The gates of Konoha Village stood tall, bustling with activity. Among the crowd, Satoru, wrapped in his signature bandages, tilted his head innocently.
"We're really just here to take the Chūnin Exam," he declared with a straight face.
Beside him, Bai and Ghost Lantern Hozuki nodded in perfect synchronization, their expressions equally sincere.
However, there was one small problem—they had forgotten their passage papers.
Not far away, Naruto and his team noticed the peculiar trio.
"Kakashi-sensei, look over there!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing in their direction.
"Huh?" Kakashi closed the book in his hand and followed Naruto's gaze.
"What's going on?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Sasuke also turned toward the village gates.
And then he froze.
His steps halted mid-stride, his eyes locking onto the bandaged figure.
That person…
It couldn't be…
Sasuke's mind raced as he stared at the familiar figure. Despite the heavy disguise and the passage of years, he recognized him instantly.
The memories came flooding back—the time his second brother, Satoru, had used this very appearance to tease him mercilessly.
Back then, Satoru had stood before him, covered in bandages, speaking in an overly serious tone:
"I'm not who I used to be. I am now… the one who sealed the Wings of Darkness—Bandage Spirit!"
And then, to prove his point, Satoru had leapt into a river with a dramatic splash, disappearing beneath the surface. Sasuke had spent hours fishing him out of the water that day.
How could he ever forget such antics?
"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura's concerned voice broke through his thoughts.
Sasuke snapped back to reality, shaking off the daze. Without a word, he hurried toward the gates.
Satoru was just about to make another attempt at explaining himself to the guards when he felt a familiar gaze fixed on him. He turned slowly, curious.
"Which cutie has such sharp eyes?" he murmured, stroking his chin.
And then he saw him.
Uchiha Sasuke.
The younger Uchiha stood there, his cold, unreadable expression locking onto Satoru with intensity.
For a brief moment, Satoru forgot what he had planned to say.
Oops. This is bad.
The corners of Satoru's mouth twitched nervously. Did we forget about this kid completely?
He quickly composed himself, plastering on a bright smile as if nothing was amiss. Stepping forward, he reached out to ruffle Sasuke's hair.
"Yo," Satoru greeted cheerfully. "I'm back."
For a long moment, Sasuke was silent, his eyes wide with disbelief. Finally, his voice came out in a shaky whisper, tinged with emotion.
"Welcome back."
From a distance, Naruto was watching the interaction with wide eyes.
"Who's this bandaged weirdo? What's his connection to Sasuke?"
Sakura, equally puzzled, tilted her head.
"Do you think Sasuke knows him? I don't remember him ever mentioning someone like this."
Even Kakashi furrowed his brows, intrigued. A visitor from another village? Someone Sasuke knows? This timing feels… suspicious.
"Let's go check it out," Kakashi said, closing his book and leading the group toward the gates.
At the gates, Shiranui Genma, who was responsible for monitoring visitors, looked exasperated.
"This guy claims he's here to take the Chūnin Exam," Genma explained to Kakashi, gesturing toward Satoru. "But they don't have passage papers or any identification."
"And they said they're from Sweet Ninja Village."
Genma's skepticism was evident. Despite the village's name, Sweet Ninja Village was infamous on the black market, and these three didn't even look like they belonged to such a place.
Kakashi studied Satoru closely, noting his central role in the trio.
"Do you have anything to prove your identity?" Kakashi asked calmly.
Satoru thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Proof of identity? Oh, I've got something!"
He reached into his robes and dramatically slapped three pieces of paper onto the table in front of him.
"There you go!" Satoru said with a triumphant grin.
Kakashi picked up the papers and blinked in surprise.
Bounty posters?
The papers bore bold headlines, detailing the black market bounties on Satoru and his companions.
The bandaged man's confident pose and unmistakable figure were prominently displayed on the poster.
Kakashi sighed, a twitch of amusement escaping his otherwise composed demeanor.
"It's certainly a document that proves your identity," he said dryly.
Naruto, peering over his shoulder, burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! It's a bounty! You're famous!"
His exclamation drew the attention of everyone nearby, and soon, all eyes were on the trio.
Sasuke stared at Satoru, his thoughts swirling.
Second brother, what exactly have you been up to these past few years? How did you end up with a bounty on the black market?
He recalled how he had believed his brother to be dead, killed by Itachi.
What's going on?
Kakashi finally set the bounty posters down and gave Genma a reassuring nod.
"It's fine," Kakashi said.
Genma looked at him incredulously. "That's… fine?"
"Technically, the bounty posters contain accurate identification details," Kakashi replied lightly. "It works."
With a sigh of resignation, Kakashi glanced at the eccentric bandaged trio, then at Sasuke, who was still staring at Satoru.
Let's just hope they don't cause any trouble during the Chūnin Exam.
And with that, he motioned for them to enter.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 140 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
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