A Heart Full of Passion

"Playing ninja with such a realistic headband?" Daimaru chuckled, shaking his head. Since when did children's ninja games become so intense?

Kankuro's face darkened as he glared at the impertinent Naruto. "That's why I hate annoying brats who don't know when to quit."

The patience and disregard from the Sand shinobi seemed to embolden Naruto, who stepped forward, his eyes blazing with fury at Kankuro. "Wearing headbands, yet different from mine. Who exactly are you?"

Kankuro clenched his fists and without turning to Daimaru, asked, "Is this guy really so dumb he can't recognize us, or is he trying to insult me?"

"Who knows?" Daimaru replied nonchalantly.

The incessant pestering, along with the aggravation from Gaara's murderous aura, had worn thin on Temari's patience. Her right hand reached for her three-star fan, ready to strike. "Looks like our little brother here hasn't learned his lesson. Big sister is getting angry!"

"You knocked over Konohamaru, and instead of apologizing, you're ready to attack again?"

Naruto, with his sharp instincts, took a few steps back and formed hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Suddenly, a dozen identical blond brats appeared, encircling the five Sand shinobi in a fan formation. Behind them, the Konohamaru Corps were making noise, cheering Naruto on, while Sakura, somewhat anxious, tried to defuse the situation, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Kankuro eyed the approaching opposition warily. "Is this what you're relying on? Shadow clones? Quite surprising!"

Daimaru scoffed, "A loser is still a loser, no matter the numbers! Senza, Yoru, test his strength!"

His two teammates might not be the strongest, but at this moment, aside from his Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto's only notable attributes were his substantial chakra reserves and stamina, hardly impressive overall. "Don't hold back!"

The brash Naruto, eager to show off in front of his friends and crush, rashly provoked the notoriously ill-tempered Sand shinobi, who were not about to coddle him.

"I've been waiting for this."

Senza and Yoru stepped out from the crowd, charging at the overconfident Naruto. With sharp eyes and agile moves, Yoru easily outpaced Naruto's sluggish reactions; Senza, under the cover of unpredictable genjutsu, effortlessly identified Naruto's original body and took him down within a few exchanges.

A gentle breeze carrying a subtle fragrance wafted over Naruto, sending him into a deep slumber.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out, rushing to help her teammate, only to be caught off guard by Yoru, who slammed her shoulder into the pink-haired girl's abdomen, then twisted her arm behind her back.

"You're even weaker than that blond guy!"

Caught unprepared, Sakura was subdued without a chance to fight back, kneeling on the ground in pain. "Your hair is so soft; you must spend a lot of time caring for it. If only you had devoted that effort to training, you wouldn't be in such a sorry state today..."

As Yoru was teasing, her expression suddenly turned stern. Before she could react, two stones struck her shoulder. The petite girl released Sakura as she turned towards the incoming attack. "Be careful, I saw that guy earlier, but still couldn't dodge his strike!"

From the shadows of the trees, Sasuke, effortlessly tossing stones, stepped forward. "They may not be much, but they are my teammates! Also, don't mistake Naruto's strength for the level of Leaf shinobi."

Kankuro, eyeing the newly arrived black-haired boy, silently lowered the puppet from his back. "Another annoying brat!"

"He's quite handsome, though," Temari remarked with interest, observing the approaching Sasuke.

"Let me handle this."

Daimaru called back Yoru and Senza, stopping the increasingly irritated Kankuro. His fingers twitched slightly, and chakra strings pulled the unconscious Naruto and the collapsed Sakura behind him. "Seeing someone more arrogant than myself really puts me in a bad mood, especially in front of Temari. You've made me lose face. Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

"Hand over Naruto and Sakura, and I'll let you live. Get lost, small fry."

Bang...

With a forceful step forward from Daimaru, the solid ground rippled like waves, and a surge of sand rushed forward. Sasuke's feet gathered chakra before he leaped high into the air.

But before he could land, nearly invisible chakra strings bound his ankles. "Were you too careless, jumping into the air with no support?"

Daimaru yanked hard, and the two figures hurtled towards each other. Sasuke, thrown off balance and unable to adjust, threw a wire rope to bind a tree trunk below, aiming for a quick descent. But Daimaru, closing in, embraced him in a bear hug, binding them together with several chakra strings.

"Let's have a man-to-man duel. You punch me, I punch you, and we'll see who gives up first. Since you're a few years younger, I'll let you strike first. Young man, you've got a great deal here. Thank the benevolent 'Red Sandstorm'!"

"You're insane!"

Daimaru, seemingly unimpressive, fought with a wild abandon that shocked Sasuke. "How many ninjas aren't crazy? I thought with that dead look in your eyes, you'd be interesting, but it seems you're just as boring. Did your useless teammates rub off on you?"

"Naruto and Sakura are not useless!"

"Whatever. I'm about to show you the romance of a man's fight..."

With a headbutt, both Daimaru and Sasuke's headbands flew off, and the dazed Sasuke tried to speak, only to be met with a second blow.

"Feeling a bit dizzy, young man? A man's battle should be full of fiery passion..."

Boom...

The two plummeted to the ground, and Sasuke, seizing the opportunity as Daimaru was also dazed, broke free from the chakra strings and attempted to flee, only to be caught again by Daimaru.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Let's properly say goodbye!"

Daimaru wiped the blood from his forehead with his left hand and, with a full swing of his right, slammed the shorter boy against a wall. The flimsy wooden wall instantly collapsed.

As the dust settled, Sasuke struggled to his feet, shaking off the wooden debris. Half of his face obscured by his bangs, his Sharingan eyes glowed crimson.

"Don't get cocky. The battle has just begun, you scum."

Daimaru, with bloodshot eyes, was ready to continue, but Kankuro's arm clamped tightly around his neck, while Senza and Yoru gripped his arms from either side. Temari's fan struck Daimaru's head, and suddenly all was quiet.

"I heard this guy gets hot-headed easily. He seems normal enough at times, but why does he go berserk like a wild beast?"

Temari wiped the sweat from her brow. "Handsome guy over there, we were in the wrong this time. We'll give you back your teammates, and let's call it even, okay?"

"You're Sand shinobi, right? Even as allies, you can't just run wild in Konoha..."

Temari flashed her travel pass. "Look closely. We're Genin invited to participate in the Chunin Exams, not suspicious characters. If you're not convinced, join the exams. We can have a real fight then..."

"Chunin Exams?"

"Seriously? You don't even know what's happening in your own village?"

Temari waved her hand dismissively. Kankuro set down Naruto and Sakura and hoisted Daimaru onto his back. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time, and we don't want to anger Gaara."

...

Watching the Sand shinobi depart, Sasuke clenched his fists. "Are all ninjas from outside this strong? Just one move and I'm scrambling! What have I been doing all these years?"

Meanwhile, Daimaru awoke in a Konoha guesthouse, only to be greeted by the furious face of their team leader, Onfū...