At this moment, not all 57 people who passed the first test had arrived yet.
So Naruto and the others still had to wait before the exam could begin.
"Big bro Naruto!" *3
"Konohamaru?"
Seeing the Konohamaru trio show up outside the Forest of Death, Naruto looked confused. "What are you doing here?"
"Big bro! We've been assigned to cover the school's special report on the Chunin Exams!"
"So we decided to interview you first, Big bro Naruto!"
"...I refuse."
There was no way Naruto was doing some cheesy interview—and especially not letting his words end up in the school newsletter!
That would be way too embarrassing!
No way he wanted to get famous like that.
"Come on, big bro, please help us~"
"Yeah, yeah! If you help us, you can come over and eat at my place anytime!"
"Me too!"
"..."
Do I really look that desperate for food?
And even if I don't help you with this interview, I could still drop by your houses for a meal anyway, right?
Now that I think about it, I haven't had any of Grandpa Sarutobi's cooking in a while... kinda miss it.
"Hey, what are you kids doing?"
Just as Naruto was thinking that, Mitarashi Anko walked over, noticing the situation.
"Anko, you came at the right time. These three say they're doing a school report or whatever. You figure out what to do with them."
"A... Anko?"
Anko's mouth twitched as she looked at Naruto.
He's from Kakashi's team, right?
He really just called me by name—pretty bold, huh!
"Hokage-sama already mentioned the interview thing to me. Alright, I'll give you ten minutes. Everyone who's being interviewed better sit down and cooperate!"
"That includes you, Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto: "..."
He couldn't help but feel like he'd been marked.
He wanted to say no again, but when he saw the pleading eyes of the Konohamaru trio, he hesitated and finally gave in.
There was still time before the exam started anyway, and it's not like he had anything better to do.
"Alright, ten minutes. Make it quick," Naruto sighed and said to the three of them.
"Don't worry, big bro! We won't waste your time! Hehe!"
The trio pulled Naruto toward a quieter spot near the woods, and Sakura and Sasuke followed along.
"Let's start with you, big bro!"
Konohamaru pulled out a notebook and pen, looking super excited as he stared at Naruto.
"..."
"What am I supposed to say?"
"Just whatever comes to mind, big bro—like how you graduated from the academy, how you've grown since then, and what your thoughts are on the Chunin Exams."
"Thoughts...?"
Naruto felt like Konohamaru's vocabulary might be a little too advanced for a grade school report.
"Sigh, fine. I'll just say whatever."
"My name's Uzumaki Naruto…"
Naruto really wasn't good at interviews. Hopes, expectations, growth... it all felt like writing an autobiography.
He didn't think his short ninja career had anything worth writing down for Konohamaru's school paper.
But Konohamaru was scribbling away excitedly.
After five minutes, Naruto had completely run out of things to say.
"That's enough, right? I think that's all I've got," Naruto said helplessly.
Just five minutes of talking, and he felt like he'd used up every word he had in him!
"No problem! That was awesome, big bro! I wrote it all down! When this goes in the school paper, everyone's gonna look up to you!"
"…"
Gee, thanks a lot.
Naruto rolled his eyes, not even bothering to answer him.
"Next up, let's interview... Naruto's teammate and girlfriend!"
"Wait, no! You got it wrong! I'm not Naruto's girlfriend!"
Sakura's face turned red, and she quickly explained.
Naruto grabbed Konohamaru and gave him a good beating.
"If you wanna do an interview, fine, but don't make stuff up, got it?"
"But if I don't write that kind of stuff, no one will read it…"
"Hm?"
"!!!"
"Don't worry, big bro! I promise I'll stick to the truth! All real, no lies!"
Konohamaru shrank back in fear.
When Naruto said he'd hit you, he meant it.
And he didn't hold back at all!
After four more minutes interviewing Sakura, they had just passed the ten-minute mark.
Technically, that meant Sasuke now had a valid reason to refuse the interview—but Naruto didn't let him off the hook!
They were teammates—so why did he get to act special?
Believing that teammates should stick together through thick and thin, Naruto dragged Sasuke over and made him do the interview too!
Five minutes later, when Sasuke had run out of words entirely, the interview finally ended.
"Thanks for letting me interview you guys!"
"Thanks~"
"Good luck, big bro Naruto!"
After saying goodbye to Konohamaru and the others, they still had forty minutes left before the exam officially started.
Seeing Naruto and the others return, Mitarashi Anko couldn't help teasing them. "So? How was being interviewed? A new experience, huh, little Naruto~?"
Naruto gave her a look and said flatly, "Not bad, Big Red Bean."
"Big… Red Bean…"
A vein popped on Anko's forehead as she clenched her teeth. "I hope your skills are as sharp as your mouth, little Naruto!"
"And I hope yours are as... big as your—well, never mind, Big Red Bean," Naruto shot back without hesitation.
The other examinees around them started watching the argument with interest.
A student and a proctor getting into it? Now that was something to see.
"Naruto…"
Sakura tugged on Naruto's sleeve, looking a bit worried.
Was it really okay to pick a fight with a proctor at a time like this?
"No worries. I'd even talk back to old man Hiruzen if he were here. Why would I be scared of just another Special Jonin?" Naruto said calmly as he pulled his arm away.
Old man Hiruzen?
Anko's mouth twitched.
In the whole village, the only "Hiruzen" Naruto could be talking about… had to be the Third Hokage himself.
This kid really had some nerve!
Calling him by name was one thing, and even saying he was just a "special jounin" might've been fine... but she even dragged the Hokage-sama into it...
Whoosh!
A kunai suddenly slipped from Anko Mitarashi's sleeve, flying straight toward Naruto.
Even though both threw kunai, as a special jounin, Anko's throw was way faster!
But fast or slow—it made no difference to Naruto!
His nature-based transformation ability had two modes: active and passive.
In active mode, Naruto could control whether just part of his body or his whole body transformed.
In passive mode, Naruto's body would automatically transform the moment he was attacked!
So no matter how fast the enemy's strike was, even if Naruto didn't react in time, he still wouldn't get hurt!
Facing Anko's kunai, Naruto didn't even flinch. The blade passed right through his cheek and flew past.
At the same time, Anko appeared behind Naruto in a flash, reached out and touched his face with a dangerous smile.
"Kids like you... usually die the fastest, you kno—huh?"
No injury?
Anko froze for a moment, puzzled.
She could've sworn she saw the kunai cut across Naruto's cheek—so why wasn't there any blood?
Did she see it wrong?
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