The Chunin Exam arena.
"Haruno Sakura."
Gaara spoke the name in a tone that was utterly flat, yet soaked in the thick stench of blood and a killing intent as twisted as something born from a demon's world.
Sakura's eyes turned cold. She looked straight at Gaara without flinching, standing her ground without the slightest sign of being affected.
"I'm going to kill you."
Gaara's lips split into a deranged grin, and his violent killing intent erupted outward.
The sudden surge made even Genma's brow draw together. He hadn't announced the start of the match yet.
Sakura's expression didn't change. She watched Gaara quietly for a moment, then spoke. "Why do you want to kill people?"
"Heh heh heh." Gaara's low laugh rumbled out. "Ninja exist to kill. Killing you lets me feel that I'm still alive. Killing everyone but myself is the only proof of my worth. That is also the meaning my mother put into my name..."
Gaara...
A demon who loves only himself?
Sakura's green eyes shimmered with quiet light. Her cool, clear voice came through. "No matter how much blood is on your hands, you must never abandon the last trace of compassion within you. Killing without purpose is meaningless. A ninja's killing must be built on the foundation of protecting something. If slaughter and destruction are the only things that can prove your worth, then what is left of your life beyond that so-called worth?"
Her teacher Maruboshi Kosuke had made many mistakes in his earlier years. As a result, alongside teaching Sakura ninjutsu all these years, he had never stopped passing on to her the principles of how to live.
A ninja's life is inevitably bound to killing. But every kill must be grounded in protection. Never wanton. Never senseless.
If the reason a young Sakura had wanted to become strong was Sasuke, then the Sakura of today was driven by something more. To protect her comrades.
"Because that's all my life has left, Haruno Sakura."
Gaara's lips stretched into a wide grin, his bloodthirsty, frenzied gaze locked onto the girl. "From the moment I was born, my world has contained nothing but hatred and killing. I exist to bear hatred and killing. Heh heh heh heh."
As he spoke, the sand around Gaara rose without any wind, drifting through the air, restless and eager.
"No. At least one person still loves you. The mother who gave you your name."
The girl shook her head slightly, her lips moving softly.
"The reason your mother gave you that name was because she hoped you would become someone who could protect yourself. Even a demon is a demon that his mother loved deeply."
Gaara went still. For a brief moment, something broke through the surface.
The violent killing intent that had been pressing relentlessly against the edges of everything settled without warning, and an emotion he couldn't name or place rose in his chest.
After a silence, Gaara spoke in an even tone. "You're an interesting one, Haruno Sakura. But none of that changes anything. Let strength decide."
"Ha." Sakura let out a quiet, dry laugh and settled into her fighting stance.
"That's exactly what I think. No matter what I say, someone who nearly killed my friend isn't getting off that easily."
Genma had waited quietly through the exchange. Only once the two of them had finished did he announce: "Since both competitors appear to be ready, the third match begins!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The moment the words left his mouth, Sakura released more than a dozen kunai and shuriken in rapid succession.
In the preliminary matches, Gaara had dealt with Ino in what amounted to an instant. Beyond knowing he could control sand and that his defense was powerful, Sakura had almost no other concrete information. So rather than going in hard from the start, she chose to probe.
Whoosh!
Gaara's expression remained cold. He raised a hand, and swirling sand formed a wall in front of him. But just as the kunai and shuriken were about to collide with the sand wall, Sakura's hands flashed through a quick series of seals.
Ninja Tool Transformation.
The dozen projectiles multiplied in an instant into hundreds of blades raining down from every direction.
Up in the stands, Orochimaru watched the battle below, took a measured sip of tea, and turned to the Third Hokage beside him with a light smile. "Konoha's new generation is quite impressive, Hokage. You're getting on in years. Surely it's time to be thinking about who will carry your name forward."
The words carried a double meaning that was difficult to miss.
While Orochimaru was still speaking, a collective gasp erupted from the spectators.
A massive water dragon had surged up from the arena floor, crashing toward Gaara's position with tremendous force.
"You flatter us, Lord Kazekage." The Third Hokage watched the vividly rendered dragon with visible satisfaction, then responded with a smile. "These old bones of mine have a few years left in them. There is no rush. Let the young ones grow. There will be time."
"Heh heh." Orochimaru gave a light laugh. "Then do take care of yourself, Hokage. It would be a shame if you fell before you even had the chance to name a successor."
The Third Hokage's brow tightened. "That is not a matter that requires the Kazekage's concern."
Out in the arena, the battle between Sakura and Gaara continued.
Elsewhere, on Konoha's east street.
Inside the Yamanaka flower shop, Yamanaka Fu stood with his head down, thinking. Then a footstep reached his ears.
"Welc..." Yamanaka Fu looked up at the visitor and the word died in his throat.
The visitor was Sasuke. He stepped calmly into the shop, glanced around, and then settled his gaze on Fu's face.
"Lord Sasuke?" Fu blinked, but recovered quickly and asked in a warm, measured tone, "Aren't you supposed to be at the Chunin Exam today?"
"Just finished training at the clan grounds. Came to have a look around." Sasuke replied without inflection.
Fu's brow drew together, barely perceptibly, and a quiet thought ran through his mind.
Finished training, fine. But if you're done training, shouldn't you be heading to the exam venue? What are you doing here?
And buying flowers isn't something that makes sense right now either. The Obon festival is still twenty days away.
Fu couldn't figure out why Sasuke would come here at a time like this.
"I imagine you're wondering why I'm here."
Mid-thought, Fu heard Sasuke's unhurried voice, and he paused, looking at the boy.
"Because I came here to..."
As he spoke, Sasuke showed his teeth in a slow smile. Fu's eyes narrowed, and a massive wave of alarm rose instantly in his chest.
"Kill you."
This is bad.
Fu's mind lurched, and he moved to do something.
But in the next instant, every corner of his vision was swallowed by a pair of cold, indifferent crimson eyes and the strange, otherworldly pattern spinning within them.
A piercing sound.
His heart was run through. Blood poured.
"Ugh..."
Fu let out a low, agonized grunt and stared blankly at the strange pattern in the boy's Sharingan.
"Why..."
Sasuke looked at him with a face entirely devoid of feeling. "No particular reason. The only thing that matters is that you were recognized."
"What do you mean..."
Sasuke gave a small shake of his head and offered no further answer. He drew his blade. Yamanaka Fu was consumed by black flames.
"The first one."
Sasuke murmured softly to himself and continued on toward the next location.
___
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