"Why did Sister Tsunade ask us to come here?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
The next morning, Naruto got up early, made breakfast, ate, and was planning to go find Sasuke to train together. But just as he opened the door, he was notified to report immediately.
With no choice, he woke his brother, who was still sleeping. After his brother finished breakfast, the two went to the assembly point. When they arrived, they realized they were the last ones there—everyone else who had advanced was already waiting.
As soon as Sasuke saw Naruto, he immediately complained, "Naruto, you idiot, you must've overslept again!"
"I didn't! I was just about to leave when I got the message, so I had to wake up my brother!" Naruto protested.
But Sasuke only gave him a look of pure disbelief. Yeah right.
Naruto: "..." Damn Sasuke.
Naruto ignored him and looked toward Tsunade, who stood front and center.
Tsunade said, "There's only one reason I called you all here today — to draw lots and determine your opponents for the third round. You'll each take one slip from the box Anko is holding."
As soon as Tsunade finished, Mitarashi Anko stepped forward, holding the box as the eleven advancing candidates came up one by one.
"I'll go first!" Naruto said eagerly, drawing his lot. Sasuke quickly followed behind.
Soon, everyone had drawn.
"Alright," Tsunade said, "starting from the left, announce your numbers in order."
"One!" Naruto said loudly.
Neji Hyuga, standing not far away, smirked slightly when he heard it.
The others announced their numbers one by one. Anko then recorded them and drew up the match list.
Match List:
Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji
Yamanaka Ino vs. Uchiha Sasuke
Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari
Gaara vs. Menma Uzumaki
Shino Aburame vs. Winner of Match 4
Kankuro vs. Tsuba
Neji's eyes gleamed. Exactly what I wanted.
Sasuke smirked. "Naruto, I didn't expect fate itself would separate us into different matches."
Ino, overjoyed at the pairing, rushed toward Sasuke. "Sasuke, we're in the same bracket!"
Sasuke quickly sidestepped her with a sharp "Hmph."
Why couldn't I be paired with Naruto instead? Sasuke thought, but it didn't matter. As long as he advanced — and Naruto did too — they'd meet eventually.
Sasuke looked over at Naruto. "Naruto, don't lose."
"Of course not! Who am I? I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said confidently, pointing to himself. How could I lose?
Deep down, though, Naruto had one quiet goal: to catch up to his brother — to stand beside him.
Ever since they were little, his brother had always been busy training or helping others. But Naruto? He'd just lived freely, carefree every day.
He wanted to change that.
Brother, I've grown up, he thought, clenching his fists, his eyes burning with determination.
Seeing that his opponent was Nara Shikamaru, Temari crossed her arms and smirked. "Little brat, I'll make sure to take good care of you."
Shikamaru: "..." Troublesome woman… Brother Menma, I pity you already.
Gaara, meanwhile, looked at his match and smiled faintly. He was clearly pleased.
As for Menma, his expression didn't change at all. To him, it didn't matter who his opponent was — even if it was Gaara and Shukaku together.
"Right, Kurama?" he said mentally.
Kurama snorted. Of course! If that tanuki shows up, I'll poke him to death with one claw.
(Shukaku: Smelly fox, what did you say?!)
Kankuro looked at his own match and grumbled. "What's with this? I only get one round in the first stage?"
At that, Shikamaru raised his hand. "I have a question. If it's a knockout match, only one person wins in the end, right? So does that mean only one person becomes a Chunin?"
Tsunade shook her head. "No. This exam will be judged by myself, the Kazekage, and the daimyō and village leaders who come to watch. Each of us will evaluate your performance. Even if someone loses in the first round, they can still be promoted if they show sufficient qualities to become a Chunin."
Menma sighed inwardly. Tsunade's still the same as the Third Hokage… turning this into a popularity draw again. No wonder, in the original timeline, only Shikamaru became Chunin.
Temari asked, "So that means anyone here could become Chunin?"
Tsunade replied, "Yes — but it also means none of you might. Winning just gives you a better chance to prove yourself. Work hard, everyone. The next round begins in one month. Dismissed!"
After speaking, she gave Menma a glance and left, followed closely by Shizune.
Naruto clenched his fists. "I'm going to become a Chunin! I'll beat Neji in the first round, crush whoever's next in the second, and—"
He suddenly paused. Wait… the third round… I won't face my brother, will I?
Naruto looked toward Menma nervously. Brother, could I even win against you?
Gaara stepped forward, stopping in front of Menma.
"I'll defeat you in the knockout round," Gaara said calmly. "And when I do, you'll keep your promise — and tell me everything."
Menma turned away with a smirk. "Oh, sure." Then, as he started walking off, he added, "Oh, by the way — Kurama misses Shukaku very much. I'll tell him he said hi."
Gaara: "?"
Before he could respond, Menma vanished. In his place appeared a red, snarling Nine-Tails.
"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Kurama growled. "I don't miss that stupid tanuki at all!"
Menma's voice echoed from afar: "Liar! You miss him so, so much!"
"Get back here, brat! No Flying Thunder God this time!" Kurama roared, chasing after him.
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
Gaara blinked, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and awe. He's… just like me. A jinchuriki.
Naruto was the first to react. "Brother!" he shouted and dashed after them.
"Wait up, Naruto!" Sasuke called, following close behind.
Back Mountain:
Menma and Kurama were already trading blows, the ground beneath them completely torn apart.
Even after all that destruction, both were still brimming with energy.
Kurama slashed forward with his claws. "If you don't hand over ten of your novels after this, I'll never forgive you!"
Menma laughed, dodging effortlessly. "Not a chance!"
The two continued their chaotic sparring. They fought often — not out of anger, but pure competitive spirit.
Kurama, though, sometimes found it strange. Despite all their bickering, he genuinely enjoyed these fights.
Watching from inside Naruto, the other Nine-Tails sighed in envy.
I wanna train too… but if I hit Naruto once with my claw, wouldn't he just… die?
(End of Chapter)
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