Chapter 5: On the Eve of the Chūnin Exams!
Dawn gradually brightened the sky.
Today, Konoha was unusually lively.
With the Chūnin Exams just around the corner, ninjas from other villages had been arriving in droves from far away.
Karin was one of them.
And she wasn't the only one.
The same went for the trio from Sunagakure — Gaara's team.
Right at this moment, however, Kankurō from that very team was busy playing his favorite game: "Bullying the Little Kids."
"First deal with this stinky brat, then that one over there."
Kankurō had Konohamaru in one hand, fist raised in the other.
He glanced with interest at Naruto standing not far away, then swung his fist straight toward Konohamaru's face.
Thwack!
At that exact instant, a small pebble flew out of nowhere and smashed hard into the back of Kankurō's hand.
He involuntarily let go.
Konohamaru was saved.
"What do you think you're doing in someone else's village?"
Sasuke sat perched on a tree branch, casually tossing another pebble up and down, face completely blank as he spoke.
"So cool!"
Temari's cheeks flushed as she stared at Sasuke.
"What a fine man~"
"Though he's handsome… he still feels like he's missing something compared to Byakuya…"
Sakura watched Sasuke from the side, silently rating him in her mind.
"Sigh…
Why did Byakuya have to give up being a ninja?!
If he hadn't quit, maybe we could've been on the same team…
Ahhh~
Sasuke on my left, Byakuya on my right…
Kyaa! Absolute bliss!"
"Get lost."
Just as Sakura was lost in her daydream, Sasuke lightly squeezed the pebble in his palm.
It instantly turned to powder.
His expression remained utterly indifferent.
"Tch~"
Before Kankurō could even react, Naruto was already sneering loudly.
"The Eternal Number Two is showing off again!"
At the same time, inside Naruto's head, a furious roar echoed:
Damn you, Sasuke!
Why do you always swoop in and steal the spotlight like that?!
"Eternal Number Two…?"
Kankurō blinked, then looked up at Sasuke.
"Hey!
Get down here, Eternal Number Two.
I hate brats who only know how to run their mouths the most."
As he spoke, he lowered the puppet on his back into position.
"…"
Sasuke's face darkened instantly.
Eternal Number Two — that nickname was his eternal nightmare.
The moment he heard it, he couldn't help but think of that one man who had always crushed him completely.
"Hmph."
Sasuke let out a cold snort.
"Please don't lump me together with the guy who gave up on being a ninja."
"Kankurō, stop."
Just as the tension spiked between the two, a chillingly indifferent voice cut through.
"You're embarrassing the village."
Everyone turned.
A boy with dark circles under his eyes and a gourd on his back had appeared — standing upside-down on the branch right beside Sasuke!
"I-I-I… Gaara…"
Kankurō nervously glanced at him.
Gaara, however, paid him no mind.
He gave Sasuke a casual once-over before speaking again.
"Do you think we traveled all this way to Konoha just for fun?"
"L-listen… Gaara…
It was these guys who started it!"
"Shut up.
Speak again and I'll kill you."
"Y-Yes…!
Sorry…
Really sorry…"
Kankurō apologized profusely, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"My apologies."
Gaara ignored him completely and turned to Sasuke instead.
After staring at him for a few more seconds…
"A powerhouse like this is only the Eternal Number Two?
…I'm suddenly looking forward to the upcoming fights."
With that thought, Gaara simply jumped down.
"Let's go. We didn't come here to play."
"Wait!"
Sakura suddenly called out, stopping the trio.
"You're from Sunagakure, right?
What are you here for?"
…
After a brief exchange, Team 7 finally learned that the Chūnin Exams were about to begin in Konoha.
And Gaara's team had come as participants.
Once they knew, the three of them headed straight for Byakuya's bookstore, each feeling a complicated mix of emotions.
"Byakuya!"
Naruto burst through the door with his usual lack of manners.
"Hey hey hey~
There are tons of weirdos in the village right now!
They say they're here for the Chūnin Exams.
You wanna join in or what?"
"Naruto!"
Sakura's fist came down with a loud duang, leaving a massive bump on his head.
Then, in the blink of an eye, she switched from rage mode to fangirl mode.
Face bright red, she bashfully picked up the broom.
"Um…
Byakuya-kun~~
We came to help you clean up!"
"Thanks."
Byakuya gave Sakura a glance.
He knew exactly why she reacted so strongly.
Back when he graduated, he had used the excuse of "missing his parents" and "not wanting to abandon the bookstore they left behind" to quit being a ninja.
The top student of their year… had simply walked away from the shinobi path.
To Sakura, that must have seemed like an incredibly painful choice.
So right now, she was probably worried that Naruto's mention of the "Chūnin Exams" would hurt Byakuya's feelings.
That's why she forcibly changed the subject.
But the truth was…
The only reason he quit being a ninja…
was because he couldn't stand doing those boring D-rank missions like finding lost cats and dogs or grocery shopping.
"Hey hey~"
Naruto, being the lovable idiot he was, had already forgotten about the lump on his head.
"Sakura-chan, wait for me!"
Back when the whole village hated him, only Byakuya had ever treated him kindly.
He even gave him good food from time to time.
So Naruto saw Byakuya as a true friend.
Whenever he came to help, he always went all out.
"Hmph."
Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets and let out a small scoff.
Then he walked slowly into the shop, one hand still in his pocket, the other quietly straightening books on the shelves.
Byakuya watched the three of them work with an expressionless face.
This scene had become completely routine.
Ever since before graduation, the three of them had frequently dropped by to help out.
"I wonder if Karin will be able to complete my mission satisfactorily…"
His gaze drifted to Sasuke's neck as he fell deep into thought.
…
The three of them finished their work in no time.
Byakuya treated them to a meal using the instant ramen, snacks, and drinks he'd gotten from the system.
Once they finished eating, they said their goodbyes and left.
Not long after they departed…
Hinata came running in all by herself.
"Byakuya-kun!"
Her face was flushed, her breathing ragged.
She had clearly sprinted all the way here.
"Ku… Kurenai-sensei…
helped us sign up…
for the Chūnin Exams…
and I…"
"No confidence?"
Seeing how much she was stumbling over her words, Byakuya gently finished for her.
Then he asked softly,
"Do you want to become even stronger?"