Gaara left with a foul temper.
Noticing Kankuro was still standing there, the red-haired boy frowned. "Kankuro, are you just going to stand there and wait to die?"
"N-No..." Kankuro cautiously followed Gaara's steps.
After her two younger brothers left, Temari stopped, turned to Team 7, and bowed earnestly. "Despite everything... thank you."
No matter what, even though Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had foul mouths, they had saved Kankuro from Gaara. She felt a faint sense of guilt, because she knew some of the inside details of the upcoming Chunin Exams.
As the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage, Temari's life was far from the glamorous one others imagined. She was just doing her best to keep her family intact, just like her mother before her.
Sasuke Uchiha looked at Temari, tapped his own arm, and asked, "Is your relationship really that bad? Why does he want to kill his own brother?"
Sakura Haruno: "..."
Naruto Uzumaki: "..."
What right did their teammate have to ask that, when he himself spent every waking moment thinking about killing his own brother? Even now, he was still secretly gathering intelligence on Itachi Uchiha.
"Because Gaara, ever since he was little... with us... forget it. Anyway, his personality isn't very good." As Temari spoke, she shook her head and stopped herself. Her family's troubles weren't something to be aired in public. A father leading two of his children to ostracize his youngest son would seriously damage the Fourth Kazekage's reputation.
"Temari, let's go." Gaara, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped and looked back at Team 7. "You guys. What are your names?"
"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke stated his name nonchalantly, adding a light provocation. "I'd worry I might kill you by accident one day, so you should remember your enemy's name in advance."
"Oh, no need to mention me." Naruto Uzumaki waved his hand at the red-haired boy and said softly, "If you can't even defeat Sasuke, there's no need for you to know my name."
"You bastard! What's that supposed to mean!" The Sand ninjas hadn't even left yet, but Sasuke had already dashed in front of Naruto and grabbed him by the collar. "You say that like you're so much stronger than me!"
"I'm not much stronger than you." The blond genin pinched his index finger and thumb together, leaving only a tiny gap. "Just a little bit."
"Shut up!"
"Actually, Sasuke, you admit it in your heart, don't you?"
"Shut up, you dead-last!"
"Hey, hey, top student who's just a little bit weaker than me..."
While the two were bickering, a trace of envy flashed in Gaara's eyes. He quickly suppressed the emotion and left with his brother and sister.
-----
The genin from the Sand Village were just the beginning. Genin from smaller nations like the Sound Village and the Grass Village, all participating in the Chunin Exams, were entering Konoha one by one.
After learning the news, the Third Hokage summoned the village's jonin team leaders and officially confirmed the candidates for the exams.
Team 7 was among them.
In the afternoon, Kakashi Hatake relayed the news to his three subordinates. "Anyway, I've already signed you up for the Chunin Exams. There are certain dangers, and even the possibility of death, but I believe you can do it."
Sakura Haruno pondered for a moment, her expression still troubled. "You're having us participate in the Chunin Exams, which are even more terrifying than a C-rank mission..."
"It seems to be more terrifying than a C-rank mission..." Kakashi muttered. Seeing the serious expressions on his three subordinates' faces, he didn't quite know how to put it.
How should he say this? Well, their caution was a good thing. Their strength was more than enough. As long as they weren't careless, passing the Chunin Exams should be a sure thing.
"Sakura, don't worry," Naruto said with a light laugh, comforting his teammate. "The difficulty of C-rank missions can vary. Look at the one Senior Kosuke got. It was just defeating some rogue ninja. Isn't that simple?"
So far, Team 7's understanding of C-rank missions was based on only two examples: the bandit den they had wiped out, and Kosuke Maruboshi's mission in the Land of Waves. The mission Team 7 had undertaken had jonin and special jonin popping up constantly, with even an elite jonin making an appearance. In contrast, aside from Zabuza Momochi who was somewhat commendable, the other rogue ninjas on Kosuke's mission were incredibly weak.
Sasuke nodded. "If the opponents we meet in the Chunin Exams are just a bit stronger than those rogue ninjas, it doesn't seem particularly hard."
"Sasuke, I was just comforting Sakura..." Naruto patted his teammate's shoulder with a pitying look. "The Chunin Exams probably aren't that simple. That Gaara we met at noon is definitely not an easy enemy to deal with."
Because when the Nine-Tails in his seal space saw Gaara, it kept clamoring for him to undo the seal. How could someone that even the Nine-Tails was wary of be simple? Gaara was probably even stronger than Ao! After all, when the Nine-Tails saw Ao, it wasn't this impulsive!
"Alright, alright." Kakashi tugged at his mask. Seeing his subordinates' gazes shift to him, he spoke in a deep voice. "The first exam will start tomorrow. You three brats, don't let me down!"
Naruto thought for a moment and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, besides us, are there any other ninjas from the village participating?"
"Your peers should be among them." Kakashi recalled how Asuma and Kurenai had firmly stated their teams would participate, plus Might Guy's Team 3. This Chunin Exam was destined to be highly competitive.
Sakura couldn't help but be surprised. "Ino's team is participating too? Aren't Choji and Shikamaru much weaker than Sasuke?"
"Is Hinata's team participating too?" Naruto shook his head. "Their team still has Kiba... that guy's strength is just so-so, right? Who else is in her team... I forgot."
"Their jonin instructors have already signed them up." Kakashi's expression gradually became serious. "Don't ever underestimate your classmates! You think you've improved a lot, but others may have improved even more!"
Sakura lowered her head. "Yes..."
Sasuke added from the side, throwing a jab at his teammate. "If even Naruto, the dead-last, has become this strong, their improvement must be even greater!"
"But, if they've all surpassed me..." Naruto looked at Sasuke with a faint smile. "Doesn't that mean that Sasuke, the top student, is the real dead-last?"
"Shut up!"
-----
Bonus:
Sasuke Uchiha: If even Naruto has improved this much, the others can't be too bad!
Sakura Haruno: Sasuke, what about me...
Sasuke Uchiha: You're different. I'm talking about people like Choji and Shikamaru!
Naruto Uzumaki: That's right, Choji always had good judgment. He could tell I was strong back in the Ninja Academy!
Sasuke Uchiha: ...Was that what I meant?