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The sound of turning paper pages continued inside the Art Store of Sunagakure, and in that moment, it felt like a blade cutting through the ropes of tension.
The Third Kazekage sat with his usual indifferent expression, but his eyes shone with a glimmer no one had ever seen before.
His face carried a mixture of strategic confusion and instinctive astonishment.
"What is this… really?"
He murmured as he observed the latest scenes his eyes had reached.
…
At the same time, Karura flipped to the next page, but she froze at a scene that made her breath falter.
She didn't know why a sharp ache pierced her chest, but the sight of that red-haired boy, his hair blazing like fire, was enough to make her world spin.
Even if she did not understand the reason… the feeling was real.
…
[— Manga Scene —]
"You're an embarrassment to our village." A young man spoke while standing upside down on a tree branch. He had red hair and dark rings around his eyes.
His appearance shocked everyone.
"Ga-Gaara…" The young shinobi from Sunagakure began sweating.
'Him… when did he…?' Sasuke was stunned that someone had appeared beside him without him sensing it.
'That's Kakashi-level stealth…'
"Losing yourself in a fight, how pathetic. Why did you think we came to Leaf Village?" Gaara sounded irritated.
"Listen, Gaara, they started it and—"
Kankuro tried to explain, but Gaara cut him off. "Shut up, or I'll kill you…"
Kankuro trembled and sweated before quickly apologizing. "O-Okay… I'm sorry…"
Even the girl with the giant fan on her back apologized. "I'm sorry too… really sorry…"
'So this one's the leader… He has strange eyes…' Sasuke thought while staring at Gaara.
"Sorry to you guys." Gaara apologized briefly to Sasuke, then vanished from his spot at incredible speed.
'To be able to hit Kankuro with a stone like that… he's good…'
Gaara reappeared between the two from his village.
"It looks like we got here too early, but… we didn't come here to play around."
[— End Scene —]
"Huh? Gaara? Who is that kid?!"
"He looks talented… that other boy, Kankuro, is terrified of him…"
"Man, even Sasuke is shocked! Did he just compare him to Kakashi's stealth level?!"
"If Sasuke's assessment is accurate, then that kid might be jonin-level even though he's only a genin!"
"Those eyes are terrifying!"
"That boy, Kankuro, is shaking in fear! Suna truly has real leaders in the future!"
Following that stunning introduction, feverish whispers erupted among the Sand shinobi.
The scene had surpassed being a mere street scuffle interrupted by Gaara; it was a display of Suna's future prestige.
…
Rasa, the 15-year-old chunin, stared at Gaara's face in silent shock.
He did not yet realize that this boy was his future son, but the resemblance was too striking to ignore.
'The red hair… the sharp expressions… even the way he looks at others with cold dignity..." Rasa thought. 'He looks strangely like me… Is he a relative? Or perhaps… my future son?'
What intrigued Rasa even more was Sasuke asking for Gaara's name seriously.
You there… what's your name?
Sasuke asked with a challenging gaze.
In the manga scene before Rasa's eyes, Gaara stopped, slowly turned, and then spoke the name that deepened Rasa's interest.
Gaara of the Desert.
"Heh~ A fitting title for a boy born in the desert…" Rasa smiled approvingly.
He continued reading with focused eyes.
And you… Would you mind telling me your name?
Sasuke answered with a confident smirk.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Rasa let out a deep breath.
"What a promising young man."
Beside him, Karura smiled anxiously.
"He's undoubtedly talented… but his eyes… there's something sad and dark in them. I wonder what kind of father allowed such anger to grow inside him."
"And how can you read that kind of emotion from ink on paper?"
Rasa mocked lightly.
"Maybe because I'm a woman…"
Karura ignored her fiancé's sarcasm and replied calmly.
"A woman? You're still a teenager… don't overthink irrational things. The boy looks normal to me. His aura is stable, and he's clearly strong."
"He might even become Kazekage in the future."
Karura felt a twinge of sadness at that, but she did not dare contradict Rasa.
…
Meanwhile, the Third Kazekage observed the scene from an entirely different perspective.
His eyes never left the massive sand gourd strapped to Gaara's back.
As a master of iron sand manipulation, he immediately understood that the gourd was no mere ornament.
'It's a container of sand infused with personal chakra,' Shazan analyzed internally. 'At that size… it grants him absolute defense and offense in any environment, even in Konoha's damp forests. Gaara doesn't rely on the ground's sand… he carries his own land with him. What tactical brilliance!'
'Who is this boy? Will there truly be a Gaara in Suna's future?'
"Gaara of the Desert? Truly interesting…"
Grandmother Chiyo commented thoughtfully.
"He somewhat resembles that brat Rasa…"
Ebizo narrowed his eyes toward where young Rasa was sitting.
"You're as perceptive as ever."
"Well, don't think too much. Let's see where this development leads."
…
Laughter erupted when Naruto appeared in the manga, shouting exaggeratedly to draw attention.
What about me?! I'm here too!
But Gaara's response was chillingly cold; he ignored Naruto entirely, stating he had no interest in weaklings.
Naruto slumped into a corner gloomily and asked Konohamaru in a broken voice:
Do I really look that weak?
And Konohamaru replied with blunt childish honesty:
Yeah… weaker than Sasuke!
The store roared with laughter at Naruto's crushed expression, but the laughter soon faded when eyes focused on the new figures appearing at the end of the chapter.
Three masked shinobi stood on a tree branch, bearing a strange, unfamiliar symbol on their forehead protectors… a musical note.
…
Away from the crowd's noise, young Sasori sat calmly, absentmindedly brushing his fingers together.
For the first time since he began reading the manga, a spark of genuine interest appeared in his eyes.
"Haku and Zabuza were just appetizers," Sasori murmured quietly.
"But this boy… Gaara… has an interesting aura. The way he exists without tangible chakra presence… his absolute coldness… These Chunin Exams may be more exciting than I imagined."
…
When the Sand kunoichi presented their official entry permit to Sakura, who had doubted their legitimacy, the Suna residents in the store realized something important.
Their village was no longer a mere guest in the story.
It had become a central driver of upcoming events.
Power, mystery, and clear hostility toward Konoha filled everyone with unusual excitement to see what would come next.
Thus, Chapter 36, the final chapter of the volume, became a treasure awaiting the readers.
…
Not only in Sunagakure.
In Iwagakure, Onoki, who had been excited about the Chunin Exam events, felt disappointed.
"Tsk… Since this exam is meant for Konoha's geographically close allies, that means Iwa won't participate…"
"It's fine. It seems this event will partially expand the scope of the shinobi world in the story."
Ao said with a knowing smile.
'Hyuga Hinata… so the first representative of the Hyuga Clan is a girl…'
Ao was particularly interested in the Hyuga because of their fascinating dōjutsu.
He was still stuck on the scene where Kurenai introduced Team 8, with Hyuga Hinata among its members.
…
"Those eyes… and that aura… could it be…"
Han said while staring at Gaara in the manga.
"Another interesting character… haha! It seems the future generation is the best one."
Roshi commented beside him.
"The best? Tsk tsk… they still lack much. I bet the future is far worse than the historic generations," Han replied confidently.
In his view, regardless of the extraordinary first generation of Kage, the current generation was among the strongest in raw power.
'Just look at the Third Raikage, that monster...'
Before he could finish the thought, a certain shinobi approached and whispered something into his ear, then did the same to Roshi.
Their expressions quickly shifted to shock, and they stared in horror toward the man sitting behind the counter.
Rob's Iwa clone received their gaze with a gentle smile.
But from their perspective… that smile was more terrifying than anything they had ever seen.
They had just received an intelligence report stating that the man before them had erased the mountains of Kumogakure and crushed the Third Raikage and all of the Cloud Village's shinobi.
Less than an hour ago.
It seemed that, at last, news of what had happened in Kumogakure was beginning to reach the other Great Villages.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 116: The Flame of Youth and the Bonds of the Future.
Chapter 117: Quiet Villages and Worldwide Fame.
Chapter 118: Natural Restoration, The Shock of the Shinobi World!
Chapter 119: The Mighty Rock Lee!
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