Chapter 38: Change
Outside the alley.
Temari and the other two stood frozen under the sunlight. Even Gaara had withdrawn his killing intent, staring in shock at Naruto in the shadows.
"Go!" Temari lowered her voice. In her panic, she couldn't care about anything else.
She grabbed her two rebellious brothers by the hand and dragged them out of the alley without looking back. Only after they had run far away did she finally release them, gasping for breath.
"What was that?" Kankurō, his face painted with purple camouflage stripes, looked vacant. Even the hand supporting him against the wall trembled.
Kankurō still retained enough sense to remember that the boy standing next to him was also a monster. The word "monster" was taboo with Gaara, so he refrained from saying anything harmful or unnecessary.
"T-T-Tailed Beast... the Nine-Tails." Temari's whole body trembled. Her calves were so tense that they were still twitching with spasms.
"How could Konoha have something that terrifying?" Kankurō's lips quivered as he recalled what he had just witnessed.
...
"The Nine-Tails?" In a room, the Sand's leading jōnin, Baki, frowned, his eyes sweeping over the three. "Impossible. You must have been fooled by that brat."
"Fooled?" Temari and Kankurō looked at each other in disbelief. Only Gaara remained indifferent, standing there cold and expressionless.
"Baki-sensei, what do you mean by that?" Temari asked hastily, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
The jōnin Temari addressed as Baki had a square face, clad in a black tight-fitting underlayer with a brown jōnin flak jacket over it.
Half of his head was draped with a white cloth, covering the left side of his face. His tone was stern, carrying a hint of military sharpness.
"You don't need to worry too much," Baki said. "Over ten years ago, the Nine-Tails reappeared in Konoha, but according to reliable sources, that mature jinchūriki is dead."
"Konoha's current jinchūriki is just an ordinary brat. There's no way he can control a tailed beast's power."
At this point, Baki paused, looking over his three students before continuing.
"What you described is a tailed beast manifestation—something only a perfect jinchūriki can do. If Konoha really had such a jinchūriki, do you think we would have drawn up the plan to destroy Konoha?"
"So you mean... that brat isn't truly able to control the Nine-Tails, just pretending to manifest it to scare us?" Temari asked in astonishment.
"Of course. Otherwise, how convenient would it be that the village's most important jinchūriki just happened to pass by you?" Baki nodded.
His gaze sharpened as though he had seen through Konoha's scheme, a stiff smile forming on his face as he came to his conclusion.
"The Chūnin Exams are competitions for each village to showcase their new generation's strength. Why would Konoha miss such a perfect chance to intimidate Sunagakure?"
"I see." Kankurō nodded. Though something still felt off, it no longer seemed important.
Since their leading jōnin had said so—and their ally in this operation was a side known for reliable intelligence—there was nothing left to question.
Temari let out a long sigh of relief, then gritted her teeth and said viciously,
"That guy dared to toy with us. If he ever falls into my hands, he's done for!"
Gaara, who had remained expressionless all along, merely cast them a cold glance and said nothing to correct their misunderstanding.
The moment he lowered his gaze, his eyes brimmed with fighting spirit.
He knew better than anyone—there was no mistake. That was the Nine-Tails' presence.
The next day, Konoha was drenched in heavy rain.
Under Kakashi's lead, Sakura and Sasuke headed to the Hokage Building to submit their applications for the Chūnin Exams. The three of them walked through the downpour, umbrellas shielding them from the storm.
Beneath her pink umbrella, Sakura broke the silence. Gathering her courage, she asked Kakashi's back,
"Kakashi-sensei, why can't Naruto take the Chūnin Exams with us?"
Plop. At her words, Kakashi stopped and turned to look at her.
"That's the Hokage's order. There's nothing we can do."
"But..." Sakura swallowed hard, her fingers gripping the umbrella handle so tightly her knuckles turned white. "But we're a team, aren't we?"
The drumming of the rain drowned out most of the world beyond. Sakura had to raise her voice to be heard by Kakashi. The rain dampened the ends of her cherry-pink hair.
Her voice trembled slightly, tinged with hesitation.
"You taught us, Kakashi-sensei. We're a team. So... so we shouldn't just leave Naruto behind like this!"
Sasuke had also stopped walking, frowning. Though he said nothing, his gaze met Kakashi's, his meaning clear.
"Even if it's the Hokage's order? You'd defy it?" Kakashi looked down at Sakura from above, his tone devoid of emotion.
"Perhaps even your and Sasuke's eligibility for the exam will be revoked. Even so, you'll persist?"
"I..." Sakura faltered when she heard that Sasuke might be affected.
Kakashi paid no mind to her hesitation. His single eye swept over both of them as he spoke in a serious tone.
"The Chūnin Exams are the only way for a genin to become a chūnin—and the fastest path to advancement. As chūnin, the missions you receive, the pay, the resources—they're dozens of times greater than those of a genin."
"You both have your own goals, don't you? Wouldn't achieving them sooner be better? The Chūnin Exams are held once every three years, and this time, Konoha is the host. It's a rare chance."
"If you miss it, you'll have to wait three more years. By then, your classmates from the Academy might already be jōnin."
"Even then, will you still hold on to this?"
Rumble! Lightning ripped through the rain curtain. The downpour roared louder, pounding on their umbrellas like relentless knocks on their hearts.
Sakura and Sasuke both fell silent, letting the sound of rain swell endlessly around them.
"It's alright." Kakashi spoke again. "The order barring Naruto from this exam came directly from the Third Hokage. It's not something you can change."
"Let's go. We're running out of time."
With that, Kakashi turned and resumed walking, the sound of his tactical boots splashing through puddles.
"I..." Sakura couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She remembered their first mission sharing intel, remembered Naruto's words of comfort.
"There's nothing wrong with being ordinary... if you have the choice. But..."
"Sakura, your strength isn't in fighting. You don't have to overexert yourself. Sasuke and I will take care of the combat."
Sakura's tears poured freely now. She bowed her head, sobbing. She regretted her moment of hesitation—Naruto had never hesitated like this.
"Kakashi-sensei! I... I still want to take the Chūnin Exams with Naruto!" Sakura raised her head, crying out.
Her vision blurred with tears. She couldn't even tell if Kakashi had already gone too far ahead. Maybe the rain was just too loud, and he hadn't heard her.
Maybe...
Plop. Footsteps through water approached. Sakura felt a warm hand rest on her head. Looking up, she saw Kakashi's eye curve with a gentle smile.
"I agree."
"You really are an outstanding team. Sasuke already told me, and Sakura—you've done well."
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