"I'm Gaara. I'm very interested in you."
Shinju froze for a moment at Gaara's words.
The hell? What do you mean, 'interested in me'?
Weird!
As a straight-as-an-arrow guy, Shinju instantly put on a disgusted expression.
"Don't. I'm not into that. So please—don't be interested in me."
Gaara's brows furrowed, and in an instant, the air around him turned razor-sharp.
Temari and Kankurō, standing beside him, were so startled they took two quick steps back, eyelids twitching as their whole bodies tensed.
They knew—when Gaara took on that posture, it meant he wasn't happy.
Was he about to make a move???
Was Gaara actually going to attack that red-haired brat right here?!!
Shinju quickly picked up on the changes in Gaara's chakra.
This guy… was he seriously going to use force here, in broad daylight, in front of everyone?
Still, Shinju wasn't intimidated.
Even if he tried to use force, he wasn't going to 'bend' him.
So he casually raised a hand, gently pushing Konohamaru behind him, looking utterly fearless—after all, this was still Konoha's territory.
Gaara stared straight at him, but in Shinju's eyes, he couldn't see the slightest ripple.
Those eyes were like a warm sun—neither happy nor sad, just calm and steady.
One word—solid.
It made Gaara feel an odd sense of surprise.
Finally, Gaara turned and said, "Let's go."
Then he left without another word.
Temari and Kankurō quickly followed.
As the three Sunagakure ninja walked off into the distance, Konohamaru cautiously peeked out from behind Shinju, still shaken.
"Shinju-niichan, who were they?"
Shinju thought for a moment, then explained,
"Probably shinobi from the neighboring Land of Wind—here to take part in the Chūnin Exams. Don't be scared. They're gone now."
Konohamaru looked worried.
"Shinju-niichan, they were so scary. If they're also taking the exams… what if you run into them during the test?"
"It's fine. Your Shinju-niichan's never been afraid of that."
Shinju said it with rare confidence.
When it came to shinobi from his own village, he could be humble and agreeable.
But against outsiders? He'd strike with full force.
"Alright, enough about that. I need to hurry and cook dinner."
After giving Konohamaru a light reassurance, Shinju turned to head to the market.
...
Right then—
A ninja wearing a straw hat suddenly appeared, swooping in to snatch Konohamaru from beside Shinju in one swift motion.
In a blur, the figure leapt onto Konoha's rooftops, feet barely touching down as they darted away.
They moved incredibly fast, vanishing far into the distance in seconds.
But Shinju, watching the stranger's back as they carried off Konohamaru, showed no trace of panic.
Instead, he looked… resigned.
Because he recognized that chakra—very familiar.
...
A few minutes later, the mysterious straw-hatted ninja brought Konohamaru to a secluded grove outside the village.
Konohamaru, held firmly in one hand, kicked and struggled furiously.
"Hey, brat! Be still, or I'll just kill you right here! ╰_╯"
Konohamaru froze instantly, falling silent. All he could do now was pray for Shinju-niichan to show up and save him.
And in the very next moment—
Shinju appeared behind them in a flash, using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The straw-hatted ninja began his act.
"Kid, I'm a spy from another village. If you know what's good for you, hand over your village's Scroll of Seals… or I'll kill this little runt!"
With that, he hoisted Konohamaru higher in one hand.
Shinju simply spread his hands ┐(´-｀)┌.
"Iruka-sensei, drop the act."
"..."
Under the mask, a few beads of cold sweat slid down the straw-hatted ninja's face. But he still forced his voice into a rough growl.
"Kid, what are you talking about? Who's Iruka? I don't know any—"
"(||๐_๐) Sensei, there's no point pretending now. Your chakra signature gives you away—plain as day, it's you, Iruka-sensei."
Straw-hatted ninja: …눈_눈…
Crap. Forgot this kid was ridiculously sensitive to chakra.
When he used the Transformation Jutsu, he hadn't bothered masking his chakra signature.
Big mistake.
A second later—poof!—smoke burst out, and the straw-hatted ninja transformed back into Iruka's usual self.
Iruka scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Ahahaha… so you saw through me, huh, Shinju? Guess you really have grown a lot after your training trip."
"…Sensei, it's not that I've grown—it's that your disguise was terrible."
"…"
(ー_ー)!!
Don't just point out your teacher's flaws so bluntly, geez! That's rough on the pride!
"Iruka-sensei, why did you transform and grab me? Were you playing some kind of game with Shinju-niichan?" Konohamaru asked once Iruka set him down, still confused.
"No, nothing like that. Kakashi impulsively signed you up for the Chūnin Exams, and I wasn't sure you were ready. So I wanted to test you first."
Iruka continued, "And it turns out… Shinju really does have what it takes to participate in the exams now."
A proud smile crept into Iruka's eyes.
"Shinju, you've grown so fast."
"You flatter me, Iruka-sensei."
Shinju replied modestly.
Still curious, Iruka tilted his head.
"By the way, what was that jutsu you used to track me? You just appeared right behind Konohamaru all of a sudden."
Shinju explained, "It's a jutsu I figured out for traveling quickly or carrying things. Kakashi-sensei said it's called the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Iruka: (´◐∀◐`)
Flying Thunder God!!!
A jutsu you figured out just for traveling or carrying things???!!
"Shinju, you're not lying to your teacher, are you?"
Iruka asked cautiously.
"Sensei, I never lie."
Shinju replied with complete seriousness.
Iruka: (´இ皿இ｀)
He knew exactly what the Flying Thunder God meant.
Back in the Third Shinobi World War, Iruka had been even younger than Shinju was now.
He had seen it with his own eyes—the Fourth Hokage using the Flying Thunder God Technique, darting left and right through enemy ranks, striking them down before they could react!
Iruka had already known about Shinju's terrifying talent for comprehension, so while hearing that he had actually mastered the Flying Thunder God shocked him, he quickly hid it well.
"Shinju, you've done well. The Chunin Exams are coming up soon, so keep working hard."
"Don't worry, Sensei, I've never slacked off for even a moment."
Shinju promised.
After chatting a bit more, Iruka said he would take Shinju and Naruto out for ramen that evening.
Shinju nodded in agreement.
After that, they went their separate ways, and Shinju returned to the village to buy groceries.
...
After testing Shinju, Iruka continued rushing to evaluate the other genin from his previous classes.
The Chunin Exams were extremely dangerous—many would never advance to chuunin after them, and some would even lose their lives.
So Iruka, like a caring old father, had to see with his own eyes that his students were ready before letting them go.
...
In the blink of an eye, two days before the exams, it was the day to submit the application forms.
The three members of Team 7 each carried their forms and headed for the Ninja Academy.
Kakashi-sensei had told them ahead of time that submissions were being taken in Room 301 of the academy.
But the moment Shinju stepped into the school, he noticed the surrounding chakra fluctuations felt… off.
When they reached the third floor, they saw two fierce-looking examinees blocking the door to Room 301, apparently trying to stop others from turning in their forms.
"The Chunin Exams are extremely dangerous. I'd advise you to go home now—before you end up losing your life in there."
One of the blocking ninja, wearing a headscarf, said as he shoved back a girl who was trying to enter.
The girl let out a startled cry, stumbling backward.
At that moment, Shinju stepped forward, catching her by the waist just in time...
The girl, Tenten, looked up and met Shinju's clear, bright gaze...