10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven
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"Hah! The stupid raccoon is flustered! You must be very creepy to frighten him that much, brat!"
Kurama snickered as he watched his sibling's expression through my eyes. Shukaku scowled when he regained his bearing and then kicked me out of Gaara's Mindscape. The fact that I could invade Gaara's Mindscape easily spoke volumes of the quality of the Seal. It was just a higher-grade Storage Seal which was unstable enough to break at any time.
It was honestly quite surprising that Shukaku hadn't escaped yet. If I would like to wager, Shukaku either enjoyed the sick pleasure of controlling the kid or was scared to live on his own because of his measly power. Given how he had reacted to my intimidation, it was likely to be the latter. It could be both, though.
"Do you have a problem with me?"
"Uh, no. Why would you think I have a problem with you?"
"Because you are staring."
The conversation that occurred between Sakura and Kankuro made me turn my gaze away from the petrified Gaara. I turned to the puppeteer and saw him scowling at Sakura. His makeup made his face scarier than it should be. I understood why Sakura was looking at his face. It was both intriguing and disgusting.
"Kankuro, don't cause a trouble. We are in another village," Temari, the oldest of the Three Sand Siblings, warned.
"She started it!" Kankuro countered.
"She didn't even do anything…"
"Didn't you see her face? She looked just like she just ate a frog when she saw me."
Temari sighed as she rubbed her forehead. I was an only child, but I could sympathize with her. I had dealt with Konohamaru enough to know the hardships of being an older sibling. She turned to me when she noticed my gaze. I gave her an acknowledging nod and she returned it with a smile. I had never been a fan of Temari, but that smile made me understand why so many degenerates worshipped her.
"Even if she thinks you are ugly, why does that matter to you?" I asked as I turned to Kankuro.
"Huh? Are you telling me to just let it slide?" Kankuro scowled.
"I like to think that what others say about me is irrelevant as long as I know it is wrong. You are being butthurt and that tells me you secretly agree with my teammate here."
"Huh…"
Kankuro blinked and did a double take. He scratched his head and then muttered an agreement. I was quite surprised by his reasonable attitude. I had expected him to explode and call bullshit on my logic. I guessed only Konoha Shinobi had a childish mindset. It must be thanks to the environment they grew up in. Sunagakure was harsh.
"By the way, my name is Temari," Temari introduced herself as she extended her hand.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you, Temari," I introduced myself as I grasped her hand. "Here for the Chūnin Exam, I guess?"
"Ah, yes. We just arrived and kind of got lost." Temari scratched her head awkwardly. "Our Jōnin Sensei was looking for an inn when we decided to leave him."
Kurama's Chakra allowed me to sense ill intentions, making it easier to detect enemies. I couldn't sense any ill intentions from Temari, but I could tell she was lying. Her Jōnin Sensei must be scouting Konoha and so were they. I knew what they were planning, but I acted oblivious. There was no merit in calling them out.
"Then, I suppose that kid is also with you?" I jab my thumb at the tree not far away from us.
"What kid?" Temari looked at me weirdly before she came to a horrifying realization.
Shizz!
"Mother says she doesn't like you."
"Gaara!"
Temari and Kankuro took a step back as Gaara appeared beside me. It was quite an interesting scene to see older siblings being that afraid of their youngest. It would have been amusing if Gaara hadn't tried to kill Temari and Kankuro before. Temari sent me a worried look. It was quite amusing to see how much she cared about an enemy Ninja.
I calmly turned to Gaara and quirked an eyebrow. "Pray tell what Shukaku wants to do with me."
"Who is Shukaku?" Gaara asked in confusion.
"The raccoon you call your mother."
As soon I said those words, Gaara sent a killing intent at me. It was impressive coming from a kid like him, but it barely tickled my spine.
"Mother is Mother! Don't you dare call her any other names!"
"Can you make me?"
I channeled the smallest amount of Kurama's Chakra I could afford. I could feel my eyes change as I saw the world differently. Gaara took a step back. My killing intent was not something he could withstand even with the help of Shukaku. It was honestly not that much, but Kurama's Chakra did wonder to it.
"Stop listening to that stupid raccoon," I chastised, flicking Gaara right on where the Kanji for love was written on his forehead. I could hear Temari gasp in the back. "That coward only knows how to bully the weak."
Gaara stared at me with wide eyes. If I was not mistaken, it must have been his first time being touched by another human. I would have felt sad for him if I had been slightly more emotionally intelligent. He eventually got over his shock and scowled. He didn't do anything which was a great thing. I didn't want him to go berserk this soon.
"Well, Temari, my teammates and I are going to train to prepare for the Chūnin Exam," I said as I turned to the blonde girl, meeting her befuddled gaze. "I will see you at the exam. See you."
I walked away without waiting for a response. My nonplussed teammates quickly followed, asking me what had happened. They had become more observant. They asked me why Gaara felt different and if that was the reason his siblings feared him. I was quite proud of what they had become, to be honest. Still, they didn't get any straight answer from me.
Now that I think about it, how dare that fuzzball call me creepy! I am just intimidating!
***
[Haruno Sakura's POV]
Today was the Chūnin Exam. I was both excited and nervous. Sasuke-kun and Naruto were way ahead of me. I was confident they would pass, but I wasn't sure about myself. Naruto had told me that I would do fine every time I asked him about my success rate. I didn't doubt his judgment, but I still felt lacking.
"You can't compare yourself to me or Sasuke, Sakura," he said as we walked to the academy. "You know how good he is, but he is lacking compared to me. You don't see him complain about it, do you? Sometimes, you need to stop looking up and begin looking around. You will find yourself satisfied with your progress."
"Huh… you are right," I conceded after mulling over it. "But why did you have to make yourself seem superior?"
"I don't have to do that, Sakura. I am superior."
"Pfft. Right."
Naruto turned to me and smirked. My cheeks warmed up against my will. It took me a while to admit it, but Naruto was handsome. Sasuke-kun was a pretty boy, but Naruto was a mature-looking bad boy. I could see why a lot of the older girls were interested in him.
Swish!
Sasuke joined us when we were just a few meters away from the academy. He lightly glared at Naruto, saying that he had been waiting for him at the bridge. Naruto casually jabbed his thumb at me, blaming me for forgetting his promise to Sasuke. I blinked and lightly punched his shoulder for his lie. Naruto just shrugged, prompting Sasuke to sigh.
When we arrived at the academy, we immediately headed to the floor where the registration was taking place. When we found it, two Shinobi were guarding it, barring everyone from entering. I tried to identify them, but they didn't have any identifiers. I frowned lightly as I concluded they were trying to make a scene.
"I will teach them manners!"
"Sakura! What are you doing?" Sasuke-kun called me as I was about to pummel the two Shinobi.
I turned to him and frowned. "What are you guys doing? This is the floor where the registration is held."
"It's one floor ahead. Didn't you count?" Sasuke chastised. "And look at that plaque. That's a poor quality Genjutsu."
"Ah… right."
"Come on, you two. You will get us late," Naruto warned, already halfway to the next floor.
Sasuke-kun clicked his tongue before running after Naruto. I followed quickly, slightly ashamed of my blunder. Thankfully, none of my teammates made fun of me about it. We were greeted by Kakashi-sensei when we arrived on the fourth floor. He looked bored as ever, but he seemed glad when he saw us together.
"Coming on time. Good job," he praised.
"We are not you, after all," I exclaimed proudly.
"Right…" he smiled. "All right, then. Good luck, team."
Swish!
Kakashi-sensei disappeared after such a short exchange. It was practically meaningless, but we were already used to his antics. We proceeded to the hall where everyone was gathered. The door was tightly closed, but I could faintly hear the voices behind it. Naruto pushed it open and walked into the hall like he owned the place.
Everyone turned their attention to us. They assaulted us with their killing intent which was almost as intimidating as Zabuza's.
"How kind of you to greet me. It is only proper to return the greeting, am I right?" Naruto remarked in amusement. "Welcome to Konoha, foreign Genin."
A wave of killing intent that almost made me faint descended upon the hall. It was very brief, but its disappearance brought peace to the hall.