- You… - Kankuro looked quite irritated after hearing my last comment.
- …? - Temari, however, silently looked me over with an evaluating gaze. She decided not to interfere for now, wanting to fully assess the situation.
- Uh, sorry about what I said. I was just exhausted after some really rough training, and I'm not used to seeing clothes like that. Judging by your forehead protectors, you're from the Sand, right? Did you come here to take part in the Chunin Exams? - I decided to apologize and immediately change the subject, trying to lower the tension between us.
'In a tense conversation, the most important thing is to seize the initiative.' - I thought.
After hearing my words, Kankuro visibly relaxed, though he still looked at me as if I were an annoying factor. As for Temari, she was now looking at me with a certain amount of interest.
Lucky, meanwhile, cautiously glanced toward Kankuro and Temari. He didn't understand what was going on, so he simply stood there. However, his behavior soon changed. After sniffing the air, he suddenly froze, then began trembling all over and tucked his playful tail between his legs. He was frightened, but Temari and Kankuro were unlikely to be the reason. I immediately understood what had happened…
- Easy, buddy. It's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you. - I immediately picked Lucky up and, gently stroking him, began calming down my future partner.
'Amazing. He must have sensed Gaara. I, on the other hand, have absolutely no idea where he's hiding…' - I thought.
- Heh, what a pathetic sight. - Kankuro sneered.
- You're from the Inuzuka clan, aren't you? Looks like you're not very good at training your "partner." - Temari addressed me in a cold voice, mistakenly assuming I was a member of Kiba's clan.
- Uh, no. I'm not from the Inuzuka clan, but I have to admit, you're quite observant. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I'll be participating in the upcoming exam, just like you. - I replied calmly, refusing to fall for their provocations.
- Mmmmm… - Lucky had finally calmed down a little thanks to my petting.
- Interesting… I'm Temari, and the guy in the bat costume is my brother, Kankuro. - She introduced herself with a predatory smile, making sure to tease her brother in the process.
- Hey! - Kankuro was not particularly pleased with his sister's little jab.
- Nice to meet you… What about your third teammate? - I asked, after which Kankuro and Temari looked at me completely differently.
- … - They exchanged silent glances, seemingly unsure how to answer my question.
- Listen, buddy… It's rude to hide your presence when someone is talking to you. - I stated, then closed my eyes. I didn't particularly want to look like an idiot, guessing which direction the mentally unstable jinchuriki was hiding in. To be honest, I wasn't even one hundred percent sure that Gaara was actually here.
- Interesting… How did you manage to find me? - After several seconds of silence, I heard a low, hoarse voice behind Kankuro and Temari.
It was Gaara. A red-haired boy with pale skin and cold turquoise eyes. A kanji meaning "love" was engraved on his forehead, while a huge gourd rested on his back, from which he could pull out his main weapon at any moment. Unlike Kankuro and Temari, Gaara looked completely calm, as if he was barely interested in what was happening.
His appearance was quite dramatic. Using the "Shunshin" technique - a Sand Village version, apparently - he suddenly appeared beside Temari and Kankuro. Gaara's cold gaze was focused on me, as though he were looking at an interesting toy.
- To be honest, I didn't. - I answered briefly, meeting his gaze.
- …? - Gaara continued staring at me in silence, giving me an opportunity to continue the conversation.
- My friend Lucky. He was the one who managed to sense you, and that's why he started trembling in fear. I immediately realized that he was reacting to someone else rather than your teammates.
- … - Temari and Kankuro looked at me differently.
- … - Lucky cautiously glanced from my arms toward the trio.
- I see… Let's go. - As for Gaara, he apparently lost all interest in me after my answer. Turning around, he addressed Temari and Kankuro in the same cold voice.
- … - Gaara's brother and sister silently nodded and followed him.
- See you at the exam! - I decided to politely say goodbye to them.
- … - Gaara continued walking forward, while Temari and Kankuro silently looked back at me.
-Phew… That went well. - I stated after managing to settle the tense situation between us.
- Naruto! Protect! - My adorable ninken had completely calmed down and energetically said two words. Apparently, Lucky was happy that I had supported him when he needed it.
- Heh. I guess we should go to Ichiraku. What do you say, Lucky? - I asked him with a smile.
- Yes! Food! Eat! - he answered just as energetically. We had already visited old man Teuchi several times. Basically, this little bastard had fallen in love with ramen too.
- You really are a glutton… - I said tiredly, but I still headed toward my favorite place.
Several days passed, and our team was standing in front of the entrance to Konoha's Shinobi Academy. Today, the day of the Chunin Exams had finally arrived.
I involuntarily looked around, trying to memorize the surroundings. A huge number of young shinobi, roughly my age, had already gathered near the Academy entrance. Many of them were from Konoha, but I could easily spot people wearing forehead protectors from other villages among the crowd. Some teams looked roughly the same age as us, while others consisted of shinobi who were noticeably older than their peers.
'Well… here we go.' - To be honest, I was afraid to take a step forward, knowing what awaited us in the near future. The Chunin Exams were one of those points in the original storyline that I probably wouldn't be able to change, even though I desperately wanted to!
- Well then… Good luck. Try not to embarrass your beloved sensei. - our mentor calmly said.
- You could at least support us a little before the exam! - Sakura-chan complained unhappily.
- I wished you good luck. Isn't that enough? - Kakashi smiled slightly with one eye.
- Haaa… - Sakura merely sighed heavily in response. I noticed that she was genuinely nervous. My teammate kept looking around, adjusting her clothes and occasionally clenching her fingers. Despite all our preparation, the upcoming exam was still a serious challenge for her.
- … - Sasuke, on the other hand, looked like the complete opposite. He stood beside me perfectly calmly, his cold gaze carefully studying the surrounding shinobi. It was as if he was trying to determine in advance which of those present could become a potential opponent.
- Well then, see you later. - Kakashi-sensei waved at us before turning around.
- Alright, let's go. - Sasuke said, after which we headed inside the Academy.
The farther we went down the corridors, the more people there were. Teams from different villages were everywhere. Some shinobi were talking among themselves, others were carefully observing their surroundings, while some were already trying to estimate the strength of potential opponents at a glance.
I even noticed several familiar faces. Shikamaru's team was nearby. Shikamaru himself looked as if he had already gotten tired from the sheer number of people around him. Ino was emotionally lecturing Choji about something, while he continued calmly chewing on his chips.
A little farther away, I noticed Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. While Hinata and Shino were quietly standing to the side, trying not to attract unnecessary attention to themselves (just like true introverts), Kiba was smirking as he looked over the other participants. His loyal partner Akamaru was quietly sitting on his head and dozing.
Soon, the young Inuzuka began sniffing the air, as if he had caught something strange, and then his gaze suddenly fell on me. When our eyes met, Kiba visibly froze in surprise. Apparently, I still strongly smelled of Lucky, and that canine sense of smell was working flawlessly.
Then my gaze stopped on another familiar team. Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten. Lee looked exactly as I remembered him: thick black caterpillar eyebrows, a bowl-cut hairstyle, and that green skin-tight jumpsuit that was impossible to mistake for anything else. Standing beside him were Neji with his pale white eyes and Tenten with her signature hair buns. They were standing right next to the same door on the second floor that was being presented as the correct exam room.
A huge commotion was unfolding near the doors. Two older-looking guys (actually disguised chunin) were rudely turning away everyone who tried to enter. One of them had just swung his leg and kicked Rock Lee with force. The thick-browed boy flew backward and awkwardly crashed onto the floor. Tenten immediately ran over to him, pretending to be genuinely worried.
'Lee is quite an actor.' - I smirked inwardly, perfectly aware that the guy in the green jumpsuit could have wiped the floor with those two without even removing his weights. Their entire team was clearly pretending to be weak so they wouldn't attract unnecessary attention before the exam began.
Sasuke, standing beside me, coldly watched the scene before looking at the sign. From his expression, it was obvious that he had already figured out the trick. When our eyes met, I nodded at him, and he nodded back. We silently headed toward the correct floor, bypassing the crowd. Sakura followed us with a confused expression, but without asking any questions.
- To be honest, I didn't expect you to actually show up. - However, a familiar voice stopped us. It was a female voice.
- Oh, hey, Temari. Glad to see you again so soon. - I said with a smile as I addressed Gaara's sister. Gaara himself was walking beside his sister, just like Kankuro.
- What's going on? Naruto, you know them? - Sakura asked me suspiciously.
- Yep! Let me introduce you. I met these three from the Sand recently. Temari, Kankuro, and… Um… I don't know the third guy's name. Never mind! These are my teammates, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. - Basically, I decided to play the role of the friendly guy and introduce everyone to each other.
- … - Kankuro looked at me like I was an idiot.
- … - As for Gaara, he paid no attention to me whatsoever. Sakura didn't get any attention from him either. However, the moment he noticed Sasuke, I immediately saw interest in his eyes. Standing in front of the Uchiha, Gaara continued staring at him.
- … - Sasuke decided not to back down and accepted the staring contest.
Man, what a weird sight. - I muttered while watching this peculiar battle of stares.
'The last thing we need is for these two to start arguing over who can stare at the other longer… Although, if I remember the original story, Gaara really is supposed to become interested in Sasuke. Maybe they can sense something dark in each other? They both had pretty tragic childhoods, after all…' - I thought.
- Sasuke… - Sakura quietly called his name, clearly not understanding what was happening between the two shinobi.
- … - The Uchiha gave no reaction to her words. His gaze remained cold and focused as he continued studying Gaara.
As for the latter, he looked completely calm. He simply stood in front of Sasuke, staring at him with his glassy eyes. No aggression, no unnecessary movements. Just that unpleasant, heavy gaze that even made me feel a little uneasy.
- What's your name? - Sasuke decided to directly ask the red-haired boy.
- Gaara of the Sand. - he answered coldly.
- … - After that, they continued staring at each other for a little while longer. Sakura, Temari, and Kankuro silently watched what was happening.
- I'll remember your name. - Gaara stated at last, after which he stopped paying attention to Sasuke.
- … - The Uchiha merely nodded in response before standing beside me and beginning to glance at Temari and Kankuro, assessing them.
- Where's your puppy? - Gaara's sister decided to break the awkward silence by asking me a question.
- I decided it would be dangerous to bring Lucky with me, so he stayed home, in his own world. - I replied.
- Reasonable decision. - Temari agreed with me, after which we somehow ended up talking about all sorts of things without even noticing.
- … - Kankuro, Sasuke, and Sakura didn't interfere in our conversation and merely gave us sidelong looks.
- Alright, I think we should head to the exam room. - I said eventually.
- And how are you planning to get in there when there are proctors standing at the entrance and not letting anyone inside? - she asked me.
- The exam room is on the third floor, while I have no idea why everyone else is crowding around the second floor. If they don't really want to take the exam, that's their problem. - I replied before starting up the stairs.
- …? - My answer was heard not only by Temari, but by all the other shinobi as well. It was a little awkward to suddenly feel the gazes of so many people on me.
- What an idiot… - Sasuke quietly said to me as he walked beside me.
- The more the merrier. - I replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, voices from the other participants gradually began coming from behind us. Someone finally understood what was going on, someone started checking the sign on the wall, while some shinobi decided not to risk it anymore and followed us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the two "proctors" standing near the fake exam room exchanging glances.
One of them gave a barely noticeable smirk.
- This guy is interesting… - he quietly said to his partner.
- … - The second man merely nodded.
Thus, ten minutes later, all the exam participants had gathered in the correct classroom. The atmosphere was tense… As for me, I was standing against the wall together with my team.
- You seemed pretty close with that kunoichi from the Sand. Temari, if I remember correctly? - Sakura-chan remarked. Strangely enough, I could hear some displeasure in her voice.
- Uh… Yeah, they seem like interesting people, but I'd advise you to stay away from Gaara. He seems quite dangerous to me. - I replied, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood.
- …? - The Uchiha continued looking at me suspiciously.
- Sasuke-kun! - A familiar, high-pitched girl's voice reached us. It was Ino, who had started bothering my gloomy teammate.
- … - Do I really need to say that Sasuke was not happy about all the attention?
- Hey, guys. I see you're taking the exam too? - I greeted the Ino-Shika-Cho team.
- Hey… - Shikamaru merely lazily waved at us in greeting.
- Hm! Hm! - Choji nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
- Hey, Naruto. - A familiar voice called out to me. Turning around, I noticed Kiba walking toward us, with Shino and Hinata behind him.
- Hm? What is it, Kiba? - I asked him after he came closer.
- Sniff-sniff! I was right! You and Sasuke smell weird. - he announced after sniffing us.
- Naruto-kun… -I heard Hinata quietly whisper my name from the corner of my ear.
- …? - I turned toward her and our eyes met.
- …! - She immediately blushed and looked away.
'What am I supposed to do? Aaaaa! This is so difficult… Alright, calm down! One thing at a time. I have a deadly opponent waiting for me up ahead. This is definitely not the time to think about relationships! First, I need to survive, and until then, I should try to stay on good terms with everyone.' - I thought.
- Hey! I'm talking to you, Naruto. Why the hell do you smell like dogs?! - Kiba had already stepped almost right up to me.
- What the hell do you care, doglover?! Why are you bothering me?! Go bother Sasuke instead! - In the end, Inuzuka was starting to get on my nerves.
- What did you call me, moron?! - Kiba angrily snapped, clearly looking for a fight.
- …! - The others became nervous, worried that we might actually start fighting each other.
- I see the rookies are quite energetic this year. However, I'd advise you to save that enthusiasm for the exam. - In the end, we were all distracted by an unfamiliar voice.
'Finally decided to show himself… Damn traitor! Alright, I need to calm down and not act hostile. This four-eyed bastard is extremely perceptive!' — I thought as I watched Kabuto approaching us.
- And who the hell are you? - Kiba asked him irritably.
- I'm Yakushi Kabuto. Just like you, I'm participating in the Chunin Exams. - the Orochimaru suck-up stated.
Kabuto turned out to be surprisingly talkative. And he did it so naturally that for a while I even forgot who we were actually dealing with.
He calmly introduced himself and casually mentioned that this was already his seventh time taking the exam. A murmur immediately spread through the crowd. Some people exchanged surprised looks, others looked at him with respect as a veteran, while he simply smiled kindly and answered their questions.
'What a slippery bastard!' - I thought as I watched him effortlessly blend into the group. No pressure or suspicious movements. Just an ordinary, friendly genin who had somehow gotten stuck taking the exam.
The information he provided was useful as well: rules, village specifics, old teams. From time to time, he pulled out those cards.
'Yep, there they are.' - In the original story, Kabuto used them like an encyclopedia.
Sasuke, as expected, immediately took the bait when Gaara came up, starting to ask questions about the red-haired boy. Kabuto willingly joined the conversation.
I didn't interfere much, simply observing from the side, but soon the attention shifted toward us as well. Kiba, sensing something strange, started talking about Sasuke and me, and Kabuto immediately pulled out cards on our team, recounting our missions and our battle in the Land of Waves.
Sakura listened with interest, while Sasuke remained silent. But Shikamaru…
I glanced sideways at the lazy little genius. Unlike everyone else, he was barely listening to the chatter about other people's abilities. His sharp gaze was fixed not on the cards, but on Kabuto himself.
As if Shikamaru had already figured something out. In the original story, his intelligence was always a major problem for spies, and even now he clearly had no intention of blindly trusting this four-eyed guy. At some point, he calmly asked to see Kabuto's own card.
I had to give the snake's lackey credit: he didn't lose his composure and immediately handed over the requested piece of paper. But the fact remained… Shikamaru wasn't assessing the enemy's strength. He was assessing the man himself.
'Nice one, Shikamaru! I'm sure that in the future, you'll become a reliable ally and friend.' - I thought.
Soon, the conversations died down on their own when the classroom door suddenly swung open. A man with a terrifying, scarred face and the heavy gaze of someone capable of ruining your life with just a few words appeared in the doorway.
'Ibiki Morino. Well, here we go.' - I thought, preparing myself for the first stage of the exam.