"Naruto-nii! Let's play!"
Konohamaru jumped in front of him, interrupting his walk through the village.
Next to him, as always, were Udon Ise and Moegi Kazamatsuri.
"We are the Konohamaru Team!" the three exclaimed in unison, with pride.
Naruto sighed and let his shoulders drop.
"To be honest..." he dragged the words lazily. "I don't feel like it."
Konohamaru reacted as if a Kunai had been thrown at his chest.
"Naruto-nii?! You have to play with us! Let's play ninjas!"
"But I'm already a ninja..." he replied disinterestedly.
Konohamaru didn't give up. He had been following him for days, insisting again and again, but Naruto always found an excuse.
However, this time, he had an ace up his sleeve. He grinned mischievously and...
In an instant, an adult, female, and naked version of Konohamaru appeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto didn't even blink.
"Are you trying to use my own technique against me?"
Next to him, Sasuke rolled her eyes.
"Admit it, it's yours," she thought, feeling a mix of annoyance and resignation.
How could Naruto have created such a perverted technique?
The smoke dissipated as Konohamaru returned to his original form, clearly shocked.
"Just as I expected!" he exclaimed in awe. "Not even Grandpa can resist this Jutsu, but you...!"
Naruto had taught his "most powerful technique" to Konohamaru just for fun. But the kid, determined to find a way to defeat his grandfather, had turned it into his best weapon against the old man.
"You're amazing, Naruto-nii! Super strong!" Udon and Moegi praised him from the side.
Naruto smiled, amused.
"Sorry, Konohamaru, but I'm busy."
Konohamaru frowned and turned his gaze to the figure of dark-haired Sasuke, who was standing next to Naruto.
Sasuke wasn't using the Transformation Jutsu. Naruto had managed to drag her out for a walk with her real appearance.
A small, but significant, step.
Mikoto had thanked him for that.
Konohamaru tilted his head, intrigued.
"Recently, I've been seeing you a lot with her, Naruto-nii..."
It wasn't the first time Naruto and Sasuke had walked together. They also went to the Third Training Field together every day.
And during that time, Sasuke kept her true appearance.
"Oh no! The boss has a girlfriend!" Moegi exclaimed with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Sasuke immediately blushed.
"Wh-what?!" she turned to Naruto, indignant. "We're not a couple!" she hastened to clarify.
Naruto, on the other hand, crouched down and placed a hand on Konohamaru's head.
"Konohamaru..." his tone sounded dangerously serious. His grip tightened a bit.
"I wouldn't touch her," Naruto pointed at Sasuke with his finger, "not even with a stick."
The silence that followed was uncomfortable.
Konohamaru robotically nodded.
"Okay... though I didn't say anything..."
Upon hearing that, Naruto tightened his grip on Konohamaru's head and turned his gaze toward Moegi.
She didn't say anything, but inside, she felt a pang of annoyance.
"Do you think I'd want to go out with you, idiot...?" she thought, turning her gaze away.
When Naruto released Konohamaru, the boy smiled and ran off at full speed.
"Let everyone know...! Naruto-nii has a girlfriend! Naruto-nii has a girlfriend! Naruto-nii has a gi—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Naruto was about to chase after him when...
Konohamaru slammed into someone and fell backward with a grunt.
Looking up, he saw two ninjas about the same age as Naruto. But what caught his attention most were their headbands: the symbol of Sunagakure shone on them.
"That hurt..." the boy with painted face grumbled as he dusted off his clothes.
"S-sorry..." Konohamaru murmured, lowering his head.
Naruto frowned as he recognized them.
Before Konohamaru could move, Kankurō grabbed him by the scarf and easily lifted him up.
"You need to watch where you're going..."
A chill ran down his spine.
He felt something... a dark, dangerous presence. A dense, oppressive bloodlust that, though strangely familiar, was far more terrifying than anything he had ever felt.
He swallowed and turned his gaze away.
Kankurō looked at Naruto.
His eyes, once blue, were now burning with an intense red, with slit pupils.
The eyes of the Kyūbi.
Naruto didn't move, but his voice was enough to stop Kankurō:
"Let him go. You won't want to jeopardize the alliance between Sunagakure and Konoha by hurting the Third Hokage's grandson."
The pressure in the air increased.
Temari took a step back, her lips parted.
"The Hokage's grandson...?" Temari stared at Konohamaru intently.
For Kankurō to cause trouble with the Hokage's grandson was definitely not part of their plan.
Kankurō felt a cold sweat run down his neck.
"How can this presence surpass Gaara's...?"
The answer struck both of them at the same time.
"This boy is the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails."
Gaara had always been a terrifying presence in their lives. Unstable, violent, and ruthless. They lived in fear, always careful, avoiding provoking him.
But even Gaara's bloodlust felt small in comparison to this.
Without saying another word, Kankurō dropped Konohamaru.
Naruto patted the boy on the back.
"Let's go, Konohamaru."
Udon and Moegi, still pale, nodded quickly.
Konohamaru was trembling... but not from fear.
His little fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white.
Naruto clicked his tongue.
Before Konohamaru could do something stupid, Naruto grabbed him by the shoulder.
Naruto's tone was firm, leaving no room for arguments.
Konohamaru, still trembling with rage, looked at Naruto with frustration but finally nodded.
"Goodbye, Sunagakure ninjas..." he said, not taking his eyes off Kankurō. "I'll see you three during the Chūnin Exams."
Kankurō and Temari looked at each other, confused.
"Three?" they thought in unison.
Naruto smiled and glanced to the left.
Sasuke noticed Naruto's gesture and turned her head in the direction he had looked.
Before anyone could react, a cold, emotionless voice echoed in the air:
"Kankurō... you shouldn't cause trouble."
From the nearby tree, a figure descended with a fluid motion.
A boy with red hair and the kanji for "love" etched on his forehead landed next to them.
"Gaara..." Temari murmured.
Sasuke gritted her teeth. "This guy is dangerous."
If it hadn't been for Naruto, she would never have felt his presence unless he revealed himself.
Gaara looked at Naruto.
"What's your name? You interest me."
Naruto looked at him strangely and covered his chest, blushing.
"Y-you... I don't like boys..."
Kankurō and Temari paled.
"Although if you just want to know my name..." Naruto stopped joking and held Gaara's gaze. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Gaara nodded, completely indifferent to the previous confusion.
"Suna no Gaara," he revealed his name. "See you at the exams."
With those words, he vanished, turning into sand that was blown away by the wind.
Kankurō exhaled the breath he had been holding, while Temari, still tense, glared at him.
Neither of them said goodbye. They both left the way they came.
"Tsk..." Sasuke shoved her hands in her pockets, looking in the direction where Gaara had gone. "What the hell was that?"
Naruto smiled. "Someone we'll have to fight sooner or later."
Sasuke nodded. She felt the same. Gaara would be an interesting... and dangerous opponent.
Konohamaru, on the other hand, still had his fists clenched.
Naruto glanced at him sideways and clicked his tongue.
"Don't be an idiot, Konohamaru. If you want to be strong, learn when to back off."
The boy opened his mouth to protest, but in the end, he lowered his head in silence.
Naruto sighed. "Let's go. Let's play for a while."
Konohamaru perked up immediately, jumping with joy.
"Awesome! Naruto-nii will be a Sunagakure ninja! We'll defeat you!"
Naruto rolled his eyes at the boy's enthusiasm.
But what really surprised him was when Sasuke, without saying a word, joined them.
Naruto glanced at her sideways.
She wasn't the same as before.
She seemed... more at peace with herself.
[Mikoto Uchiha: Finally, my girl is showing interest in something other than training. Maybe she'll even give me grandchildren someday! I thought she'd be a lost cause like Itachi!]
Naruto nearly tripped when he read Mikoto's message.
He couldn't help but blink several times.
What was she talking about?
She was completely confused.
His relationship with Sasuke was not heading in that direction at all.