"Hey… that was way too one-sided. I thought it was going to be a fun show to watch."
A random spectator muttered, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"Don't talk," another person said, his voice low and unsteady. "I still have chills all over my body from what i just witnessed."
He looked toward the green jumpsuit kid—the one who had been completely fired up earlier, boldly challenging the black-haired boy without hesitation.
That kid's speed had been genuinely impressive once the fight started, fast enough to make people gasp.
But in the end…
He had been utterly manhandled by the other boy.
"Yeah…" a third voice followed, trembling. "That wasn't a fight at all. That was a complete and utter defeat."
As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on the black-haired boy—now standing calmly as he faced a green-haired man wearing a jōnin vest.
The boy in the green jumpsuit who had been utterly crushed earlier wore clothes nearly identical to this man's.
That realization dawned on many people at once.
They're related…
"I told you, Lee…" Might Guy said quietly, his gaze locked onto Rock Lee, who lay motionless on the ground.
"You can never be this reckless. And yet… you still charged ahead…"
Tears welled in Guy's eyes as his fists trembled at his sides.
"But even so—"
A proud smile slowly formed on his face.
"I'm still proud of you, Lee."
Then Guy straightened, his expression sharpening as he turned toward Sasuke Uchiha.
"And you—"
Before he could finish, a silver flash appeared between them.
Kakashi Hatake had arrived.
"That's enough, Guy," Kakashi said calmly, though his tone carried weight. "Your student struck first."
He glanced briefly at Lee, then back at Sasuke.
"…Even so, you went a bit too far, Sasuke. I expect you to apologize."
Sasuke remained silent.
His dark eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Kakashi—then shifted to Might Guy.
This man…
He might be even more troublesome than Kakashi.
A brief pause followed.
Then Sasuke opened his mouth.
His expression was calm.
But the words he spoke were anything but.
"I refuse."
"What?! That's so mean!"
Before Kakashi or Might Guy could say anything, Tenten suddenly spoke up, pointing an accusing finger straight at Sasuke.
On the other hand, Neji Hyūga said nothing.
He was still staring at Sasuke in stunned silence, his gaze sharp and heavy—as if he were looking at a rival who had suddenly stepped far beyond the position Neji believed he should occupy.
"Mean… you say?"
Sasuke turned his head slightly toward Tenten.
His eyes narrowed, a faint trace of disgust flashing across his expression as he spoke again.
"You really know how to twist things around," he said coldly. "Just because I'm standing here as the victor doesn't mean the loser automatically becomes the victim."
His voice remained calm, but every word delivered cleanly.
"I told him I didn't want to fight. Even before that, he kept butting into my business. And then he challenged me again."
Sasuke let out a quiet, dismissive breath.
"Do you want me to play some childish ninja game with him?" he continued. "Sorry but I can't afford to do that..."
He paused briefly, then turned his back on them.
"Against someone that weak." he added flatly,
"He should know his place."
Silence followed his words.
Kakashi and Guy stood there, their expressions noticeably different—one troubled, the other pained.
"Guy… he—" Kakashi started, hesitation creeping into his voice, but the words wouldn't come.
"I know, Kakashi," Guy said quietly. "I know."
He gently lifted Rock Lee onto his back.
Then, in a single blur, he vanished.
"…Sigh."
Kakashi let out a tired breath.
And then... he disappeared as well.
--
Moments later, Naruto and Sakura followed behind Sasuke.
Naruto walked with his hands clasped behind his head, eyes closed, whistling faintly as if nothing had happened. The atmosphere around them was odd and silent—until he finally couldn't hold it in.
"Hey, Sasuke! You went too far this time, again—"
"I'm not you, Naruto," Sasuke replied calmly, not even turning around. "I have dignity."
"What?!"
Naruto instantly exploded.
"Are you saying I don't have any?!"
The topic veered completely off course.
Just then, they reached their destination.
Ahead of them was the large hall where the other genin candidates had already gathered. As they stepped inside, Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His head lowered.
His body began to tremble slightly.
Sakura noticed immediately and stopped as well.
So stubborn…
Even so... he can't help being swallowed by this atmosphere… and by the sheer number of people here.
She glanced at him, worry flickering in her eyes.
I'm uneasy too, she admitted inwardly. But seeing Naruto like this is… kind of hard.
She clenched her fists.
Alright. I'll cheer him up a bit.
"Hey… Naruto, don't be so scared."
"Huh—?"
Before Sakura could make sense of what was happening, Naruto suddenly clenched his fists, spun around, and roared toward the crowd of gathered genin.
He pointed straight at them.
"HEY! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"I WON'T LOSE TO ANY OF YOU—DATTEBAYO!"
His voice echoed through the silent hall.
For a moment, everything froze.
Then...
"HEY, IDIOT!"
Ino jumped up, pointing straight at him.
"You're going to get yourself targeted like that!"
She didn't say anything about him being weak.
After all, everyone here knew Naruto wasn't weak—he might even be the second strongest in their class.
Sakura's face twitched violently.
"I was a fool to think that idiot would get depressed," she snapped. "Absurd!"
"It won't do you any good if you start like this!" Ino shouted directly into Sakura's ear.
"Why are you yelling at me?!" Sakura yelled back, veins popping.
"Then who else is more suitable?!" Ino shot back with a mocking grin.
"What did you say?!"
Sakura clenched her fist, glaring at her.
"Ohhh, I feel way better now!" Naruto said cheerfully, once again placing his hands behind his head.
Sasuke had already leaned against a nearby wall, eyes closed, clearly uninterested.
But his senses were active—he had already identified who the truly dangerous people here were.
Around them, many genin glared at Naruto with hostility.
Naruto didn't care in the slightest.
It's that bastard from before… Kankurō thought, staring at Naruto with barely restrained fury.
"Tch. No matter how strong he is," Temari muttered softly, "making enemies right from the start is just stupid."
"Snore… snore…"
A sudden sleeping sound drew everyone's attention.
They turned.
A red-haired girl lay sprawled across the table, hands tucked behind her head and legs casually crossed. Dressed in a black jacket, she slept soundly—carefree to the point of arrogance, her presence almost flamboyant.
Beside her stood a blindfolded girl, and two boys—one with white hair, the other with black hair.
Despite the red-haired girl's outrageous behavior, no one dared say anything.
She had already beaten down several genin earlier—hard.
Everyone here felt lucky that the monster was still asleep.
And the aura emanating from the white-haired boy beside her was even more terrifying.
"Hey… it's that girl from before…" Naruto whispered, about to walk over.
Before he could take a step, Sakura clamped a hand over his mouth from behind, stopping him dead.
Her heart pounded.
From the reactions around them, she knew instinctively...
That girl is not someone we should provoke right now.
"Wh—what's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, muffled, confused.
"That's enough trouble, idiot," she hissed. "I don't want everyone teaming up against us."
She wanted to punch him but somehow managed to hold back.
"In no time at all, that idiot has made enemies of everyone here," Shikamaru muttered, eyebrow raised.
"Yeah… he's pretty lively," Airi said, glancing at Naruto as she stood beside him.
Sakura finally cracked under the pressure of countless hostile stares and stepped forward.
"E-everyone! That was just a joke!" she said hurriedly. "This guy is… actually an idiot."
Naruto blinked.
"He says idiotic, spazzy, scatterbrained things and gets carried away," Sakura continued desperately. "So please don't take him seriously!"
The death glares didn't ease.
Sakura took a step back, fear creeping in...
Then immediately redirected that fear toward Naruto.
"DAMN IT, NARUTO!" she shouted. "Learn how to read the atmosphere, will you?!"
BOOM!
She smashed him on the head.
At the corner of the room, a Sound Village trio watched the scene with sharp, scrutinizing gazes.
BOOM.
Smoke suddenly exploded across the room.
A deep, oppressive voice thundered through the hall.
"Silence, you degenerates!"
The entire room froze.
Every genin snapped their attention toward the source—some with probing curiosity, others with visible nervousness—as the smoke slowly cleared.
Figures emerged.
A large number of ninja wearing Konoha forehead protectors stood revealed, forming an overwhelming presence that instantly crushed the noise in the room.
At the front stood a man with a fierce, dangerous face and a suffocating aura. Two long scars carved across his features gave him an even more intimidating look.
Standing just behind him were two familiar figures—the gatekeepers of Konoha, Izumo and Kotetsu.
The man at the front let out a slow, unsettling smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said calmly.
"My name is Ibiki Morino."
His gaze swept across the room like a blade.
"I'll be the proctor for the first test of the Chūnin Exams."
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.