The street was quiet, with an occasional gust of wind blowing sand across the pavement.
After collecting their thoughts, the three members of Team 7 understood who these Sand Village ninjas were. They were likely here for the Chunin Exams. Lately, Kakashi Hatake had been talking about the exams so much that the three of them were sick of hearing about it.
The fan-wielding Sand ninja took out her travel permit and looked at Sasuke Uchiha. "We are not invaders of Konoha. We were just invited to participate in the Chunin Exams..."
"Tch."
Sasuke thought of his nagging sensei, then tossed the damaged puppet in front of Kankuro. He looked down with contempt at the puppet master, whose expression had darkened. "In someone else's village, you should watch your mouth."
"You...! How dare you damage my beloved Crow..." The puppet master did not appreciate the gesture. He stroked the cracks on his puppet, his body trembling with anger. "I won't let this go."
"Is that so?" Sasuke watched as the puppet, under Kankuro's control, stood up again. He smiled playfully. "It seems you want to atone with your death? Perfect. I'm very interested in killing a puppet master."
Sasuke was confident he could easily kill his opponent right here. While their Jonin leader was hospitalized, Sasuke would occasionally visit, and Kakashi had mentioned that after Sasuke mastered Shisui's nin-taijutsu, he would teach him a complementary sword style.
At first, Sasuke didn't care much. But after he learned about the ninja who created the style and the stories about him, Sasuke felt a surge of heroic spirit and couldn't help but yearn for it. Back in the day, the once-flourishing puppet masters of the Sand Village were cut down by that ninja, who wielded two short swords. They had never recovered.
If he killed a puppet master from the Sand Village here, it would be a tribute to that legendary senior. He just didn't know if Kakashi would be happy... or if he would go crazy. The Chunin Exams hadn't even started, and his student had already killed a Sand ninja. The white-haired Jonin would probably regret skipping out on that last restaurant bill, right?
"What did you say!" Kankuro was instantly enraged by Sasuke's words and shouted, "Fine, I'll show you who's going to die here!"
Several chakra threads danced nimbly at his fingertips. He had only lost so badly because Sasuke's attack had caught him off guard. Now, he was determined to get his revenge.
Beside him, Temari's face flushed slightly. After a glance at Sasuke, she tried to stop her brother. "Calm down! Don't cause trouble here."
Clearly, the older sister held little authority. Kankuro had no intention of listening and retorted angrily, "I can't stand it!"
"Stop it."
The red-haired boy standing not far away stopped him. He gave Kankuro a cold glance and said, "You useless fool. You'll only bring shame to the village."
Kankuro turned his head in astonishment. When he saw the faint impatience on the red-haired boy's face, he awkwardly stammered his name. "I... Gaara..."
Anyone could see Kankuro's fear of the red-haired boy. Even when scolded, he just stood there rigidly, not daring to argue.
"Shut up."
The red-haired boy gave him a cold, impatient look. Only after his companion fell completely silent did he look away. This fool, did he really think he could defeat his opponent? Sasuke Uchiha's speed just now was so fast that even he was startled, let alone a puppet master like Kankuro, who was facing a natural counter.
After calming—or rather, intimidating—his companion, the red-haired boy looked at Sasuke. A hint of madness flashed across his face, but he spoke in a low voice. "My companion was a bit rude. My apologies."
His expression was completely at odds with his words. It even made one wonder if there was something wrong with his head, or if he was trying to provoke them further.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Looking at the red-haired boy, an inexplicable dislike rose in his heart. "It's fine. You can kill him to apologize to us."
"..."
The red-haired boy was suddenly silent. He had never met someone so ungracious. Now he didn't even know how to respond. Even Temari and Kankuro looked up in astonishment. How could anyone dare to speak to Gaara like that? He wouldn't go crazy right now, would he?
Naruto scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. "Sasuke, killing him... isn't that a bit much?"
"Naruto?" Sakura looked at her teammate with some confusion. At a time like this, shouldn't Naruto, who was usually so harsh towards enemies, be on the same side as Sasuke?
Then again, killing a Sand ninja who was here for the Chunin Exams was indeed excessive. It would be hard to explain to the village. If Naruto could persuade Sasuke... without realizing it, Sakura saw that Naruto was learning to consider the bigger picture.
Just as Sakura's mood was starting to relax, Naruto pointed at the red-haired boy. "How about this? I'll ask you a few things. If your answers satisfy me, we'll spare your companion's life."
This red-haired guy's name was Gaara. His identity must be very important. Otherwise, Naruto's brain wouldn't automatically trace his memories, which meant the name Gaara must have a significant connection to him. And their relationship should be very good, because Naruto felt no hostile intent coming from his brain.
Plus, the Nine-Tails was throwing a fit in his seal. That old liar kept saying Gaara was their enemy, constantly urging him to beat Gaara up first and then find a chance to deal with him slowly later. This was very interesting. This Gaara was someone even the Nine-Tails considered important.
"Oh?" The red-haired boy's eyes tightened. He said coldly, "This piece of trash isn't worth me answering your questions. I might as well just kill him."
"..."
Naruto and Sasuke were both stunned. Team 7 wouldn't abandon a single companion, but this guy didn't care at all about his own teammate's life?
Naruto's expression slowly calmed. He looked at the red-haired boy leisurely. "Oh? Then please, go right ahead."
"Fine." Gaara casually extended his hand, and the sand began to swirl.
Just as he was really about to make a move, Kankuro looked at his brother with a heart full of despair. Tears were about to stream down Temari's face as she anxiously tried to persuade Gaara to stop. The blonde ninja saw clumps of sand floating up to envelop Kankuro's body, and her mind began to break down. "Gaara, I'm begging you, don't kill Kankuro here! He's your older brother!"
"..."
The members of Team 7 looked in surprise at the three ninjas from the Sand Village. They had thought they were just ordinary companions, but it turned out they were siblings? All family?
Sasuke looked a bit unhappy and waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, you with the red hair, stop!"
The red-haired boy controlled the sand, which had gradually submerged more than half of Kankuro's body. He looked fiercely at Sasuke. "This isn't your business. Stay out of it."
This guy is crazy! Or rather, he really wants to kill his own brother!
Just as Sasuke was about to rush forward, Naruto sighed and spread his hands. "After analysis, the red-haired guy has a problem with his brain. He probably really doesn't care about his companion's life. Sasuke first suggested he kill his companion. I just wanted to ask a few questions, but he didn't want to answer, so he chose to kill his companion instead. But... why is he so obedient to Sasuke?"
"..."
The wind gradually stopped. The ninjas on the street fell silent.
The red-haired boy's face grew uglier. The sand, under his control, slowly receded from Kankuro's body. Gaara clutched his head, feeling like his brain wasn't working. Why should he listen to a Konoha ninja? If he didn't want to answer questions, did he have to choose to kill Kankuro?
-----
Bonus:
Sasuke: "Kill your companion."
Gaara: "Why should I listen to you? I won't kill him!"
Naruto: "You don't have to kill him. Just answer a few questions."
Gaara: "I won't answer. I'd rather kill my companion!"
Naruto: "Okay, do it."
Gaara: "Sand Coffin!"
Sasuke: "Something feels weird here..."
Temari: "I think so too... Wait, why are you trying to kill Kankuro?!"
Gaara: "I don't want to answer the questions. What else am I supposed to do but kill him?"
Kankuro: "Damn it, is my brother an idiot?!"
Annotation: When people are given limited choices, it's easy for them to get lost.