And… if possible, I'd like to be your friend!" ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ
To others, Naruto's words may have seemed nonsensical, but to Gaara… they landed with the weight of something entirely new.
"Friend?"
What a weird… yet strangely desirable thing.
Even Gaara himself didn't realize that the corners of his mouth twitched—just slightly—upward.
Temari noticed.
Kankuro didn't believe it for a second.
"Did I just see Gaara smile?" she whispered.
Kankuro shuddered like he'd seen a ghost.
"Impossible. No way Gaara would smile. You're seeing things."
Up above, on a nearby rooftop, Saya (Guang) was crouched with a pensive look. Her gaze flicked between Naruto's team and Gaara's trio.
"So these are the Jinchūriki I read about…?"
"Honestly? Not that impressive. When I was twelve, I was way stronger."
An elderly chuckle came from beside her.
"Hahaha… Saya, you're different from them."
"You're the most talented ninja I've seen since Uchiha Hikaru."
"Though Lord Hikaru was a late bloomer. When he was twelve, he might not have been as powerful as you."
Saya scratched her head, a little flustered.
"No way… Lord Hikaru was probably hiding his strength."
"Compared to him, I've got a long way to go~" (〃￣ω￣〃)
To her, Hikaru was a god. She'd never dream of comparing herself to him.
Just then, Hoshigaki Kisame spoke up, standing nearby with his arms crossed and Samehada strapped to his back.
"As much as I'm enjoying this little moment, we should get moving."
"The written test's about to start. If we don't show up now, we'll be marked absent."
"I don't want to disappoint Lord Hikaru."
Saya nodded quickly.
But as she looked at Kisame's serious expression, a realization came over her.
This big fish-faced guy… he respects Lord Hikaru too.
Just like me… (＠＾◡＾)
Maybe I'm not the only one who worships him like a god.
That thought lit a quiet fire in her heart.
"I'm the number one under Lord Hikaru!"
With that conviction, the three Genin-level monsters—Saya, Kisame, and Ao—raced toward the exam hall at full speed.
The exam hall was massive.
Over 2,000 seats, each spaced a meter apart. Wide and spacious.
Only someone like Yamato could have built something like this with Wood Release.
But right now, Yamato sat slumped in the Foreign Affairs Office, hooked up to an IV drip, eyes hollow as he flipped through stacks of paperwork.
"Minister Kurenai, please come back soon…"
"If this keeps up, I really will die from overwork…" (×_×;)
In the exam hall, over a thousand participants had already taken their seats. Everyone had been assigned a random number and seated accordingly.
Naruto sat down and immediately panicked.
The seat next to him was empty.
His heart plummeted.
[I'm screwed! There's no one near me!]
[I'm the worst at written tests!]
[What do I do?!]
[Sage of Six Paths, save meeee!] (;￣Д￣）
…
…
[To be continued.]