Hearing that Kankurō and his team were planning to rob them, both Sasuke and Naruto tensed up.
They slowly reached into their tool pouches, gripping their kunai, ready to explode into action at any moment and subdue the three across from them.
Up in the central tower, Anko Mitarashi watched the scene through the surveillance screen and casually asked one of the supervising examiners beside her,
"If these two teams actually start fighting, which one do you think has the better chance of winning?"
The examiner shook his head.
"No idea."
Another supervising examiner chimed in,
"According to reliable intel from the ANBU, that kid with the gourd on his back is the Fourth Kazekage's son — the current generation's One-Tails jinchūriki in Sunagakure."
"And in the earlier exam stages, he didn't take a single scratch."
"One-Tails jinchūriki? No wonder his sand techniques are that strong. Looks like there's even a layer of sand acting as a shield on his body…"
Anko's expression turned to surprise.
"This Sunagakure team is probably the most outstanding group in this Chūnin Exam," another supervising examiner commented.
"Outstanding?"
Anko glanced at the image of Shinju on the screen and suddenly snorted with laughter.
"Even if they're outstanding, they still haven't gotten both scrolls yet, have they?"
"So I'd say our little Konoha genin are still the ones to watch."
...
At the base of the central tower.
Kankurō slowly set down the human-shaped object strapped to his back.
When layer after layer of the white bandages wrapping it came undone, Shinju realized that the black-clad Sunagakure shinobi had been carrying a puppet — one with three eyes and four arms.
"What the heck? If you wanna fight, then fight. Why bring out a puppet? Planning to trade it for a scroll or something?"
Seeing Kankurō mysteriously pull a puppet from his back, Naruto mocked him without mercy.
Kankurō ground his teeth in anger.
"Just wait and see how I kill you later! (눈益눈)"
With that, Kankurō manipulated the puppet with chakra threads, sending it lunging straight at Naruto in an instant!
Naruto, feeling smug, never expected his opponent to suddenly strike and failed to dodge in time.
Just as the puppet was about to hit him, Sasuke's sharp reflexes saved him — he yanked Naruto aside.
At the same time, Sasuke raised his leg and kicked hard toward the puppet's head!
Swish!
The puppet's reaction speed was incredible. Just before Sasuke's foot could land, Kankurō pulled it back rapidly.
As it retreated, the puppet's mouth opened.
Swish, swish, swish!
Three kunai shot out at high speed from the puppet's mouth, aimed at Shinju behind the table!
Unhurried, Shinju reached into his tool pouch and pulled out two shuriken.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Clang, clang, clang!
The first shuriken struck the three kunai at an extremely tricky angle, deflecting them all.
The second shuriken followed right after, flying straight for Kankurō's eyes!
"Whoa, amazing!"
Naruto, watching from the side, was stunned.
Shinju's shuriken handling was flawless.
Without missing a beat, Shinju quickly formed hand seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Swish, swish, swish!!
In an instant, the single shuriken heading toward Kankurō multiplied into hundreds!
Whshhh!
The downpour of shuriken rained toward him!
Faced with the barrage, Kankurō had nowhere to run.
It seemed certain he would be turned into a pincushion.
But at that critical moment, Gaara — who had been motionless all this time — finally raised his hand.
A wave of sand surged up, forming a shield in front of Kankurō!
Swish, swish, swish!
Every single shuriken struck the sand shield.
Kankurō, having narrowly escaped death, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced gratefully at the perpetually cold-faced Gaara beside him.
"Thanks, Gaara!"
His younger brother was usually solitary and violent, but seeing him block the attack still gave Kankurō a warm feeling inside.
"Don't get in my way."
Gaara's voice was filled with disdain.
Kankurō: ┓( ´∀` )┏
On the other side, Sasuke looked at Naruto with an annoyed expression.
"Are you brain-dead? That guy in black is using Sunagakure's Puppet Technique — he can control puppets or corpses in battle, and they're extremely destructive!"
Realizing he had been careless, Naruto quickly nodded.
"Got it, got it."
Across from them, after snapping at Kankurō, Gaara looked up at Shinju and slowly walked forward.
Just as Shinju thought the kid was going to attack, Gaara extended five fingers.
"Fifty thousand. Can't go higher."
Shinju frowned.
Fifty thousand was a bit lower than he had in mind.
Naruto and Sasuke were both giving him frantic looks, signaling that he should just sell.
If he refused, things might escalate.
The three Sunagakure ninja looked like trouble, and if a real fight broke out, someone else might swoop in and take advantage.
"Too low. Not selling! ┑(￣Д ￣)┍"
After only half a second of thought, Shinju answered decisively.
The moment he spoke, Gaara's aura turned sharp and dangerous, as if he might strike at any second.
Unfazed, Shinju slowly raised four fingers.
"Add forty thousand, and I might consider it. ┐(´-｀)┌"
Gaara's fist clenched.
Naruto and Sasuke noticed and kept shooting Shinju desperate warning looks, telling him to quit while he was ahead.
Shinju ignored them completely, turning his head away.
Sasuke, Naruto: "..."
Right now, Gaara really wanted to send Shinju off with a Sand Coffin Funeral.
With Shukaku sealed inside him, he was arguably the most hot-tempered person in all of Sunagakure.
But for the sake of the upcoming battle, he couldn't reveal too much of his power here.
And this red-haired boy clearly wasn't easy to deal with either.
So he suppressed the urge to attack and said,
"Eighty thousand. No more."
"Deal!"
Shinju was secretly pleased, nodding in agreement. He then lowered his head and began casually picking through the scrolls on the table.
"So, do you need a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll? Can't give you one in perfect condition — at that price, I can only give you one that's been dropped on the ground, or maybe has scratches and damage…"
Naruto and Sasuke's mouths twitched.
Shinju really was a pure businessman — he refused to lose even a single coin.
The other two Sunagakure ninja were clearly displeased, but since Gaara had agreed to buy, they had no choice but to go along.
In the end, Gaara's team bought a scroll that had been dropped on the ground and even stepped on.
With his first business deal done and eighty thousand ryo in hand, Shinju felt like life had suddenly become much more fulfilling.
Beside him, Naruto exclaimed,
"Eighty thousand ryo! At sixteen ryo for a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, that's enough to buy… uh… how many was that again…?"
Sasuke: "Illiterate. (ー_ー)!!"
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