Hokage Office Building
"There's no other reason to summon you here other than…"
"As I assume you already understand—judging by the faces you can see around…"
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spoke calmly, a thick cigar resting between his fingers as smoke curled lazily upward.
The room was full.
Jonin instructors lined the office—many familiar faces, and several others who had never once appeared in the public eye, veterans who rarely stepped into the spotlight.
"So… it's already that time," Kakashi Hatake said quietly, his visible eye relaxed, his tone as calm as ever.
"The other nations have already been notified, right?" Asuma Sarutobi asked, his voice low. His eyes looked dull, tired in a way no expression could hide.
"I've already seen them around the village," he continued, rolling his shoulders slightly. A cigarette hung from his lips, his face revealing nothing of what he was thinking.
"And when will it be?" Kurenai Yuhi asked evenly, her gaze fixed on the Hokage—who was smoking as if his life depended on it.
"In a week," Hiruzen replied simply.
"That's… sudden," Kakashi said. His trademark dead-fish eye widened just a fraction, though his voice remained composed.
Hiruzen didn't answer right away.
Instead, he exhaled slowly, releasing a long stream of smoke—the kind only a lifelong smoker could manage.
"…Now," he said at last, straightening slightly, the weight in his voice sharpening. His gaze swept across everyone present.
"I will make the formal announcement."
The room fell completely silent.
"Seven days from today," Hiruzen continued, his tone firm and unmistakable,
"on the first day of July…"
"The Chūnin Exams will begin."
--
"You are an embarrassment to our village."
Gaara's voice was deep—low and unsettling as he stared at his older brother with cold, lifeless eyes.
"Why do you think we came all the way to the Leaf Village?" he continued, his tone carrying a quiet menace, as though he might kill his own brother on the spot.
"P-Please listen to me, Gaara…"
Kankurō's voice cracked. The fear in it was impossible to hide.
"T-They attacked first…" he added, lying as naturally as if this were some internal family matter.
"Shut up."
Gaara's voice rose—still deep and restrained, like something monstrous being held back by force alone.
Kankurō froze. He didn't dare say another word.
Gaara stared at him for a moment longer, then spoke again, his voice flat.
"I will kill you."
"U-Understood! I was wrong!"
Kankurō raised both hands defensively, completely submissive before his younger brother.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm really sorry."
On the other side, Temari nodded quickly as well, not daring to say a word.
"…I'm sorry about that."
Gaara ignored his useless siblings and turned his head toward Naruto and Sasuke, his voice once again low and unsettling.
'This guy… he's got such a nasty look.
And what's with his eyebrows? He doesn't even have any.
Is that some new style? Or is it supposed to be intimidating?
Honestly… it just looks funny rather than scary. What a freak.'
Sasuke thought all of this inwardly, his expression outside perfectly calm.
No one would have guessed that his inner monologue was tearing Gaara apart like this.
If Gaara had known, he probably would've lost it on the spot.
'To think he was able to hit Kankurō that fast without anyone noticing…
He's good.'
Unlike Sasuke, Gaara held him in high regard.
Then Gaara's body dissolved into sand as he stepped down, turning to his siblings and speaking in an authoritative tone.
"Let's go. We're not here to play around."
"I know," Kankurō and Temari replied as they turned to leave.
Of course...
Sakura couldn't help herself.
She stepped forward and said loudly,
"Wait a minute! Judging by your headbands, you're from the Sand Village, right?"
The Sand siblings didn't turn around.
They didn't even seem to be in any mood to answer either.
But Sakura kept going as if nothing was wrong.
"Without question, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allied nations."
"But according to the treaty, the arbitrary movement of shinobi between villages is prohibited."
She stepped forward again, puffing herself up like a main character and raised her voice.
"State your purpose!"
Her tone even shifted—almost threatening—which made Sasuke glance at her strangely.
Like he was watching a clown perform.
"Hmph. So this is what they mean by the darkest place being right under the candlestick."
Temari turned around, looking at Sakura with open mockery, her voice light and amused.
"Do you seriously not know anything?"
She sounded genuinely fed up.
"My permit."
Temari raised an identification card with her photo on it.
Sakura's eyes widened.
Sasuke merely glanced at it calmly. By the time he had encountered them, he had already guessed they were here for the Chūnin Exams or something related.
"As you can see, we're genin from the Sand Village of the Land of Wind," Temari said, lowering the card.
"We came here to take part in the Chūnin Exams."
There was a strange hint of pride in her voice.
"Chūnin Exams…?"
Naruto squinted, his face twisting into a confused expression.
"What's the Chūnin Exams anyway?"
He glanced between Sasuke and Sakura, fully showcasing his lack of brainpower.
"Hahaha! You seriously don't know anything, do you?"
Temari crossed her arms, laughing openly at him.
"If you pass the Chūnin Exams, you get promoted from genin to chūnin," Sasuke sighed, answering for him.
He clearly didn't want Naruto embarrassing them any further.
"What?! That's real, Sasuke?!"
Naruto lit up instantly.
"I see! Then maybe I'll try taking them too!"
Sasuke didn't respond.
He turned around, hands slipping into his pockets, and began walking away.
Then a voice came from behind him.
"Hey. What's your name?"
Gaara stared at Sasuke's back.
"…Uchiha Zoro."
Sasuke answered after a brief pause as he continued walking away without looking back.
"I'm Gaara of the Desert," Gaara said, his voice low and eerie.
"And I have a deep interest in you."
Sasuke stopped.
He turned around slowly.
"…What the fuck did you just say?"
His voice was cold and menacing.
The three-tomoe Sharingan spun violently as killing intent exploded outward.
Naruto and Sakura flinched.
Even Temari and Kankurō froze in shock.
This guy…
He's definitely killed a lot of people.
Both siblings felt dread crawl up their spines.
His strength alone was terrifying.
Gaara himself was briefly taken aback but then he grinned wickedly, his own killing intent surging forward.
"As I said," he repeated,
"I'm very interested in you too, Uchiha Zoro."
"You… fucking freak!"
Sasuke cursed outright—something completely unlike his usual self.
No one expected this sudden change.
But they didn't know that Sasuke had misunderstood something.
He had spent time around Obito and the others for long enough to pick up… things. Stuff he really didn't want to pick up.
Especially that idiot Tobi.
That guy had a habit of saying weird shit—joking about Sasuke being "cute," making comments that were way too casual, way too familiar in a bad way.
Sasuke didn't know if Tobi was serious or just messing around, but either way, it left a bad impression.
And Sasuke was very sensitive to that type of person.
So when Gaara looked at him like that, spoke like that, and said he was "interested," Sasuke's thoughts immediately went in the wrong direction.
The vibe Gaara gave off felt gay to him and worse, aggressive about it.
That misunderstanding alone was enough to set him off.
And that was why he got angry.
"Sasuke-kun?! What's wrong?" Sakura asked, stepping forward anxiously.
"Hey! What happened to you?" Naruto added, equally confused.
"And didn't you say your name wrong?" Naruto suddenly laughed.
"When did you become Uchiha Zoro? Hahaha!"
The oppressive atmosphere cracked slightly.
Gaara frowned.
"So… he's not Uchiha Zoro?"
"Nope!" Naruto said cheerfully.
"His name's Uchiha Sasuke. No idea why he said it wrong—maybe he's not right in the head. And he's acting weird too."
Naruto leaned toward Sakura and stage-whispered—loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Sakura-chan, I told you Sasuke's a weirdo!"
Boom!
"Idiot!"
Sakura punched Naruto straight into the ground.
"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that!"
"Arghhh—why?!" Naruto groaned from the floor.
"…I see."
Gaara smiled darkly, licking his lips.
"Sasuke… I remember you."
He turned away, Temari and Kankurō following him.
Sasuke's face darkened.
His hand slipped out of his pocket as he calculated the distance.
With this range… and their backs turned…
I can't take all three in a single strike. Even if I try.
His fingers clenched.
No… that would be stupid.
Acting on impulse will only cause trouble.
He exhaled slowly.
The lightning chakra he had begun to gather dissipated.
Killing foreign shinobi before the Chūnin Exams would bring consequences—even he understood that.
Still…
When he remembered Gaara's stare.
The grin.
The way he licked his lips...
Sasuke's expression grew completely blank.
He turned away and walked off, leaving Naruto sprawled on the ground and Sakura scolding him.
Inside, his decision was already made.
If I meet that bastard during the Chūnin Exams…
I'll finish him.
--
Evening had fallen, and lights slowly flickered on throughout the village.
The four members of the Snow Hidden Village team had no interest in wandering around to shop. After returning to their respective rooms to rest, Yūgao quietly left the hotel alone and walked toward a familiar street.
She stopped atop a nearby rooftop, standing silently above the houses.
Not far away was a small home.
The home she had once lived in...back when she was still a shinobi of Konohagakure.
Now, warm light poured from its windows.
Someone else was living there.
Seeing this, Yūgao let out a soft sigh. She lingered for a moment longer, her eyes resting on the house as if committing it to memory one last time.
Then she turned away and disappeared into the night.
"Huh?"
In a room diagonally across the street, a pale-faced man suddenly jerked his head toward the window.
Just a moment ago, from the corner of his vision, a flash of purple had vanished across the rooftops.
"…Was that just my imagination?"
Hayate Gekkō muttered quietly, his expression uncertain. He hadn't clearly seen the figure but for an instant, it had felt strangely familiar.
"…That silhouette just now… did it look like—"
He stopped himself, frowning slightly.
Shaking his head, Hayate turned away from the window, dismissing the thought as nothing more than a trick of tired eyes.
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