"Alright, Lee. She's long gone. Even if getting rejected hurts, maybe it's time to let it go," Tenten said, patting Rock Lee's shoulder.
"Got it, Tenten!"
Rock Lee forced himself to perk up, fire in his eyes. "I'll prove myself to Sakura!"
"..."
"Hopeless."
Tenten facepalmed with a sigh and turned to look at Neji—only to see him staring at the hole Naruto had blasted in the wall.
"Neji, do you think you can handle that guy?" Tenten walked over and asked.
Neji shook his head. "I'm not sure. That jutsu he used just now was really fast. I don't know if I can dodge it even when I'm ready."
"Even you aren't confident?" Tenten looked serious. "Are all the candidates this year monsters or something?"
"Seems like it," Neji said quietly. "But more than that, I'm curious about who this guy really is. Why would someone like Uchiha Sasuke, who ranked first among the rookies, willingly stand next to him?"
"Maybe he was just a quiet student at the academy?" Tenten guessed.
"Forget it. Whoever he is, we'll find out in the exam room."
Neji looked at the clock on the wall. "There's not much time left. Let's head to the classroom."
...
On the other side—
Naruto and the others had just found Room 301, and saw Kakashi waiting at the door.
"Oh? Sakura's here too?"
Kakashi looked a little surprised. "Then we can officially register for the Chunin Exams."
"Officially register? What do you mean?" Sakura looked confused.
"Actually, the exam has always required a full three-person team. You can only take it by working together as a group of three," Kakashi said calmly.
"But... Kakashi-sensei, didn't you say it was up to us whether we wanted to take the exam?"
"Yeah, I did say that."
"So you lied to us?"
Kakashi turned his head and looked out the window. "Yup."
"..."
"Why?"
"Because if I had told you from the start that all three of you had to take the exam together, Naruto and Sasuke would've definitely pressured you to join. And even if they didn't, you'd still feel like you were forced to do it for their sake."
Kakashi spoke in a serious tone, "Even though the Chunin Exam requires three-person teams, in the end, it's still an individual test. If someone doesn't really want to take it, then it's better not to."
"Because this exam is harsh. If you go into it without the will to keep going, the setbacks you face might completely ruin your future as a ninja."
Before coming here, Sasuke and Sakura had already heard about how brutal the Chunin Exams were from Kotetsu and Izumo.
But those two Chunin weren't all that strong, so Sasuke and Sakura hadn't taken it seriously.
Now that the same thing was coming from Kakashi's mouth, the mood instantly became heavier.
Kakashi noticed their change in expression and smiled, trying to cheer them up. "You don't need to worry too much. It's true the Chunin Exams are tough for a lot of people—but I completely believe in your abilities."
"Because you three are the students I'm proudest of!"
Hearing Kakashi's encouragement, Sasuke and Sakura both smiled. Their nerves from earlier were gone.
But Naruto didn't seem moved at all.
"'Students I'm proudest of'—ugh, that's so cheesy. If there's nothing else, we're going in now!"
With that, Naruto walked right past Kakashi and pushed open the door to Room 301.
Kakashi: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
Sakura: "..."
Sakura and Sasuke had actually been a little touched—but after what Naruto said, it really did sound kind of cheesy!
"Kakashi-sensei, we're going in now!" Sakura gave an awkward smile and quickly followed Naruto.
Sasuke didn't say anything either. He just looked at Kakashi for a second as he walked by, which made Kakashi feel a bit awkward.
"That Naruto kid..." Kakashi scratched his head as he watched the three of them walk away, feeling a bit like a parent watching their kids grow up.
The classroom was already packed.
When Naruto and the others walked in, they drew a lot of sharp and hostile stares.
Naruto didn't really care about the unfriendly stares and judgmental looks around them, but Sakura and Sasuke were definitely feeling a bit nervous.
It was like all the comforting words Kakashi said earlier had no effect at all!
Just then, Ino, who had arrived at the exam hall earlier, suddenly jumped onto Sasuke from behind!
"Sasuke-kun! You're so slow!"
"I was so excited to see you, I came super early to wait for you!"
Even though Sakura now also liked Naruto, she hadn't given up on Sasuke either.
So the moment she saw Ino clinging to Sasuke and acting all cute, she couldn't take it anymore.
"Get away from Sasuke, you fat pig, Ino!"
"Oh? Isn't this little Sakura? Long time no see, but your forehead's still just as wide—ugly as ever!"
"What did you just say?!"
"Bleh~"
The two were about to start a fight when Ino's teammates, Shikamaru and Chouji, walked over.
"Didn't think you guys would also sign up for this troublesome exam. Seriously," Shikamaru said with his hands in his pockets, then glanced at the group. "Hm? Are you… Naruto?"
"Naruto?"
Thanks to Shikamaru's reminder, Ino and Chouji finally noticed the person standing between Sasuke and Sakura.
"You're Naruto?"
Ino walked up to Naruto, staring at him in disbelief. "You're not pretending to be Naruto, are you?"
"You're too good-looking for that. I'd suggest you stop now. If the proctors find out you're cheating, you'll be in big trouble!"
"Pretending? Is she serious?" Chouji looked at Naruto, feeling something was off.
Shikamaru also kept sizing Naruto up, trying to figure it out.
But no matter how they looked at him, the face really was Naruto's.
It was just that his vibe and appearance were totally different from how Naruto used to be!
Sakura quickly stepped in to clear things up. "That is Naruto, Ino-pig!"
"He's Naruto? Are you kidding? You think I'm dumb or something?" Ino crossed her arms, still not buying it.
Right then, the last group of the Rookie Nine arrived.
"Finally found you guys. Everyone's here!" said Kiba, smiling as he looked around. "What were you all talking about? Naruto? He's not here yet?"
Naruto: "..."
"Kiba, Naruto's right here," Hinata said, confused. She glanced shyly at Naruto, then quickly looked away.
'Naruto-kun looks so cool now~'
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