Naruto: Let the glory of the giants spread throughout the ninja world!

On the morning of June 24th, Konoha 60.

Ryukura Akira yawned and woke up from his dream. For him, who was constantly fighting in his dreams, reality was a safe haven for rest.

He looked around, but Zabuza had vanished.

Bai noticed the commotion, walked over wearing an apron, and handed him a set of neatly folded clothes.

"I bought this for Xiaoming yesterday, since it's not very comfortable for him to wear adult clothes."

After changing his clothes, Ryukura Akira casually asked, "Where did Zabuza-san go? I haven't seen him."

Bai then took the opportunity to comb Ryukura Akira's hair, saying, "This morning, the Konoha Anbu came and said that the Third Hokage wanted Zabuza-san to attend a meeting."

Ryukura Akira was taken aback.

A meeting? What are these three generations of old men up to?

He suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to ask Bai:

"Bai, what's the date today?"

"June 24th? What's wrong with that?"

Ryukura Akira slapped his forehead. Today was the day the Third Hokage first announced the Chunin Exams in the anime.

The Chunin Exams will begin next week, on July 1st.

Although he still couldn't figure out what Zabuza had to do with the Chunin Exams, Akira Ryukura realized that something else was more important.

He remembered that today was the first time Gaara and Naruto had met, and he thought it would be a good opportunity to make his presence known to the main characters so that he wouldn't get beaten up by a mixed doubles team if he tried to mediate a fight in the future.

"Alright." Bai gently patted his head and put away the comb.

"Hey, Bai, I'm not a child anymore, okay?"

Bai immediately looked disappointed. "Xiaoming hates me now. You never said that when I braided your hair before."

"Alright, alright, I'm really fed up with you."

Bai suddenly looked up and stuck out her tongue, revealing a rare playful expression.

"Xiaoming, turn around quickly so I can see the clothes I picked out!"

The boy in front of me had a fair complexion with few scars, and his emerald green eyes revealed a sense of helplessness.

Standing at 1.75 meters tall with a face that already had some angular features, the twelve-year-old looked more mature than Bai, who was fifteen.

Her long, combed hair that reached her ears, paired with a light blue short-sleeved shirt and capri pants, gave her a casual and sunny look.

"Finished watching? I'm heading out now."

"Wait a minute." Bai strode into the kitchen and grabbed a sandwich he had just made.

"Don't forget breakfast, and remember to come home for dinner tonight!"

Ryukura Akira nodded, took a bite of his sandwich, and stepped out of the house.

People were coming and going on the street.

Akira Ryukura ate a sandwich while wandering aimlessly.

"Where did the main characters and Gaara encounter that place again? Who reads manga and remembers those things?"

"There seems to be a rather tall tree, and the surrounding area is quite open."

He spent the whole morning wandering around, and although he didn't find his target, he did gain a basic understanding of the layout of Konoha Village.

As he turned a street corner, he paused.

"Found them!" Ryukura Akira smiled as he looked at the group of people facing off not far away.

"Big brother is really lame." Konohamaru complained to Naruto while looking at Sasuke's handsome appearance.

"Well, I can do that too! I can easily defeat that guy!" Naruto seemed a little exasperated.

On the other side, Temari looked at Kankuro in disbelief: "Kankuro, are you planning to use crows here?"

Just as tensions were about to rise, a gentle voice rang out.

"Oho, everyone!"

Sasuke in the tree, the three little ones on the ground, and Naruto and the others looked toward the source of the sound.

Ryukura Akira waved his hand and walked over unhurriedly.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion: "Big brother, who are you? Do you know us?"

"Hey, mind your own business." Kankuro frowned impatiently. "If you know what's good for you, get out of here."

Ryukura Akira shook his head helplessly and called out towards the tree.

"Hey, you up in the tree, you look like you're with those two Sand Village ninja on the ground, aren't you going to say something to them?"

Sasuke was about to retort, "Who's with those Sand Village scum?" when a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Kankuro, stop!"

A pebble flew through the air and struck Kankuro's palm with pinpoint accuracy.

Sasuke turned around abruptly—a red-haired boy hanging upside down from a tree came into view, a huge gourd on his back gleaming brown in the sunlight.

When did it appear? How come I didn't notice it?

Gaara jumped down from the tree, and only then did everyone see his face clearly: heavy dark circles under his eyes, and a huge "love" sign written at the corner of his eye.

He glanced at Kankuro and Temari, and said succinctly, "Let's go."

"Hey!" Naruto suddenly called out to him, "Hey, what's your name?!"

The red-haired boy paused slightly.

"...Gaara the Sandstorm".

"Um, um!" Naruto rubbed his nose, grinning broadly, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Not interested." Gaara turned to leave.

"Gaara? Does that name mean 'a demon who loves himself'? It seems your family loves you very much."

Ryukura Akira stood still, speaking as if he were having a casual chat.

Gaara abruptly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the location of Ryukura Akira.

"What did you say?"

"Don't look at me like that behind me, you look scary." Ryukura Akira raised his hands in surrender.

The gourd on Gaara's back trembled incessantly. "What's your name?"

"Ryukura Akira".

Gaara nodded. "I'll remember you. You must have come here for that exam too. I'll kill you."

As Ryukura Akira watched Gaara and the other two leave, he scratched his head and muttered, "Problem children are always a lot of fun..."

He muttered, "Looks like I'm being watched? But I'm not taking the exam."

He then looked at Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, who was already on the ground staring at him, and smiled.

"Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Akira Ryukura."

At this moment, Sasuke, who was only 1.5 meters tall, looked at Ryukura Akira with increasing vigilance.

"Something's off about you, except for that loser." Sasuke glanced at Naruto, ignoring his gaze.

"I don't believe there's another person in the world who would strike up a conversation with someone for no reason, especially someone who could easily kill him."

"Sasuke, you have such a keen intuition. Is it because you care too much about Naruto that you're making comparisons?" Ryukura Akira said casually.

"Who cares about that idiot!" Sasuke's expression changed. "And don't change the subject!"

Ryukura Akira didn't reply. He glanced at the three little ones and called out their names one by one.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, I know you, and I also know that your mentor, Jonin, is Hatake Kakashi."

"Hey! You know us?!" Naruto shouted. "How did you know?"

Akira Ryukura turned and walked away, determined to become a riddle teller, saying, "You'll find out when we meet again."

"Wait!" Sasuke's voice came from behind, "What did Gaara mean by 'exam'?!"

Ryukura Akira didn't turn around; his voice drifted over leisurely:

"The Chunin Exams... maybe your Jonin instructors will tell you about them in a while."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, clearly having no concept of the "Chunin Exams".

Only Sasuke stood still, biting his lower lip, his hands hanging at his sides slowly clenching.

Deep within his pupils, the single-tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated.