The Fiery Youth Grows Up

"I want to have your children!"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I'm a bit nervous! What I meant was: please have children with me!"

"I didn't catch that, could you say it again?"

"Please have your—"

Wham...

A giant folding fan smacks across, sending a figure hurtling back, tumbling over twenty meters before crashing into a derelict mud wall to a stop.

The blonde girl storms off, leaving nothing but her furious figure receding into the distance.

As the dust settles, from behind the ruins, a ninja with striking facial paint and a puppet wrapped in bandages on his back slowly walks forward.

"Hey, are you dead?"

A large hand pushes aside the bricks and rubble, and a disheveled figure stands up.

"Thanks to your good graces, I'm still alive, Kankuro... I owe you one this time..."

"You're truly an idiot! Had I known you were going to spout such nonsense to Temari, I wouldn't have relayed your message and called her out..."

"You don't understand, little brother-in-law..."

"Who's your little brother-in-law? Keep your stupidity away from me!"

Kankuro, with a look of disgust, doesn't want to share the same air with this buffoon who claims to be Temari's childhood friend.

"With my sincere love for your sister, isn't it just a matter of time?"

"You still plan on not giving up? You were lucky to survive this time; Temari was holding back. You might not be so fortunate next time!"

"Next time will definitely be different. I've conveyed my feelings to Temari. Once she overcomes her shyness, she'll surely accept my love!"

"You're delusional. Knowing Temari, she'll think you've found a new way to mock her!"

"Eh? Impossible..."

"Good luck with that. Just don't drag me into your mess again."

With that, the proud puppet master walks away, leaving behind a figure petrified in the wind.

...

At night, the wind roars through the desert of the Land of Wind like a raging beast.

In the uninhibited wilderness, the sandstorm obscures all prying eyes.

Within the Hidden Sand, the strong winds howl through the streets, whistling sharply around corners, sounding like the low growls of ghosts and wolves.

Newcomers might find it hard to sleep at night, but the villagers are accustomed to such noisy nights for much of the year.

Amid the constant howling, a sudden shrill scream and the sound of something heavy crashing against a house break the monotony.

"Another unfortunate soul has been killed tonight. Recently, Gaara has become more restless, especially on nights like these."

The sandstorm thickens, obscuring the dim sky as if even the bright full moon cannot bear to witness such a bloody human tragedy.

Hearing the scream, many households instinctively turn on the lights to check the situation, but quickly turn them off after realizing that it's the One-Tail Jinchuriki losing control again, not wanting to catch Gaara's attention.

Tonight, many families shiver in the cold darkness, praying for the terrible night to pass quickly.

In a communal apartment building for young single ninjas, a boy who had been rejected after confessing his feelings earlier that day trains his body in his cramped bedroom after taking some injury medicine.

The heavy dumbbells dance up and down with the trembling of his arm muscles. After a long while, the sweaty boy finally collapses, sitting on the ground, his dumbbells clanging as they roll across the smooth floor to the corner.

Thud thud thud.

"Idiot Daimaru, so noisy this late at night, want to die again?"

The crisp voice of the girl next door curses venomously, unaware that her banging on the wall is even more annoying.

"Sayako, I don't need to listen to you, a woman with a dried-up heart..."

"What did you say? Worthless scum, I curse you..."

"Hmph! Superficial."

Daimaru, the boy, ignores the girl next door who thinks her curses are venomous, in reality, they're barely offensive, and heads into the bathroom for a comforting hot shower.

"Being a ninja has its perks. Which ordinary villager of the Hidden Sand can afford to use water this liberally?"

The cool warm water flows from the showerhead, cascading over Daimaru's sharply chiseled face.

His dusty and sweaty robust body, not even the faint steam can hide the sensation of bursting strength.

"Damn, just when I thought I had complete control over this body, such an oversight occurs."

His clenched fist hits the bathroom wall, the noise disturbing the neighbor's sleep, prompting even more vigorous cursing.

"What to do? The Chunin Exams are not far off."

Having been reborn for many years, the dull ten months in the womb were nothing. It was only after birth that he realized he was in the Hidden Sand and had caught the tail end of the Third Great Ninja War, with the village almost certainly facing defeat.

His father, a diligent role ninja, returned severely injured from the final battle at Kikyō Castle and died of old wounds before Daimaru could speak. His mother was unscathed, barely getting by with her elderly father and young son.

Daimaru moved into the communal apartment after becoming a ninja for convenience in private matters.

He occasionally went home, using his mission rewards to supplement the family income, so life wasn't too hard.

However, living in the impoverished Hidden Sand, many resources needed for a ninja's training were simply unaffordable for Daimaru's family.

Although his body was decent, he was only average. It was indeed too difficult to achieve anything substantial.

What's with refining chakra at one, climbing trees at three, water surface walking at four, familiarizing with chakra nature changes at five, gaining fame as a genius at six, and becoming a Jonin at seven...

Daydreaming much?

A child's wandering nerves are underdeveloped, and it's good enough just to control bedwetting.

Having a mature, calm, and efficient mind, yet confined by a weak body and immature nervous system, unable to control actions accurately, and instead being influenced by ridiculous instincts.

It's like playing a game with an unresponsive controller.

Due to immature possessiveness and jealousy, he could never stand to see Temari with other boys.

Wanting to attract the attention of the girl he liked, he didn't know what to do and only knew how to use brute force to bully and leave an impression, never realizing how annoying his behavior was.

As he grew older, some of his vile behaviors improved significantly, mainly because he could no longer beat Temari with his fists.

When the time was ripe to express his feelings, he never expected to say something so shameless.

"What a disgrace. After a while, I, 'Lord Red Sandstorm,' will have another ridiculous story to my name."

The body of the sixteen-year-old boy had fully developed, and there should be no more issues. It could only be said that the old soul had been influenced by the body, undergoing a fundamental change.

After fully integrating, the calm and cautious adult from before the rebirth had, over a decade later, become a hot-blooded ninja who acted before thinking and was notorious for his quirks.