Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 53: Prelude to the Chunin Exams

[Lord Kinrin! Urgent report from Sunagakure! The Fourth Kazekage has been confirmed dead, and his body is...]

Things just happen unexpectedly. Amidst this utter chaos, news arrived from Sunagakure. Naruto, already tense and with a stern face, now wore an even more menacing expression. Orochimaru had already made his move; he'd be arriving in Konoha soon, and might already be infiltrated. That place was too remote; even disguising themselves as a passing caravan would seem suspicious. Clearly, there was no way to give advance warning.

Mark the location, preserve the scene, erase all traces of your presence, and return to Sand Village to await further instructions.

〖yes.〗

"...I...I am...Sarutobi Konohamaru! The grandson of the Third Hokage! Put me down right now!" The child was intimidated by Naruto's expression when he gave the order, but being a young calf that was not afraid of tigers, he actually dared to announce his name and retort.

Naruto's long-suppressed fist finally landed on Konohamaru's head, not too hard, not too soft, just enough to hurt for a day. So, most people would never imagine that Konohamaru would grow up to be such a reliable person, right?

"I don't care whose grandson you are, if you do something wrong, you should apologize or be punished. Since you won't apologize, then I have no choice but to punish you." Naruto let go, and the child covered his head and plopped down on the ground. Naruto still looked angry, but after being interrupted by the Kazekage incident, his embarrassment disappeared, and another, stranger thought emerged.

Even if someone has a foul mouth or a stubborn personality, their kisses are still sweet and soft. Didn't this guy eat the same rice balls as him for lunch? Why does he think they taste different?

At this moment, Naruto was unaware of what he was thinking; after all, thinking about Sasuke had become a habit for him. His brain, which was completely occupied by "Radiance," always had to leave some space to deal with things related to Sasuke, whether they were troublesome or emotional.

The child cried as he got up, then cried again as he ran out. Today was destined to be Konohamaru's unlucky day. The child first bumped into Naruto, then turned around and, at a speed that his friends couldn't hold back, bumped into an even more difficult-to-talk-to ninja from another village, and was lifted up again.

"Ouch, that hurts, kid." Kankuro, who is covered in black and has purple markings on his face and looks intimidating, but is actually the youngest of the three siblings, makes a dazzling appearance.

Naruto: "..."

No wonder I felt itchy all over; it turns out Shukaku and Gaara were nearby. We've been friends for so long that I instinctively filtered them out of my vigilance.

"You'd better not do that, or you'll get a beating later," Temari said, offering a token attempt to stop her.

Kankuro wasn't angry; ninjas weren't usually that emotionally unstable. However, the naughty child continued to yell energetically, his short legs even attempting to attack Kankuro's chest—he seemed quite energetic.

"Konohamaru, stop moving around." Naruto became serious and apologized first, since it was Konohamaru who caused the trouble. "Guests who have come from afar, I am very sorry. It was my negligence that allowed that child to bump into you. Could you please put him down?"

Naruto's politeness did nothing to diminish Kankuro's probing intent; the gleaming headbands proved the three were genin. As ninjas, strength speaks volumes. To so easily bow to outsiders would be far too weak.

"I'll play with you guys for a bit before the troublesome ones arrive," Kankuro said, deliberately increasing the force of his blows. He completely ignored Naruto's plea for peace and launched a provocation.

This time, he hadn't just messed with Naruto. Sasuke peeked out from behind Naruto like a ghost, and even throwing a stone felt like throwing a shuriken, bypassing Naruto and accurately striking Kankuro's wrist.

"He told you to put it down, didn't you hear him?"

...The resentment on my back is so heavy...I guess I'm still angry! Will making a tomato feast tonight make me feel better?

The moment Konohamaru regained his freedom, he wisely hid behind Naruto, demonstrating his ability to be flexible and adaptable.

"Another annoying brat..." Kankuro was slapped in the face in the face at lightning speed and was very unhappy. He reached for the bandages on his back.

Naruto smiled and glanced up at the treetops beside him, saying, "It's best not to do that. The puppeteers of Sunagakure, your comrades are watching."

Kankuro and Temari's expressions changed simultaneously. Looking up, they saw a red-haired boy hanging upside down from a tree trunk. The boy carried a sand gourd almost as tall as himself, and had a large "love" character on his left forehead. Who else could it be but Gaara?

The boy, who had been spotted ahead of time, quickly climbed down the tree covered in sand, unleashed a barrage of attacks on his companions, and then turned to apologize to them.

Was Gaara really this easy to talk to when we first met? I don't remember at all, because his performance in the Chunin Exams was so outrageous.

"It's alright, let's just consider this a case of 'no fight, no friendship'." Naruto would never be indifferent to even the smallest act of kindness, and immediately smiled brightly. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, this is Uchiha Sasuke, and that is Haruno Sakura. They are my comrades. You are all from Sunagakure, right? Are you here to participate in the Chunin Exams?"

The red-haired boy opposite him visibly paused for a moment. As a fellow Jinchūriki, Gaara was equally adept at reading people, so he was 100% certain that the blond boy opposite him had shown him genuine goodwill. In this world… there had once been someone who treated him like this, someone also blond, who often smiled, and then, on their deathbed, bestowed upon him a cold, despairing curse!

...Kill him...I really want to...kill him!

Naruto was the first to be targeted by the killing intent, but he wasn't the first to react. Sasuke quickly moved past him, firmly blocking his path.

"Why waste your breath on them?" That guy's killing intent was practically overflowing! You big idiot!

"Um, isn't exchanging names the first step to making friends?" Naruto was also quite puzzled. It had been so long since he'd experienced Gaara's killing intent attack; he was a little unaccustomed to it. Had he said something wrong? Surely not? He was a former Hokage, after all…

Fortunately, that murderous intent didn't last long. Gaara's emotions gradually calmed down, and he said, "Gaara of the Sandfall."

"Naruto Uzumaki, we'll meet again." And then, I'll take your life with my own hands!

"Why would that guy target you?" Sasuke turned around and looked Naruto up and down, his temper flaring. "You're so unsophisticated, dull-witted, and have absolutely no sense of danger. You're a complete idiot!"

Naruto typed a series of question marks. If Sasuke were saying this to him at his age, he could barely accept it, but the problem was that he was now fifty years old (by Chinese reckoning), so why was he being lectured like this by Sasuke? What had he done to offend him? Hadn't that kiss already been explained as an accident?! It was clearly Konohamaru's fault!

"Where am I dull-witted and unsophisticated? You're the one who's impulsive, hot-tempered, and reckless! Idiot Sasuke!"

"I was only doing that to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection at all!"

"My body just moved on its own! What could I do?"

"Then I'll control you..."

Wait, what did he hear?

Naruto's words caught in his throat; he never expected to hear those words under these circumstances. Those words... words he would remember for the rest of his life.

Although I'm glad that my position in Sasuke's heart has most likely surpassed revenge once again, this habit is really unacceptable! Sasuke! He's tough and can take a couple of hits without any problem, but you're a fragile character now!

"What's wrong? Can't you even speak properly?" Sasuke was furious, not even knowing what he was angry about. Was he angry that the other side had repeatedly trampled on Naruto's kindness? Was he angry that Naruto had just let it go like nothing happened after what happened? Was he angry that Naruto knew about the Chunin Exams but didn't inform him beforehand?

No, none of that is right. What is he angry about?

At this moment, Sakura, who had finally come to her senses, took a big step back and gasped.

What should I do? Why do I suddenly find this so adorable? Wait a minute! Sasuke should definitely be hers! But it's just so adorable!