Naruto, If You Don't Roll, What Kind of Hokage Are You?
"Hm."
The three of them reacted at the same time.
They split up instantly, sprinting in different directions with the clear intent of surrounding the target and capturing it in one coordinated move.
Unfortunately, the cat was no ordinary stray.
After escaping capture again and again over the past few days, it had become extremely experienced. At the critical moment, it suddenly leaped down from a wall, slipping cleanly through the narrowing gap in their encirclement.
In the blink of an eye, it landed lightly on the ground and dashed away.
"Damn it! That cat's way too cunning!"
"It's running—after it!"
The chase continued through the narrow streets.
Just as the cat rounded a corner, several unfamiliar figures appeared ahead and collided directly with the fleeing animal.
Bang!
The old cat was sent flying and slammed hard against the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop. It lay there dazed, stars seemingly spinning above its head.
"I thought it was something important," one of the men sneered coldly, "but it turns out to be just a stupid stray cat."
With a look of annoyance, he lifted his foot and kicked the cat lying helplessly on the ground.
Although the cat escaped daily, it was still the pet of the Daimyo's wife—raised in luxury and doted on endlessly. It had never suffered such humiliation in its life.
Fury instantly ignited in its eyes.
"Miaaaw—!"
With a sharp shriek, the cat drew its hind legs in and lunged violently, claws flashing as it tried to scratch the man's face.
The man merely grinned.
He casually extended one finger.
An invisible thread shot out, wrapping tightly around the cat's body before violently flinging it away.
"Get lost."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all stiffened.
Even if the cat was unpleasant and troublesome, it was still the Daimyo's wife's pet—and the target of their mission. There was no way they could allow anyone to harm it.
Hinata moved first.
She stepped forward smoothly, using the Gentle Protective Fist Eight Trigrams Palm technique. Her movements were soft yet precise as she intercepted the cat midair, gently pulling it back into her arms and holding it securely.
At the same time, Naruto and Sasuke rushed forward, already positioning themselves in front of the strangers.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted angrily.
"Who do you think you are?! Why are you treating the cat like that?!"
Sasuke's gaze was sharp.
"Judging by your clothes and headbands," he said coldly, "you're not ninjas from Konoha, are you?"
The three newcomers examined them in silence.
They had already noticed Hinata's unusual movements and clearly understood that she was no ordinary civilian.
Even so, when their eyes fell on Naruto and Sasuke, there was still a hint of contempt in their expressions.
"You don't even recognize the headband of the Hidden Sand Village?" one of them sneered.
"And you call yourselves Konoha ninjas."
The man who had kicked the cat spoke again, his voice cold and disdainful.
"The Hidden Sand Village?"
Naruto's heart raced.
He immediately realized—these people must be participants in the upcoming Chunin Exams.
"So what if it's the Hidden Sand?!" Naruto shot back angrily.
"You're in someone else's village right now! How can you act so arrogantly?!"
The puppet-like man beside them remained silent.
Instead, the one who spoke next was a pale, cold-looking youth with short red hair, no eyebrows, and dark circles under his eyes. A large gourd was strapped to his back, and the kanji for "Love" was tattooed prominently on his forehead.
"It has nothing to do with which village," the red-haired youth said calmly.
"This ninja world is, by its very nature, a place where the strong prey on the weak."
"The one with the stronger fist has the right to be arrogant."
There was no emotion in his voice.
No warmth.
No humanity.
It sounded as if the words came from a wild beast lurking deep in the shadows.
Even the system notifications in Naruto's mind—usually cold and mechanical—had never sounded this cruel.
Just as Naruto was about to speak, Sasuke stepped forward.
"The strong prey on the weak?" Sasuke said coolly.
"That sounds impressive. But it's still unclear who's strong and who's weak."
The red-haired youth glanced at him, his gaze icy.
"Sharp eyes," he said.
"Unfortunately, you don't seem to have the strength to match them."
Sasuke frowned slightly.
"Want to test that?"
"Gaara," the blonde girl beside him quickly interjected, her tone cautious.
"We just arrived in Konoha. It would be better not to cause trouble."
"Temari," Gaara replied flatly, "don't talk to me like you're my older sister."
"And you too, Kankuro," he added, turning his gaze slightly,
"If you annoy me, I won't even care about brotherly love."
"I'll kill you."
In an instant, Kankuro and Temari's hair stood on end.
Cold sweat broke out across their backs.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata also felt it.
A terrifying killing intent surged outward.
Behind Gaara, an enormous presence seemed to awaken.
A colossal Tailed Beast—filled with brutality, savagery, bloodlust, and an endless desire to kill—slowly opened its eyes.
The air turned heavy.
It felt like corpses piled into mountains, blood flowing into seas—a living hell.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were involuntarily shaken by this overwhelming pressure.
The old cat in Hinata's arms screamed in terror and thrashed wildly.
And at that very moment—
Deep within Naruto's consciousness, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, sealed behind massive iron bars, slowly opened its eyes.
"The aura…" Kurama muttered.
"Shukaku?!"
Naruto was startled.
"Hmph. A beast that deserves to be killed," Kurama sneered.
"What are Ichibi… Shukaku?" Naruto asked silently in his mind.
Kurama snorted and did not answer.
But as Naruto watched the fox's massive tails sway lazily, he vaguely understood something.
"A monster like you?" Naruto guessed.
"But unlike me… Gaara seems to have been completely swallowed by that monster."
Kurama chuckled coldly.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"For you, maybe," Naruto replied with a grin.
"But not for us."
"And don't even think about taking over my body."
"I'm not like him."
With that, Naruto withdrew from his inner world.
"Not like him?" Kurama muttered.
"Don't speak so confidently yet, you damn brat."
Gaara's terrifying aura flared briefly—then vanished.
Even so, the lingering fear it left behind was more than enough.
Yet none of Team 7 showed any sign of retreat.
After fighting Zabuza Momochi to the death, their mental strength far surpassed that of ordinary Genin.
Instead of backing down—
Naruto stepped forward.
"Enough with this nonsense!"
"If you've got something to settle, let's settle it properly during the Chunin Exams!"
"Remember my name—Uzumaki Naruto!"
The chakra Naruto released caused even Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro to show subtle changes in expression.
"Such powerful chakra…"
"I never expected a brat like this to be so strong!"
Gaara tilted his head slightly.
"Uzumaki Naruto…"
"I won't forget that name."
"And yours?"
"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke replied indifferently.
The Sand siblings stiffened.
"Uchiha…?"
Temari's cheeks flushed faintly.
"I heard all Uchiha are handsome… and it turns out that rumor was true."
Hinata spoke softly.
"Hyuga Hinata."
Gaara glanced at her briefly.
"Judging by this," he said calmly,
"except for him, all of you come from Konoha's prominent clans."
"Let's go."
With that, his killing intent faded completely.
Returning to his cold, detached demeanor, Gaara turned and left with Temari and Kankuro.
Hinata gently soothed the trembling cat in her arms and sighed softly.
"What a terrifying person…"
"It's like there's a monster living inside him…"
Naruto and Sasuke felt the same.
Each of them fell into their own thoughts.
"It looks like these Chunin Exams will be really exciting!"
"This will be my chance to stand out even more!"
"Hinata, Sasuke—let's turn in the mission and keep training!"
Hinata nodded gently.
Sasuke snorted.
"Stop acting like the team leader."
Still, he followed Naruto anyway.
Over the next few days, aside from completing daily missions, Team 7 underwent even harsher training under Naruto's planning.
Naruto pushed Hinata forward while provoking Sasuke relentlessly, driving both of them to new heights.
For ten full days, it was nothing but missions and training.
Even eating and sleeping time was compressed to the extreme.
But the results were undeniable.
Sasuke's overall strength increased significantly. His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and shuriken techniques reached an exceptional level. His Fire Release grew more refined, and his use of the Sharingan became increasingly smooth.
Hinata greatly improved her mastery of the Byakugan. Her self-created Gentle Protective Fist Eight Trigrams Palm technique matured considerably.
Both had undergone tree-climbing and water-walking training in the Land of Waves and had fought real Jonin-level opponents. Their inner strength, combat skills, mentality, and experience all advanced dramatically.
Naruto, meanwhile, pushed his Wind Release ninjutsu to near perfection.
The three of them were now filled with confidence.
They eagerly awaited the arrival of the Chunin Exams.
And in those days, more and more outsiders continued to arrive in Konoha Village.
The storm was coming.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)