Kankuro snapped his head around, eyes wide as he looked behind him.
At the same moment—*whap*—a small rock came flying from a branch nearby.
It brushed right past the back of Kankuro’s hand, making him flinch and loosen his grip. Konohamaru dropped to the ground in a tumble.
He rubbed his sore head and quickly ran back toward Naruto.
An eye patch, silver hair, and a cheeky grin.
Hatake Satoru crouched down a little, putting both hands on Temari and Kankuro’s shoulders.
When did this guy get behind them!?
Startled, the two of them quickly stepped back, putting some distance between themselves and Hatake Satoru.
No forehead protector, just regular clothes. What a weird guy.
Sasuke, sitting on a branch nearby, tossed a stone in his hand, looking annoyed that someone had stolen his moment.
Whether it was this guy or Kakashi, they both loved stealing the spotlight.
After putting some space between themselves and Hatake Satoru, Temari and Kankuro turned to glance at Sasuke on the tree.
Even if his attention was thrown off by the surprise behind him, that stone still packed a punch.
"Huh? Big bro Satoru! What are you doing here?"
Naruto helped Konohamaru up as he looked over with excitement.
"Well~ I was just wandering around and saw you little guys making a fuss over here."
"Starting trouble in someone else’s village isn’t very nice, little friends~"
Hatake Satoru didn’t seem to care much as he stood up, looking down at the kids from above.
Just a bunch of little kids.
That line hit everyone there pretty hard.
Temari and Kankuro could tell this guy was clearly mocking them.
But Temari, being a girl, was more composed than the boys around her.
Besides, Kankuro was the one who started it, so Temari didn’t say anything. She just stayed alert and kept an eye on Hatake Satoru.
Even without a forehead protector, and not looking much like a ninja, he still gave off this hard-to-read vibe because of how suddenly he showed up.
"Who are you looking down on? Just ’cause you’re tall doesn’t mean anything!"
Kankuro, though a bit older than Naruto and the others, was still just a kid. As soon as he heard the mocking tone, he got fired up and wanted to throw hands.
He pulled out Crow from behind him, and the white bandages wrapped around it fluttered in the air.
"Hey, don’t tell me you’re actually gonna use Crow?"
Temari looked at Kankuro with surprise.
This guy got provoked way too easily!
That silver-haired man might not look like a ninja, but the genin sitting on the tree branch definitely seemed capable.
Starting a fight with someone from Konohagakure the moment they entered the village? Not a good look.
"You won’t win against him. Don’t embarrass our village."
A gloomy voice spoke up right next to Sasuke.
Sasuke froze for a second, then quickly turned his head toward another branch nearby.
This guy... he’s just as fast as Kakashi.
Whether it was Kakashi or this boy, they both showed up with a small breeze that you’d miss if you weren’t paying close attention.
Sasuke snapped out of it and looked over, now watching the boy carefully.
Kankuro’s face stiffened up right away, like he just got caught doing something bad.
Temari also looked a little unsure, her eyes shifting off to the side.
"Yep yep~ That’s the way. Don’t go picking fights with grown-ups!"
"And I’m not even a ninja, you know. Throwing out a mummy all of a sudden like that is super scary."
Hatake Satoru took a light step backward. Even though he said it was scary, his face showed he clearly wasn’t scared at all.
Gaara rarely showed much emotion, but this time he frowned slightly and glanced at Hatake Satoru.
Kankuro and Temari might not have noticed anything strange, but Gaara clearly saw that this man didn’t have any chakra at all.
He wasn’t a ninja, yet he spoke to them so boldly—it felt off.
Gaara turned into sand and appeared beside Temari and Kankuro.
He might have scared those two, but judging by his height, this guy seemed like the youngest one here.
"Don’t cause trouble here. What do you think we came for?"
"Let’s go. We’re not here to play."
Gaara glanced at Sasuke sitting in the tree without any expression, then turned to leave with the other two.
"Wait! You’re from the Land of Wind, right?"
"Even if we’re allies, I don’t think you’re supposed to be here!"
Sakura saw the three foreigners about to leave and quickly stepped forward to question them.
Temari, walking behind Gaara, raised an eyebrow and pulled out a pass from her bag.
The Chunin Exams were being held in the Land of Fire, and yet the local genin didn’t know anything?
"You guys really don’t know anything, huh."
"This is a pass. We’re genin from the Hidden Sand, here for the Chunin Exams."
"Besides us, people from the Hidden Mist will also be coming to set up ties."
Kirigakure Village—the name instantly made Sasuke and Naruto tense up.
Haku’s face appeared clearly in both of their minds.
Looks Chunin Exam is going to be packed with strong opponents...
"Kakashi really doesn’t care about anything other than keeping you all alive, huh."
Hatake Satoru tugged at his eye mask and started walking back in the other direction with Naruto, Sasuke, and the others.
"Ah, by the way, what’s the Chunin Exam anyway, Satoru-nii?"
Naruto tilted his head up a bit and asked curiously.
Hatake Satoru smiled as he began to explain it to Naruto. Gaara, meanwhile, turned his head slightly and narrowed his eyes.
Sand gathered behind him and quickly took the shape of a kunai, shooting straight toward Hatake Satoru’s back.
We’re not supposed to attack... but isn’t that exactly what he just did?
Temari and Kankuro were speechless for a moment at Gaara’s double standards. Then they looked at Hatake Satoru behind them.
Compared to those genin, Gaara was clearly more interested in this strange man who claimed not to be a ninja.
Hatake Satoru didn’t even look back. He reached behind him and grabbed the flying kunai made of sand, crushing it to dust with one squeeze.
Gaara’s pupils shrank in disbelief.
Not only did he catch it barehanded—he actually crushed it too.
Hatake Satoru didn’t even pause his explanation as it happened. Naruto, squinting next to him, didn’t notice anything was wrong.
Only Sasuke hesitated and turned to glance at them.
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