The next day, very early in the morning, an important meeting was about to end in the Hokage's office.
"Lastly, will the mentors of the new genin step forward?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's calm voice rang out, his expression unchanging as he held his pipe between his lips. "Well then? Is there anyone in your teams you would recommend?"
Following his orders, the three jonin responsible, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, walked to the front, leaving all the other chunin and jounin present behind.
Following the well-known procedure, the three of them prepared to begin.
"I, Kakashi Hatake, head of Team 7, recommend Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki for the chunin selection exams."
Beside her, the woman with black hair and red eyes continued, "I, Kurenai Yuhi, head of Team 8, recommend Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame for the chunin selection exams."
Finally, it was the cigarette-addicted jounin's turn. "I, Asuma Sarutobi, head of Team 10, recommend Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi for the chunin selection exams."
A great uproar was heard from everyone present. It had been a long time since so many newly graduated rookies had been nominated for the exams.
Many things were murmured, especially criticisms of the three jonins responsible for such madness, believing it was merely an attempt to gain fame and prove their worth at all costs, even at the risk of their students' lives.
"Please, silence!" the Hokage's voice demanded, without much force, although the respect everyone had for him was more than enough for them to put aside any murmurs. The silence was once again deathly. Perhaps the most indignant was Iruka, but following the others' example, he also decided to remain silent.
"I think that's all for today. I hope all the details of the exam are clear. We start exactly one week from today. You're dismissed."
With those words, everyone slowly began to leave the room, with Kakashi and Asuma trailing behind, as they still had some unfinished business to discuss.
Once everyone had left, Hatake surreptitiously closed the door behind the last person to leave, turning around to approach the old man's desk.
"Well, as you know, I wanted to tell you something regarding the two new recruits. I'm well aware that they don't have the minimum number of missions required to qualify for the exams, but I think we all know that in this case, it's nonsense." The old man smiled somewhat suspiciously, staring at the faces of the pair of jounins present.
"What I mean is that, unlike the rest of your students, I expressly want them to participate, of course, if both boys so wish."
"I don't think that'll be a problem," Kakashi replied, both hands in his pockets and his only visible eye narrowed. "Goten doesn't have much trouble doing whatever he's asked to do. He agrees without much difficulty. As for Trunks... well, Asuma will tell him."
"I don't think there'll be any problems either. The boys heard something about the exams yesterday, and they seemed more than willing to accept the challenge. Trunks won't hesitate to participate."
"I'm glad to hear that," the Hokage replied at once, pleased that everything would turn out just as he had planned… or so he thought. "The only thing that worries me is the written portion of the exam. But aside from that, I'm eager to witness the abilities of both of them during the test. That's why I never asked for a demonstration of their powers—I was waiting for this moment."
The alarm clock rang in the small room where both Saiyans were sleeping. The only one who got up was Trunks, but as always, the alarm wasn't enough to shake Goten out of his heavy sleep. Lazily, the boy reached out a hand to silence the clock on the nightstand.
"Goten, get up already! You've got a team meeting too!" he said, still with his eyes closed, stretching his arms to shake off the last traces of drowsiness.
His friend only answered with an unintelligible mumble, far more asleep than awake.
Rubbing a hand over his face, the young Briefs raised his voice. "Damn it, Goten! It's always the same! GET UUUUP!"
"My meeting's at ten…" Despite the yell, that short reply was all he got from Son, who spoke with his eyes still closed and his body completely wrapped in blankets. Trunks knew his meeting was at nine, but he also knew that if he didn't wake Goten up at the same time, his friend would just sleep through the whole thing.
However, a sinister little thought crossed Trunks' mind, a mischievous smile forming on his face just imagining how it would all turn out.
Still lying on his back in his bed, he raised both legs, placing his feet just below where the unsuspecting Goten was dozing, as he was resting on the top bunk. And with a little force, he detached the top bunk.
BAAAAMMMMM!
The monstrous impact resonated throughout the small building, literally crushing Goten between his bed and the ceiling, as if the poor boy were the filling of a sandwich. Trunks quickly rolled out of his bed to prevent gravity from returning the favor and ending up under his roommate's cot when it made its inevitable descent.
Brief looked amused at his friend, who was still lying face up in his bed, arms and legs spread. He was already awake, but his expression was blank, as if he were merely staring at some stain on the ceiling or something similar, as if nothing had happened.
"You're… a… damn… A damned… thing!"
"Yeah, a bastard who woke you up. Thank me later," he replied, turning away, wanting to avoid seeing him die of laughter. If he looked at Goten's face for too long, he wouldn't be able to contain a huge laugh.
"You didn't have to do that! You destroyed the bunk bed! Now, where are we supposed to sleep, asshole?" Goten began to shout, clenching his fist as he leapt to stand in front of his friend.
"It's no big deal." Waving his hand in the air in a gesture of nonchalance only annoyed Goten further. "All I have to do is move your mattress off of mine, and that's it! You can sleep in this same room, but on the floor."
"Yeah, but you still broke everything! And you know damn well I like sleeping upstairs!" He continued shouting, a little furious, but at the same time, Son's face showed a slight pout.
"Hey Goten, sleeping upstairs or downstairs doesn't matter. Now go take a bath, while I get some breakfast." He ended the discussion, leaving the small room and heading for the kitchen, which was practically next door.
A few cartons of milk and the remaining five boxes of cereal should be enough for both of them. It wasn't safe to say they'd have to work out, so overeating wasn't a good idea either.
"AAARRGGGHH! WHYY, WHYYYY!?" screamed Sakura, absolutely furious as she clenched both fists. "IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME! HE SETS A TIME AND IN THE END, MAKES US WAIT WAY LONGER THAN WE SHOULD!"
"You're right, it's not fair!" Naruto exclaimed, raising his fist in the air, although he wasn't nearly as upset as the kunoichi was.
"THIS IS THE WORST! I WAS IN SO MUCH A HURRY I DID NOT EVEN HAVE TIME TO DRY MY HAIR!" She continued to scream, furious, her eyes completely blank.
"And I didn't have time to wash my mouth or change my underwear!"
His comment only generated a grimace of disgust and repulsion in both Sakura and Sasuke.
"T-that's disgusting, Naruto..." Was all the girl dared to say after an awkward silence.
After a few minutes-
"Sorry, sorry! I'm so late!" Goten's worried voice sounded behind him.
Everyone turned to see the figure of the tailed boy who, contrary to his tone of voice, seemed almost happy and relaxed. Sakura and Naruto took it as normal, but Sasuke was a little upset that he hadn't noticed the boy's arrival.
He had done it very stealthily, almost as if he had appeared out of nowhere. In fact, he could swear that was exactly what he had done. Uchiha was convinced that, unlike other times, Goten hadn't moved at great speed or anything like that. There was something more. Only Kakashi's sudden arrival abruptly brought him out of his thoughts.
"Hello, good morning everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay, I just got lost along the path of life…" said the lazy sensei with his novel ICHA ICHA in hand, immediately putting it in his back pocket.
For some reason, Sakura and Naruto were deeply displeased to see this, as their minds began to think and plot evil and unseemly thoughts about Kakashi and the true reason for his "loss" on the path of life. Who knew what the perverted jonin was really up to?
"Well, I know it's a bit sudden, but I recommended all of you for the chunin exams," he said bluntly, handing four small slips of paper to everyone present. "These are the exam applications. All you have to do is sign them and bring them to room 301 at 3:00 p.m., exactly one week from today."
"T-the a-a-application forms?" the kunoichi asked in a stammer, confused as she was the last to reach out hesitantly for the small slip. She even glanced closely at her teammates, searching their faces for any trace of nervousness that might match her own. She found nothing.
"Remember, this is all a personal decision, nothing mandatory. If you don't feel ready, you can wait until next year when you're more prepared..." He added.
"Chunin Exams? WOOOW! THIS IS GREAT, KAKASHI SENSEI!" Naruto shouted extremely excitedly and jumped on the unsuspecting jonin. "You're great, the best! Really!"
"Naruto, please let me go! You're wrinkling my vest!" He exclaimed in a tone of voice that amused the others, except for Sasuke, since it was strange to hear Kakashi's taciturn voice so startled.
After shaking off the impetuous boy as best he could, the jonin shook his vest and told them that was it. Without further ado, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Everyone was somewhat perplexed.
The long wait they had to endure was almost insulting, all for Kakashi to dispatch them in five measly minutes at most. Goten didn't mind in the least, as he arrived almost at the same time as him.
However, the big news had Naruto extremely excited. "We have to celebrate this with ramen! Come on, Sakura, if you want, I'll treat you!"
"No thanks, I had a really good breakfast," she lied, placing a hand on her small stomach. With her strict diet, she barely had an apple juice that morning, nothing more.
The only one who wasn't satisfied was the Saiyan's stomach, which growled like a furious animal, demanding and wanting food. The 10 bowls of cereal had left him feeling quite unwell. Hearing this, Naruto changed his mind.
"Well, it's your loss, Sakura. If you don't want to, then I'll invite Goten…"
"Wait—seriously?" asked Goten, his eyes wide with the grateful look of a stray puppy just taken in from the street.
"Yeah. I've got plenty of money on me, so don't worry about that," the genin replied with a grin, patting the little frog-shaped pouch where he kept his savings. "I've been saving up for a moment just like this."
"And why don't you come with us, Sakura?" Goten asked, his hands clasped behind his head. "You're way too skinny! If you keep this up, the only thing left of you will be your eyes and your forehead!"
Sakura's ears grew larger and shifted like satellite dishes, swiveling from side to side to properly capture the boy's words. After all, she was about to murder him and needed to be absolutely certain of what she had heard before committing homicide. Otherwise, she'd end up in prison over a silly misunderstanding.
Even Sasuke's eyes flew wide open—and without a word, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind nothing but a wooden log. He'd rather escape with a substitution jutsu than stick around to witness what was about to unfold.
"What was that you just said, Goten?" Haruno muttered through clenched teeth, her back turned, fists trembling with rage. The fury inside her was so overwhelming that, had she possessed Saiyan blood, she would have transformed right then and there into the golden warrior of legend, exploding in a violent burst of power.
Naruto clutched at his hair, face twisted in horror, tugging so hard it seemed like he'd rip it straight from his scalp. He couldn't figure out what signal to give Goten without Sakura noticing—anything he did would only speed up the boy's funeral.
"You know exactly what I said," Goten replied, still with his hands behind his head and his usual big innocent smile. "The thing is… your forehead is just really big."
Luckily for him, Goten felt the girl's chakra surge to an overwhelming level—to the point of becoming almost visible. Thanks to this, the young warrior was able to leap into the air and escape the monstrous punch the kunoichi was about to land at him, at a speed that was, to say the least, blinding.
Both Naruto and Sakura were left stunned. They hadn't expected Goten to dodge such a fast and violent strike. The boy now hovered in the air, about five meters above Sakura's head, clearly shaken but relieved he had barely escaped.
"YOU DAMN WRETCH! GET DOWN FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!" She screamed, completely enraged, stomping her feet in a sign of great anger. But this time, her scream sounded almost like a hysterical shriek, because the helplessness of not being able to hit Goten the way she wanted had her completely out of her mind. She was on the verge of throwing a tantrum.
Naruto was almost laughing, as for the first time, someone had gotten away with it after infuriating Sakura to such an extent. Of course, it was something he didn't dare express, since he couldn't fly, he would be the one who would be savagely beaten and injured.
"I'm not coming down until you calm down!" Goten replied, still quite scared. "Forgive me if what I said offended you, but you need to calm down for a moment, Sakura!"
Far from calming down, the girl clenched her fists even tighter, the enormous vein on her large forehead becoming more noticeable. Only a familiar voice was able to bring her out of her state of excitement.
"Wow, just look at that marquee forehead! Every time I see you, your forehead gets bigger and more hideous!" Ino said from behind him, walking with her entire team.
They all came from the training camp with their respective applications in hand, freshly handed in by Asuma. The difference with Kakashi was that Sarutobi gave them a lecture and some advice, in case they dared to enter the exams, which is why their meeting took longer.
"I-Ino?" The kunoichi stammered, still disoriented by her recent state of blind rage.
"Of course it's me, Forehead-girl!" She was about to say something about Sakura's shrieking—how it sounded just like a wounded animal echoing in the distance—but her face went pale the moment she noticed Goten floating in midair.
"T-that kid is a-another freak," she blurted out in astonishment as she pointed at him.
"I'm not a freak, I'm Goten!" The jovial boy landed right in front of her and shook her hand in a friendly manner. "What's your name? Are you Sakura's friend?"
Ino's face turned pale with shock. She immediately pulled her hand away from the stranger's grip. Shikamaru and Choji were just as stunned—at least until Trunks's words helped them piece things together. That was when they realized the black-haired boy was actually their friend, which explained some things… though not everything.
"Goten, it's good to see you. We should head home to start training. I have something to show you." Trunks stepped forward and placed a hand on Goten's shoulder, forcing him to turn around and start walking away from the group.
"B-but Naruto invited me to eat. Can't we train afterward?"
The disappointment on his face was evident, but Trunks just shook his head. "If you want, we can find Naruto later and have some ramen, but for now, it'll have to wait."
Understanding the seriousness of the matter, the Saiyan nodded and both took off their feet from the ground, beginning to fly in the direction of the small apartment.
"Let me guess… that strange boy is in your team now, isn't he?" Ino said to the pink-haired girl, without ever looking at her—her eyes were fixed on the two figures growing smaller in the distance. "This village is starting to fill up with freaks…"
"Okay, here we are. What is it you wanted to show me?" Goten began, looking his friend up and down.
Trunks asked him to wait for him at the entrance of the building while he looked for what he wanted to show her. It was the capsule case.
"While you were sleeping like a log this morning, I noticed I had a very peculiar capsule in my case..." He commented with an almost somber look and a somewhat nervous tone of voice. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, Trunks took the mysterious capsule, pressed the button, and threw it into the middle of the desolate alley.
¡BOOOMMM!
Once the smoke had cleared enough, it revealed a massive object—almost the size of a small house. It was the gravity chamber.
"And I gave up eating ramen for this? It's just the gravity chamber! That's it!" exclaimed young Son, sounding almost annoyed. He had lost his chance to devour the mysterious food he'd heard so much about, supposedly the best thing ever.
"Don't you get it, you idiot? This is my dad's gravity chamber! Do you have any idea how he's going to react when he realizes it's gone?" Trunks was so alarmed he started shaking his friend by the shoulders.
"My mom was supposed to be making some repairs on it in the lab! I must have taken it by mistake when I went over to your place those days! That's the only reason my dad didn't notice right away—because it was being fixed!"
"Calm down, Trunks, it's okay," he said, slowly removing his friend's hands so he'd stop shaking him. "We're in another dimension. You're safe now. Although when we get back, he's going to kill you."
"Thanks for the support, you big dumb animal!"
"But don't worry, the bright side is we'll be able to train inside it for the exams. What do you say?" He was now encouraging him with his big smile. It was hard not to feel better when Goten laughed like that.
Returning the friendly gesture, Trunks nodded, much calmer now. Surely his mother would be able to build another one in the meantime.
What they didn't know was that when the Prince of the Saiyans found out, he would destroy the moon again, so the wish they had made to Shenron had been for nothing.
The week flew by. Everyone trained at their own pace and separately. The Saiyans were the only ones to train together, inside the gravity chamber. Since they had to avoid damaging it, they only dedicated themselves to purely physical and conditioning workouts, sculpting their bodies even more, if that was possible.
There was a reason behind that. They were no longer children and were just beginning to develop, so building muscle was becoming easier and more noticeable for them. Only Trunks seemed to understand the reason; Goten, on the other hand, looked at himself curiously in the bathroom mirror, wondering why he hadn't gotten like this before with so much training.
"It's because we're growing up." That was all Trunks told him, lying in his bed, when one night, before going to sleep, the boy dared to ask him.
The enormous object didn't go unnoticed. Every morning, not too early, they would head to Team 7's training camp and throw the infamous capsule into the middle of it. During those days, neither Sasuke nor Naruto stopped by, but Kakashi noticed it immediately.
He asked them about the strange artifact, and was deeply impressed when they invited him in and showed him part of how the machine worked, but without raising the gravity too high.
He was quite surprised when he learned that the boys set it to 200G, combined with the heavy clothing only he knew they wore, which ended up looking like an outrage straight out of a fiction book.
"Try not to overdo it, or you'll end up too tired before the exam," he warned them one Friday when he passed by, the day before the chunin test began.
After they finished their training session that day, Trunks decided to retire, eager to rest. It wasn't the training that was responsible; rather, the night before, he hadn't been able to sleep well due to Goten's snoring, a frequent occurrence when he went to bed very tired.
"If you want, stay a little longer," he said, handing her the capsule. "But remember to put it away before you leave. Don't even think about leaving it here!"
"As if someone was going to steal it…" He took the capsule and threw him a mischievous smile, earning a disapproving look from Trunks.
After young Brief left, Goten continued training for a couple more hours. This was his least favorite form of training. He preferred sparring and combat, just like his father. Although, to be honest, Goku was obsessed with his training, so any method was pleasing to him.
He even once recalled his father taking him to train for a month on the tiny planet of the North Kai, telling him that training in the Other World was much more effective than doing it on Earth.
He finished with some boring sit-ups. He wiped his sweat with a towel, exited the chamber, and stored it in its respective capsule, then walked back to his apartment for a well-deserved bath.
On the way, he unexpectedly ran into Sakura, who was walking with her head down, a shopping bag in her arms.
"Hi, Sakura! I hadn't seen you these past days. What are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck, pulling the girl out of her thoughts, and making her lift her face.
"Oh, hi Goten… I… I was just doing some shopping… that's all…" she replied, nervously biting her lower lip. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by him.
"Something's wrong, isn't it? You're worried, right?"
At his words, the girl widened her big green eyes, a little surprised that silly Goten had noticed her mood. Of course, she was extremely worried.
"It's about the exam, isn't it?" he asked with a slightly concerned look. The expression on his face felt strange to her. She was so used to seeing Goten cheerful and smiling all the time.
She almost thought she was under a genjutsu—like the one Iruka-sensei had used just a few days ago, disguised as a ninja who tried to intimidate her, Naruto, and Sasuke separately, to persuade them to take the exam. Even though she had seen through that cheap illusion and passed the small challenge, she still felt very anxious.
"It's just that… Naruto's been training non-stop these days… and Sasuke, don't even get me started!" she finally explained, letting out a nervous little laugh. "I ran into Kakashi-sensei recently, and he said you and Trunks were the ones training the hardest. But me… I could barely do anything. I'm not very good at training alone…"
With that, she lowered her face again, utterly frustrated at feeling like the weakest and most useless member of the team. Goten understood what was happening. Those few words and prolonged silence spoke for themselves: Sakura was afraid.
"It's too late for that now—the exams are tomorrow," Goten said suddenly, making her feel even worse. Without warning, he placed a hand on the kunoichi's shoulder, causing her to lift her face almost in shock.
"But if it's so hard for you to practice on your own, after the exams, we can train together. I don't know any ninja techniques, but you'll see that I can still help you get stronger. Of course… only if you want to."
That was when the boy gave her his smile—the very same smile that could lift anyone's spirits, and in Sakura's case, made her forget all her worries. That small gesture, along with his words, comforted her a lot… though not completely. Something still weighed on her heart.
"Thank you, Goten… but I've heard those exams are really hard, and sometimes… people end up seriously injured… or even dead…" she continued with her laments, biting her lip again as the deep anxiety consumed her. "What if I… don't make it…?"
"That's the least of it!" he exclaimed with laughter. "The hardest part is doing well in the exam, but remember, in the end, it's just a test! If you don't pass, you'll have next year to try again! That's the only thing you should care about. As for your safety, don't worry—you'll be fine."
"AND HOW ARE YOU SO SURE OF THAT?" she shouted, unable to contain her anguish any longer.
She had stayed strong throughout the whole week, but now she was on the verge of breaking down. Just a little more, and she would burst into inevitable tears. After all, she was only 12 years old, while many older and far more dangerous ninjas would also be taking the exam.
"Because I'm on your team, and I'll protect you," he concluded, pointing at himself with his thumb, winking, and trying to comfort her with a smile. "I won't let anything bad happen to you or the others!"
Sakura looked at him in awe. She hadn't expected him to say something like that. "Y-you really mean that, G-Goten?" she stammered, unable to avoid it. His words not only calmed her but also made her feel guilty for how badly she had treated the Saiyan when they first met. Without a doubt, two conflicting emotions swirled inside her.
"I promise! I'd give my life for my friends, and now you're my friend too, right?"
"Yes, Goten. Yes, you are," she replied with a sincere smile after a few seconds of silence, although she felt guilty for not considering him anything more than an annoying guy just a few minutes ago.
Even though she felt more at ease, she still thought the boy's words were nothing more than an expression, just a way of speaking. But when it came to Goten, her assumptions were always wrong
It was beginning to get dark, and dinner time was approaching. The Saiyan and his stomach knew this more than anyone.
"Well, I'd better get going. I'm starving. See you tomorrow," he said with a small wave, walking past her.
Once he had gotten far enough, he turned back to call out one last thing to the kunoichi.
"Oh, and Sakura… sorry for saying your forehead's kinda big. I actually like it. I think it looks good on you." With that comment and one last smile, he turned the corner and disappeared from her sight until the next day.
She stood there watching him, doing nothing else. Now she felt much more secure, more determined. It seemed like nothing could stop her.
"Thank you, Goten…" she whispered to herself in an almost inaudible murmur, bringing two fingers to her forehead as a silly smile spread across her face.
Around 3 o'clock, Sakura found herself in the playground of the Ninja Academy, where she spent her childhood training to become a genin. Naruto was waiting for her at the entrance of the large building, waving cheerfully at her from a distance, along with Sasuke, who stood with a serious expression and his hands in his pockets. She was a little embarrassed to have been the last to arrive.
In fact, Sasuke had commented to Naruto that perhaps the girl had chickened out at the last minute and would never arrive. Although she was a little nervous, that didn't stop her from approaching the scene with a firm stride and a confident attitude, causing the Uchiha to sharpen his gaze, catching the change in his companion's attitude.
The one who hadn't arrived was Goten, but since they hadn't seen him in the last week, they never told him that they would meet outside the academy, a detail that Sakura herself overlooked the night before, so perhaps the Saiyan had already entered on his own.
When they went up to the second floor, they saw a couple of bullies blocking the entrance to where the exam was supposed to take place, causing a commotion and a great murmur among the group of genins who couldn't find a way to access the classroom.
"Please, let us pass. We're supposed to be in," Tenten pleaded, kneeling, helping Rock Lee get back up after he'd been punched in the face by one of the two young men blocking the way.
Far from accepting his request, the kids continued talking nonsense about how difficult the exam was and that it would be better for many of them to give up and not even try; otherwise, they would end up traumatized for life and perhaps dead.
"That's a nice speech. Now step aside and let me through," Sasuke threatened with a serious look, approaching them with his hands in his pockets. "And while you're still there, reverse your ridiculous genjutsu. We can see through the illusion. Can't we, Sakura?" He said, glancing at the pink-haired girl. "You're the member of our team with the best analytical skills. Surely you realized that a long time ago."
"I noticed too, really!" Naruto interjected hastily, trying to be noticed and, of course, lying, since he had no idea they were under a genjutsu that made them believe they were on the third floor.
"Of course I noticed," the kunoichi said with a smile. "This is only the second floor." Once she finished her sentence, the sign above the door that read 301 magically changed, distorting and drawing the number 201 on its surface. The illusionary jutsu was undone.
Kakashi couldn't contain his shock when he saw that Goten had also managed to get to classroom 301, alone and as if nothing had happened, bypassing the genjutsu he knew was in place on the floor below.
Just 10 minutes ago, he had seen with his own eyes Asuma's entire team enter the exam room, clearly hearing the boys congratulate and thank Trunks for not having engaged in that cheap trick, although he realized that the Saiyan had no idea what they were talking about. Something was wrong.
"Sorry, Goten, I can't let you in yet." Kakashi stopped him once the boy reached the door. "We have to wait until your teammates are here, too. By the way, didn't you notice anything strange downstairs?" the jonin asked in a somewhat suspicious tone.
Goten raised one to his chin, holding it as he adopted a thoughtful attitude. "Ummm... now that you mention it, yes. There were a lot of people trying to get into a classroom, and two boys were blocking them. I don't understand what all the fuss was about entering the wrong classroom."
"Wrong, you say?" Kakashi continued, his scrutinizing gaze intensifying even more.
"Yeah, the exam is in room 301, right? And room 201 was down there." He explained as if nothing had happened, even giving his sensei a strange look. He didn't understand why he was asking such a silly question.
The copy ninja would have continued the conversation if he hadn't seen the rest of his team arriving. Sakura's face was blue, still unable to process the fact that Rock Lee had declared his love for her just seconds ago, asking her to be his girlfriend. He was definitely a bit of an odd guy. Sasuke wore his usual stern expression, and Naruto walked with his usual smile, erasing any evidence of pressure or nerves.
"All right, congratulations, everyone! You can now officially enter the chunin exams!" Kakashi greeted them, closing his one visible eye and uttering an amused grimace that managed to stretch his mask. "I knew you guys were coming," he said, pointing at the three boys, "but I had my doubts about you, Sakura. Luckily, you showed up for everyone's benefit."
"What do you mean?" she asked, very puzzled, frowning, a few slight wrinkles forming on the bridge of her small nose. Her unexpected gesture made Goten laugh, finding it amusing for some reason, but he covered his mouth with his hand to prevent Sakura from noticing. The kunoichi thought that, just as her sensei had said, this was all a personal decision.
"Certainly, it was up to each of you to attend or not. But to take the exam, the entire team must be present. If even one of you had been absent, you would have been done here. I wouldn't have allowed you to pass through this door."
Everyone, except for the distracted Goten, was shocked by the jonin's explanation. If Sakura hadn't been there, the whole effort would have been in vain. Sasuke turned his face, almost shocked, to look at the kunoichi. If he'd known all that, he would have forced her to attend no matter what, instead of ignoring her and not caring whether she came or not.
"Well, I'd better not waste any more of your time. The exam should be about to start." With that, he turned the door handle, opening it and stepping aside to allow Team 7 complete access.
"Good luck."