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"Yeah," Naruto continued. "You guys were first to finish, right? That's impressive. Figured it wouldn't hurt to acknowledge good workā¦ even if we're from different villages."
Temari's cheeks flushed slightly. She coughed into her hand and tried to play it cool. "Heh. Well, it's not that big a deal."
But her eyes betrayed her amusement. 'Why does he have to be soā¦ chill about it? He's not what I expected.'
Naruto caught the subtle blush and smirked. "Good... I just don't like wasting effort. There's no need to go all out for a test like this. Save the real heat for the real fights, right?"
Temari glanced away quickly, brushing some hair behind her ear as her heart fluttered again. 'What is with this guy?!'
Gaara watched the entire exchange silently, his stare unblinking. There was something about Narutoā¦ his presence, his energy... it annoyed him... or perhapsā¦ it intrigued him.
His lips moved.
"Did your teammates slow you down?" He asked bluntly, his voice quiet but biting. "You have strength. I felt it. But you were late. I expected more."
Naruto blinked, then laughed softly.
"You shouldn't look down on my team," He said, not even slightly bothered. "They might not seem much at first glanceā¦ but they'll surprise you when the time comes."
Gaara turned his head slightly, studying Sakura and Sasuke from afar. His eyes lingered for a moment longer on Sasuke, who was glaring back at him like a rival sizing up prey.
Gaara's lips twitched into the faintest smirk.
"Then I'll look forward to it," He said coldly.
Naruto nodded. "Good. I hope you do."
With a final glance, Naruto turned back and walked toward his team.
Temari watched him go, biting her lower lip.
Kankuro muttered, "What the hell is with that guy?"
Gaara, still staring at Naruto's back, narrowed his eyes.
"Something's different about him," He murmured. "His chakraā¦ it's not just strong. It's eerie, deep, and dangerous..."
Temari tilted her head. "You meanā¦ he is dangerous?"
Gaara didn't reply andĀ just simply watched.
Back with Team 7, Naruto dropped onto a bench with a sigh of relief.
"You sure love attracting attention," Sasuke muttered.
Naruto shrugged. "Better to see where we stand before the next round. Besides, I was curious about them."
Sakura crossed her arms and sat down beside him. "You weren't the only one. Sasuke was asking about that Gaara guy tooā¦ But I think that guy is not right. Something about him gives me chills."
Sasuke nodded. "Well, I just want to fight him."
Naruto smiled. "We'll see. If fate wants it, we'll cross paths soon enough."
They sat in silence for a moment, waiting for the rest of the teams to arrive.
The tower was still quiet.
------
The silence of the top floor of the central tower was only interrupted by the occasional rustle of paper.
Anko Mitarashi sat cross-legged on the ledge of a high window, overlooking the dark sea of trees that was the Forest of Death. The sky was beginning to bleed into twilight, streaked with orange and gold.
The second phase of the Chuunin Exam was still underway, but her mind was elsewhere.
A sudden knock on the heavy wooden door echoed through the room.
Anko didn't turn her head. "Come in."
The door slid open with a groan, and a chunin stepped in, stiff and nervous. He saluted quickly. "Anko-sama."
She glanced sideways, her sharp amber eyes flashing. "Report."
The man stepped forward and held out a scroll. "Team 7āNaruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Harunoāhas completed the second phase. They arrived approximately twenty minutes ago."
Anko raised a brow. "Took them long enough."
She took the scroll from his hands and unrolled it. Her eyes skimmed the paper with swift, practiced precision.
"Hmmā¦ no injuries, six clean fights for the scroll, no casualties, stable formationā¦" She murmured, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "So the Fourth's brat pulled through."
The chunin bowed slightly. "Shall I report anything else?"
Anko waved him off without looking up. "No. Go back to your post."
The man bowed and disappeared from the room, leaving Anko alone once again.
She leaned back against the wall, lifting her feet up onto the ledge, and stared at the names on the scroll.
Her smirk faded slightly as her eyes narrowed.
"Not bad, Narutoā¦" She whispered. "But compared to that freak yesterdayā¦"
She exhaled, her gaze drifting toward the memory that had seared itself into her mind just the day before.
Yesterday afternoon...
Anko had been lounging lazily on a wooden bench, legs propped up on the armrest, sipping on a juice box with a dango stick between her fingers.
"Honestly, I bet it'll take at least four or five hours before someone makes it to the tower," She had said with a snort. "This year's batch looks decent, but nothing too special."
As if on cue, the door to the chamber had slammed open, startling everyone.
A young ANBU officer rushed in, slightly out of breath, clutching something in his hands.
"What is it?!" Anko had snapped, sitting up straight.
"We're talking about something important hereā"
"Excuse me, Anko-sama!" The ANBU had interrupted, bowing quickly and lifting the small cassette into the air. "This just came in from the surveillance team. You need to see it. Immediately."
With a raised eyebrow and a shrug, Anko motioned for him to proceed.
The ANBU ran to the VCR setup and inserted the tape. The screen flickered for a moment before the image of Gaara's team flashed into view, entering the central tower.
Anko leaned forward, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"Pause it!" She barked.
The screen froze.
"Zoom in on the timestamp."
The officer complied.
The moment Anko saw the time, her expression shattered into disbelief.
"Sixteen-oh-seven?" She whispered.
The entire room went silent.
The ANBU turned toward her. "This is exactly one hour and thirty-seven minutes after the second test began."
Anko stood up slowly, her body rigid. Her lips parted, but no words came out for a few seconds.
"This can't be rightā¦" She finally murmured. "In just ninety-seven minutesā¦?"
She walked up to the screen, staring hard at the frozen image.
Gaara and his siblings stood there, perfectly composed.Ā
"Not even a scratchā¦" She muttered.
Another proctor stepped forward, clutching a chart. "They've broken the previous record by over four hours, Anko-sama. No other team has ever cleared the Forest of Death this fast."
Anko clenched her jaw. Her voice dropped low.
"They're not Genin."
She turned to the side, pacing slightly. Her coat fluttered behind her as she moved with tense energy.
"It's ten kilometers from the gate to the tower. The forest is crawling with chakra beasts, giant spiders, man-eating plants, bloodsucking leeches, and teams willing to kill. There are cliffs, poisoned rivers, blind terrainā"
Her eyes darted back to the screen.
"They passed through all thatā¦ with zero signs of combat fatigue? The brown-haired one doesn't even look like he's broken a sweat."
The ANBU nodded. "Our sensors picked up high chakra activity in several zones during their movements, but it ended too quickly to fully analyze. We believe the sand-wielding boy took point and cleared paths single-handedly."
Anko's gaze darkened. "That's not just a sand jutsu user."
--- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ---
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