Sasuke: (Clicking his tongue) "Tch… Damn it, he was just pretending to be there again."
Temari: (Eyes widening) "Wow… That guy's already a Jounin? Impressive. Since I'm here in Konoha, I might as well gather some information on him."
Kankuro: (Sweating) "Good thing I didn't fight him just now… Otherwise, I don't even know if I'd still have a chance to take the Chunin Exams."
Gaara: (Muttering) "Jounin…"
Gaara's gaze locked onto him.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
Gaara: "A Jounin's strength? Good…"
His lips curled into a slight smirk. His voice was low but carried an eerie intensity.
Gaara: "That just makes me even more interested in you. I'll make sure you remember my name."
Kazuki's expression immediately darkened. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Gaara's words like a bothersome fly.
Kazuki: "Yeah, don't fall for me—it won't work."
Gaara: "…???" (Silent)
He stood there for a long moment, processing what Kazuki had just said. His expression remained unreadable, but the confusion was evident. After another beat of silence, he simply replied:
Gaara: "No matter… I'll kill you."
Kazuki: (Casually) "I'll be waiting."
Gaara turned sharply on his heel. Without another word, he addressed his siblings.
Gaara: "Temari, Kankuro, we're leaving."
Without hesitation, the three disappeared into the crowd. Kazuki watched them go, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
Konoha is about to get interesting…
On the sidelines, Naruto fumed with frustration. He clenched his fists, his face scrunched up in annoyance.
Naruto: (Shouting after them) "Hey, you! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm the little brother of Big Bro Kazuki, and I'll be the one to defeat you in the Chunin Exams! Just wait and see!"
But…
They didn't even turn around.
A gust of wind rustled through the trees, sending a few leaves drifting down. Naruto struck a dramatic pose—only to freeze in mid-air, completely ignored.
For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still.
Sasuke: (Scoffing) "Idiot."
Sakura: (Facepalming) "This is embarrassing…"
Naruto's eye twitched. Damn it! I was supposed to look cool! But instead, he was completely overshadowed.
He clenched his fists. Big Bro Kazuki's words were so cool just now! Why does it never work for me?!
Determination flared in his eyes.
Naruto: "Hmph! I still have a long way to go before I catch up to Big Bro Kazuki!"
A cheerful voice chimed in beside him.
Tenten: (Grinning) "Then get stronger, Naruto! If you want people to take you seriously, you have to work for it!"
Naruto's frustration melted away at Tenten's encouragement.
Naruto: (Beaming) "You're right, Tenten! I need to train harder! Big Bro Kazuki, help me train! No matter how tough it is, I'll do it!"
Kazuki glanced at him lazily.
Kazuki: "Alright, since you're so fired up… Add another 30 pounds to your weights."
Naruto's face fell.
Naruto: "H-Huh?! But I'm already carrying 150 pounds! Another 30 will make it 180! That's basically child abuse!"
Kazuki: (Smirking) "Child abuse? Please. I was carrying this much weight when I was seven."
Naruto: "WHAT?!"
Kazuki: "Besides, Tenten's only a year older than you, and she's already carrying double your weight. And she's a girl."
Naruto: "…WHAT?!"
His eyes darted to Tenten in disbelief. He had never paid attention before, but now he realized—she was way stronger than he'd thought.
Had he been too focused on chasing after Kazuki to notice how strong his other comrades were?
Before he could dwell on it, a small voice called out.
Konohamaru: (Hesitantly) "Uh… Big bro, you guys are Konoha ninjas, right? Thanks for saving me earlier."
Naruto: (Beaming) "Heh! No problem!"
Konohamaru's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Konohamaru: "Big bro, you were so cool back there!"
Naruto puffed out his chest, laughing loudly.
Naruto: "Hahaha! It was nothing!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed by the praise.
"You should hurry home. It's dangerous for a kid to be wandering around alone. If you hadn't run into us, you could've been in trouble just now."
At that moment, a loud voice called out from nearby.
"Lord Konohamaru! Where are you, Lord Konohamaru?!"
"I'm here!" Konohamaru shouted back before turning to Naruto. "Big brother, that ninja is my tutor."
A man wearing sunglasses suddenly landed in front of Konohamaru.
"Huff… Lord Konohamaru, I finally found you," Ebisu said, adjusting his glasses. His sharp gaze swept the area before settling on another figure.
Ebisu's expression changed as he slightly bowed his head. "Lord Kazuki, I didn't expect to see you here as well."
"I just happened to be passing by and saw a little commotion," Kazuki replied lightly.
Ebisu then took a closer look at Konohamaru's disheveled clothes, his brows furrowing as he turned his sharp gaze toward Naruto. Immediately, he stepped in front of Konohamaru, shielding him.
"Lord Konohamaru, was this fox demon bothering you just now? Please refrain from running around like that again. And be sure to stay away from dangerous people like him."
At those words, Naruto's face darkened instantly.
Konohamaru was momentarily stunned before he hastily denied it. "No! This big brother named Naruto is a good guy! He just saved me—"
"Saved you? It's already lucky he didn't hurt you!" Ebisu interrupted, his tone firm. "Konohamaru, your status is too important. If anything happens to you, I'll be held responsible. Lord Hokage will not take this lightly."
Hokage?
Naruto's body tensed slightly at the mention of the title.
"This kid, Konohamaru, is the grandson of the Third Hokage," Kazuki added, amusement flickering in his eyes as he observed the situation.
"So that's how it is, Big Brother Kazuki…" Naruto muttered. His voice dropped, and when he turned to look at Konohamaru and Ebisu again, a cold, disdainful expression settled on his face.
"Hah… So someone like me—a 'fox demon'—isn't even worthy of approaching the esteemed grandson of the Hokage?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, and the contempt in his eyes deepened.
It was as if merely looking at them disgusted him.
Konohamaru froze in confusion. He couldn't understand why the kind big brother who had just saved him suddenly seemed so distant and resentful.
Even Ebisu was taken aback. He had expected Naruto to be the one feeling humiliated, but instead, Naruto's expression held more disdain than even his own.
As if he and Konohamaru were nothing more than trash.
"Big Brother Kazuki, Tenten, Sakura, Sasuke, let's go."
Without sparing another glance at Konohamaru or Ebisu, Naruto turned to his teammates. His demeanor made it clear—he had already dismissed their existence.
How ridiculous.
So Konohamaru was some 'honored master'?
And he had a personal jōnin tutor? A glorified babysitter?
Then what about Naruto—the son of the Fourth Hokage? The grandson of the Third Hokage? Why had he grown up alone, shunned and hated? The difference in their treatment was laughable.
…
Although Naruto often acted carefree, that didn't mean he was stupid.
What happened just now had made him realize something crucial.
And it only made him question more—was his childhood dream of becoming Hokage nothing more than a foolish fantasy?
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi… was he really worthy of being called the "God of Shinobi"?
…
Naruto brushed off the earlier incident. There were more important things to focus on.
The Chūnin Exams had begun.
"Wow, there are so many people… How long is this line gonna take?" Sakura muttered, looking at the packed crowd in front of them.
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