[After a day of relaxation with Hinata.]
[The next day.]
[Chūnin exam, first exam room.]
["What has Lord Kakashi been up to recently? Why can't I even see him anymore?"]
[Naruto was puzzled.]
[Before, Kakashi was just late at most.]
[Now he's completely disappeared!]
["Maybe something came up recently."]
[Sasuke responded casually as he raised his legs and walked upstairs.]
[He hoped that Lord Kakashi would figure it out soon.]
[As they walked to the second floor, they saw two Chūnin blocking the way in front of a door. The door number was 301, which was supposed to be their exam room.]
[Sasuke's mouth twitched.]
[This kind of low-level illusion trap—only fools would fall for it!]
[Is this really the level of Konoha Chūnin's genjutsu?]
[However.]
[Just as he thought this, he saw Naruto turning his head, about to walk right toward them.]
---
Uzumaki Naruto: "Damn it! I fell for it too!"
Uchiha Sasuke: "So you're a fool."
Nara Shikamaru: "The setup of this illusion is really crude. If you get tricked, it's probably for the best that you're kicked out of the Chūnin exam."
---
["Naruto!"]
[Sasuke angrily grabbed Naruto's collar from behind.]
[A surge of chakra entered Naruto's body, waking him up.]
["Huh? How did it become room 201?!"]
[Naruto said, slowly realizing.]
["...Even if you couldn't tell it was an illusion, couldn't you remember how many stairs we've climbed? We only reached the second floor!"]
[Sasuke couldn't help but hold his forehead as he spoke.]
[Forget being a ninja, even regular people wouldn't fall for this illusion, right?]
[Honestly, using this kind of genjutsu feels like an insult to intelligence!]
["Damn it!"]
[Even with Naruto's thick-skinned nature, he felt embarrassed and ashamed at that moment.]
[Sasuke sighed and began explaining to Naruto how to recognize and break illusions.]
["Please wait!"]
[A youthful voice called out from behind.]
[Sasuke turned around and saw a boy in green tights who looked like a kappa.]
[Rock Lee?]
[Sasuke had heard of him.]
[He was a year older, only knew taijutsu, yet still graduated from the academy.]
["That lovely girl with the pink hair, please go out with me! I will risk my life to protect you!"]
[Lee gave a thumbs up, his white teeth gleaming.]
["..."]
[Sakura felt her brain tremble.]
[Compared to him, Naruto seemed much more delicate and cute...]
---
Rock Lee: "Whoa, why is this happening?!"
Uzumaki Naruto: "...Sakura-chan, are you complimenting me?"
Tenten: "Lee, your appearance is a bit... intense. It might scare girls."
Nara Shikamaru: "Especially since Sakura stares at Sasuke's face every day, the contrast is way too stark..."
Rock Lee: "Damn it, is being handsome such a big deal? I think I look great like this!"
Might Guy: "Lee! It's good that you think this way! You mustn't doubt yourself because of others!"
Rock Lee: "Yes! Teacher Guy!"
Tenten: "You two are hopeless..."
---
[Sakura trembled and quickly hid behind Sasuke.]
["You want to pursue Sakura? But she's my girlfriend, so that would trouble me."]
[Sasuke shifted slightly, keeping Sakura behind him.]
["You're Uchiha Sasuke, right? I've heard your name at the academy. You and Neji are called the two geniuses of our generation!"]
[Lee's eyes burned with the flames of determination.]
[A genius!]
[That's exactly who he wanted to challenge!]
["Please have a duel with me, a duel between men!"]
[Lee exclaimed excitedly.]
[Defeat Sasuke, and win over Sakura's heart!]
[Just thinking about it made him feel inspired!]
["A duel between men?"]
[Sasuke thought for a moment, turned to look at Sakura, and gestured slightly with his face.]
["Huh? Right here?"]
[Sakura's face flushed instantly, and she gave a quick peck on Sasuke's cheek.]
["There, just as you said, you lost the duel between men."]
[Sasuke turned back to Lee and declared.]
[Click!]
["..."]
[Lee's entire body seemed to turn gray and crumble.]
[He fell to his knees, hitting the ground repeatedly with his fists, tears streaming down his face.]
[Why... why is this happening...]
[Even though he didn't know ninjutsu or genjutsu, he had never felt such a powerful blow until now!]
---
Uzumaki Naruto: "Oh, Sakura-chan, why would you do that?! Damn you, Sasuke!"
Rock Lee: "Whoa, Miss Sakura, please don't do things like that!"
Tenten: "Poor Lee... I can almost hear the sound of his heart breaking."
Hatake Kakashi: "A duel between men... Does Sasuke really interpret it like that?"
Jiraiya: "...That's definitely a loss."
Nara Shikamaru: "The gap between Lee and Sasuke's strength might not be as big as this one."
Kurenai Yuhi: "Wait, how long have Sasuke and Sakura from the parallel world been dating, and only now did Lee get his heart broken?"
Tsunade: "Sometimes, unless they witness the harshest truth, they won't give up."
Mei Terumi: "The poor guy chasing after someone who just flaunts her affection in front of others... It's too painful!"
Rock Lee: "Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."