Before Naruto could say anything, the Third Hokage continued.
"This exam is a place to see each country's strength and to show off your own strength."
"It has meaning because lives are at risk. And, that's why those who have come before you have fought in the Chunin Exam."
"Before we begin the Third Test, I will tell you one more thing. This is not just a test."
"This is a life and death battle for your dream and your country's prestige."
When he heard that, Naruto took a deep breath.
'Yeah! It doesn't matter whether that is just a dream or not. I have gotten stronger. I will slowly figure out everything.'
'For now, I need to fight with all my strength. To become a Hokage, not a Genin, but as a Jonin.'
He thought to himself, trying forget the voice in his head.
When that voice rang, he knew exactly who that voice belonged to, even its real name.
But he chose not to think about it, even when memories were pushed in front of him.
He didn't want to think about it because he had a feeling that he would break down upon learning the truth.
And, this wasn't the place to cry.
Especially not when Hinata was just standing near him.
Just the thought of a girl who had fallen in love with him turned his face pink.
"Actually, cough! I apologize, Hokage-sama! From here on, as the referee, will you please allow me, Gekkou Hayate…"
A shinobi got into one knee, putting his fist on the ground, and another one on his leg as he spoke.
"By all means!"
Hiruzen replied.
The shinobi turned around and introduced himself. He wore a Konoha headband on his forehead and had black hair.
He looked pale and had a very weak appearance, especially the darkness around his eyes.
"Hello, everyone! I am Hayate! Before the Third Test, there's something I'd like you to do."
Several questions rang in the genins' heads.
'What?'
'This person looks sick, is he alright?'
'Where did this weirdo come from?'
"Umm… It's a preliminary for the Third Test. It is to decide who gets to participate in the main event."
As Hayate revealed the preliminary, Sakura looked confused.
"Preliminary?"
Shikamaru looked even more desperate as he had already spent too much energy in the previous round.
"Preliminary? What do you mean?" He angrily shouted.
"Sensei, I don't understand this premiliary but why aren't all the people here allowed to participate in the next test?"
For Naruto, this question seemed obvious. He proudly answered.
"Isn't it obvious? They don't want boring matches in the finals. Only the most awesome ninjas can fight in the finals."
When he said that, he didn't forget to point at himself.
Hearing his answers, everyone understood. Some looked annoyed while others glared at Naruto.
Hayate started explaining.
"That's the gist of it. The actual reason is that there are too many people remaining here."
"According to the Chunin Exam rules, we must have a preliminary and reduce the number of participants for the third test."
"As Hokage-sama indicated earlier, there will be many guests at the Third Test. So the fights could take too long."
His explanation wasn't needed, but nobody said anything.
Kakashi suspiciously stared at Naruto before seeing his same old expression that calmed his heart.
'Indeed! He is an unexpected ninja.'
"Umm… so anyway, those who are not feeling well, those who feel like quitting can come forward now."
"Since we will be holding Preliminary rights now."
Hearing that, Kiba shouted.
"What? Right now?"
His words resonated with many who were injured and tired after the second round.
"I'm quitting."
Kabuto raised his hand, which surprised Team Seven, but nobody said anything.
Only Naruto had quite a complicated look on his face.
But he was quite good at hiding and expressing his emotions. He was able to hide the sadness in his eyes before others could notice.
'I never thought Kabuto-san would be someone like that….No, no, I can't think about that right now. I need a clear mind.'
'Think of Ramen, think of ramen, Ahh! Think of Hinata!'
As soon as he thought about her, his face turned red before he completely forgot about Kabuto.
'What's going on with this loser? Why is blushing so much?'
Sasuke had been keeping his eyes on Naruto for a while, and he had noticed Naruto blushing constantly.
This confused him, but he quickly found Hinata next to him and just assumed that something was going on.
He wasn't as clueless as Naruto in love. He just didn't like it.
On the other hand, Hinata was also confused.
'Isn't Naruto-kun blushing too much? Could it be I blush too much because of a disease, and I spread it to Naruto-kun?'
'No, no, it can't be. I am just too shy to talk to Naruto. This is not a disease. So, why is Naruto-kun blushing so much?'
Hinata felt churning in her stomach to know why Naruto was blushing so much. She desperately wanted to know, but she knew she couldn't ask Naruto.
If she did, Naruto would definitely blush even more.
"Umm.. You're Yakushi Kabuto from the Leaf, right? You may leave now."
Hayate turned towards the others and asked.
"Does anyone else want to retire? Umm, I forgot to tell you that from now on it will be individual battling."
"You may raise your hand based on your own judgment."
While Kabuto left, Anko started talking.
"I've seen him before. Didn't he quit during the final test last year? What's he thinking?"
"Yakushi Kabuto's data… He's failed 6 times."
This surprised the Third Hokage, who asked.
"What kind of record is that?"
At this moment, nobody realized, not even Naruto, that Orochimaru was standing just next to the Third Hokage and others.
Oh, there was one person, or rather creature, who knew his identity.
But he was too busy checking the validity of the memories he received.