Even though Gaara had changed a great deal, the fear etched into Kankurō's heart was not so easily erased.
Though he now spent his days helping the people of the Land of Wind, Gaara still carried a chilling presence. Even when speaking to his own siblings, Kankurō and Temari, his emotions always seemed distant.
Things were better now, but in the past, just one glance from Gaara had been enough to terrify Kankurō.
The group soon arrived at the lodgings prepared for the visitors from Sunagakure and settled in.
The next morning, Team 7 gathered once again, preparing for the Chūnin Exams that would begin the following day.
As they walked the streets of Konoha, Naruto wondered if Gaara's team had already arrived.
Just then, an angry voice cut through the air.
"You brat, do you have a death wish!?"
Naruto looked ahead and saw Kankurō grabbing Konohamaru by the collar. Naruto didn't feel much of anything toward the Hokage's grandson—good or bad. To him, Konohamaru was just a spoiled kid.
This Naruto was not the same one from the original story; he had no real bond with Konohamaru.
Still, the difference in treatment between them was striking. Both were descendants of a Hokage, but while Konohamaru had a private tutor—Special Jōnin Ebisu, no less—Naruto had grown up as the outcast, the demon fox cursed by the entire village.
People claimed the Third Hokage had hidden Naruto's true identity to protect him from the Fourth Hokage's enemies, but Naruto couldn't help but scoff. In the shinobi world, killing was as natural as breathing—what shinobi hadn't taken lives?
During wartime, grudges multiplied endlessly. Hadn't the Third Hokage himself slain countless foes on the battlefield? Enemies or not, his own descendants still lived openly and comfortably in Konoha.
Meanwhile, Naruto had been left to bear the label of "demon fox." Worse, Hiruzen Sarutobi had never spoken out to correct the rumors, allowing the public to believe what they wished.
Naruto suspected Danzo had a hand in spreading those whispers. But the Third Hokage's silence was just as damning. He had deliberately let things fester, hoping Naruto would cling to Konoha through the so-called "power of bonds."
But Naruto was no longer the same boy from the original story. Those schemes would not bind him.
"Excuse me," Naruto said as he walked toward Kankurō, his voice calm but firm. "My friend from Sunagakure, you should know that the person in your hand is the Third Hokage's grandson."
Naruto's composed tone, paired with his striking features, caught Temari's attention immediately. Her eyes lit up in surprise, then dimmed with a private thought:
Why are all the handsome ones born in Konoha?
She felt despair when comparing them to the men of Sunagakure.
Kankurō hesitated, his grip loosening. He had thought Konohamaru was just some random brat, but learning that he was the Hokage's grandson changed things.
As Kankurō released him, Naruto couldn't help but feel bitter.
A Hokage's grandson had enough status to make even a Kazekage's son back down. And yet Naruto—son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—had been forced to endure a miserable childhood in isolation.
Hiruzen had once claimed that revealing Naruto's lineage would invite assassins, but Naruto now found that laughable. If a Kage's heir could be killed inside their own village, what kind of joke would that make of a shinobi nation's strength?
And even beyond that, killing a Kage's descendant from another village could easily spark war. No one in power would risk such a thing.
What's more, Minato's legacy had left deep bonds. Many shinobi still respected him as the "Konoha's Yellow Flash" and the village's "Little Sun." With his wide circle of friends and admirers, Naruto could have been protected and cherished.
Instead, everyone had kept their distance. Even Kakashi—Minato's own student—had never looked after him.
But that had only been the fate of the "original" Naruto.
Now, everything was different.
"Big guy, you just wait for me!" Konohamaru shouted, clutching his neck in humiliation before scampering off with Udon and Moegi.
"Kankurō, don't disgrace the village."
Gaara's voice rang out from the branches of a tree. At once, Kankurō froze, his body stiffening under the weight of that quiet command.
Naruto looked up, meeting Gaara's eyes. The two exchanged a silent nod of acknowledgment.
Sasuke also noticed Gaara's presence. A crushing sense of pressure filled him as he stared at the red-haired boy.
Is this Gaara the one Naruto spoke of?
At that moment, Sasuke recognized Gaara as a rival worth acknowledging.
Naruto had already told Gaara about Sasuke, just as he had told Sasuke about Gaara. The connection was mutual.
Gaara, too, could sense that Sasuke was no ordinary shinobi. His cold expression softened ever so slightly in goodwill.
"I look forward to fighting you," Gaara said.
"We look forward to it as well," Naruto replied.
With that, Gaara turned and left, Temari and Kankurō following behind.
On the way, Kankurō muttered, "Gaara, why didn't you put those guys in their place?"
Gaara halted, fixing him with a flat stare.
"My foolish brother," he said quietly, "with their strength, even if the two of you fought together, you wouldn't stand a chance."
Then, without another word, Gaara resumed walking.
Temari sighed, her face showing only helplessness, while Kankurō flushed with embarrassment.
"Wait for me, Gaara!" he called, hurrying to catch up.
The next day, shinobi from every hidden village began to gather in Konoha.
The first stage of the Chūnin Exams began: the written test.
Naruto glanced at Hinata with a small smile. Her cheeks flushed pink, barely noticeable, but enough for him to catch.
Soon after, the examiner announced the start of the test. Naruto knew what this exam was really about—assessing a shinobi's ability to gather information.
The questions themselves were deliberately difficult, far beyond the standard academy curriculum. Anyone who wasn't a prodigy would find them impossible to solve. Of course, this was intentional: several Chūnin had been planted in the room precisely so examinees would have the chance to "cheat."
If this were the original Naruto, he would've panicked and been unable to answer a single question.
But now, Naruto scanned the paper with a faintly mocking smile.
That's it?
As other candidates struggled, sweat forming on their brows, Naruto picked up his pen and quickly filled in the answers with practiced ease.
He, Uzumaki Naruto, was no fool—he was an academic ace.
Beside him, Sakura relied on her own knowledge and finished the test effortlessly. Sasuke, too, wrote with steady confidence. Thanks to Naruto's influence, Sasuke's current knowledge far surpassed what it had been in the original timeline. He had no need to resort to any cheating methods.
A confident gleam flashed in Sasuke's eyes as the scratching of his pen filled the quiet room. In no time, he finished. When he looked up, his gaze met Naruto's. Naruto gave him a slight nod, which Sasuke returned.
Naruto also nodded at Sakura, a small smile tugging at his lips. Team 7—an entire squad of academic aces.
When he turned his attention to the other examinees, the sight almost made him laugh.
Their cheating was laughably crude—sloppy techniques, obvious movements. The examiners barely needed to watch before exposing them one by one and tossing them out of the room.
Among the few familiar faces, their methods hadn't changed much from the original story.
With little else to do, Naruto leaned back slightly and let his eyes wander to Hinata. He studied her profile, the way her bangs framed her face, and his lips curved unconsciously into a smile.
At the front, the examiner noticed Naruto's gaze and twitched in annoyance. But since Naruto wasn't looking at her paper, there was no reason to interfere.
These kids… even in the middle of an exam, they still have time to flirt, the examiner thought grimly.
...
TN:
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