Konohamaru: "..."
Sakura Haruno: "..."
So it looks... this awkward~ x2
["Sorry, Brother Naruto~"]
["It's all that brat's fault for being so excessive~"]
[Sasuke's whole body shuddered, and he silently moved further away.]
[Then, he shot a somewhat sympathetic glance at Naruto.]
[Sigh... Naruto... Sigh... Is this really necessary to restore the clan?]
[Then I'd rather be a sinner.]
[Sasuke sighed inwardly.]
[Naruto naturally didn't know what Sasuke was thinking.]
[Seeing Sakura restraining herself so hard, he shook his head with a helpless smile.]
[Stroking her hair, he chuckled, "You don't have to hold back so much."]
["Just be natural."]
[Sakura's smile stiffened.]
[She naturally understood what Naruto meant, but it was only normal to want to show her best side in front of the person she liked.]
[That damn brat!]
[Next time I see him, I'll definitely send him to meet his ancestors!]
[Just as the thought crossed her mind.]
[Suddenly.]
[A scream came from around the corner of the street behind them.]
[The three of them paused in their tracks.]
[Naruto sensed a somewhat cold Chakra.]
[No, not just one.]
[It was three different types of Chakra coming from one person.]
[One of them was... massive, and had a... faint sense of familiarity.]
[Another had a very warm feeling.]
[But the last one was extremely cold, as if the Chakra itself was mixed with killing intent.]
["Ouch~!"]
[Konohamaru fell onto his bottom, grimacing in pain.]
[Udon, who thought he had escaped a disaster, was stunned.]
[Looking at the two strangers in front of him, he was too terrified to move.]
["Ko... Konohamaru..."]
[He was at a loss; how did Konohamaru have such a knack for picking the wrong people to provoke?]
[These two... looked even fiercer than the pink-haired Big Sister from earlier.]
["Hiss—"]
["That hurts!"]
[Konohamaru clutched his head and then his bottom.]
[Hearing the unfriendly tone, he quickly looked up.]
[He saw a man with face paint and a strange forehead protector looking down at him coldly.]
[Konohamaru felt a chill run through his body, and his mind went blank.]
[He didn't know that this was a Ninja's killing intent.]
[Soon, Konohamaru began to tremble all over, terrified by the fearsome man before him.]
["Hey kid, you bumped into me, and it hurts!"]
["Don't you even know how to apologize?!"]
["Are Konoha brats all like this?!"]
[The man with the face paint said with great annoyance.]
[Kankuro leaned down; the Puppet on his back, wrapped in white bandages, loosened slightly.]
["Hey, don't take it too far. Don't forget why we're here."]
[As Kankuro lifted Konohamaru, a cool voice rang out.]
[The woman stood behind Kankuro with her arms crossed, her pretty face filled with indifference.]
[Only then did Konohamaru notice the blonde female Ninja with four ponytails, wearing a purple bodycon skirt.]
[The forehead protector she wore was also unfamiliar, the same as the face-painted man's.]
["When I'm bored, I need to find something to pass the time."]
[Kankuro didn't back down despite Temari's words.]
[Looking at Konohamaru struggling in his grip, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.]
["Let go... Let go of Konohamaru!" Udon growled, though his legs were shaking uncontrollably.]
[These people were clearly different from Big Brother Naruto and the others.]
[Udon couldn't run away again.]
[But... his actions were like striking a stone with an egg.]
[In contrast, Moegi was much calmer.]
[She quickly formed hand seals.]
[Bang—!!!]
[A loud explosion.]
[White smoke rose up.]
[Immediately after, a figure burst out from the white smoke, charging at Kankuro with a Kunai in hand.]
["Oh~"]
["So not all Konoha brats are useless."]
[The smile on Kankuro's face widened.]
[Buzz—]
[He didn't dodge, simply turning his body to shield the bandage-wrapped 'Puppet' on his back.]
[However.]
[Moegi's figure vanished the moment it made contact with Kankuro.]
[Phantom Clone.]
[Once the white smoke cleared, Moegi had already disappeared from the spot.]
[At the same time.]
[Behind the street corner, Moegi hurried over to Naruto's group.]
["Senior Naruto~!"]
["Save... Please save Konohamaru!"]
["There's a Ninja from another village who wants to kill him!"]
[Moegi was very calm.]
[Knowing that with the strength of the three of them, facing Kankuro would be suicide, she immediately went to find reinforcements.]
[Naruto looked at Moegi and shook his head slightly.]
[He wasn't in a hurry; he leaned down and rubbed Moegi's little head.]
["You don't have to push yourself so hard... Also, while Konohamaru is a bit of a brat, he's one of the few normal children in the Sarutobi Clan."]
["Besides..."]
[Naruto didn't continue.]
[Naruto had previously thought about how to take revenge on Hiruzen Sarutobi and make him pay for everything.]
[On the day Konohamaru got beaten up and then eagerly ran over to acknowledge him as "Big Brother," an idea had formed...]
[Death might even be a release for Hiruzen Sarutobi.]
[Does death cancel all debts?]
[Things aren't that simple.]
["Senior Naruto..." Moegi lowered her head slightly.]
["Alright, if you ever feel unhappy in the future, just come find me." Naruto rubbed Moegi's little head.]
[Then he walked toward the corner at the end of the street.]
[After all, Konohamaru did call him Big Brother.]
[Plus, he was another of Iruka-sensei's students after himself.]
[If something happened to him, Iruka-sensei would definitely be very sad.]
[Despite Iruka being 'tormented' to death by the Naruto Gang and Konohamaru's trio.]
[In reality, Iruka was both suffering and enjoying it.]
[He cared about them immensely.]
[Iruka Umino: "..."]
[Although a bit speechless, Iruka still nodded.]
[If the Naruto and Konohamaru of this world were like the ones in the black frame world.]
[He would indeed treat them as his own.]
[Even if it meant going bankrupt and being buried in debt.]
[But that feeling of being unconditionally needed and trusted was what he craved most.]
[In Konoha, most people have some sort of psychological issues, more or less.]
["Kankuro, don't cause trouble." Temari's brows furrowed slightly.]
[She had been watching with amusement, but seeing Konohamaru's weak display—looking like he was about to wet his pants—she immediately lost interest.]
["Don't be in such a hurry. This shorty bumped into me and it still hurts. I'm in the right. If I don't give him a proper 'lesson,' he'll stay this ill-mannered."]
[Kankuro didn't care much for Temari's warning.]
[Even if Udon said this kid was the Hokage's grandson, so what?]
[He was the Kazekage's son.]
[Kankuro raised his fist, and it was about to descend.]
[Suddenly.]
[Kankuro noticed a bit of sand suddenly appearing in front of him.]
[Kankuro's pupils constricted sharply.]
[His raised fist froze in mid-air.]
[Why won't you let me strike?!]
[Kankuro was a bit puzzled, but since the warning had been given, he had no choice but to stop.]
["Kankuro."]
[Temari gave him a reminder.]
[Only then did Kankuro notice.]
[The girl who had run away had returned with three people.]
[Konoha Genin?]
[Kankuro's brow furrowed.]
[Was it because of them that Gaara made him stop?]
[Just then.]
[Inside the Sealing Space.]
[The Great Fox suddenly sat up, stopping his research on the seal.]
["Naruto, grab that kid sneaking around behind the tree and give him a beating!"]
[At the same time.]
[Behind the tree, the sharp and unpleasant voice of the Ichibi Shukaku rang out in Gaara's mind.]
["Gaara!"]
["Kill that Yellow-Haired Kid, and I'll let you have a good night's sleep!"]