A/N: Our second goal has been reached, so there will be a Triple Release next Monday. Our new target is to reach 900 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 900 Powerstones!
A month had gone by since the incident with the Hidden Cloud. Ever since then, the Cloud had closed its borders to Leaf ninja, and the Leaf had done the same. The Cloud had also ceased trade with the Leaf.
Walking down an alley, Goro heard a commotion a few meters away. As he got closer to the source of the sound, he could make out a particular voice—distinct and, as always, somewhat annoying.
"PUT HIM DOWN, YOU BIG MONKEY!" Naruto yelled.
'Who's he talking to?'
Turning the corner, Goro saw a familiar scene.
'Kankuro, huh... It's already that time? It feels like it all went by in a flash...'
Goro watched the scene unfold for a moment. Just like in the show, Naruto sprinted toward Kankuro but was easily parried, sending him flying to the ground.
'Naruto never learns. Sometimes he fights strategically, but other times he fails to think... Is Kakashi a bad teacher, or is he just a bad student? Or maybe it's a combination of both...'
Seeing no reason to intervene, since Sasuke would soon arrive to their rescue, Goro decided to continue walking and avoid the situation entirely. However, as he was about to leave the area, he was spotted by Kankuro.
"Hey, you! Why're you eavesdropping like a coward?" Kankuro exclaimed, mocking Goro.
Naruto, Sakura, and Konohamaru's team turned to see who Kankuro was talking to.
"Goro?" Sakura said, her expression lighting up.
Crossing his arms and furrowing his brow, Naruto muttered, "Not him…"
'...I'm stuck in this situation now.'
Running over to Goro was Moegi, Konohamaru's teammate. Moegi grabbed both of Goro's hands and pleaded, "Please help us, Mister!"
'Now I'm really stuck…'
Having no other choice, Goro patted Moegi on the head and walked over to Kankuro. Kankuro, believing he was dealing with another small fry, tried to push-kick Goro to the ground, but Goro evaded the attack and uppercut him, sending him to the ground.
Goro then took Konohamaru out of Kankuro's arms and flickered back to the group of Leaf ninja.
"He's too fast!" Temari thought, kneeling beside Kankuro.
Although dizzy, Kankuro slowly climbed to his feet, using Temari as support. Pointing at Goro, Kankuro roared, "Who is this bastard?!"
Naruto, who had been watching the whole exchange, grew increasingly frustrated. "Why can't I ever look that cool?!" he pondered.
In awe of the speed at which Goro moved, Sakura's jaw dropped. "I-I've never seen Sasuke move that fast before…" she mused.
Kankuro and Temari both knew they were outmatched. Hoping to end things, Temari turned to Kankuro and advised, "It's best if we just let things go. You started the mess here to begin with."
Kankuro wasn't willing to protest against Temari. He knew what the outcome of a battle between him and Goro would look like, and it wasn't in his favor by any means. Turning on their heels, the two were about to leave when their younger brother showed up on the scene.
"Oh great! Another weirdo!" Naruto exclaimed.
Rolling up his sleeves, Naruto walked over to Gaara and grabbed him by the collar, attempting to look cool for the spectators. "Listen here, you no-eyebrow rat!" Naruto began.
Gaara's face darkened, his expressionless face now showing rage. The lid on Gaara's gourd started to melt into sand, and the sand within his gourd began to leak out onto the ground, trailing toward Naruto like a snake.
Continuing his display of courage, Naruto shook Gaara even more this time. "What're you doing in our village?" Naruto interrogated.
Temari and Kankuro's faces grew pale. Gaara's sand began to tangle itself around Naruto's foot, but before it could constrict, a rock came hurling at Gaara, distracting him from Naruto. Gaara's automatic defense blocked the rock easily, but it caused him to retract the sand from around Naruto's foot to use for defense.
Flickering down from a tree, Sasuke pulled Naruto back, away from the reach of Gaara's sand. "You're a moron, you know that, right?" Sasuke said.
Sasuke dragged Naruto back to where Goro and Sakura stood, briefly looking at Goro before letting go of Naruto and shifting his attention to Gaara.
"Why are Sand Shinobi in the Leaf Village?" Sasuke questioned, glaring at Gaara.
Kankuro and Temari remained silent, refusing to answer any questions from their opponents for fear that Gaara wouldn't like it.
"I can't kill them yet. I've got a mission to complete…" Gaara mused.
Turning his back on the Leaf ninja, Gaara stated, "If you are selected to participate in the Chunin Exams, I'll kill you." With those words, the three Sand ninja flickered away.
Remembering that during this event, the Genin from the Sand and Leaf were being watched, Goro looked up at the tree where the Sound ninja stood. Realizing they had been spotted, the Sound ninja also flickered away.
"He's perceptive… So there are only three people worth looking out for: the raven-haired one, the spooky-looking one, and the white-haired brat," Dosu said as his team fled the area.
'I think it's time for me to leave now. Everything around here is done. Seeing Gaara in person, I now understand more of the extent of his talent. Sasuke isn't a slouch either, but the two aren't of the same caliber.'
As Goro was about to leave, he was stopped by Konohamaru and his team, who surrounded him.
"Thank you, mister!" the three exclaimed simultaneously.
Giving the kids each a fist bump, Goro said, "You guys weren't pushovers either. You were all brave out there. It's a good trait to be someone who doesn't leave their friends behind but sticks by them in troubling times."
Attempting to leave for the third time that day, Goro was stopped once again by a hand that tugged on his shoulder. Looking back, Goro noticed it was none other than Sasuke.
"Something wrong?" Goro asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
'What does he want? And why can't I just leave in peace?'
"You saw the sand wrapping itself around Naruto's foot, and yet you did nothing," Sasuke said, his gaze sharp on Goro.
Goro pushed Sasuke back, forcing Sasuke to let go in order to break his fall.
"What makes you think you can place your hands on me like that? I helped out, and all the witnesses are here. All you did was throw a pebble," Goro mocked, irritated by Sasuke's lack of respect.
Blocking Goro's exit, Sakura scolded, "How dare you push Sasuke like that!"
"She never defends me like that!" Naruto pondered.
Goro sighed. His actions had backfired on him. Concluding that brute force wasn't the way, Goro reached out his hand for Sasuke to grab onto, but instead of opting for reconciliation, Sasuke slapped Goro's hand away.
"You picked this fight, don't change your mind now," Sasuke threatened, standing up and ready to brawl. Before things could escalate any further, however, Goro flickered away from the scene.
'So much for trying to make an official exit. How long had Sasuke been sitting in that tree to realize I purposefully didn't help Naruto? That just makes me think Naruto's theory—that Sasuke just waits around to steal the spotlight—might be true…'
Reminder: Our second goal has been reached, so there will be a Triple Release next Monday. Our new target is to reach 900 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! New Goal: 900 Powerstones!