Chapter 34: Probing
Just as the Sand Trio was about to leave, Sasuke suddenly called out to them.
"Wait a minute. You guys aren't Konoha ninja, are you! To appear in Konoha at this time, you must be candidates for the upcoming Chunin Exams!" He had heard about the Chunin Exams from Sakura before. He had thought it would be as boring as the academy's graduation exam, but he never expected to meet such interesting people.
The Chunin Exams, it seemed, were becoming interesting!
"That's right. We are Genin candidates from the Village Hidden in the Sand," Temari answered Sasuke's question. She held up a certificate and showed it to Sasuke. "This is our travel pass. Are you participating in this exam too?"
"Hn, we'll be participating as well..." A corner of Sasuke's mouth curved up slightly. "Hey, you, the one carrying the gourd! What's your name?"
"I am Gaara of the Sand..." Gaara turned his head and gave Sasuke a deep look. "I'm interested in you too. What's your name?"
Sasuke smiled lightly. "My name is Sasuke!"
Gaara gave a slight nod, then turned to leave.
"Hey, wait! Why don't you ask for my name! I'm stronger than Sasuke! Really! Hey! Turn around!"
"And me, and me!" That was Naruto's voice.
"...I'm not interested in women or idiots!" Gaara paused for a moment, then said without turning his head.
Sakura and Naruto instantly turned to ash, looking at each other speechlessly. "..."
I'm obviously so strong, why does Sasuke always steal the show... a disheartened Naruto muttered to himself.
"Sakura, what are the Chunin Exams all about?" Sasuke asked Sakura after Gaara had left.
Tapping her red lips with her index finger, Sakura thought for a moment before speaking. "To put it simply, it's an exam that's roughly divided into team-based confrontations and individual combat matches. Those who perform well can be promoted to Chunin! Besides Konoha's Genin, other ninja villages will also send people to participate. There are many strong participants every year! And I hear there will be a large audience; the daimyo of various countries and the Hokage and Kazekage will all be watching, so the competition is very formal!"
"Individual combat?" Naruto interjected curiously. "Will people from the same team also face each other?"
"Hn, that's right!" Sakura nodded with a smile. "And the individual matches will be a knockout tournament!"
Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Which means, as long as I keep winning, I will definitely face you and Naruto, right, Sakura!"
Sakura nodded.
"I'll finally be able to see just how strong you guys are..." Sasuke said slowly, his eyes shining as he stared at Sakura and Naruto. "Sakura, Naruto! I've been wanting to have a serious fight with you two for a long time! Don't you dare lose before you face me!"
Naruto was stunned. This was the first time he had seen Sasuke so earnestly express his desire to fight him! Sasuke, are you finally starting to acknowledge me... Naruto felt a warmth in his heart!
"Hmph, don't worry. I won't lose before I face you and Sakura!" he said with a confident smile!
Sakura chuckled.
"You two! You're really boasting, aren't you? You don't even know what kind of powerhouses you'll encounter, and you already dare to say you'll keep winning! But, you know... I've also been wanting to see your Sharingan, Sasuke, and your hidden power, Naruto!"
"This Chunin Exam is getting more and more interesting!" The thought of competing on the same stage with so many strong people made Sasuke unable to help but get excited!
"By the way, Sasuke, are you sure you don't want to come eat with us?"
"...I'm going home first! See you!"
A few days later, in the morning, at the building for the first exam.
"Although we only just graduated, it feels like it's been several years since we've been back. I really miss it! But... it seems we're a bit late. There's no one outside anymore. They must have already gone into the classroom!" Walking through the hall on the first floor, Sakura was a little surprised to find that there wasn't a single person in sight.
"No, there's still one person!" Sasuke keenly sensed the presence of a powerful chakra source. He looked up and saw a figure with thick eyebrows and a bowl cut standing on the second floor, looking down at them!
Sakura also looked up. She immediately recognized this distinctively dressed ninja as Rock Lee!
She had heard of him when she was at the Ninja Academy. He was a year above them, and many people said that Lee, who was born unable to use ninjutsu, was the academy's biggest dead-last. But Sakura, who had read the manga, knew that Lee, who had mastered the Eight Gates, was in fact much stronger than so-called geniuses like Neji and Sasuke! Just by sensing the vibrant and vast chakra hidden beneath Lee's ridiculous appearance, Sakura knew he was no simple character.
And, standing upstairs... are two people!
Sakura silently corrected Sasuke's statement in her mind. She felt a familiar sense of being watched coming from her left, the same feeling as when Hinata looked at her with the Byakugan. It was probably Neji Hyuga, hiding behind a pillar and observing them!
Lee jumped down from the second floor and stood in front of Sasuke.
"I've been waiting for you! You are Uchiha Sasuke, right!" Lee said to Sasuke, taking a Strong Fist stance.
"What if I am?" Sasuke sneered.
"My name is Rock Lee! I originally wanted to have a match with you. I want to see just how strong the so-called Uchiha clan is! I didn't expect you to be so late, so there's no time to spar. The registration time is almost up. But that's okay, there will be more chances in the upcoming exams. I will prove to you and everyone else—"
Lee suddenly disappeared from sight! His speed was in no way inferior to Sasuke's Body Flicker, no, it was even faster! And, the fluctuation of his chakra was very faint; Sakura actually lost track of Lee for a brief moment!
"—that I am the strongest Genin in Konoha!"
The voice came from behind Sasuke. Lee's figure had already appeared behind them! Such incredible speed!
The three of them turned around and looked at him in surprise.
"By the way, that lovely lady..." Lee's serious expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Sakura shyly. "Will you be my girlfriend? I like girls of your type!"
"Huh?" All three of them were stunned.
Sasuke, coming back to his senses, looked at Lee coldly. "Are you insulting us!"
"No, I'm serious!"
Dating a man... better forget about it... The thought of this made Sakura's head ache.
She smiled awkwardly. "Ahaha, thank you for your kind offer... I'm sorry, I have no intention of dating for the time being!"
Just then, a voice timely rescued Sakura from her embarrassment.
"Lee, are you done yet? Stop dawdling and catch up!" A handsome boy with long black hair appeared on the second floor. It was Neji calling Lee away. He probably couldn't stand watching Lee's confession either.
After Lee and Neji left, the three of them were silent for a moment.
"Hmph—" Sasuke forced a smile. "Those two are not to be trifled with! That bowl-cut Lee is incredibly fast! And that white-eyed guy behind him, I feel like he's even stronger than Lee! Those two are monsters! But... as long as I use my Sharingan, I can definitely defeat them!"
"I wouldn't be so sure!" Naruto said with a rare, grave expression. "It's hard to say about the white-eyed guy, but did you notice Lee's hands?"
"That's right. The bandages on his hands are medical bandages used by people who have undergone extremely high-intensity, rigorous training. That thick-browed guy is a super hard worker! His strength is unfathomable!" Sakura took over from Naruto. "I recognize them. The one with the bandages is Lee. I heard he doesn't know any ninjutsu, but his taijutsu is super strong. The white-eyed one is Hinata's cousin, Neji. He's also a taijutsu-style ninja and was the recognized genius of the previous academy year!"
"Is that all... To be able to meet so many strong people, this so-called Chunin Exam is getting more and more interesting!" The expression on Sasuke's face changed from somber to a confident smile!
"Naruto, Sakura! Let's go!"
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Neji and Lee were walking towards the exam classroom.
"How was it, Lee... how strong are they?"
"Without his Uchiha secret techniques, Sasuke can't keep up with my speed! And that short ninja is also just as slow, so he should be a bit weaker than Sasuke..."
"Don't be careless, Lee! The power of the Sharingan is no joke! As for the other short boy—" Neji stopped, turned his head, and said to Lee seriously, "The amount of chakra inside his body, conservatively estimated, is more than ten times greater than yours and mine combined! Lee, you misjudged...!"
"But, the most terrifying one is that girl. Her name is Haruno Sakura! When you moved behind her, the chakra in her body had already reacted. She was the only one of the three who could keep up with you! Lee, you may not have noticed, but when she was at the Ninja Academy, there was a rumor that she independently developed an S-rank ninjutsu..." Neji said gravely. "Don't be fooled by her cute appearance, Lee!"
There was one more thing Neji didn't say. When he was hiding behind the pillar and watching the three of them with his Byakugan, he was immediately discovered by Sakura. Her perception ability was truly terrifying!
Among the three of them, she is probably the strongest!
"...This year's rookies are really something else!"
Neji could feel himself starting to get excited!