Konoha Notes

Chapter 328 Naruto and Gaara

Walking on thin ice.

This is Iruka's perspective on his career.

Various incidents have occurred since I started working here, but those are all in the past. Even if there are transfer students or the like, we already have ample experience in dealing with them.

Until Gaara appeared.

He was an important figure in the neighboring Sunagakure village, and he was no less so than the other students in his class.

According to Ebisu's instructions, Gaara possesses techniques for self-defense, so we need to be extra careful with him. It's best not to rush into taijutsu and combat training courses.

This is what he thinks and does.

Gaara cooperated with this, since practical lessons weren't important to him; he had more experience being assassinated than anyone else in the class.

However, for students at the Ninja Academy, those who cannot participate in practical combat training are the weakest of the weak. In Iruka's team, there was only Shion before.

Now there's one more.

It's a boy.

The notoriously audacious Konoha villagers have also started spouting strange things.

It's mostly things like "she's delicate" or "she's just like a girl"...

These words, compared to the "monster," "freak," and "weapon" that Gaara was used to hearing in Sunagakure, were not only innocuous but even somewhat novel to him.

His silence gradually convinced the other children in the class of his opinion.

They also became increasingly open about their opinions.

Until another outdoor physical training class.

The sun was shining brightly, and the boys on the playground were practicing basic physical combat techniques in pairs.

Sweat glistened in the sunlight, and shouts, sounds of collisions, and teachers' instructions mingled together, creating the most ordinary scene at the ninja academy.

Gaara, as always, stood in the shade of the tree.

"Hey, did you see that? That transfer student from Sunagakure didn't participate in training again."

"The ninjas of Sunagakure can't even attend taijutsu classes, how pathetic."

"I heard it's only him; the other Sand Village students are training normally..."

The four boys were stretching as they spoke, less than five meters away from Gaara. Their voices were neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the boy under the shade of the tree to hear them.

The red-haired boy felt that these words were not offensive at all, but the blond boy stood in front of him.

"Hey! Don't bully Gaara!"

“You know nothing! Gaara… he must be sick!” Naruto shouted.

“No,” Gaara said from behind him.

The three students opposite Naruto couldn't help but laugh: "See, Naruto, you're the one who doesn't know anything."

"Then...that must be..." Naruto stammered, searching his mind for possible reasons, "Gaara didn't sleep well, look, he has dark circles under his eyes..."

“I slept very well,” Gaara denied.

The boys laughed even harder, and Naruto turned around stiffly: "Why are you arguing with me, Gaara?!"

Gaara looked at Naruto: "Because it's not for those reasons."

Gaara was a little uncomfortable being protected by someone his own age for the first time. He remained silent, and then sand rose from beneath his feet.

“The sand will protect me.” At that moment, Iruka noticed the situation and quickly ran over.

“Gaara isn’t participating in the training because he can’t fully control his techniques yet,” Iruka continued, his tone serious. “If he participated, he might unintentionally hurt the other students. This is to protect everyone, understand?”

The boys looked at each other, then finally lowered their heads: "We understand..."

Iruka then took them aside and scolded them in a low voice, before waving them away to go back to training.

Naruto curiously reached out and poked Gaara's sand: "What's the use of this kind of sand? It's so tiny."

Gaara didn't say anything.

"Is it possible that if you touch it, the sand will appear?"

Gaara shook his head.

"So what is the reason?"

Gaara lowered his eyes. His uncle, Yashamaru, had once said that it was because of his mother's love, but before he died, he told him that it was because of his mother's resentment towards him and Sunagakure.

“It will protect me,” Gaara stated the effect based on facts.

“In that case, I’ll train with Gaara!” Naruto pointed to himself. “I’m going to become a champion ninja, so I won’t be hurt by mere sand.”

Gaara shook his head again. He had been in class for a while and had witnessed Naruto's level.

"Naruto," Iruka finally interjected, his tone somewhat exasperated, "It's good that you care about your classmates. However, Gaara's practical training requires special permission to proceed, understand?"

"Why! Iruka-sensei is so lame!"

Iruka's forehead veins bulged as he grabbed Naruto and lifted him up: "You go and train properly! Have you learned the Transformation Jutsu yet?!"

"I'm going to find Brother Shuuji! If he agrees, it'll definitely be fine!" Naruto flapped his legs in mid-air.

"Don't cause Captain Shuji any trouble, Naruto!"

Watching Iruka carry Naruto towards the other side of the playground, Gaara leaned back against the tree trunk.

After class, Temari brought Kankuro to find him.

"I will definitely let you participate in the training, Gaara."

The blond boy shouted at Gaara, then ran away quickly.

Kankuro stared in shock at Naruto's departing figure. Are the people of Konoha really this brave?
Temari glanced sideways, then looked at Gaara. She asked softly, "Have you made any friends at school, Gaara?"

Gaara gazed in the direction Naruto had disappeared, the setting sun casting a warm glow in his turquoise eyes. He remained silent for a long time, so long that Temari thought he wouldn't answer, before finally whispering:
"do not know."
-
Shuji is getting an injection.

After undergoing the research, Kabuto came to him today to report on the situation, one of the things he asked Shuji to provide was a blood sample.

"Regarding the issue of control, based on your previous discussion of the relationship between the Otsutsuki clan and the Divine Tree."

"If I implant your cells into the mother plant and then cultivate them again, it might improve its ability to recognize you."

"In addition, you have already obtained the Eight-Tails' chakra. To complete the subsequent experiments, other tailed beasts will also be needed."

“If you need it, I can arrange it for you…” Kabuto knew that obtaining Tailed Beast Chakra was not a simple matter. Since he had taken over the experiment, he believed that collecting Tailed Beast Chakra was also within his mission.

"...I will handle this matter."

The location of the jinchūriki is not the problem; the problem is how to make contact with them appropriately.

However, before that, let's find Naruto and collect the Nine-Tails' chakra as well.

(End of this chapter)