As days passed by, Konoha was filled with ninjas from various ninja villages. The streets were more crowded than ever, filled with different colored forehead protectors from the Hidden Sand, the Hidden Grass, the Hidden Rain, and many other lands. The local shops and restaurants were packed with travelers, making the atmosphere of the village a mix of exciting energy and hidden tension.
Everywhere you looked, foreign genin were walking around, sizing each other up and trying to guess the strength of their future opponents.
During these days, Team 7 didn't waste any time. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura spent their time resting their bodies, studying the basic rules of the exam, and mentally preparing themselves for the challenges ahead. On the final evening before the deadline, all three of them met up at Training Ground Three, their signed registration forms held securely in their hands.
"Everyone got theirs?" Naruto asked, looking unusually serious as he patted his pouch.
"Of course," Sakura nodded confidently.
Sasuke simply smirked, tapping the crisp paper in his hand. "Let's go. There's no point in waiting until the last minute."
Together, the three rookies walked toward the Hokage building. After submitting their applications to the counter that was in charge of the Chunin exam, they all left the Hokage Office and disappeared, going back to their own homes to get a good night's sleep.
The next morning, the day of the first phase of the Chunin Exams had finally arrived.
The registration room on the third floor of the Academy was packed to the brim with over a hundred genin. The air inside was thick with nervousness, whispers, and heavy killing intent.
As Team 7 walked through the heavy wooden doors, the chatter in the room noticeably quieted down. Many foreign ninjas turned their heads to look at the rookie trio, trying to gauge their strength.
"Wow, look at all these people," Sakura murmured, looking around at the sea of unfamiliar faces.
"Heh, the more the merrier," Naruto chuckled, crossing his arms behind his head completely unbothered.
Suddenly, Sasuke stopped walking. His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the corner of the room. Sitting quietly on a bench, completely isolated from the rest of the crowd, was the Sand trio.
Gaara was sitting with his arms crossed, his massive sand gourd resting beside him. His green eyes were staring blankly at the floor. He looked completely calm, but the aura around him was as menacing as ever. However, unlike before, he wasn't releasing any reckless killing intent. He was quiet, almost too quiet.
Sensing a gaze, Gaara slowly raised his head. His cold eyes locked directly onto Sasuke and Naruto.
For a brief second, the room felt incredibly tense. But instead of glaring or threatening them like he usually would have, Gaara simply closed his eyes and looked away, his mind likely still remembering the terrifying warning he had received on the street days ago.
"Hey, look over there," a familiar, lazy voice called out from behind Team 7.
Naruto turned around to see Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino walking toward them, followed closely by Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. All the Leaf rookies had finally gathered in one place.
"Man, what a drag," Shikamaru sighed, looking around the packed room. "I knew this year's exam was going to be big, but this is ridiculous. Look at all these creepy guys."
"Don't worry about them, Shikamaru!" Kiba grinned, Akamaru barking from inside his jacket. "We're going to blow through this exam in no time!"
"Keep your voice down, Kiba," Shino muttered calmly. "We are already drawing enough attention."
Just as the rookies were catching up, a silver-haired young man with round glasses walked over to them, a friendly smile on his face. He wore a Konoha forehead protector and had a deck of cards in his hand.
"Hey there, rookies. You guys should really keep it down a bit," the man said softly. "You're making a lot of enemies by being this loud."
"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" Kiba barked, crossing his arms and glaring at the newcomer.
"My name is Kabuto Yakushi," the silver-haired man introduced himself with a gentle scratch of his cheek. "But really, take a look around you. You've completely irritated everyone in the room."
The Leaf rookies glanced around, instantly noticing the sharp, murderous glares shooting toward them from the hidden corners of the hall. The foreign genin looked ready to tear them apart before the exam could even start.
"Man, what a drag..." Shikamaru muttered, pulling his hands into his pockets. "A bunch of bloodthirsty creeps."
"Well, you can't blame them for being tense. This is the Chunin Exam, after all," Kabuto said, a small smirk playing on his lips as he tapped his deck of cards against his palm. "You guys are fresh out of the academy, right? Cute. It reminds me of my first time. This happens to be my seventh attempt at this exam, so I know a thing or two about how things work around here."
"Seven times?!" Sakura gasped, her eyes widening. "Is it really that hard?"
"Let's just say the survival rate isn't exactly high," Kabuto replied smoothly. He then knelt down, spreading his cards across the floor in a neat arc. "Since we're from the same village, how about I share some information with you? With my chakra-infused info cards, I can tell you about the other candidates. Is there anyone you're particularly curious about?"
Sasuke stepped forward, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. He didn't completely trust this guy, but knowledge was power. "Gaara of the Sand. And... Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto blinked, looking over at Sasuke in surprise. "Huh? Teme, why are you looking up info on me?"
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke snapped coldly, keeping his gaze locked on Kabuto.
"Ah, interesting choices," Kabuto smiled, channeling a small bit of chakra into his fingertips. He tapped one of the blank cards, and lines of text and maps instantly materialized on the surface. "Let's see... First up, Gaara of the Sand. His team leader is Baki. His teammates are his siblings, Temari and Kankuro. Mission history: eight C-ranks, and remarkably, one B-rank as a genin. But here is the craziest part... throughout all his missions, he has returned without a single scratch on his body."
The rookies swallowed hard. Returning from a B-rank mission completely untouched was unheard of for a genin.
"But..." Kabuto paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked closer at the card. "There's a strange note here from our intelligence reports over the last few days. Apparently, he was involved in a minor street scuffle in Konoha and was seen... well, looking completely exhausted and terrified. The reports say his absolute defense was bypassed effortlessly by an unknown entity. After that, his usual violent behavior completely vanished. It's almost like someone broke his spirit."
Hearing this, Naruto and Sasuke silently exchanged a knowing glance. They didn't say a word, but they both knew exactly who was responsible for turning the feared sand demon into a well-behaved panda. Because
"Now, as for Naruto Uzumaki," Kabuto moved his finger to the next card, tapping it to reveal the data. "Teammates: Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Team leader: Kakashi Hatake. Mission history: a bunch of D-ranks and one highly dangerous C-rank turned A-rank in the Land of Waves. His physical stats are incredibly high, and his chakra reserves are... honestly, off the charts. He's definitely the wild card of the rookies."
Hearing about his information, Naruto's eyes turned sharp before returning to normal. Without showing any abnormality, he exclaimed, "Heh! Damn right I am!" Naruto grinned proudly, pumping his fist in the air.
While acting like this, Naruto looked at Kabuto with a meaningful glance. This guy is definitely not a normal genin.
Author's Note: I'm currently balancing my university studies with writing, and things can get pretty tight. If you enjoy my work, even a $1 donation on Patreon makes a massive difference in helping me cover my education expenses.
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