But to Kakashi's disappointment, Naruto didn't do anything noteworthy after that.
He couldn't even figure out why Naruto had been acting so strangely, and soon, night fell.
Dejected, Kakashi finally gave up on tailing him and turned back.
Maybe he'd have to talk to Naruto another day to get some answers or perhaps Naruto had just been in a bad mood.
Either way, Kakashi let it go for the time being.
The next seven days flew by in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Naruto immersed himself in his studies while also training intensely, fully focused on preparing for the Chūnin Exams.
As the days passed, Naruto had also begun to calm down.
He wasn't as tense as before gradually returning to his usual self. Still, some things had changed. A quiet understanding had settled in his heart.
Knowing that his parents were heroes of Konoha respected and honored by many brought him a deep sense of peace.
At the very least, he now knew who they were. Even if only through books and stories, he felt like he was beginning to understand them.
He realized that even if not everyone acknowledged him, that didn't matter as much anymore.
What he could do was stay true to himself and continue doing what he believed in.
Maybe… that's what his father and mother would have wanted too.
And with that thought guiding him over, Naruto had slowly begun to settle.
Right now, Naruto was sitting in the village library, flipping through pages at lightning speed.
These were the final few books left after this, he could proudly say he'd read everything the place had to offer.
When he closed the last book, he let out a long sigh of relief.
" At least now I don't have to worry about failing the written portion of the exam" he muttered with a satisfied grin on his face.
Of course, the theoretical exam was only the beginning. he knew there will be many tests in the chunnin exams.
Having fully mastered his wind-nature chakra, Naruto now felt completely comfortable using it.
He'd already begun developing a second nature fire release as for earth release that could wait.
Earth, after all, felt more defensive to him than offensive.
Stretching his limbs, he yawned as he walked out of the library. It was already nighttime.
Tomorrow was the big day the Chūnin Exams would begin in the morning.
He needed a good night's rest to conserve energy.
Naruto lay sprawled out on his bed, thinking about the exams.
He was prepared, he had already stocked up on plenty of kunai and shuriken just in case.
As his thoughts drifted, his eyes grew heavy and he slipped into sleep.
After pushing his body to its limits during the past week's intense training, he finally welcomed the rest as exhaustion took over.
But something else had been developing alongside his growth—his Uzumaki Physique.
Having reached a critical stage, it now began to mature further.
As Naruto slept, his chakra reserves steadily grew, and his body began adapting. It was subtle at first, but one change stood out.
His hair, strand by strand, started shifting color from sunlit yellow to deep crimson red.
And throughout the night, the transformation continued. By morning, every strand of his hair had turned a striking crimson red.
As Naruto woke up early that morning, still half-asleep, he stumbled into the bathroom to wash his face.
He splashed cold water over himself, trying to shake off the drowsiness—when he suddenly froze.
Something felt... off.
Blinking a few times, he looked into the mirror and immediately knew something was wrong.
Staring back at him wasn't his usual blond reflection. His hair… was now a deep, striking crimson.
He leaned closer, touched his head, then blinked again.
"So… this is what Uzumaki hair looks like," Naruto murmured to himself, staring in awe. "Looks pretty cool."
Though surprised, he wasn't alarmed.
He understood this was the result of his Uzumaki physique finally kicking in his body slowly growing stronger and maturing. He now looked like a true Uzumaki.
But there was no time to sit and admire it.
The Chūnin Exams started today.
Naruto thought for a moment. He wasn't ready to let everyone know about this change just yet.
So, with a quick hand sign, he cast a basic Transformation Jutsu to alter his hair color back to its usual blond.
After checking his supplies and making sure everything was ready, he double-checked his locks, closed his door tight, and finally headed out.
Chūnin Exam Venue
Inside the tall building, genin teams from different villages were already gathering, chatting among themselves in hushed or excited tones.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke made their way up the stairs. They had to reach Room 301 on the third floor to officially register.
As they reached what was supposed to be the third floor, they saw a group of older-looking genin standing outside Room 301.
Two of them were guarding the door and lying near their feet was none other than Rock Lee.
"Are you seriously thinking of entering the Chūnin Exams with that level of skill?" one of the fake guards sneered, looking down at Lee with contempt.
"Better quit while you still can," the other added. "The Chūnin Exams aren't a game. We've seen people die in there."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes watching the whole scene.
He wasn't interested in hearing their bullshit. Instead, his attention shifted to the hallway something felt off.
It took him a moment to realize what it was.
"This is the second floor," Sasuke said sharply. "You're using a Genjutsu. Drop the act. I don't have time for your weak illusions."
"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in. "We're still on the second floor!"
One of the smug guards raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you noticed?"
Naruto had noticed it too. The second he walked in, he felt something was off.
After all, he had studied Genjutsu enough to sense when one was being used.
But rather than speak up, his attention had been drawn to Rock Lee lying on the ground.
Of course, he remembered him.
How can he forget those thick bushy brows and bowl cut hair lee has and most importantly power of youth.
he had been struck by that genjutsu two times already.
As Naruto was watching Lee curiously, the atmosphere suddenly shifted.
One of the older genin standing guard tensed—and without warning, launched a flying kick straight at Sasuke.
But Sasuke just smirked, calmly lifting his leg to counter.
Just as their attacks were about to clash—
Lee vanished.
To Naruto's eyes, it was like he disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, Rock Lee appeared between them, stopping both kicks with perfect precision, his arms outstretched.
"He's fast!" Naruto thought, stunned.
'He stopped my kick that easily?' Sasuke's eyes sparkled with interest. He was impressed. Very impressed.
"That's enough," Lee said firmly, lowering both their legs. "Hurting fellow genin is dishonorable."
At that moment, Tenten and Hyūga Neji approached, watching Lee with mild annoyance.
"Hey, Lee," Neji said, raising a brow. "This isn't what you promised. Weren't you the one who said you didn't want to draw attention to yourself?"
"W-Well…" Lee scratched the back of his head and glanced shyly at Sakura. Lee felt his heart flutter the moment he saw Sakura. That's why he was trying to act cool now.
???
Neji had question marks on his face upon seeing Lee shy. It was the first time he had seen Lee act that way.
Then he walked up to sakura with serious intent.
"My name is Rock Lee. You're Sakura, right?"
"Huh?" Sakura blinked, caught off guard.
"Please go out with me!" Lee declared dramatically. "I will protect you with my life!"
He flashed a bright, confident smile complete with a shiny gleam on his teeth and a solid thumbs-up.
(|||❛︵❛.)
"…Absolutely not," Sakura replied, face blank with disbelief.
Lee immediately wilted in place, crushed.
Meanwhile, Neji turned his attention to Sasuke, eyeing the Uchiha crest on his shirt.
"Identify yourself."
"I'm not obligated to answer that," Sasuke replied coolly, hands still in his pockets.
Cute.
Both Sakura and Tenten secretly admired Sasuke's casual yet confident pose.
Neji looked coldly at Sasuke upon hearing his reply
"…"
Naruto, on the other hand, was standing off to the side, feeling oddly invisible today.
'Man, nobody's paying attention to me at all,' he thought gloomily.
With a dramatic sigh, he shuffled over and joined Lee in the 'Rejection Corner' for a bit of emotional support.
"Let's go, Sasuke, Naruto. We'll be late if we don't hurry," Sakura said, snapping them out of it.
The three of them headed upstairs.
Meanwhile, the two older genin standing guard exchanged glances as they watched them walk off.
With a quiet chuckle, they dispelled their Transformation Jutsu returning to their true forms and marked both teams as "passed" for that preliminary test.
"Sasuke… Sasuke Uchiha, huh…" Neji thought silently as he turned to leave.
"Does that kid concern you, Neji?" Tenten asked, noticing the brief look he gave Sasuke.
"Hmph." Neji didn't answer, but his eyes narrowed slightly before he walked off.
As Tenten followed him up the stairs, she noticed Lee still standing in place, lost in thought.
"Lee, let's go. What are you doing?"
"You guys go ahead. There's something I want to check out," Lee replied, looking down the hallway with a serious expression.
Though confused, Tenten didn't press him. She simply followed Neji up the stairs, leaving Lee behind, preparing for… something.
Lee stood silently at the top of the stairs, watching them leave. He clenched his fists slightly.
This was his chance.
His chance to challenge a naturally talented ninja Sasuke Uchiha and prove that hard work could surpass natural genius.
It didn't take long for Naruto's team to register on the next floor. They even received the location for the next stage of the exam.
Just as they were about to exit the building—
"Hey! You! The one with the unpleasant look wait a minute!"
All three stopped in their tracks and looked up.
There, standing dramatically on the upper floor, was Rock Lee, staring directly at Sasuke.
Naruto squinted.
'Wait… is he about to propose to Sasuke too?' he thought as he noticed the intense way Lee was looking at sasuke.
"…What is it?" Sasuke asked coolly.
"Why don't you fight me?" Lee called down.
"I've always wanted to challenge a member of the famed Uchiha clan...Sasuke Uchiha."
With that, Lee leapt down effortlessly and landed in front of them in a fighting stance.
He looked back at Sakura for a moment and shyly smiled.
'Sakura looked like an angel…' Lee thought, his cheeks going slightly red.
A gust of wind blew past Naruto, who was just standing there quietly observing everything.
"…"
At this point, he couldn't even be mad anymore.
'Seriously? Everyone today only wants to talk to Sasuke or Sakura. Hello? I exist too, you know! I'm literally right here!'
But then again, maybe it wasn't so bad. No one was bothering him. That was kind of nice too.
'Maybe this "background character" lifestyle isn't so bad after all…' Naruto decided as he mentally accepted his peace.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, hands still casually in his pockets.
"You're naive. You know I'm from the Uchiha clan, and you still want to fight me? Do you realize what you're doing, bushy brows?" he said coldly.
Sakura sighed dreamily.
"Sasuke's so cool~" she mumbled under her breath.
"Yes I know, let's fight" Lee replied without missing a beat.
Lee didn't flinch. In fact, his expression grew serious in an instant.
'I didn't expect I'd get to fight the number one rookie of their generation so soon…' Lee thought as he braced himself.