Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 442 Wonderful

The soft morning light streamed through the windows of Sunagakure Village, which had windproof and sandproof grilles, and gently bathed a neatly and warmly furnished bedroom.

"Lord Gaara, it's time to get up."

A gentle voice, as soft as the quicksand in the desert, softly sounded beside the bed.

Little Gaara curled up in the soft bedding, slowly opening his sleepy eyes.

The first thing he saw was a head of blond hair with a soft sheen, like sand warmed by the sun, and a man's face with gentle features and a kind smile in his eyes.

"Yashamaru..."

Gaara, still half-asleep, unconsciously murmured the name etched deep in his memory.

"Yes, it's me."

Yashamaru's smile deepened. He reached out and gently rubbed Gaara's still sleepy cheek with the back of his fingers. "You should get up. Today is your first day at the Ninja Academy. You can't be late."

"Oh...I see..."

Gaara obediently nodded, letting Yashamaru help him lift the blanket and skillfully help him put on his small casual clothes.

Led by Yashamaru, Gaara arrived at the living room of his house. The air was filled with the aroma of food.

"Good morning, Gaara."

A gentle, graceful woman was already waiting at the dining table. She too had sandy-yellow hair, and at that moment, she was quietly gazing at her youngest son with eyes full of undisguised affection.

The sunlight shone on her, enveloping her in a soft halo.

"Mother……?"

Gaara paused slightly, tilted his head back, and looked at the woman before him with an expression that was a mixture of familiarity and uncertainty, and a hint of confusion.

"What's wrong, Gaara? Is it Mom?"

Carol looked at her son's adorable, somewhat confused expression and couldn't help but chuckle. She stood up, walked over to him, and reached out to stroke his short red hair. "Why are you making that weird face? Are you still half asleep?"

Gaara felt the warm touch of his mother on the top of his head, and his body instinctively relaxed a little, but the confusion in his eyes did not completely disappear.

He simply gave a soft "hmm".

"Okay! Dinner's ready!"

A vibrant, somewhat overly loud teenage voice broke the momentary tranquility.

"Today is Gaara's first day of school! As his older brother, I'll definitely set a good example for him!"

Kankuro, waving a small wooden doll, ran excitedly from the other end of the room.

"It's so noisy, Kankuro. Keep it down this early in the morning." Temari followed slowly behind, yawning, looking not fully awake yet.

"Alright, everyone's here." Karura clapped her hands, a satisfied smile on her face, and gestured for everyone to take their seats. "Eat up. Yashamaru, Kankuro, Temari, I'll be leaving Gaara to school with you in a bit."

Her gaze lingered on Kankuro and Temari for a moment as she gave them her instructions.

"Because Gaara is a transfer student and isn't familiar with the school yet, you two older brothers and sisters must take good care of him. You need to introduce him to his new friends, tell him where his classroom is, and also... Kankuro, you're not allowed to use your puppets to scare your classmates at school."

"Yes! I understand, Mom!"

"Yes." Temari replied simply, picking up a piece of bread.

Gaara sat down quietly in his seat. A sumptuous breakfast was laid out in front of him: steaming miso soup, perfectly fried eggs and sausages. He picked up his chopsticks and ate in small bites, his movements were proper, but his expression still carried a hint of bewilderment.

While feeding the other children, Karura didn't forget to ask me, Ai-Luo, with concern.

"How is it, Gaara? How does it taste?" Her voice was filled with anticipation and pride. "All the dishes were made by Mom herself."

Gaara put down his chopsticks, chewed carefully, and then swallowed. He looked up at Karura and answered honestly.

"Mmm...it's delicious."

His small face didn't show any particularly excited expression, but his eyes were calm.

"But..." He hesitated for a moment, then added in a low voice.

"But what?"

"It seems... there's someone... who makes something much tastier than this..."

Upon hearing this, Karura was not displeased at all; instead, her eyes lit up and her smile softened even more. She put down her cutlery and looked at Gaara intently.

"Really? That's wonderful."

Her tone was full of encouragement and curiosity.

"If Gaara ever meets that person again, he must introduce him to his mother."

"Mom should learn from that person and try to make dishes that Aira finds even more delicious."

Gaara looked at his mother's gentle yet earnest face, nodded slightly, and replied softly.

"……Um."

At the dining table, Yashamaru wore a satisfied smile, Kankuro chattered about the funny things that happened at school, Temari occasionally made a sarcastic remark, and Karura was busy serving the children rice and dishes.

After breakfast, Karura and Yashamaru escorted the children to the entrance. Kankuro had already eagerly put on his homemade little bag, Temari had also packed her ninja tool bag, and Gaara was carrying a brand new, perfectly sized little backpack.

"I'm going out," Temari, as the eldest sister, said first.

"Okay, be careful on the road." Karura stood at the door, patted the heads of the three children one by one, and finally patted Gaara's shoulder very gently.

A simple, warm, and ordinary family farewell.

Upon arriving at the school gate, it was rush hour, and many children and parents had gathered there, creating a noisy atmosphere. Temari and Kankuro, as the "seniors," needed to go to their respective classes first.

"Gaara, wait for us here after school, don't wander off," Temari instructed.

"Gaara, do your best!" Kankuro patted Gaara hard on the back.

"Hmm." Gaara nodded.

After watching his older siblings merge into the flow of students from different grades, Yashamaru led Gaara through the slightly noisy corridor to the door of a classroom marked "First Grade." The classroom door was open, and many children were already sitting inside, their chattering voices drifting out.

Yashamaru crouched down, looked Gaara straight in the eye, and helped him straighten his collar and the red hair that was sticking up on his forehead.

"Alright, this is the place, Lord Gaara."

"Once inside, listen to your teacher. Try to make more friends and play with everyone. But..."

"If someone bullies you or does something really bad to you... it's okay to fight back. Don't be afraid, Yashamaru, your mother, and your older brothers and sisters will all be on your side."

Gaara looked up, listened obediently, and then nodded solemnly.

Yashamaru smiled, stood up, gently pushed open the classroom door, and gestured for Gaara to go in.

The noise in the classroom quieted down a bit, and the children turned their curious gazes toward them.

"Class, quiet down." The teacher clapped her hands to signal everyone to be quiet. "This is our new transfer student, Gaara. Please get along well with him."

The teacher's voice was gentle. Most of the children below looked at the new classmate with striking red hair and a somewhat quiet demeanor with kind or innocent curiosity.

"Gaara, you can sit in that empty seat over there." The teacher pointed in a direction. "Get to know your classmates first; class will start soon."

"Yes," Gaara replied softly, carrying his small schoolbag, and walked towards his designated seat under the watchful eyes of many. His steps were light, and that bewildered sense of unreality resurfaced in his heart.

He walked to the window seat, put his bag down, and tilted his head slightly to look out at the distinctive outlines of the buildings in Sunagakure, which appeared exceptionally clear in the morning light, and the distant, indistinct sand dunes, trying to calm the inexplicable tremor in his heart.

Just then, a voice came from the side.

The voice was clear and melodious, carrying the unique innocence and bright vitality of a child.

"Your name is... Gaara, right?"

Gaara slowly and hesitantly turned his head.

Then—his gaze was fixed on it, and the hazy, unreal fog in his mind vanished without a trace with that one glance.

Instead, my heart suddenly started pounding wildly out of control, and blood rushed to my cheeks and ears, bringing waves of clearly identifiable, uncontrollable burning heat.

What came into his view was a face that seemed to embody all the sunshine and vitality.

Her golden hair, unlike the sandy yellow of Yashamaru and her mother, was a purer, brighter gold, shining like molten gold.

Her hair was styled into two lively pigtails, which swayed gently on her shoulders as she tilted her head slightly, with tiny specks of light dancing at the ends.

Her skin was fair and delicate, quite different from the skin tone commonly seen in Sunagakure, which was worn smooth by wind and sand. Her eyes were like those carved from sapphires.

At this moment, those beautiful blue eyes, filled with friendly curiosity and a smile devoid of any gloom, were looking directly into Gaara's wide-open eyes, which were wide with shock.

So cute...

The thought exploded uncontrollably in Gaara's otherwise blank mind. His heart was pounding so hard that he could barely hear anything else in the classroom.

The girl seemed oblivious to Gaara's unusual behavior and continued her self-introduction with ease.

"My name is Naruko Uzumaki. Nice to meet you!"

As she spoke, she naturally extended her right hand toward Gaara.

"Yes, that's right..."

Gaara heard himself give a dry reply, his mind went blank, and all that remained was the radiant smiling face and those jewel-like blue eyes before him.

Seeing the small, fair hand reaching out to him, Gaara did not hesitate at all. He raised his right hand as well, stiffly but with unwavering determination, and reached out towards that hand.

closer, closer...

He could see his own stunned and flushed face clearly reflected in her eyes.

The instant his fingertips were about to touch, the pent-up excitement in his heart, the sudden and overwhelming joy and thrill, could no longer be contained, violently assaulting all his senses and consciousness—

"—!!!"

Gaara suddenly opened his eyes!

My heart was pounding violently, and the lingering excitement that had almost exploded inside my chest was still echoing.

However, what lies before me is no longer a sun-drenched classroom, nor is it that bright and lovely smiling face so close at hand.

What comes into view is a neat, sharply defined ceiling and a large, heavy solid wood desk piled high with documents and scrolls.

It is the emblem of Sunagakure Village and the Kazekage's hat hanging on the wall.

It was the strong, slightly glaring sunlight streaming in from outside the window, belonging to the afternoon rather than the early morning.

Fengying's office.

This is Gaara's office, belonging to the Fifth Kazekage.

Gaara remained stiff for a while, half-sitting up from his office chair. He slowly raised his right hand and placed it in front of his eyes.

The fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles—the hands of an adult ninja, accustomed to hand seals and controlling sand. Not the small, childlike hand in the dream, about to grasp another small hand.

"...It was a dream."