Chapter 17

Thirty minutes later.

"We still have an entire day to ourselves!" Sakura yelled out, clasping both hands in front of her chest.

"We can go sit by the stream, or go to the library." As Sakura spoke, she planned any option to stay with Sasuke.

"I'm not allowed in the library..." Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why not? What did you do, Naruto?" Sakura questioned, leaning forward.

"It's no big deal... Heh." Naruto chuckled, faking a laugh.

Suddenly, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto each hummed with interest before turning around. This revealed an array of human-sized paper rocks, three of them, spread across the narrow street.

"There's no such thing as paper rocks..." Naruto murmured.

"You saw through my camouflage! You're good boss!" A familiar voice of Konohamaru spoke out.

After speaking, Konohamaru was followed by a glimmering beam of shining light, engulfing his paper rock. Afterwards, a smoke-filled explosion shook the entire street, forcing Sakura to gasp.

"Im Moegi! The sassiest Kunoichi in the Academy!" An orange-haired Kunoichi spoke out, poking out from a cloud of smoke.

"I love Algebra! Call me Udon!" A snot-drooling boy could be heard.

"And we're the Konohamaru Shinobi Squad!" Konohamaru and both of his friends shouted in unison.

Entering a dramatic pose, this wondering group of children were followed by an awkward period of silence. Pierced only the occasional sniffle from Sasuke's nose, this silence stretched out without end.

"What's happening..." Sakura cut in.

I guess these kids don't hate him, like the rest. Sasuke noted, shrugging both shoulders.

"You're two weeks behind schedule! Teach me some jutsu, boss!" Konohamaru shrieked, stomping one feet against the earth.

"Did you master what I last technique already?" Naruto slurred his reply.

Instead of responding with words, Konoha released a devilish grin both clasping both hands together. Trailed by Udon and Moegi, each of these children ruptured into a cloud of smoke.

"Hmmm." Naruto hummed with content, gripping his whiskers.

Exposed by rays of sunlight, a bundle of two Moegi's, Udon's and Konohamaru stood in the road. Congratulating each other and shaking their own hands, these clones swelled with pride.

"A perfect illusion... Very nice." Complimenting his student, Naruto's Rinnegan eyes pulsated under his bangs.

Naruto's a teacher? Both Sasuke and Sakura thought to themselves.

"You promised you would teach us new jutsu!" Konohamaru shrieked.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Naruto was engulfed by the rapid plead of Konohamaru. Pulling on his sleeve without end, Konohamaru eventually crawled on top of Naruto's shoulder.

"Give me your scarf." Muttering his request, Naruto pushed Konohamaru to the ground, stealing his scarf.

Reaching behind his back, Naruto used one hand to search through his white satchel. Pulling a sealed scroll into view, Naruto unfolded this paper before hanging it in front of Konohamaru.

Casually weaving through an array of one handed seals, Naruto sat down, opening a container of ink. Revealing a wooden brush from his sleeve, Naruto painted an ornate scribble across his blank scroll.

"Now pay attention. I'm only doing this once." Speaking with an exhausted tone, Naruto briefly rubbed his own neck.

Laying his wet scroll across the ground, Naruto folded Konohamaru's scarf into a small square. Shoving this fabric against his scribbles of ink, Naruto's chakra released an aura of violet.

"What are you showing these kids?" Sakura cut in, poking her head over Naruto's shoulder.

"Something Shisui taught me." Naruto exclaimed with the shrug of his shoulders.

Taking several seconds to fully dissipate, Naruto's scroll finally came back into view, covered with a chakra-infused seal. Sealing Konohamaru's scarf inside this dense paper, Naruto created a challenge for his student.

"Once you figure out how to open this, come back. I'll teach you something else." Smiling with sincerity, Naruto quickly stood up.

Brushing the dirt from his outfit, Naruto loomed over the ecstatic outline of Konohamaru. Gripping his sealed scarf with both hands, Konohamaru anxiously dreamed of opening it.

"Sure thing, boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed as he bent forward and dropped the bundled up scarf he valued so highly inside the circle of the sealing scroll.

Rolling each of her emerald eyes in response, Sakura pinned both arms against her chest. Scoffing with annoyance, Sakura could barely contain sense of disbelief.

"Boss? Naruto's just a kid..." Sakura spat out.

Left momentarily speechless by Sakura's voice, Konohamaru's mouth fell open before stomping his foot in protect. Pointing at Sakura with an accusatory glare, Konohamaru grinded his teeth together.

"Kid?! Watch who you're talking too! You're just a jealous hag!" Konohamaru shouted with rage.

Brought to an awkward silence, Konohamaru continued to point at Sakura, disturbed only by the squawks of distant birds. After several moments, Sakura slowly raised her pale face, exposing her twitching eyes.

Jolted with fear, Konohamaru quickly turned around before running away, trailed by a rampaging Sakura. Cracking the earth as she advanced, pillars of steam poured from Sakura's nose.

"Get back here! Take you're beating like a real shinobi!" Sakura declared.

Dashing towards a distant corner, Konohamaru ran face first into a foreign shinobi, easily knocked to the ground. Gagging on a mouthful of sand, Konohamaru was briefly blinded by the sun.

"Do you need something?" Kankuro muttered, holding both hands in his pocket.

Adorned with a full-bodied black bunraku outfit, this attire was commonly worn by the puppeteers of Suna. Also, the headband of Suna was sewed across Kankuro's pointy-eared hat.

Just past his 15th birthday, Kankuro's most prominent feature was his purple face paint, contrasting his pale skin. Strapped against his back, Kankuro carried the bandage-wrapped remains of a strange corpse.

Startled by Kankuro's sudden appearance, Sakura froze mid-step, raising one hand in front of her mouth. Ignored by the extensive silence, Kankuro reached out before grabbing Konohamaru's collar.

"You should be more careful, you might get hurt." Display a confident smirk, Kankuro pulled Konohamaru into the air.

Paralyzed by a tight grip on his neck, Kankuro glanced over his shoulder, traumatized by a glimpse of Naruto's Rinnegan. Inspired by this revelation, Kankuro's heart abruptly sank into his chest.

N-... No way! Where did he come from?! Kankuro panicked.

He's faster than I remember. Sasuke noticed, leisurely standing in the background.

"What have you done now, Kankuro." Temari interrupted, shaking her head from side-to-side.

"He touched the grandson of the 3rd Hokage." Naruto explained, tightening his grip with each word.

Crushed by this display, Kankuro dropped Konohamaru before falling to his knees. Wincing with pain, Temari completely ignored her brothers plight, shaking her head with annoyance.

"Serves you right. Next time, don't pick on kids." Temari mocked, rolling her teal eyes.

Defined by a long-sleeve pale purple blouse, this cloth hung too Temari's pale knees. Exposing her skin-tight bundle of fishnet stockings, these perfectly matched her black shinobi shoes.

Characterized by sandy blond hair, Temari had a collection of four loose ponytails, jutting out in different directions. Also, despite her small size, Temari carried a massive iron fan across her back, strapped in place.

Why does this kid remind me of Gaara? Kankuro asked himself, holding his sore shoulder.

"Sorry about that, force of habit! Hah!" Naruto chuckled, resting his chin atop Konohamaru's head.

Acting like nothing even happened, Naruto displayed a genuine smiling across his face. Confused by this sudden change in emotion, Sakura scratched her head in the background.

"What a pathetic excuse you are, Kankuro." Gaara choked on his own words, standing upside down on a nearby tree branch.

Drawing attention to his ear-length crimson blood hair, Gaara's most noticeably feature was the red seal on his forehead. Engraved with his own blood, this seal symbolized the union between Shukaku and Gaara.

Covered with pale-skin and faint green eyes, Gaara wore a sleeveless black jumpsuit with a deep collar. A perfect match for his pale chest, Gaara wore an extended white sash across his waist and shoulder.

However, Gaara's most distinguishable trait was the large gourd strapped against his back, held by a leather strap. A steep contrast to the air, Gaara was engulfed by drifting grains of sand

This guy is off the charts... Sasuke studied the foreign shinobi.

Those headbands don't belong to our villages... Sakura noted to herself.

Running behind Naruto, Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi all hide from view, chattering their teeth with fear. Swelled with confusion, Naruto glanced at Gaara, filling each of them with a surge of pain.

Gripping his forehead, Gaara grunted with agony as Naruto held his own stomach with both hands. Groaning for several minutes, these two drifted in their own worlds.

"You're an embarrassment to our village!" Gaara eventually snarled at his brother, regaining his composure.

"Right - I was totally out of line. I'm sorry." Kankuro apologized, swallowing a wade of spit.

Leaping from his tree branch, Gaara landed in the road before crossing both arms in front of his chest. Glaring at Naruto with unblinking eyes, Gaara's forehead continued to twitch with pain.

Mother. A single word echoed through Gaara's mind.

Those eyes... I've seen those eyes before... Eyes full of loneliness... Naruto reminded himself.

"I didn't come here to play games." Pulling his hand from his face, Gaara turned around before walking away.

Quickly trailed by his brother and sister, this trio and sand siblings also journeyed through Konoha. Enraged by this display, Sakura charged forward, stomping her petite foot against the earth.

"Hold on! Foreign shinobi can't enter any village without permission!" Screeching her words, Sakura held her tiny waist with both hands.

"Really? Have you all been living under a rock?" Temari blurted out.

"Well... We just got back from a three week long mission." Naruto mumbled in response.

"We have permission." Temari rolled both eyes.

Pulling a piece of paper from her satchel, Temari displayed her official ID for the Chunin Exams. A visiting foreigner, Temari traveled for days just to reach the fabled village of Konoha.

"Get it, dweeb?" Mocking Sakura, Temari's face was sprawled with a wide grin.

"The Chunin Exams!? Is that today!" Sakura screamed, morphing into panic.

"But I just got back! I haven't even slept! What about my date with Sasuke!" Running in circles, Sakura lost all sense of control.

"We just got here today. That means you still have one whole week to train." Temari sighed.

"Than your little boy toy will be mine." Winking towards Sasuke, this revelation forced Sakura to foam at the mouth.

Roaring like a rabid ferret, Sakura surged forward, barely contained by a weak hug from Naruto. Struggling to restrain his teammate, Sakura bit at the air like a wild animal.

"Run! I can't hold her for long!" Naruto pleaded.

"Hmph." Temari snorted her response.

Erupting into a cloud of sand, Kankuro, Temari and Gaara all disappeared from view, filling Sakura with even more rage. Pulling her foot from the earth, Sakura slammed her heel against Naruto's groan.

Forced to squeal like a little girl, Naruto fell to the ground, crippled by a deep sensation of twitching pain. Running off without a care in the world, Sakura chased after Temari, looking for her new rival.

"Boss!" Konohamaru shouted, standing over his teacher.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke questioned, resting both hands in his pocket.

"She got me, she got me good." Naruto choked with a high pitch.

"Don't worry, I'll save you!" Konohamaru proclaimed, grabbing Naruto's foot before dragging him down the road.

Trailing behind his friend, Sasuke didn't even noticed as a distant group of shinobi glared at him. Hidden behind a bundle of dense foliage, these Oto shinobi were positioned on a tree branch.

Disturbed only by a gentle gust of wind, these shinobi were known as Dosu, Zaku and Kin. Ninja from the freshly made Land of Sound, these shinobi had much to prove.

"That's the kid, right?" Zaku muttered, glaring at Naruto.

Defined by spiky black hair and dark black eyes, Zaku also had fair skin and a happuri-style headband. Dressed in a short-sleeve beige short, this fabric deeply contrasted Zaku's wrist-guards.

Sliding both hands inside the pockets of camo-tint pants, this cloth was a mixture of black and blue. Obscured by the black shinobi shoes he wore, Zaku's hair rustled in the wind.

"Yea. That's the one." Dosu exclaimed, narrowing his visible left eye.

Characterized by a distinct hunch in his back, Dosu wore an overbearing purple kimono, twice his size. Because of this, Dosu's sleeves concealed swallowed each of his arms, against his camo pants.

Wrapped under an extensive amount of white linen bandages, Dosu's neck, chest and a vast amount of his face were hidden from view. Exposing the lion-like mane across his back, this spiky hair hung from Dosu's neck.

"What do you think?" Kin cut in, crossing both arms in front of her chest.

Dressed in a sleeveless tan tunic, Kin's fair skin was on full display, revealing her petite arms. Also, Kin's ankle-length black hair slid across the tree branch, briefly jostled by gusts of wind.

Similar to Zaku, Kin wore the headband of Oto across her forehead, a perfect match for her stark black eyes. However, Kin's camo-style pants denoted her outfit, allowing her to blend in with her teammates.

"I couldn't care less... But, lord Orochimaru says he's important." Dosu explained.

"So, let's finish this assignment already. I don't want to disappoint our teacher." Mumbling his words, Dosu was obscured by a bundle of leaves.