"Winner of Round 1!! Uchiha Sasuke!!" Hayate Gekko announced aloud, then he followed, saying, "In the second round, Uzumaki Naruto will fight Gaara!"
"Konoha has a lot of talents. However, that child is the last member of Uchiha's clan, right? Tsk tsk, such a powerful family died in the hands of somebody," Kazekage expressed regret, shaking his head disapprovingly. It remained unclear whether his pity stemmed from the Uchiha clan's demise at the hands of Itachi or from the hands of Konoha, who held authority under the Third Hokage.
"Yeah, there is no way someone would even think that Konoha would produce an S-rank rebel, right?" Sarutobi Hiruzen remarked with a hint of irony, accompanied by a wry half-smile.
"Hehehe~~ Indeed, but from what I've heard, there are quite a few rebels within Konoha, and it appears that one of them happens to be a disciple of the esteemed Third Hokage," responded Orochimaru with a mischievous chuckle.
"He is not my disciple," Sarutobi Hiruzen responded indifferently which made Orochimaru beside him glance at him.
"Hehe, is that so?" Orochimaru remarked.
It seems that the master-student relationship has come to an end.
In the auditorium, Sasuke and Kakashi stood together, waiting for the first round to end.
"You learned your Chidori from Naruto, right?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes. Here, I will return these notes to you. I apologize for learning your ninjutsu without your consent," As Sasuke said, he took out a notebook from his pocket which was the training notes for Raikiri written by Kakashi himself.
"I didn't expect Naruto to give you this ninjutsu, but your Chakra attribute is quite suitable," Kakashi took the notes. Although Sasuke learned his ninjutsu, Kakashi didn't mean to blame him. After all, Sasuke was his student as well. Throughout their time together, Kakashi had only instructed them on basic skills like tree-climbing and water walking.
Initially, Kakashi had contemplated whether to teach Sasuke and Naruto some ninjutsu in case they encountered formidable opponents during the Chunin exams. However, to his surprise, Naruto showed no interest in such matters, and Sasuke was swiftly taken care of by Naruto himself. This turn of events relieved Kakashi of the need to intervene, saving him considerable trouble.
Of course, due to the sudden disappearance of Gaara at the beginning and the subsequent incident involving his father, Kakashi became preoccupied with these pressing matters. As a result, he inadvertently overlooked the opportunity to teach his two students ninjutsu during that time.
"Sasuke is so cool~~"Sakura looked at Sasuke expectantly but was also somewhat disappointed.
Didn't Naruto promise to help her find a summon? Why hasn't he come to her? It's been over a month!!
However, thinking that Sasuke had not acquired the beast till now, madeSakura feel a little more relieved.
It's not that Naruto doesn't care about Sakura; rather, he has been preoccupied and busy over the past month, causing him to forget about their agreement.
In the training ground.
"Finally, I have the chance to fight against you. If my opponent in the qualifiers had been anyone else, I would have felt quite disappointed," Gaara looked at Naruto excitedly.
In this year's Chunin exams, the only opponent whom Gaara truly acknowledged was Naruto, with Rock Lee being considered only half as significant. This was because Rock Lee's unexpected outburst during their encounter had nearly overwhelmed Gaara, leaving him with lingering apprehension towards that particular physical technique.
"Are you so looking forward to fighting me? Are you not afraid of losing badly? I am very strong," Naruto smiled and replied.
Gaara's current disposition aligns with that of an extremely rebellious teenager. It seems that he requires a significant altercation or defeat to truly awaken and change his perspective. You can see in the original anime, Naruto's intervention and subsequent battle with Gaara played a pivotal role in transforming his character.
During heated moments, Naruto's passion and determination were able to stir Gaara's emotions. However, Naruto has no passion at this time, so he can become more ruthless.
"Naruto, come on!" Rock Lee shouted. Although he was almost beaten by Gaara and lost his ninja career, because it was a competition, Rock Lee didn't have the slightest hatred. He only felt that he was not strong enough.
"I wonder if Naruto can win," Guy frowned thoughtfully.
"Naruto will do it!" Lee said enthusiastically.
"Oh! Lee, do you trust Naruto so much?" Guy asked in surprise.
"Yes, I believe him!" Rock Lee nodded very positively.
"You must win!" Kiba also cheered.
"There is a lack of detailed information about Naruto. The odds of winning are...unknown," Shino analyzed calmly.
"You once told me that I have the power to change my destiny, so now let me witness your strength," Neji stared closely at Naruto, who was standing calmly in the field.
"What a troublesome opponent..." Shikamaru frowned.
"But if it's Naruto, it shouldn't be a problem. Isn't his taijutsu better than Rock Lee's?" Chōji comforted.
"Come on! Come on!" Ino yelled.
"Naruto-kun, do your best!" Hinata's voice of encouragement was barely audible, except to a select few with keen hearing nearby.
"Your popularity is quite remarkable. If you were to suffer a severe defeat, they would be greatly disappointed," Gaara remarked, hearing the resounding voices from the audience. He ceased suppressing his emotions, allowing a cruel smile to form on his face.
Gaara despised the sensation of being acknowledged and having high expectations placed upon him. He couldn't help but feel envious of Naruto, who was surrounded by numerous supportive friends, with everything seemingly revolving around him.
Because of this, Gaara has no friends. He was extremely jealous of Naruto. Therefore, Gaara wants to destroy everything about Naruto.
"Gaara, why do you think I'm popular after hearing only a few people? Why don't you look up and see what the rest of the people think of me?"
"Huh?"
Naruto's words made Gaara very puzzled. He subconsciously looked up at the audience around him, and then he saw familiar eyes.
Hate, hate, and loathe… He only felt these eyes and emotions in Sunagakure, why did Naruto also…
"Is there a monster in your body?" Gaara asked empathetically. Isn't this situation the same as his?
"No, it's not a monster. It's a friend," Naruto put his hand on his stomach, shook his head, and denied it.
His words made the corners of Kurama's mouth curl up, who was in the sealed space. Its huge tail swayed unceasingly, expressing its emotions at this time.
To be recognized and regarded as a friend by people is an incredible thing for tailed beasts. Although the former Kurama sneered at it and hated humans because Madara and Hashirama had sealed it.
But then, it met Naruto. It felt Naruto's true inner feelings and gradually accepted him.
Because Naruto released the souls of Minato and Kushina, he also released the shield of the outside world and the sealed space for him.
"You regard these monsters as..... friends?"
Gaara laughed, thinking that Naruto was talking in his sleep. How could he have a monster as a friend?
"Have you forgotten the pain it gave us? Forgot these eyes it gave us? Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara growled and looked at Naruto angrily.