The three of them slowly entered the central circular tower.
Naruto was weighed down by his thoughts, his brows tightly furrowed as he continued organizing the clues in his mind. He glanced at Sakura and couldn't help asking in a low voice,
"What were you doing right before you traveled through time?"
Sakura looked at him, clearly surprised by the question. She thought for a long moment, then murmured uncertainly,"I don't really remember… I think I was arguing with someone online?"
"How did you feel?" Naruto pressed.
"Huh?" Sakura was confused by the sudden follow-up. "What are you getting at?"
"Just tell me—were you in a really bad mood at the time?"
Sakura froze, a strange look appearing on her face."I guess… yeah. I must've been upset after arguing with someone."
"As expected…" Naruto nodded faintly.
At that moment, he felt Sasuke stir on his back. The two of them laid him down gently, and Naruto lightly patted his face.
Sasuke groggily opened his eyes. He was stunned for a second, then quickly snapped into alertness.
"Naruto, Sakura… wait—where is she? What happened to her?!"
Naruto looked at him and smiled."You were knocked out early on by the enemy's shadow clone. Don't worry—the enemy has already been dealt with."
"Really? But I remember it was you who—"
"Your memory's a bit scrambled," Naruto interrupted seriously. "We'll let the boss check you later. For now, take care of your neck."
Only then did Sasuke feel the sharp pain radiating from the back of his neck.
"So I've been lying there unconscious this whole time?" he muttered irritably. He had gained tremendous power—yet still felt utterly useless.
Hearing this, Naruto quickly tried to console him."Hey, you were still very useful. While you were unconscious, you played Sleeping Beauty perfectly. The kunoichi couldn't take their eyes off your face."
"Even my flirting skills can't compare to yours, right, Sakura?"
Naruto calmly looked at Sakura. She rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"See? She didn't deny it—that means she agrees. Women are all two-faced," he whispered to Sasuke.
The three of them stood up together and opened the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll. After Iruka was summoned, they officially passed this stage of the exam.
Afterward, Naruto found an excuse to leave briefly. Using the small snake, he contacted Anko, informed her that the enemy had been eliminated, and asked her to keep an eye on Orochimaru.
Because they had progressed far faster than expected, they now had no choice but to wait until the exam fully concluded.
That night.
Konoha Village — the Hokage Tower.
Seated on the office sofa were Konoha's four senior leaders: Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Shimura Danzō, and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Tonight, there was only one topic of discussion.
Uzumaki Naruto.
"Hiruzen," Koharu spoke first, "we're here today for one reason only—to discuss the matter of the jinchūriki."
"We heard from Danzō that you intend to personally guide Naruto. Is that correct?"
Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke, seemingly unsurprised by Danzō's involvement."That's right. As Hokage, it's my responsibility to guide Naruto onto the proper path."
"But," Homura said gravely from the other side, "according to our information, Naruto has shown abnormalities. Your earlier reports stated these were caused by the Nine-Tails' influence."
Koharu followed up coldly,"We all know the Nine-Tails is the embodiment of hatred. If even you are affected by it, the consequences for Konoha would be disastrous."
"Taking Naruto as your disciple carries far too much risk."
Hiruzen fell silent.
He looked at the two elders who seemed to be singing the same tune, then suddenly asked,
"Are these your words—or Danzō's?"
Koharu and Homura both froze.
Tap. Tap.
Danzō struck the floor with his cane and narrowed his eyes at Hiruzen."Hiruzen, that's not a fair accusation. We're discussing the village's future here—this isn't about personal feelings."
So neatly dodging the subject of personal motives…
Hiruzen shook his head slightly and said calmly,"You and I both know Naruto must be guided. If I don't do it, then one of you will. After all, aside from yourselves, who else could be trusted—right, Danzō?"
Danzō remained silent.
"You want to plant your own people to monitor Naruto," Hiruzen continued evenly, "but you're afraid your intentions would be too obvious. So you brought them in to pressure me. But tell me—why should I trust you?"
"You're openly hostile toward jinchūriki. What if you provoke him instead?"
"Enough, Hiruzen!" Homura snapped, his expression darkening. "Is this really the time for infighting?"
As the argument between Hiruzen and Danzō escalated, it became clear that reason alone wouldn't settle the issue. Homura gestured for Danzō to stop speaking and chose to address Hiruzen directly with Koharu.
"We'll stick to the facts," Homura said firmly."The reports clearly state that Naruto has been influenced by the Nine-Tails. That is undeniable."
Unexpectedly, Hiruzen showed no hesitation at all."Those reports are outdated. The latest data proves that Naruto's physical condition is excellent—and his performance has been exceptional."
"What?" Danzō stood up instinctively at the sound of knocking.
"Come in," Hiruzen said calmly.
Two examiners entered the room, their expressions turning solemn when they saw the assembled leadership.
Morino Ibiki.Mitarashi Anko.
This was Hiruzen's preparation for tonight. He knew that verbal sparring with Danzō wouldn't be enough—he needed solid evidence.
He had already investigated Naruto's interactions with Ibiki. As for Anko—she was his own subordinate. There was no way she would side with Danzō.
"These two served as examiners for the first and second rounds of the Chūnin Exams," Hiruzen said. "Please give your evaluations of Naruto's performance."
Ibiki immediately understood the Hokage's intent. He offered a positive assessment, deliberately omitting Naruto's hidden schemes and emphasizing his stable mental condition.
Anko's heart, however, was in turmoil.
Of course she had been watching Naruto closely. His combat ability and intelligence were far beyond the level of a genin—he was anything but ordinary.
Being asked to report now reminded her of the small communication snake she had once given him.
Was this part of his plan too?Did he anticipate this moment?
The more she thought about it, the more mysterious—and imposing—Naruto seemed in her mind.
After careful consideration, Anko chose to speak truthfully.
"Naruto performed extremely well in the second exam," she said. "His mental state was also very stable."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow slightly. Even Anko had given such a high evaluation.
He calmly turned to the three elders."Is there still a problem?"
Koharu and Homura fell silent—but Danzō was unwilling to give Hiruzen control over the Nine-Tails so easily.
"Hearing reports isn't enough," he said coldly. "Seeing is believing. There are still the preliminaries after the second exam. Let's all observe."
"If Naruto shows signs of transforming into the Nine-Tails, then his condition is unstable. If not, then there's no issue."
After a brief exchange of looks, Koharu and Homura nodded.
Hiruzen said nothing more, merely nodded slowly and turned to Anko."Have Gekkō Hayate organize the preliminaries."
True gold fears no fire.
"Yes," Anko replied immediately.
Yet inside her mind, a single thought echoed again and again.
I need to tell Naruto.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "A Witty Life in the Naruto World" is 30 chapters ahead there