Naruto: Satoru Uchiha

The silence that followed Satoru's comment was palpable.

The wind seemed to still, and even the birds ceased their chirping as if holding their breath.

Satoru folded his arms, a brilliant grin spreading across his bandaged face.

"Kid, you're not bad," he said, his tone full of approval as he glanced at Naruto. "You guessed it so quickly. I didn't expect Konoha to have someone as sharp as you."

While his bandages concealed most of his expression, his delighted demeanor was unmistakable. He looked like someone who had just found their long-lost soulmate.

Sakura's eyebrows twitched in disbelief.

What is this guy even talking about?

"Naruto, how is he less reliable than you?" she muttered, jabbing Naruto lightly with her elbow.

Naruto's face darkened immediately. "Sakura, you think I'm unreliable?"

He exuded an air of wounded pride, looking as if he had just been betrayed.

Meanwhile, Sasuke facepalmed silently, edging a few steps away from Satoru and his eccentric companions.

He hasn't changed at all, Sasuke thought with exasperation. Same old second brother.

Gaara, however, remained unfazed by the odd exchange. His cold, beast-like gaze stayed locked on Satoru.

"I'm Gaara of the Sand," he said curtly. "I'm interested in you. What's your name?"

Satoru straightened, placing his hands behind his back as if delivering a grand proclamation.

"My name?" he said dramatically. "I am Satoru of the Dark Wings Nikolaisky!"

"..."

There was a long pause as everyone processed the bizarre name.

Even Ghost Lantern Hozuki and Bai exchanged glances, then nodded as if cued.

"I'm Hozuki of the Dark Wings Nikolaisky," Ghost Lantern Hozuki said with mock solemnity.

"And I am Bai of the Dark Wings Nikolaisky," Bai added in an equally serious tone.

The group stood frozen for a moment, unable to comprehend the absurdity of what they had just heard.

Gaara's sharp eyes narrowed, but he didn't comment further.

"Satoru… I'll remember that name," he said coolly, then turned to Kankuro and Temari. "Let's go. We didn't come here to waste time."

Kankuro and Temari nodded silently, their unease evident as they followed Gaara.

Within moments, the Sand siblings disappeared into the distance.

"Did they just ignore us?" Ghost Lantern Hozuki asked, sounding both puzzled and mildly offended.

"Does it matter?" Bai replied calmly.

"Not at all," Hozuki said, shrugging. "I'll leave dealing with people like that to Lord Satoru."

Satoru, meanwhile, watched the Sand trio leave, his pale blue eyes glowing faintly beneath the bandages.

"So much tension in the air," he muttered. "And such a heavy burden in those trees."

His cryptic remark earned him questioning glances, but no one pressed for an explanation.

"Sasuke, are you coming with us?" Sakura called out suddenly, halting the group.

Sasuke paused, startled. He had completely forgotten about their planned training session.

"I…" He glanced back at his second brother, whose distracted expression said volumes, then at his waiting teammates.

Finally, he turned to Satoru and said firmly, "Help us train."

"Train? No way. Too much work," Satoru replied with a lazy wave of his hand.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "After vanishing for years, isn't it the least you can do?"

Satoru sighed, rubbing his bandaged face as if physically pained by the request. "Alright, alright. You kids are too much."

Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? That's awesome! Mr. Bandage, you're the best!"

Sakura, though hesitant, nodded politely. "Thank you for agreeing. But… are you sure it's okay? You're participating in the Chūnin Exams too, right?"

Satoru waved her concern away. "Don't sweat the details. Let's go."

The group moved toward a more secluded training ground, leaving the now-quiet scene behind.

Moments later, three shadowy figures appeared in the treetops.

They observed the departing group with sharp, calculating eyes.

"What do you think?" one of them asked.

"They're a mixed bag," another replied. "The Konoha shinobi and the Sand kid with the gourd are worth watching. The rest… nothing special."

"And the three from that unknown village?"

"Impressive aura concealment," the second ninja admitted. "But they don't seem particularly strong otherwise."

"Don't underestimate them," the third said with a cold edge. "We'll keep an eye on them during the exams."

The trio disappeared just as quietly as they had come, leaving only the faint rustling of leaves in their wake.

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