The morning of the Chuunin Exams dawned bright and clear.
Naruto had extracted himself from the tangle of feminine bodies that had surrounded him during the night—a process that required careful maneuvering to avoid waking the five sleeping girls. They had arranged themselves around him like petals around the center of a flower, each one maintaining some form of physical contact even in sleep.
He observed them briefly before departing.
Sakura curled against his right side, her pink hair splayed across his shoulder. Satsuki pressed against his left, her arms wrapped possessively around his waist. Ino had claimed his legs, her head resting on his thigh. Hinata had somehow positioned herself behind him, her impressive chest pressed against his back. And Tenten had draped herself across all of them, her even more impressive figure serving as a blanket of sorts.
They looked peaceful. Content.
Naruto felt nothing about this observation.
He slipped out of the apartment and into the early morning streets, needing time to process and prepare before the exams began. The village was already stirring—merchants setting up stalls, civilians heading to work, ninja moving across rooftops on various assignments.
No one paid him particular attention. The hatred that had once followed him everywhere had faded over the past months, replaced by a careful neutrality that was almost more unsettling. They didn't glare at him anymore, but they didn't acknowledge him either.
He was simply... invisible.
Which suited him perfectly.
Naruto wandered without particular destination, his mind cataloging the foreign ninja he spotted throughout the village. The Chuunin Exams drew participants from multiple nations—he identified headbands from Sunagakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and several smaller villages he didn't recognize.
Competition. Potential opponents. Variables to assess.
His analytical observations were interrupted by a commotion in a nearby alley.
"Let me go! Do you know who I am?!"
The voice was young, high-pitched with fear and indignation. Naruto altered his course, moving toward the sound with unhurried steps.
The scene that greeted him was straightforward enough.
A boy—perhaps seven or eight years old, wearing a long scarf and a helmet that marked him as someone of importance—was being held off the ground by a figure in black clothing. The figure wore face paint in a distinctive pattern, and a wrapped bundle on his back suggested a puppet user from Sunagakure.
"I don't care who you are, brat," the painted figure said, his voice carrying cruel amusement. "You ran into me. That means you apologize."
"I already apologized! You grabbed me when I tried to walk away!"
"Your apology wasn't sincere enough." The puppet user's grip tightened. "Maybe if I rough you up a bit, you'll learn some respect."
"Kankuro."
A new voice cut through the confrontation—female, carrying notes of exasperation and warning.
Naruto's attention shifted to the source.
And for the first time in his recent memory, his analytical processes actually stuttered.
The girl who had spoken stood at the entrance to the alley, her posture radiating irritation. She wore a light purple dress over mesh armor, with a large battle fan strapped to her back. Her blonde hair was styled in four distinctive ponytails, and her teal eyes were fixed on the puppet user with obvious disapproval.
But none of these details were what caused Naruto's mental pause.
Her figure was... extraordinary.
He had grown accustomed to the transformed proportions of his five devoted followers—their curves had expanded to levels that defied biological possibility. But this girl—this stranger from Sunagakure—surpassed even Tenten's exaggerated dimensions.
Her chest was massive, straining against her dress in ways that seemed to warp the fabric of reality. Her waist was impossibly narrow in comparison, creating an hourglass silhouette that would have seemed absurd if he hadn't already seen similar transformations. Her hips flared dramatically, and her legs seemed to go on forever.
She was, objectively speaking, the most exaggerated female figure he had encountered.
And she was looking directly at him.
Not at Kankuro. Not at the struggling boy. At him.
Her teal eyes had locked onto Naruto's position with an intensity that he recognized immediately—the same adoring focus that the other five girls displayed. The same inexplicable devotion that had no logical cause.
Another affected subject.
The phenomenon was spreading beyond Konoha.
"Put the kid down, Kankuro," the blonde girl said, but her eyes never left Naruto. "We're here for the exams, not to cause international incidents."
"He disrespected me, Temari!"
"I don't care. Put him down. Now."
Kankuro grumbled but complied, dropping the boy roughly onto the ground. The child scrambled backward, clearly terrified.
"You're lucky my sister's feeling generous," the puppet user sneered. "Next time, watch where you're—"
"Kankuro."
A third voice—quiet, cold, carrying an undertone that made even Naruto's empty instincts take notice.
Sand swirled at the far end of the alley, coalescing into a humanoid form. A boy emerged from the particles—red hair, pale skin, dark circles around eyes that held something ancient and terrible. He wore the kanji for "love" carved into his forehead, and a massive gourd was strapped to his back.
"You're an embarrassment," the red-haired boy said, his voice flat in a way that Naruto found... familiar. "Fighting with children. Drawing attention. The exams haven't even begun, and you're already jeopardizing our mission."
"Gaara—" Kankuro's voice had shifted from cruel to fearful with remarkable speed. "I was just—"
"Be silent."
Kankuro shut his mouth immediately.
The red-haired boy—Gaara—turned his attention to Naruto, and their eyes met across the alley.
Something passed between them. Recognition, perhaps, though not of each other specifically. More like the recognition of similar conditions—two voids acknowledging each other's existence.
"You," Gaara said. "You're empty."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes," Naruto replied.
"How?"
"The village. Isolation. Systematic destruction of emotional capacity over twelve years."
Gaara was silent for a moment, processing this information with what appeared to be genuine interest.
"Mine was different. A demon sealed within me. A father who tried to have me killed. A childhood of assassination attempts." His voice carried no self-pity, just statement of fact. "I exist only to kill. It is my purpose."
"I exist because stopping requires effort I don't care to expend. Purpose is irrelevant."
The two boys stared at each other, an understanding passing between them that needed no words.
"Interesting," Gaara said finally. "You are the first person I've met who might understand."
"Understanding requires emotional investment. I have none."
"Nor do I. And yet we communicate." Something that might have been curiosity flickered in those dark-ringed eyes. "What is your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"I am Gaara of the Desert. We will fight in these exams."
"Possibly."
"Definitely. Mother demands your blood." Gaara's head tilted slightly, as if listening to something no one else could hear. "She says you carry something similar to me. Something powerful. She wants to taste it."
"The Nine-Tailed Fox. Yes, I contain a demon as well."
Kankuro and the forgotten boy both went pale at this casual admission. Temari, however, had edged closer during the conversation, her eyes still fixed on Naruto with that distinctive adoration.
"You're so strong," she breathed, apparently oblivious to the tension between the two jinchuuriki. "I can feel it. Your chakra, your presence... you're incredible."
Naruto's attention shifted to her briefly.
"You're affected," he observed. "Like the others."
"Affected?" Temari blinked, confusion momentarily disrupting her adoring expression. "What do you mean?"
"Your physical proportions exceed biological norms by a significant margin. Your behavior suggests obsessive focus on me despite having just met. You're exhibiting the same symptoms as the girls in Konoha."
Temari looked down at herself, as if noticing her exaggerated figure for the first time. "I don't... this is how I've always been. Isn't it?"
The same perceptual filter. The same inability to recognize changes.
Naruto filed the information away.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "Your condition is irrelevant to the current situation."
"Nothing about me is irrelevant to you," Temari said, her voice carrying sudden intensity. "I'm going to be important to you, Naruto. I don't know how I know that, but I do. We're connected."
"We've just met."
"That doesn't change anything."
Gaara observed this exchange with what appeared to be detached interest.
"She's fixated on you," he noted. "Temari has never shown interest in anyone. She considers most people beneath her notice."
"The phenomenon affects multiple subjects. She's the sixth I've identified."
"Phenomenon?"
"A transformation of unknown origin. It alters physical proportions and creates obsessive devotion toward me. The cause is unidentified. The effect is consistent across all subjects."
Gaara considered this information.
"And you don't care about the cause."
"Correct. It doesn't threaten my survival. The devotion provides benefits. Investigation would require effort I don't consider worthwhile."
Something shifted in Gaara's expression—not quite approval, but perhaps recognition of a kindred perspective.
"We are alike," he said. "Empty vessels carrying monsters. Observing the world without participating in it."
"There are similarities."
"I look forward to testing you. To seeing whether your emptiness can withstand my sand." Gaara turned to leave, sand swirling around his feet. "Do not disappoint me, Uzumaki Naruto."
"I don't experience disappointment. Your expectations are your own concern."
Gaara actually laughed at that—a short, harsh sound that seemed to surprise even him.
"Interesting," he repeated. "Very interesting."
He dissolved into sand and disappeared.
Kankuro hurried after his brother, clearly relieved to be leaving the confrontation behind. The young boy—Konohamaru, Naruto now recognized, the Third Hokage's grandson—had already fled at some point during the exchange.
Which left Naruto alone with Temari.
The blonde girl had moved closer, her massive figure now only a few feet away. Up close, the exaggeration of her proportions was even more apparent—her curves seemed to defy physics, her body a fantasy made flesh.
"I should go with them," she said, but made no move to leave. "The exams start soon. I should be with my team."
"Yes."
"But I don't want to leave you." Her teal eyes were bright with conflict. "I just found you. Leaving feels... wrong."
"Your feelings are irrelevant to tactical requirements. Your team needs you. You should go."
"Will I see you again? During the exams?"
"Probably. The participants are limited. Encounters are likely."
Temari smiled—a beautiful expression that would have affected any normal person significantly.
"Then I'll look forward to it." She leaned closer, her breath warm against his ear. "I don't know why I feel this way about you. But I'm not going to fight it. You're special, Naruto. I can tell."
She pressed a kiss to his cheek—brief but intense—then pulled away and hurried after her teammates, her impressive figure bouncing with each step.
Naruto watched her go with his usual detached observation.
Six now. The phenomenon was spreading to foreign villages, affecting subjects he had never encountered. The pattern suggested something beyond coincidence—an active process, perhaps, or a phenomenon tied to him specifically rather than to location.
He should probably investigate.
He still didn't care enough to do so.
The exams wouldn't begin for another few hours, so Naruto continued his wandering.
His path eventually led him to the Academy—the building where he had spent years as a student, where the transformations had first become apparent. He observed it from a distance, noting the changes that had occurred since his graduation.
"Naruto-kun!"
The voice was familiar. He turned to find Ino and Hinata approaching, having apparently tracked him down through whatever methods they used for such purposes.
"You left without telling anyone," Ino said, her tone carrying mild accusation. "We were worried."
"Y-You should have woken us," Hinata added softly. "We would have come with you."
"I required solitude for pre-exam assessment. Your presence would have been distracting."
"Distracting?" Ino's eyes widened with mock offense. "We're helpful, not distracting."
"Your presence alters my baseline observation parameters. In this context, that constitutes distraction."
"He means we're too beautiful for him to think straight," Ino translated for Hinata's benefit. "That's actually kind of sweet, in a Naruto-kun way."
Naruto didn't correct her interpretation.
"There's a new subject," he said instead. "Temari. From Sunagakure. She displayed the same symptoms as the five of you."
Both girls immediately tensed, their expressions shifting from playful to serious.
"Another one?" Ino asked. "From Sand?"
"Her physical proportions exceeded even Tenten's current parameters. Her behavioral fixation manifested upon seeing me for the first time."
"Did she..." Hinata's voice was carefully controlled. "Did she touch you?"
"She kissed my cheek."
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"I see," Ino said, her voice dangerously sweet. "And how did you respond to that?"
"I didn't. Her action was irrelevant to any practical consideration."
"But she touched you."
"Many people have touched me. You touch me constantly."
"That's different. We're your..." Ino paused, searching for the right word. "We're yours. She's not."
"I don't possess people. You're free to act as you choose."
"We choose to be yours." Hinata's soft voice carried unexpected steel. "And we don't share."
Naruto observed their reactions with clinical interest.
"You're experiencing jealousy. A possessive emotional response to perceived competition for attention or affection."
"We're experiencing perfectly rational concern," Ino corrected. "Random foreign girls don't get to just kiss you. That's not how this works."
"How does 'this' work? I wasn't aware there were established protocols."
The two girls exchanged glances—that silent communication that the devoted five seemed to share.
"We should discuss this with the others," Hinata said finally. "Before the exams."
"Agreed. Sakura will want to know. So will Satsuki and Tenten." Ino's eyes narrowed slightly. "And we should probably figure out how to handle this Sand girl before she becomes a problem."
"She's not a problem. She's a data point."
"She's a threat," Ino said firmly. "Anyone who looks at you the way we do is a threat until proven otherwise."
"That perspective seems counterproductive. Wouldn't additional devoted individuals provide increased benefits?"
"There are enough of us already. Quality over quantity."
Naruto decided not to argue the point. The girls' possessiveness was illogical but consistent with their established behavioral patterns.
"The exams begin soon. Sakura and Satsuki will be expecting me."
"We'll walk with you," Hinata said immediately. "To the examination building."
"That's not—"
"We insist." Ino's tone made it clear that refusal wasn't an option. "Consider it emotional support. Even if you don't experience emotions."
Naruto accepted their company without further protest.
The examination building was crowded when they arrived—genin teams from multiple villages gathered in clusters, sizing each other up with varying degrees of hostility and curiosity.
Sakura, Satsuki, and Tenten were waiting near the entrance, their expressions shifting to relief when they spotted Naruto approaching.
"There you are!" Satsuki bounced forward, immediately attaching herself to his arm. "We were getting worried!"
"He was 'assessing the situation,'" Ino said, air quotes evident in her tone. "Also, there's a Sand girl we need to discuss."
"A Sand girl?" Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What kind of Sand girl?"
"The kind with ridiculous curves who kissed his cheek."
The temperature dropped again. Naruto observed with interest as all five girls simultaneously radiated dangerous intent.
"Where is she?" Tenten asked, her voice carrying an edge that suggested violence was being considered.
"Inside, presumably. She's participating in the exams with her team."
"Her team including two boys and a creepy redhead?" Satsuki asked.
"Yes. Gaara and Kankuro. How did you know?"
"We saw them arrive yesterday. The girl kept looking around like she was searching for something." Satsuki's grip on his arm tightened. "Now we know what she was searching for."
"You're extrapolating from limited data."
"We're correctly identifying a rival," Sakura said firmly. "Naruto-kun, we need to establish boundaries."
"What kind of boundaries?"
"The kind where random foreign girls don't get to touch you without consequences."
"That seems excessive."
"It's necessary." Sakura's green eyes met his with unusual intensity. "We love you. All of us. And we're not going to stand by while someone else tries to claim you."
"I'm not an object to be claimed."
"No. You're a person to be protected. Including from yourself." She reached out and took his other hand, holding it between both of hers. "We know you don't feel anything about this. We know our jealousy seems irrational to you. But please, just... let us handle it. Trust us."
Naruto considered her request.
Trust required emotional investment he didn't possess. But compliance required minimal effort, and the girls' united front suggested they wouldn't accept refusal easily.
"Very well. Handle it as you see fit."
The five girls exchanged satisfied glances.
"Perfect," Ino said. "Now let's go pass these exams. We can deal with the Sand problem afterward."
They entered the examination building together—Naruto in the center, flanked by five devoted girls whose combined curves drew stares from every direction.
He noted the attention without caring about it.
The exams awaited.
And whatever challenges they brought, he would face them with the same empty efficiency he applied to everything else.