Haruno Sakura looked shocked when she saw Ino taking advantage of Naruto.
She quickly pulled Ino back and said angrily, "Ino! Why are you embarrassing Naruto?"
Ino cast a sarcastic glance at Sakura.
Sakura gritted her teeth, nearly losing her temper on the spot.
The two seemed ready to fight over Naruto, but he went straight to Hinata, catching up on old times.
Several teams who graduated the same year had also gathered, chatting amongst themselves.
The noise soon attracted attention.
Yakushi Kabuto stepped forward and said to everyone, "Hey, keep your voices down. Look around."
Hearing Kabuto's voice, all the Konoha students looked up.
They found that everyone else in the area was staring at them with unkind expressions.
Kabuto explained, "The exam is about to begin. Everyone's nervous, so don't provoke anyone."
Sakura cowered behind Naruto, whispering, "It's true… their eyes are really scary."
Ino was shocked to see the normally tomboyish Sakura act like this.
Naruto, realizing Sakura was pretending, reached out and pulled her out from behind him. "Don't make such a fuss."
"Yes, Naruto-kun~" Sakura said shyly, brushing her hair back.
Once composed, she looked at Ino provocatively.
Ino: "…"
Among the crowd, Temari observed Naruto with interest. "Although he's a playboy, he's really good-looking—not like the guys from our village."
Temari glanced at Kankuro, who shivered. He always felt as if someone was silently scolding him.
As for Konoha's students…
Sasuke was intrigued by the man who had just appeared. He asked Kabuto, "Who are you?"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "I'm Yakushi Kabuto. I've taken the Chūnin Exam many times."
"Oh? So you have a lot of experience?" Sasuke asked in surprise.
Kabuto nodded. "I have some resources. My main advantage is that I have over two hundred ninja cards."
Kiba Inuzuka frowned. "Ninja cards? What are those?"
Kabuto replied cryptically, "They record information about the candidates. It took me four years to gather this data."
After listening, Sasuke asked, "Does everyone have one?"
Kabuto smiled confidently. "Of course. I'm fully prepared for the Chūnin Exam. If there's a ninja you're interested in, I have information on them."
Sasuke thought for a moment. "Hyūga Neji."
Kabuto smiled again. "It's easier if you even know the name."
He drew a card, used chakra to reveal its contents, and read aloud:
"Hyūga Neji. Instructor: Might Guy. Graduated a year earlier than you. Possesses the Hyūga clan's bloodline limit and the terrifying Byakugan. After performing B-rank missions, he shows only a minor weakness in ninjutsu. A very strong newcomer this year. Among all candidates, his strength ranks in the top five."
"I see," Sasuke said calmly. "No wonder he's confident enough to face Sharingan users."
Neji, who had come over with Rock Lee and Tenten, heard this.
Neji said to Sasuke, "The Uchiha clan is indeed arrogant, but… your information isn't what I need."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, glancing between Sasuke and Neji.
Sasuke is Orochimaru's target.
Neji is a powerful genius.
If the two fight, Orochimaru can more easily identify his target.
But there's still plenty of time in the Chūnin Exam.
Kabuto asked Neji, "Then whose information do you want?"
Neji recalled when he, Tenten, and Lee had seen the Chūnin Exam news and encountered Konohamaru being chased by a painted-faced ninja.
Team Neji had then met Team Gaara.
He wanted information on Gaara because of the killer intent he sensed.
Kabuto searched for a moment, then found Gaara's card.
"This Gaara is impressive," Kabuto said. "Almost no weaknesses. Has performed B-rank missions like you. But unlike most, he returns unscathed every time."
Everyone else, except Konoha's students, became more wary.
A Genin surviving a B-rank mission unharmed is terrifying.
Rock Lee, who had just lost to Sasuke, asked Kabuto about him.
Kabuto chuckled. "Uchiha Sasuke? He's even more terrifying than Gaara.
Sasuke's team has completed only one mission—but it was A-rank. During that mission, Sasuke faced three Mist swordmasters alone. He won, killing all three.
The Mist is renowned for swordsmanship.
Those three were Chūnin-level before defecting; their strength has only increased.
In other words, Sasuke's lowest achievement is defeating three Chūnin-level swordmasters alone.
That's not all. Sasuke possesses the Uchiha bloodline limit—the Sharingan.
If Gaara is a nearly flawless Genin, Sasuke is a flawless Genin.
If nothing goes wrong, Sasuke will pass this Chūnin Exam."
Hearing this, Rock Lee became excited rather than afraid. "Alright! Then I'll aim to defeat Sasuke!"
Others in the classroom, learning this from Kabuto, lowered their gazes, no longer daring to provoke the newcomers.
"Are you kidding? A Genin who can defeat three Chūnin at once is in the exam?"
"Exactly… who are we being assessed against?"
"That's not fair. He should just be promoted to Chūnin."
But Kabuto's next words confused them:
"However, although Uchiha Sasuke is strong, if I rank all the newcomers by strength… I can only give him second place."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 70+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: A Video Editor]