After specially thanking Naruto and also offering a quick thanks to Kakashi, Hinata headed back.
Her departing figure was light and joyful, radiating a visible happiness.
Watching her, Naruto thought: So cute. A punch would probably make her cry for ages, right?
The moment this thought appeared, he froze. It seemed no one else in this world besides him would understand that meme.
"Sigh~" Naruto suddenly let out a heavy sigh.
Seeing his sudden sigh, Sasuke oddly glanced at him, his gaze peculiar. "Hey, what's wrong now? She's all better; aren't you happy?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Seeing someone engage him, Naruto immediately put on his acting face, displaying an expression of worldly incomprehension, wailing, "I can't go back. I can never go back."
Sasuke was practically rolling his eyes at his dramatic antics. He used a new term he learned from Naruto, mercilessly retorting, "A slut is just being dramatic!"
Glancing up at her pretty face, Naruto seemed to recall something and suddenly laughed. "Old Pig, it'd be great if you were a girl?"
The "Old Pig" nickname again. Sasuke didn't quite understand what Naruto was hinting at, but he had a feeling it wasn't anything good.
Finally, he asked with some curiosity, "Why?"
"Then if I punched you, you'd definitely cry 'ying-ying-ying' for a long time."
"Heh heh." Seeing Naruto talk nonsense, Sasuke decisively turned his head to watch the arena.
Sakura gave Naruto a resentful look, likewise chuckling to herself.
If Sasuke were a girl, where would that leave me, Sakura Haruno?
The matches continued as usual.
Next up was Rock Lee, with his bowl cut, thick eyebrows, and tight jumpsuit.
His opponent was the unlucky Choji.
Seeing his draw, Choji's face fell, and even the potato chips in his hand lost their appeal.
Though encouraged by Asuma's "all-you-can-eat barbecue" promise, Choji's eyes glowed fiercely, and his single massive abdominal muscle burned with ten thousand points of fighting spirit. He used his secret technique to become a rolling ball of meat, spinning faster than a top.
But because he was too fast, after only a few rolls, he repeatedly crashed into the wall with great force, knocking himself unconscious and directly out of the match.
"Lee! Your youth has blossomed with a fervent brilliance!" Guy Sensei shouted "Youth" while hugging Lee. This was the only remaining sapling from his team.
"Guy Sensei!"
Instantly, the two embraced passionately, their eyes like open faucets, two streams of hot tears flowing down.
In a short while, a puddle had formed on the ground.
Seeing this scene, Naruto even felt a surge of excitement himself. It was truly a waste not to unleash such great youth.
He even wanted Sasuke to immediately join the two of them and run 500 handstand laps around Konoha.
Then he would sit on the sidelines, eating melon and watching the show.
Next, the matches continued, one after another.
Finally, all 10 qualifiers emerged:
Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Gaara, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Shino, Kankuro, Temari, and Dosu Kinuta.
Counting carefully, Naruto realized that two entire teams had passed the preliminaries: Team 7 and Gaara's team from the Sand Village.
This lone sapling team from the Sand seemed surprisingly strong.
Next, the final drawing of lots commenced.
First Match: [Sakura Haruno VS Dosu Kinuta]
Sakura Haruno knew Dosu Kinuta. His ninjutsu was very powerful; it seemed to be sound-wave attacks. Will I win?
Second Match: [Sasuke Uchiha VS Rock Lee]
Sasuke hadn't expected to face Rock Lee, a taijutsu ninja. Taijutsu... seemed to really be his weakness.
He glanced sideways at Naruto again. After returning, he definitely needed to continue strengthening his taijutsu training by utilizing the Sage Mode connection within Naruto's body.
If he couldn't learn Gentle Fist, he at least needed something else, right?
Third Match: [Shino VS Kankuro]
Fourth Match: [Shikamaru Nara VS Temari]
Shikamaru: Another woman? What a drag!
And Temari, looking at Shikamaru's pineapple head, felt quite indifferent.
Fifth Match: [Naruto Uzumaki VS Gaara]
Naruto and Gaara, making their grand entrance for the final match, exchanged a glance of mutual dislike.
When dismissed, Team 7 encountered Guy Sensei's team.
"Kakashi! Your Team 7 actually all passed the assessment! As expected of my self-proclaimed lifelong rival!" Guy Sensei gave a vigorous thumbs-up, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth, his smooth bowl cut reflecting an unusual light.
After exchanging greetings, he abandoned his students and immediately pulled Kakashi to a corner. He looked back at his three students, and seeing no one approaching, he curiously asked, "Hey, Kakashi, quickly tell me, what's your secret technique? To have all three of your students enter the third round of the exam?"
Kakashi, who had been passively dragged along, thought it was something important. Was that all?
Kakashi thought: What secret technique do I need?
Would you believe me if I said I don't even know myself?
Anyway, just plant a seed and let nature take its course. The students' strength will naturally shoot up.
To this, Naruto thought: Heh heh, if you, Kakashi, don't care about your students, someone else will naturally take advantage, like that Leopard Sensei surnamed 'W Shen.'
In short,
What "let nature take its course"? It's all me, Naruto, making silent efforts behind the scenes!
"Hey, Neji, you can always come find me; I'm always available." Naruto hadn't forgotten Neji, his defeated opponent. He had plenty of time anyway, so guiding him wouldn't be a waste.
After all, they were Konoha ninjas; they would all be forces in his hands in the future!
Meanwhile, Tenten, whom Sakura had met before, was chatting with her.
"Wow~ Your team has two handsome guys, and they're both really strong."
Seeing her gaze flit between Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura let out a laugh, silently chanting inside, Stay away from Sasuke, stay away from Sasuke.
The last two members of the two teams were opponents: Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee. After a casual 'Hey~' and greetings, they stood awkwardly, making small talk.
Despite the awkward conversation, Lee's gaze kept drifting towards Sakura.
Finally, he made some kind of decision, resolutely walking up to Sakura.
"You're Sakura-chan, right?"
Lee gave a thumbs-up, looking exactly like a mini-Guy Sensei. He showed what he thought was his coolest smile and firmly declared, "My name is Rock Lee. Please go out with me. I will protect you with my life!"
Huh?! A con-confession?!!
A voice from behind suddenly piqued Naruto's curiosity. He instantly stretched his neck, his blue eyes widening in an instant, and two roaring flames of gossip "whooshed" to life within them!
The show has begun!
He, Naruto, had never been confessed to, yet Sakura-chan was actually having her day.
Let me see who it is?
Who is this brave warrior who dared to confess to Sakura-chan?
He turned his head and a green jumpsuit immediately came into view.
So it's Lee.
Looking again, Sasuke, whom Sakura secretly—no, openly—liked, was standing right beside them, watching.
What do you call 'committing a crime in front of the husband'?
Naruto instantly gloated, grinning mischievously, and egged him on, "Sasuke, say something!"
Sasuke hadn't reacted yet, but Sakura was getting a bit flustered.
She explicitly stated her rejection.
"Absolutely not!"
It had nothing to do with Sasuke; primarily, she just couldn't appreciate the bowl cut, the tight jumpsuit, and the thick eyebrows.
"What?"
Lee's face turned ashen, his formerly bright eyes instantly losing all light.
Even the exuberantly youthful Lee couldn't withstand such a blow.
"Hey, Lee, cheer up!"
Guy Sensei, who had been secretly conspiring with Kakashi, finally returned. "Youth doesn't allow us to be so lax! Since your confession failed, to unleash your boundless youth, as your teacher, I will run 500 handstand laps around Konoha with you!"
"Guy Sensei!!!"
"Lee!!!"
It made heroes shed tears, and the two were once again tear-streaked.
This passionate scene was temporarily too much for Sakura to accept. She pointed at the two of them and asked Kakashi for confirmation, "Kakashi-sensei, are they okay?"
Kakashi sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "You'll... you'll get used to it!"