"Stop!"
They had barely crossed the gate when Konoha's gate guardians intercepted them, standing so stiff and serious that it was almost impressive.
Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane—two names that were practically inseparable. No matter where one was, the other was always there, as if they were a duo forged by fate itself.
Yugao didn't waste any time. She stepped forward and promptly handed over the Snow Hidden Village identification certificate.
"Oh, so it's all of you from Snow Village. Welcome!"
Izumo said with a friendly smile as he glanced over the document.
But in the very next second, his eyes widened slightly.
"Uzumaki… Karin…"
Reading the name on the certificate, his gaze shifted to the red-haired girl standing casually within the team—hands in her pockets, personality practically screaming flamboyant confidence.
Kotetsu Hagane, standing beside him, narrowed his eyes as well and quietly observed the group more carefully.
Something felt off.
Things didn't look that simple. His nose was barely being held together by bandages, yet it still betrayed him by picking up something suspicious.
Karin, who had been casually scanning her surroundings, suddenly frowned and raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, what's with that look?" she said with a teasing smirk. "You're staring like you've seen a ghost."
Her sharp mind connected the dots instantly.
It had to be her name that threw them off.
"Any questions?" Yugao asked calmly, her voice steady and unreadable.
Kimimaro, Haku, and Hinata also turned their attention toward the gate guards, each wearing a different expression.
"N-No, no problem at all."
Izumo hurriedly shook his head, returned the certificate, and stepped aside.
"Please, go right in!"
"Thank you."
After offering a brief acknowledgment, Yugao led the trio into Konoha Village.
Karin didn't spare the duo another glance. Instead, her eyes lit up with curiosity as she looked around the village—one renowned throughout the entire ninja world.
Once the group had fully entered, Kotetsu leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Izumo… what should we do now?"
Izumo waved the reports in his hand lazily.
"It's nothing that'll give us a headache, so relax."
"What do you mean?" Kotetsu asked, slightly startled.
"…Idiot."
Izumo shot him a deadpan look.
"What I mean is that I'll report this to Hokage-sama, and he'll be the one with the headache. He can deal with it."
"Ohhh…"
Kotetsu finally caught on.
"You stay here and keep watch. I'll go report this."
"Got it. Leave it to me."
Kotetsu waved dismissively.
Swoosh.
Izumo vanished in a blur, leaving the gate behind.
As soon as he was gone, Kotetsu grinned to himself, sliding a finger across his nose.
"Heh… fooled him."
"There's no way I'm delivering something troublesome like that."
--
Meanwhile, inside Konoha—
Karin stopped walking suddenly.
Everyone behind her nearly crashed straight into her.
"Oy."
Kimimaro halted instantly, already half-turned, eyes sharp. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Karin said, squinting around. "Something worse."
"…What?"
She sniffed the air slowly.
"Hypocrisy."
Haku blinked. His already beautiful face somehow looked even cuter when he did that. "…Hypocrisy?"
"Yeah," Karin said solemnly. "Thick. Sticky. Disgusting. Just like Lord said—this village is crawling with hypocrites." She sighed dramatically. "…I already miss my lord's handsome face."
Hinata let out a tiny, accidental giggle before immediately clapping a hand over her mouth.
Yugao pinched the bridge of her nose. "We've been here five minutes."
"And already I miss Snow," Karin continued dramatically. "At least there, people mind their own business instead of smiling at you like NPCs."
A civilian passing by waved cheerfully.
"Welcome to Konoha!"
Karin waved back lazily. "Yeah, yeah—thanks, random citizen number twenty-three."
The man walked off, visibly confused.
Hinata slowed her steps, her pace faltering.
Yugao noticed instantly. "Hinata?"
"I-I'm okay," she said quickly, then hesitated. "…It just feels strange."
Karin glanced back. "Homesick?"
"N-No. It's not that," Hinata said softly, struggling to put it into words. "It's like… walking into a dream you already woke up from."
Kimimaro nodded solemnly. "…Then it is a place unworthy of nostalgia."
Karin stared at him.
"…Bones," she said flatly. "That was weirdly deep."
"…Was it?"
"Yes."
"…Noted."
--
Elsewhere in Konoha...
Inside the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, the room quiet except for the faint crackle of the pipe between his fingers.
Smoke curled slowly upward as his eyes moved across the report in his hand.
His brows lowered slightly.
"Uzumaki… Karin."
He took a long, measured puff.
The name alone was enough to stir up old memories—blood, war, seals, and sins that Konoha had never fully washed away.
A red-haired Uzumaki… arriving openly through the front gate.
With Snow Village credentials.
"…Troublesome," Hiruzen muttered.
He exhaled smoke through his nose, gaze drifting toward the window overlooking the village rooftops.
The Uzumaki clan had once been allies. Valuable ones.
And Konoha had repaid that loyalty by doing nothing when they were wiped out.
Now one had walked back in—alive, confident, and carrying no small amount of presence.
Hiruzen tapped ash into the tray, eyes narrowing.
And accompanying her...
Kimimaro.
Haku.
Hinata.
Yugao.
The others lacked surnames—an omission that was suspicious in its own right.
But the name that truly lingered in his thoughts, even more than Uzumaki Karin, was Hinata.
"…Perhaps," Hiruzen murmured, "I'm overthinking this."
--
"Did you finish the job?" Kotetsu Hagane asked when he saw Izumo return, his expression looking a touch more worn than usual.
"Well, yeah," Izumo replied, rolling his shoulders. "Hokage-sama asked so many questions I think I burned through a year's worth of energy in one sitting." He sighed deeply.
"I'm really glad I ended up as a gatekeeper. I can't imagine the kind of mess I'd have to deal with otherwise."
"Damn right," Kotetsu said with a crooked smile. "We're lucky bastards."
Half of their old classmates were already dead.
Some had retired early.
Others were alive but not really living.
Compared to that, standing guard at Konoha's gate felt like paradise.
Kotetsu let out a breath—
Then suddenly turned his head.
"…Hm?"
Another group was approaching the gate.
Three figures.
The first thing Kotetsu noticed was the red hair.
The boy walked at the center, hands tucked into his sleeves, expression calm to the point of emptiness. Dark circles framed his eyes, giving him a perpetually sleepless look.
Behind him, a blond girl with twin pigtails walked confidently, a massive folded fan strapped to her back.
And bringing up the rear—
A boy with purple face paint and a wrapped bundle slung over his shoulder, smirking sinisterly as he glanced around.
Kotetsu straightened instinctively.
"…Sand Village," he muttered.
Izumo followed his gaze, then sighed softly.
"Of course," he said. "As if today wasn't interesting enough already."
The red-haired boy stopped a few steps from the gate and lifted his gaze.
Kotetsu swallowed and forced a professional smile.
"State your business."
The boy stared at him for a moment longer than necessary.
Then spoke, voice flat and emotionless.
"Gaara of the Sand. Here to register for the Chunin Exams."
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