"Smack!"
The next moment, Naruto got two slaps on the head.
Zobei and Kotarou glared at him.
"Damn it, I thought it was that great pirate, Red-Haired Shanks."
"You scared me! I thought I'd finally get to fight a real powerhouse. Just thinking about it makes me tremble with excitement."
Zobei and Kotarou exchanged a look. Even though their backs were drenched in sweat, their faces pale, and their legs shaking, it wasn't fear at all—it was the reaction they had when facing a strong opponent.
Just a Four Emperor, no big deal.
Besides, why would a pirate be on land? It's not like they're mountain bandits.
"Keep eating, keep eating, it's just a little girl."
"Uncle Teuchi, another bowl! *Burp!*"
Zobei and Kotarou turned back to their meal. They had been preparing for the Chunin Exams for so long!
Just thinking about it made them want to applaud themselves. Orochimaru-sama would never expect that after just one outing, they had gone from Genin to Chunin!
Once they became Chunin, Orochimaru-sama would see them differently.
At that point, forget about Kidomaru and the others—even Kimimaro would have to respectfully call them "Chunin-sama." Even Orochimaru himself would have to greet them properly.
Thinking about this, the two of them couldn't help but grin.
This was their chance! As long as they made a name for themselves in this Chunin Exam, their names would spread across the entire ninja world.
"Wait, where's Naruto?"
When they snapped back to reality, Naruto was already gone.
By now, Naruto was chasing after her.
That feeling—there was no mistake.
Even though he had never seen that girl before, the moment he laid eyes on her, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. Especially that red hair.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.
But somehow, it felt like he had seen it before, felt that warmth before—that warm gaze.
Finally, the figure appeared in his sight again.
"Wait... wait a second!"
Naruto dashed forward, but just then, a shadow stepped out from around the corner.
"..."
"..."
Both of them were stunned for a moment. Naruto moved so fast that neither side had time to react.
The next second—
Bang!!
Naruto felt like he had crashed into a rock. The huge impact sent both of them flying.
"Oh no."
Naruto saw that he was about to crash into a red-haired girl in front of him. At the last moment, the girl bent slightly.
Thud!
Naruto landed hard on the ground. A slender hand reached out toward him.
"Are you okay?"
Hearing the voice, Naruto snapped back to reality. He quickly stood up and ran to the person he had knocked over.
"S-Sorry! Are you alright?"
Just as Naruto bent down to apologize, a sharp sound cut through the air. It was like something had pierced through space itself. Before Naruto could even react, a hand grabbed him from behind, pulling him back just in time.
Right beside his head, a cold, sharp sand spike stood frozen in place. A thin cut appeared on Naruto's cheek.
"Gaara… he's mad…"
Temari and Kankuro were startled when they saw Gaara get knocked back. But seeing him attack like this in a public place made them even more nervous.
If Gaara got really angry, things could turn into a nightmare.
"Gaara, this is Konohagakure. Don't cause trouble."
Temari stared at Gaara nervously, trying to warn him.
As Gaara and Kankuro's older sister, even if she was scared, she had to step up. Otherwise, things could get out of control.
"Gaara, the exam hasn't officially started yet. If someone dies here, it's going to be a big problem."
Hearing his sister's words, Gaara stood up. The sand around him returned to his body.
His eyes were emotionless. But instead of looking at Naruto, his gaze was fixed on the red-haired girl behind him.
"Karin, let's go. Don't start trouble."
One of the girl's companions spoke. They were here representing the Hidden Grass Village, just to go through the formalities. It was better to keep things peaceful rather than making enemies with another village.
"Alright."
Karin nodded and turned to leave.
Seeing this, Naruto took a deep look at Gaara before quickly following Karin.
"Hey, wait! My name is Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!"
"You're from the Uzumaki Clan too, right? Is your name Uzumaki Karin?"
"Uzumaki Clan? I'm not from the Uzumaki Clan. My name is just Karin."
"No way. The moment I saw you, I knew you were from the Uzumaki Clan. People from the Uzumaki Clan all have that special red hair.
Even one of the legendary Four Emperors, Shanks, has hair like that!"
Naruto squeezed his way into Kusagakure_Ninja's three-man team without caring how Karin's other two teammates felt.
But not far behind, Gaara didn't move.
In the next moment, the sand around Gaara exploded, and he charged straight at Karin.
"Sand Shuriken!"
The sand in midair formed several shuriken, flying toward Karin at an even faster speed as Gaara rushed at her.
Gaara's attack came without warning. It was so fast that even Temari and Kankuro didn't have time to react—his attack had already reached Karin's back.
Clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as Karin blocked all the sand shuriken with a kunai in each hand.
At the same time, she twisted her body into an unusual position and dodged to the right. It was as if she and Gaara were working together because he charged straight toward the direction she had dodged to.
"She… she dodged it!"
Temari, Kankuro, and Naruto stared in shock. Not only did she avoid Gaara's sneak attack, but she also blocked all the shuriken.
For the first time, a trace of excitement flashed in Gaara's emotionless eyes. But the moment he looked into Karin's eyes, he saw nothing but cold, murderous intent.
Boom!!
A terrifying punch smashed directly into Gaara's face, sending him flying straight into the ground.
Without stopping, Karin forcefully intercepted him in midair. A twisted chakra energy burst from her body, and her red hair fluttered without wind.
She threw a second punch. The chakra around her right hand vanished for a brief instant, and in the next moment, her hand swelled unnaturally. Her sleeve tore apart, and her twisted muscles looked as if they were about to break through her skin. At that moment, all of her terrifying strength was unleashed.
"Die!!!"
The threat of death became very real. This punch—if it landed, it would be fatal.
If Gaara took this punch, he would definitely die.
In Gaara's eyes, Karin had completely transformed into an unstoppable monster. Her red hair looked like a blood-red sky, and her punch felt like it was going to crush the entire world.
Boom!!
The punch slammed down. The ground cracked inch by inch, collapsing outward like a spiderweb.
At the center of the battlefield, dust rose into the air, and a single drop of blood fell to the ground.
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