Rock Lee squatted down, dejected. He was shrouded in shadow, muttering to himself.
For the first time, the taijutsu specialist had to face a hard truth: he couldn't delay his team's participation in the Chunin Exams just because he wanted to challenge a teammate.
"Naruto, why did you have to threaten Lee like that?" Tenten, standing nearby, pouted with dissatisfaction. "With all his hard work, there's no way he would lose to you."
As a member of Team 3, Tenten was a unique presence. She supported Neji's desire to break free from his destiny and encouraged Lee's relentless diligence.
"Alright, alright," Naruto said, waving his hands quickly. "The Chunin Exams are dangerous, so we need to be as prepared as possible."
The group arrived at the gathering point for the exam candidates, and everyone couldn't help but frown. The place was packed with far too many people. Ninjas from various villages gathered there, curiously looking up at the entrance as the newcomers walked in.
Soon, they encountered a familiar face. Ino Yamanaka joyfully pounced on Sasuke. "Sasuke, long time no see!"
"..."
Sasuke shot Ino a cold glance. After dodging her advance, he gave off a dangerous aura. "Stay away from me."
Ever since he'd been controlled by the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Switch Technique, he had no desire for contact with Ino. In his judgment, the Yamanaka clan was part of Danzo Shimura's camp. They were enemies of Team 7.
The blonde girl frowned in confusion, her face filled with hurt. "Sasuke, you..."
"Ino!" Sakura Haruno stepped in front of her, grabbing her shoulder with a solemn expression. "Hey, Ino… maybe you shouldn't get so close to Sasuke in private for a while..."
It was her advice as a friend. While Ino herself was likely innocent in the ambush against Team 7, she would inevitably face some of the anger directed at her clan.
Fū Yamanaka had appeared by Danzo's side twice and had commanded Root ninjas to attack Team 7 multiple times. He was clearly a trusted subordinate, and the Yamanaka clan's position was obvious.
"What did you do!" Ino retorted, flicking her long hair and looking at her childhood friend with resentment. "Sakura, you must have been badmouthing me, haven't you? Don't think you own Sasuke just because you're on the same team!"
"Idiot..."
"Jerk..."
"Hey, Ino, I'd listen to Sakura if I were you," Naruto said as he passed by, seeing the two girls were about to argue again. He looked at Ino and spoke softly, "We really don't want… to see a classmate get killed."
The words frightened Ino into silence.
"Naruto, you're taking this troublesome exam, too?" Shikamaru Nara stood behind Ino, rubbing his temples with a sigh. "With your strength, you're just going to make things more of a drag."
"Don't say that," Naruto said, looking at Choji standing next to Shikamaru and shrugging. "I'm going to be Hokage, after all. It'd be hard to justify if I can't even get promoted to Chunin, right?"
"Tsk," Shikamaru clicked his tongue and whispered in Naruto's ear, "Tell me, what's really going on? I doubt this is just some girl-fight. Besides, isn't Sasuke the type of guy who loves it when girls fight over him?"
With his keen eyes, he had immediately seen there was more to the story.
"Sasuke is indeed that kind of person," Naruto nodded, lightly dissing his teammate before patting Shikamaru's shoulder. "Sigh, it's complicated. You probably don't want to hear about it..."
"..."
The corner of Shikamaru's mouth twitched. Though he lacked motivation and hated trouble, he knew this was definitely not a small matter. And Ino was still his and Choji's teammate. The three of them were the heirs to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. No matter what, he had to get some information.
Just as Shikamaru was wondering how to pry the details out of him, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame walked over. All nine rookies from their graduating class were here for the Chunin Exams.
"Naruto-kun..."
"Hinata, you're taking the exams too?" Naruto turned his head and saw the girl with the white eyes nervously poking her fingers together. He suddenly reached out and touched her forehead. "Strange, your face is so red. Are you sick?"
"N-no..." Hinata watched Naruto pull his hand back, the blush on her face slowly fading as her fingers trembled slightly.
Kiba, with Akamaru perched on his head, stepped between them, looking down at Naruto. "Hey, stop bullying Hinata!"
Hinata quickly shook her head, anxiously peeking out from behind Kiba. "N-no, he didn't..."
"Forget it." Naruto rubbed his temples. He had originally wanted to ask Hinata about visiting the Hyuga clan after the exams. However, seeing her now, his headache suddenly flared up, forcing him to drop the idea.
He didn't know why, but that subconscious touch to Hinata's forehead had triggered something. A throbbing pain shot through his brain as his mind uncontrollably tried to break a seal on his memories. The pain forced his body to stop tracing the memory.
Seeing Naruto pressing his head, Sasuke's face showed a hint of worry. "Hey, are you okay? Your condition isn't going to act up at a time like this, is it?"
Getting sick during the Chunin Exams was not good news.
"I'm fine," Naruto said, pressing his temples hard until the pain faded. He added softly, "Maybe… Hinata is a very important person, too."
He felt that Hinata couldn't be a dangerous person. He felt no sense of distance from her, only a strange closeness.
Just as the nine rookies were making a scene, someone finally came over to quiet them. He wore a pair of glasses and seemed like an exceptionally kind person.
His name was Kabuto Yakushi.
This white-haired young man not only introduced the rookies to the situation but also had the time to chat with them. He even took out a set of ninja info cards that could display a ninja's information.
Sakura marveled at the stats. The number of C-rank missions some of them had completed was incredibly high. In her eyes, that meant their strength was extraordinary.
Sasuke couldn't help but clench his fist. "That guy with the thick eyebrows has completed eleven C-rank missions?"
When Gaara of the Sand's info card came out, Sasuke's expression grew even more grim. "One B-rank mission..."
"That's right," Kabuto nodded and added, "And it's said that he comes back from every mission completely unharmed."
"..."
Sasuke's heart pounded. He walked over to Naruto, who was still rubbing his forehead against the wall, and said in a deep voice, "Naruto, every single person in this exam… is on another level."
"Tell me about it," Naruto sighed. He pointed at Kabuto, who was still demonstrating the info cards, and said in a low voice, "And that guy is stronger than anyone else here."
"Right, he mentioned he's taken the exams several times," Sasuke nodded heavily. "Even if he didn't pass, just surviving to take it again is impressive enough."
The two of them leaned against the wall, discussing their opponents.
Outside the room, Kakashi Hatake eavesdropped from behind the wall and adjusted his forehead protector. "Aren't they being… a little too cautious? It's just a B-rank mission. Can't a Chunin handle that?"
-----
Bonus: Team 7's Chunin Exam Guidelines
One C-rank mission completed: Treat as a ninja.
Five C-rank missions completed: Treat with caution.
Ten C-rank missions completed: Treat with extreme caution.
Long-range: Spiral Shockwave. Close-range: Mad-Wind Sword.
When in doubt, use Great Fireball. When you see an enemy, go for the kidneys.