The Land of Waves incident came to an end. Naruto finally embarked on the journey back to the village.
Staying in the Land of Waves was really uncomfortable. It wasn't that Tazuna and his family didn't treat them well, but the feeling of being a guest was never as good as returning to one's own home and sleeping soundly in one's own bed.
The journey back was much easier than the journey there. One reason was that they didn't have the burden of Tazuna, and another was that they didn't have a mission, so they didn't have to worry too much about ambushes. The whole journey was basically like sightseeing.
Naruto, returning from his first trip abroad, didn't bring any special products.
He had thought about it before, but after wandering around the streets, he found that there was really nothing to bring. This small, broken island country was too poor. The Land of Waves sounded like a country, but it was actually more like a small fishing village.
Was he supposed to bring back some salted fish? Naruto glanced at Kakashi. There was already one here.
"Kakashi-sensei, will there be many missions like this that are far away in the future?" Sakura asked.
Sakura quite liked these missions away from the village, because leaving Konoha meant that Ino wouldn't be there to compete with her for Sasuke.
Kakashi replied, "Most of the Genin missions are in the village or near the village, especially for you new Genin."
"I see," Sakura said, somewhat disappointed.
"When you become Chunin, the mission level will increase, so the probability of needing to leave the village will also be greater."
Naruto added, "Isn't the Chunin Exams starting soon this year?"
Kakashi thought for a moment, "Counting the time, it's probably about a month away. Do you want to participate?"
The three nodded in unison. The reasons why the three wanted to participate were different.
Naruto wanted to join in the fun, wondering if Orochimaru would dare to come to the village to snatch a man with Konoha's current lineup.
Or rather, with Itachi, Sasuke, and Kimimaro all present, which man would Orochimaru take a fancy to? Huh? Shouldn't he be called Aunt Orochi now?
Sasuke wanted to see the other Genin and see where he stood. Being with Tenten and that beast Naruto made him unsure of his position.
Of course, if he could become a Chunin, that would be great too. It would be one step closer to his brother.
Sakura wanted to become a Chunin as soon as possible, then elope with Sasuke and get rid of that Ino-pig.
Sakura felt that the four of them going out on a mission was equivalent to her and Sasuke being alone together, because Kakashi was focused on reading, and Naruto would cultivate on his own when he had nothing to do and wouldn't bother them. He would even occasionally create opportunities for her, so now she didn't refute Naruto calling her Sakura Bro.
Inner Sakura: As long as I can marry Sasuke, you're my own little brother!
If she became a Chunin, it would be almost equivalent to Sasuke already being mine! I must participate!
"Alright, I'll sign you up.
But as your teacher, I must remind you that the Chunin Exams are very dangerous."
Naruto asked, "How dangerous?"
Kakashi was speechless. A mere Chunin Exams couldn't be more dangerous than Zabuza, right? He felt that his students were strong enough.
Even Neji Hyuga, the genius boy that Guy was always boasting about, might not be better than his students.
No matter how much of a genius Neji was, he was just a Genin who had graduated a year ago. Had he seen Fire Release and Exploding Tag used in succession, or had he seen an enhanced Water Dragon Bullet wash the ground?
The four of them walked slowly and chatted along the way, exchanging information about the Chunin Exams, and didn't arrive in Konoha until evening.
"Izumo, Kotetsu, it's your turn to stand guard again?" Kakashi greeted lazily.
Naruto perked up; these two were the legendary Konoha gatekeepers, the ones who scared Pain away from using the main gate.
But no matter how he looked, he couldn't find anything special. They just seemed like two ordinary Chunin or Special Jonin?
Izumo Kamizuki replied, "Kakashi, was the mission successful?"
"Although there were some accidents, it was alright." Kakashi presented his mission report and entry permit. Even though they were familiar, the village entry procedures still had to be followed.
Kotetsu Hagane looked it over. "No problem, please enter."
"See you then, I still have to submit the mission report later, so I'll be going first." Kakashi casually waved his hand.
After entering the village, they disbanded on the spot.
Sasuke couldn't wait to go home. He hadn't seen his brother in a long time and wondered if he was home.
Sakura also hurried home. Although she usually complained about her parents being annoying, she still missed them after being away for so long.
Naruto wasn't as eager as they were because he had made several video calls during his time in the Land of Waves.
Despite the bickering, Nine Tails had ultimately helped Kushina make a few calls to Naruto. The relationship between the two was always like that, like a pair of quarrelsome lovers.
According to Kushina, Minato had recently been researching how to hack into that chat room, but progress wasn't going very well.
Truly, he was eternally devoted to his girl.
Naruto leisurely walked home, and as he passed a wooden fence, he suddenly slapped it.
"Ouch!" A piece of cloth with a fence pattern painted on it fell to the ground, and Konohamaru clutched his head, yelling, "Naruto Bro, that was too hard!"
"Laifu, your disguise technique hasn't improved at all." Naruto and Konohamaru had known each other for a long time.
According to Konohamaru himself, Naruto was the third person he admired most. The second was his grandfather, the Third Hokage, and the first was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
A moment of silence for the Third Hokage.
Rubbing his head, Konohamaru stood up and asked curiously, "Naruto Bro, why do you always like to call me Laifu?"
Naruto put on an expression of I'm the only one who's sober:
"This is a long story. On the day you were born, I suggested naming you Laifu—to bring happiness to people, and Xiaoqiang—hoping you would become very strong in the future.
Unfortunately, Third Hokage's aesthetic sense wasn't very good, and he insisted on calling you Konohamaru..."
Konohamaru looked at Naruto's regretful expression, and a drop of cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
He thought to himself that he was lucky his grandfather insisted on his own opinion and that he should thank him properly when he got back.
Hmm, he wouldn't put a bucket of water above his bedroom door today, and he'd wash off the glue on the rocking chair, and the mud in the pipe, and the nails in the slippers, and... he couldn't remember the rest, never mind.
"Where are you going now, Bro?" the little brat changed the subject.
"Of course, I'm going home. I just got back from a mission, so I'm going to take a shower and rest. By the way, don't you have class today?"
Konohamaru's face instantly stiffened: "Ah, this... that..."
"Skipping class?" You little rascal, you're spoiled by your grandparents, aren't you?
"I suddenly have a stomachache! Goodbye, Bro!" Konohamaru ran off in a puff of smoke. The kid even knew to feel guilty.
...
Naruto walked with his hands in his pockets, kicking small stones in the middle of the road, thinking about his next plan.
"Hehehe..." A lewd laughter attracted Naruto's attention.
No way? Naruto turned his head to look, and it really was him!
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