Bab 66: Chapter 66 Temari Is Confused, Gaara Is Taken Away By Naruto
Whoosh whoosh...
Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba swiftly moved through the forest and bushes. Team 8 was originally formed for tracking missions, and as such, they excelled in navigating treacherous terrain, beasts, and poisonous insects that ordinary ninjas would avoid.
For them, these challenges posed no problem. The trio moved like fish in water, making full use of their abilities to gain the upper hand and avoid dangers.
Suddenly, Akamaru, who had been running at full speed, stopped abruptly. He tucked his tail between his legs, hid in the grass, and collapsed on the ground, trembling.
"Akamaru, what's wrong?" Kiba quickly halted and crouched beside his companion.
"Why? Akamaru, did you sense something?" Hinata asked, her beautiful face tightening with concern as she activated her Byakugan, gazing in Kiba's direction.
"This is the second time I've seen Akamaru behave like this. The last time was when Naruto went into that terrifying state! Could it be that there's another monster up ahead? Or… could Naruto be nearby?" Kiba muttered, clutching the trembling Akamaru, who looked as though he was about to wet himself. He stared cautiously at the forest ahead, suspicion heavy in his gaze.
"Byakugan!" Hinata activated her bloodline limit, the veins around her eyes becoming visible as she scanned the area. Her expression turned serious. "It's… the Sand Shinobi!"
"The Sand Shinobi? Could it be someone as dangerous as Naruto? We should take a detour and avoid them!" Kiba broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling.
"Too late… they've already noticed us!" Hinata's eyes widened in fear as her voice quivered.
"Sand Coffin!"
With a simple wave of his hand, Gaara eliminated the last of the Rain Ninja before turning his attention to Hinata's hiding place.
"Gaara, that's enough! We've already got all the scrolls we need!" Temari called out, trying to stop him.
"Ugh, I know that name…" Kiba muttered, recognizing the deadly threat in front of them.
Gaara ignored his sister's plea, extending his fingers toward the trio, and in an instant, sand snaked through the bushes, pulling Hinata, Shino, and Kiba out into the open.
"You… know Naruto Uzumaki, don't you? Where is he?" Gaara asked, his indifferent gaze striking fear into their hearts.
"I… we don't know…" Kiba, trying to muster his courage, shouted back, though his voice wavered.
"Is that so? Then you can die." Gaara's bloodthirsty eyes glinted dangerously, ready to strike.
"Wait!" Temari and Kankuro called out at the same time.
"Gaara, let that girl go," Temari urged. "She's the one who Naruto carried back after the first exam. If Naruto approves of her, we shouldn't harm her."
Kankuro, trying to back up his sister, added, "Yeah, Naruto's no joke. It's better not to provoke him."
The two weren't truly afraid of Naruto but didn't want unnecessary trouble. Hinata was also part of the noble Hyūga Clan, which was another reason to avoid making enemies.
"Naruto approves of her…" Gaara's expression froze momentarily, thinking of the person who had recognized him—Yashamaru. But in the end, even Yashamaru had lied to him…
Gaara's expression flickered rapidly—at times ferocious, at times calm, sometimes nostalgic, sometimes angry. He then remembered Naruto's words about Kurama and Shukaku. Recently, he had tried talking to Shukaku, but the beast wouldn't cooperate, seemingly afraid of Kurama.
That's why Gaara wanted to find Naruto. The written exam and the Forest of Death hadn't been ideal places to talk, but now was different.
"Forget it, let's go," Gaara finally said, withdrawing his hand. The sand returned to his gourd, and he sighed in disappointment.
"We're saved…" Kiba collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, his face pale from the near-death experience.
"That was terrifying! My bugs wouldn't even approach him..." Shino said, wiping the sweat from his brow as a few of his insects gathered on his fingers.
"Naruto..." Hinata murmured worriedly, thinking of their powerful friend.
Meanwhile, Naruto was making a direct charge towards the tower, only ten kilometers away. Under his leadership, his team swiftly eliminated several other squads, gathering more than enough scrolls.
Naruto recalled that, in the original timeline, extra qualifying rounds were added due to the number of participants, but this time, he had a different plan. He was determined to eliminate as many competitors as possible.
More than three hours later, Naruto, along with Team Guy and Team Asuma, arrived at the tower.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a low shout, Naruto created dozens of shadow clones that surrounded the tower in a protective circle.
"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sako asked, confused by the sudden move.
Naruto didn't hide his intentions. "There are 13 teams with scrolls. That's too many people. Weaklings shouldn't make it to the finals. If anyone can defeat one of my clones, they deserve to advance."
Without another word, Naruto entered the tower, followed by Sako and Sakura.
Neji nodded approvingly, understanding Naruto's strategy. "Li, Tenten, let's go."
"Shikamaru, are we sneaking in through the back door?" Chōji asked, munching on a bag of chips.
"Shh, don't say that out loud! It's embarrassing!" Ino snapped, walking ahead of him with a frown.
Naruto, Sako, and the others soon encountered Gaara's team, who had already arrived at the tower.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I have a question for you," Gaara said, stepping forward. His chakra flared, and his gaze was intense.
Seeing this, Temari quickly stepped in. "Hey, handsome Naruto, my brother doesn't mean any harm!" she said, trying to calm the situation.
Naruto grinned. "No problem, Gaara. I was actually hoping to meet Shukaku too." He signaled to Sako and Sakura to stay calm before walking up to Gaara and casually throwing an arm around his shoulder.
Temari and Kankuro were left speechless as they watched Gaara—normally so fierce—get led away without resistance.
"Was that… Gaara?" Temari muttered in disbelief, watching the two disappear.
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