Chapter 46: Custom KunaiA Genin not buying standard Ninja tools but coming to her shop must have special requirements.Praise aside, as a Ninja tool expert from a family of Ninjas, Tenten's expression turned a bit more serious when the topic of Chakra-conductive metal came up."Metal that can conduct Chakra? We do have it."Tenten tapped her finger lightly against the glass counter in front of her, producing two crisp sounds:"However, Konoha doesn't have much stock of this metal. Usually, only Jonin and Anbu members come to order it to craft their own exclusive Ninja tools.""Because the yield is extremely low and it requires repeated refining to achieve weapon-grade conductivity, no one usually uses this material to make Kunai.""Do you have the money to buy it now?"Naruto quickly did the math in his head.Tenten was right; Chakra-conductive metal was simply not something a Genin could afford. The reward he saved from the Land of Waves mission plus the money from the D-rank missions over the past few days wouldn't even come close to buying the finished weapons in Tenten's display case.But he didn't need finished weapons; he only needed the most basic Kunai form, and he didn't need that many at this stage."I don't have much money, but I don't need to buy anything large or in large quantities."Naruto withdrew his gaze from the locked glass cabinets and said in a calm tone: "Just a few Kunaiwill be enough.""A few... Kunai?"Tenten was stunned for a moment, then shook her head with a laugh: "I just told you this metal is so precious it's sold by the gram, and you're telling me you want to use it to craft Kunai?""Kunai are consumables. It's perfectly normal to throw dozens of them in a single battle.""Using Chakra-conductive metal for consumables? Do you think this is just ordinary iron ore?"At this point, Tenten couldn't help but look at Naruto with a look of amusement and helplessness: Does this person really not know how expensive this metal is, or is he just a bit overconfident in certain aspects?Naruto didn't laugh and asked seriously: "Then, if I only use Chakra-conductive metal to craft five Kunai, roughly how much would it cost?"Looking at Naruto's serious expression, Tentenrealized he was genuinely asking this question and not joking.She took her arms off the counter and picked up the inventory ledger, flipping to the back pages, which were densely packed with the purchase prices and processing fees for various rare materials.She traced the entries line by line with her finger, silently calculating for a moment, then looked up."For five Kunai, just the cost of the metal itself plus the forging process—not counting extra custom design fees—would be roughly the reward for two B-rank missions."She turned the ledger around to show Naruto the number: "However, I must remind you that this is only the material cost and basic forging fee.""If you want a special shape or need specialized Chakra conductivity testing, that will be calculated separately."Two B-rank missions.Naruto subtracted the amount from his savings in his head, then pulled his frog wallet out of his Ninjatool pouch and counted all the bills and coins inside.He took out all the money from his wallet and placed it on the counter."Tenten, I'll order two.""This is the deposit."Naruto pressed the bills onto the counter and pushed them over: "I'll pay you the rest after I finish my next mission."Tenten looked at the money on the counter, then at Naruto, and nodded decisively."Alright, but I have to make it clear to you in advance: basically no one uses Chakra-conductive metal to craft standard Kunai, so the shop doesn't have ready-made molds. My dad will have to personally create a new mold.""He's quite busy lately; orders for Ninja tools in the Village have increased quite a bit around the Chunin Exams, so I don't know when he'll have the time to do it.""So you'll have to wait a while. I can't guarantee exactly when it will be finished."Naruto nodded in understanding.Waiting was no problem; the important thing was getting the items.After thinking for a moment, Naruto added: "As for the style, I want the special Kunai that the Fourth Hokage used."As he spoke, he raised his hand and gestured in the air; the Kunai's grip was longer than the standard size, the blade was widened so it could double as a short blade, and the grip made it easier to form hand signs with both hands.Tenten had been recording the order information in the ledger, but upon hearing the words "Fourth Hokage's special Kunai," her pen tip poked a small ink dot onto the paper.She looked up at Naruto, a flash of undisguised surprise in her eyes."The Fourth Hokage's special Kunai?""You really have an eye for things. This style of Kunai is rarely ordered now because the grip is longer than standard Kunai and the weight distribution is different from the conventional model; not everyone can use it.""But since you specified this style, I'll write it down for you."After recording the specific specifications, Tententook a standard Kunai as a reference and had Narutocompare it to the specific grip length and blade proportions.After the two confirmed all the details, Tentencounted the deposit and placed it into a safe under the counter engraved with a Sealing Jutsu, then tore off a small note, wrote down the order number and amount in duplicate, and gave one copy to Naruto."You're actually quite lucky."Tenten added casually as she tore off the note and handed it over: "My dad happened to have something to do outside today and asked me to watch the shop.""Usually, he and my mom take shifts in the shop, and I only come to help occasionally when I don't have missions or training.""If you hadn't run into me today, let alone a custom order, you might have had to go to two other shops just to rent standard Ninja tools from the counter."Naruto folded the order note in half and tucked it into the inner compartment of his Ninja tool pouch."Then thank you, Tenten.""After your dad finishes it, just notify me whenever. Send a message or have a teammate pass the word along, either way is fine, and I'll come to pick it up.""You're participating in the Chunin Exams too, right?"Tenten nodded and set the pen down next to the ledger."Then we'll see each other at the Chunin Exams. Good luck."Naruto nodded at Tenten, then pushed open the wooden door and walked out.The brass bell above the door gave another crisp jingle.Naruto walked back along the street in the Ninjadistrict, his pace a bit lighter than when he arrived.The matter of the Flying Thunder God-specific Kunai was basically settled; although it wasn't certain exactly when he could receive the goods, at least the channel was opened.Once this order was completed, he would have two exclusive Ninja tools in his hand that could retain the Flying Thunder God jutsu formula for a long time, so he wouldn't have to re-mark a standard Kunai every few days.After watching Naruto leave, Tenten closed the inventory ledger that had been spread out on the counter, picked up her pen, and wrote a line of small text on the stack of note paper to remind her dad about the details of the Chakra-conductive metal order, then tidied up the scattered documents on the counter.
Chapter 47: Flying Thunder God Training DirectionAs Tenten bent down to put back the ninja tool samples she had just taken out, the copper bell on the door chimed."Welcome to..."Tenten stood up, habitually wearing her customer service smile, but before she could finish, the smile on her face withered as quickly as a flower hit by frost.It wasn't that she didn't want to smile, but rather that the two people who had walked into the shop were Anbu members wearing animal masks.The one in front wore a cat mask, while the one behind wore a dog mask.Their footsteps were incredibly light; the distance from the door to the counter was covered without making a sound, and there wasn't even a creak from the wooden floor.The cat-masked Anbu stopped in front of the counter, their gaze lingering on Tenten's face for less than a second before sweeping over the inventory ledger and order slips on the counter that hadn't been put away yet.The dog-masked Anbu did not approach the counter but stood with their back to the door, hands behind their back, their gaze slowly sweeping over the ninja tools displayed on the shop walls through the eye holes of the mask."What did Uzumaki Naruto buy here just now?"The cat-masked Anbu asked, their voice low and steady, without any inflection. Yet, it was precisely because of that lack of inflection that the question carried such weight in the quiet shop."Huh?"After saying goodbye to Tenten, Naruto walked back along the streets of Konoha.The setting sun sank behind the Hokage Rock, and the entire Village was shrouded in a gentle twilight. Shops along the street began to light up one by one, with warm yellow light spilling out from the windows, casting scattered patches of light on the ground.Naruto went to the public market in Konoha.At this hour, the market was almost closing, and the remaining produce had been picked over several times. Still, he managed to buy a small bag of rice, some green onions, two eggs, and a piece of meat from an old woman who was preparing to pack up.The old woman kept her head down while taking the money, counting it twice without once looking up at Naruto's face.Naruto didn't mind and left after thanking her.Back at his apartment, Naruto busied himself in his clean little kitchen.He had learned to cook when he lived alone in his past life. While he was no master chef, whipping up a few home-cooked dishes was no problem.He washed the rice and put it on to cook, sliced the pork thin and rendered the fat in the pan, sautéed the green onions until fragrant, then poured in the beaten eggs and stir-fried them together, finally drizzling a bit of soy sauce for seasoning.In less than half an hour, a plate of stir-fried pork with green onions, a plate of scrambled eggs, and a bowl of white rice were served on the small, spotless low table.After eating, Naruto wrapped the leftovers in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.Now, the refrigerator was finally no longer filled with just expired milk and instant noodles; the fridge compartment was neatly stocked with fresh vegetables and meat, and there were two saury fish frozen in the freezer.He had purchased these in batches over the past few days. Konoha's market had several stalls, and he visited different ones each time—buying meat on the east side and vegetables on the west—trying his best not to attract attention.After eating and wiping the kitchen counter clean, Naruto walked into the living room and created several Shadow Clones.The Shadow Clones sat opposite the main body and began discussing the details of throwing a Kunai.The clones spoke back and forth in moderate tones. In between, Naruto intentionally had the Shadow Clones say a few things about Chakra and the like, letting the sound pass through the walls and vents so the Anbu crouching in the tree opposite could hear.Twenty minutes later, Naruto yawned, told the Shadow Clones to continue the discussion, and walked into the bathroom with his change of clothes.The moment the bathroom door closed, Naruto took a Kunai engraved with the pentagram Flying Thunder God Mark from his ninja tool pouch and hid it silently.As long as he had this Kunai, he could teleport back from the Waterfall Cave at any time.Using Shadow Clones and the Transformation Technique combined with a garbage bag to sneak out last time had been successful, but the process was too cumbersome and prone to errors.Now that there was a Flying Thunder Godcoordinate hidden in the apartment, coming and going would be simple.As long as he could sense the position of this Kunai, he could return with a single thought.Naruto turned on the shower, and hot water splashed onto the bathroom floor, white steam quickly filling the cramped space.He stood under the shower, closed his eyes, and slowly spread out his perception.Outside the apartment, the Chakra of the two Anbuwas still in their usual spots.There were no signs of Sandaime's Telescope Technique; there was no prickly sensation of being watched. Hiruzen Sarutobi was likely busy with preparations for the Chunin Exams.Naruto took a deep breath, mobilized the Chakra in his body, and focused his mind on the Flying Thunder God fixed-point Kunai hidden deep within the Waterfall Cave.The moment the Flying Thunder God formula was activated, the white mist of steam in the bathroom distorted slightly. A golden thread of light, almost invisible to the naked eye, flashed through the air, and then Naruto disappeared from the bathroom entirely.The shower continued to spray hot water, the sound steady and continuous, and the steam in the bathroom remained thick and impenetrable.The next second, Naruto's feet landed on the rocky ground of the Waterfall Cave.He opened his eyes to see a domed cave with a diameter of five hundred meters.The Perception Blocking Barrier was still operating steadily; the barrier's wall was intact, showing no signs of having been touched or probed.The cave was filled with a faint dampness from the waterfall mist drifting in and mixing with the dry rocks; the temperature was at least five or six degrees lower than outside.The roar of the waterfall crashing into the pool came through the rock walls, low and muffled, like the sound of drums muffled by several layers of quilts."Everything is normal."After confirming everything was normal, Narutowalked to the center of the cave, where there was an open space he had specially leveled: "Then, let tonight's training begin."He formed a cross hand seal."Shadow Clone Technique."Poof, poof, poof, poof...Forty clouds of smoke burst open in the spacious cave. After the smoke cleared, forty Shadow Clones stood neatly across half the open space, forty pairs of eyes looking at the main body simultaneously, full of vigor."Everyone, let's begin."Naruto said."Yo!" X40All the Shadow Clones responded in unison, then quickly dispersed, each finding their own spot in the cave.Tonight, Naruto had set a few clear breakthrough directions for his Flying Thunder God training.The first direction was the speed of marking the formula.The most terrifying ability of Minato was not the Flying Thunder God itself, but the fact that he could engrave the Flying Thunder God formula onto an enemy the instant he touched them during combat, and then the battle would be over.A classic battle was between Minato and the traitor Obito; in the split second they crossed paths, after hitting him with a Rasengan, he took the opportunity to engrave the Flying Thunder God Mark on Obito, ending the battle in just a few breaths.This was what Naruto wanted to practice: in high-intensity combat, being able to engrave the formula the moment his finger touched any part of the enemy's body without any lag in his movements.
Chapter 48: Training, Hokage OfficeThe second direction is the stability and stealth of the technique.The Flying Thunder God has a heaven-defying characteristic: the mark can be permanently retained, and it is completely concealed when not activated, making it almost impossible for the marked person to detect.After the traitor Obito was marked by Minato, the mark remained on him for a full sixteen years.This is not just a matter of Chakra control precision; it also involves the sealing and concealment mechanism after the technique is inscribed.If Naruto's current Flying Thunder God mark is not activated, it will blur and lose its effect after a few days due to the natural dissipation of Chakra. To reach the state of "permanent once marked, hidden when unused," he still needs to put in a lot of effort.The third direction is to integrate the Flying Thunder God into his own combat style.Everyone's combat style is different. Minato Namikaze is an extreme speed-attack type, and in his hands, the Flying Thunder God is the core of his decapitation tactics.The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was a tactical type; the Flying Thunder God was merely one component in his vast tactical repertoire.Naruto needs to find a usage that belongs to him. His advantages are his Chakra reserves and the extreme mobility of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. What kind of chemical reaction the Flying Thunder God can produce when combined with this system needs to be continuously tested in combat simulations.The fourth direction, and also the most important, is to advance the Flying Thunder God to the second stage.The first stage of the Flying Thunder God is a fixed-point single teleportation, while the second stage is continuous teleportation. It allows for multiple coordinate switches in the air, enabling one to change attack directions, evasion routes, and pursuit paths out of thin air.This requires the user's calculation speed of spatial coordinates and Chakra activation frequency to reach an extremely high level....Soon, forty Shadow Clones entered a state of focus, while Naruto walked to the other side of the cave and began practical adaptation for the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.He mobilized the Nine-Tails Chakra within his body. In an instant, golden Chakra began to spread, his hair stood up to form two horn shapes, six black magatama appeared on his collar, and his pupils turned into vertical beast slits.The moment the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode covered his entire body, Naruto could clearly feel that his speed, strength, reaction, and perception had all been pulled to a completely different level.Naruto stood still in the center of the cave. He didn't rush to perform high-difficulty moves, but started from the very basics.Straight punches, roundhouse kicks, side dodges, forward dashes with sudden stops, and high-speed directional changes.Every movement was done slowly; he was not pursuing speed, but calibrating muscle memory, allowing his body to form stable neural pathways for every exertion movement while in the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.After the basic footwork was calibrated, Narutobegan to summon Chakra in different directions around his body.First, two golden Chakra Arms extended from both sides of his shoulders, then from his back, and then from his waist.Seven or eight Chakra Arms unfolded in the cave simultaneously; the scene was quite spectacular.It wasn't the first time Naruto had experienced the power of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode's Chakra Arms, but being able to manipulate them freely in combat was another matter entirely.Naruto controlled the Chakra Arms to simultaneously grab gravel of different sizes on the ground, some clenching into fists, some spreading their five fingers, and some lightly tapping with a single finger, precisely controlling the force to avoid crushing the stones into dust.Then, he tried to have these arms coordinate with his own taijutsu movements during motion, making the connection between every punch and kick smoother and more natural.Time flowed slowly amidst such high-intensity training.Meanwhile, in the office of the Hokage Building, the dark red glow of a pipe flickered in the dim light.The Sandaime, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind a large desk piled high with documents, his pipe in his mouth, holding a brush and making annotations on a scroll.An Anbu member wearing a cat mask appeared silently in front of the desk, knelt on one knee, and presented a scroll with both hands."Hokage-sama, this is the itinerary record for the Jinchuriki today. In the morning, he went to the Ninjabusiness district and stopped in front of four Ninjatool shops, but he didn't enter any of them.""In the afternoon, he was in his apartment, and in the evening, he discussed Ninjutsu theory with his Shadow Clones for a while."Before the cat-masked Anbu could finish, the Sandaime raised his hand and waved it gently, signaling him not to continue reading."Good work. Put the scroll down."Upon hearing this, the cat-masked Anbu did not linger, placed the scroll on a designated rack at the edge of the desk, and then vanished silently with a body flicker.The Sandaime did not immediately reach for the scroll.He turned his head and waved his aged finger lightly over the desk; the crystal ball on the desk displayed a real-time image of Naruto's apartment.At this moment, Naruto was fast asleep under his quilt, his golden hair a mess, the quilt only covering half of him, one leg dangling off the edge of the bed, occasionally turning over and smacking his lips.His breathing was steady, his sleeping posture completely unguarded—exactly what a twelve-year-old boy who had been exhausted would look like."So he went to the Ninja business district..."The Sandaime took the pipe out of his mouth and tapped it against the edge of the ashtray. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his aged mouth: "The Chunin Exams are almost here; little Narutomust be feeling the pressure.""Knowing to check out the equipment at the Ninjatool shops before the exam—compared to that impetuous brat from before, he really has gained a bit more of the mindset of someone about to go to the battlefield."Hiruzen Sarutobi took another puff of his pipe, turned off the image in the crystal ball, and reached out to pick up the scroll.Just as his fingers were about to touch the scroll, the office door was knocked."Come in."Hiruzen Sarutobi set the scroll aside for the moment, leaned back in his chair, and put the pipe back into his mouth.The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and three figures filed in from the corridor outside.Walking at the very front was a young female Ninjawith a short ponytail, wearing a beige trench coat: Anko Mitarashi, the proctor for the second stage of the exam.Following behind Anko Mitarashi was a pale, thin young man with dark circles under his eyes so heavy it looked like he hadn't slept in days; he coughed lightly every few steps. It was Gekkō Hayate, the proctor for the third stage preliminary exams.Walking at the end was a burly, scarred giant; this face was famous in Konoha and even the entire Ninja World. It was Ibiki Morino, the proctor for the first stage of the exam and the ace of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force.The three of them walked to the front of the desk, stood in a neat row, and bowed slightly in unison."Hokage-sama."They were all appearing here at the same time for only one reason: the deployment of proctors for the Chunin Exams."Thank you for your hard work, Anko, Hayate, Ibiki."Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze swept across the faces of the three, his tone carrying his usual kindness: "For the upcoming Chunin Exams, I will have to trouble the three of you to preside over your respective stages.""Ibiki will be responsible for the first stage written exam, Anko will be responsible for the second stage, the Forest of Death, and Hayate will be responsible for presiding over the third stage preliminaries.""After the preliminaries are over, I will personally supervise the final official matches."
Chapter 49: Five Days Later, the Chunin ExamsBegin"Hokage-sama, this is what we ought to do."The three spoke in unison, without any superfluous pleasantries, their voices conveying a complete acceptance of their duties.Sandaime nodded.He picked up a document on the desk and went over the specific arrangements and precautions for the Chunin Exams with the three of them from beginning to end, discussing everything from the examination procedures, emergency contingency plans, and communication codes between various exam venues, to how to handle potential provocations from Ninja of other Villages and sudden diplomatic disputes.After the discussion concluded, the three bowed slightly once more, then exited the Hokage Officeone by one.The footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away, and the office returned to a quiet filled only with the scent of smoke and old wooden furniture.Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone for a while, habitually glancing once more at Naruto's peaceful sleeping face inside the crystal ball.Then he reached out and picked up the scroll that the Anbu had just delivered.But his hand paused for a moment on the wax seal of the scroll without opening it, because another document spread out on the corner of the desk, with a few lines of text that pulled his thoughts toward matters more worthy of his attention.This was a partial record of communications between Sunagakure and Otogakure over the past few months, and there was one piece of intelligence that concerned him greatly.The Fourth Kazekage seemed to be in contact with someone, whether intentionally or unintentionally.When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that name, the hand holding his pipe paused slightly.Outside the window, the sky was high and the clouds were sparse.The Chunin Exams were a selection process, but also a game of strategy, and the undercurrents of this year's game seemed even more turbulent than in previous years.Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the intelligence, picked up his pipe and lit it again, and fell into deep thought amidst the rising smoke....In the Waterfall Cave, Naruto did not know that the examiner meeting regarding the Chunin Exams in the Hokage Office had ended.He only knew that it was about time to go back.He locked his mind onto the Flying Thunder GodKunai in his apartment.Swish!The next second, Naruto appeared in the apartment's bathroom.The Shadow Clone seemed to sense something, then walked into the bathroom in a daze.After swapping identities, Naruto put the Kunaihidden in the bathroom back into his Ninja tool pouch, and then lay down on the bed.He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.Over the next few days, Naruto went about his normal activities in the Village during the day, occasionally chatting with Uncle Ichiraku about new ramen flavors.At night, he would use the Flying Thunder God to go to the Waterfall Cave and train with forty Shadow Clones.For an ordinary Ninja, five days might not even be enough to master drawing the Flying Thunder Godformula.But Naruto had forty Shadow Clones contemplating it simultaneously, which was equivalent to one person spending two hundred full days to master the same jutsu.The intensive training of forty people made his memory integration before sleep every day feel like a torrent of information; in five days, Naruto had finally conquered all the most important breakthroughs.First was the Flying Thunder God Level Two continuous teleportation, completing multiple coordinate switches in mid-air and executing changes in attack direction—he had achieved it.This improvement was crucial.If the Flying Thunder God Level One gave him a teleportation tool, the Flying Thunder God Level Two allowed him to master the fundamentals of dynamic spatial combat.Now, relying solely on his taijutsu speed combined with the Flying Thunder God, even without using the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, he was capable of creating devastating positional confusion for his opponents in a direct confrontation.In terms of marking speed, after five days of high-speed touching and marking training tens of thousands of times a day, Naruto could now carve the complete pentagram formula onto his opponent in the split second of a taijutsu clash.Although the precision and stealth had not yet reached the heaven-defying level of his father, Minato Namikaze, where the mark was permanent upon application and undetectable unless activated.His current marks could last about one to two weeks, but he was on the right track, and the rest was just a matter of grinding; he would catch up sooner or later.Regarding the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, in five days, he had raised the coordination and stability of his speed, strength, perception, and Chakra Arms by a significant level.Among them, the application of Chakra Armsshowed the most obvious progress; he could already summon large hands from eight to ten different directions simultaneously to perform combo attacks.During this time, the Nine-Tailed woke up twice; once was to criticize his posture for summoning the large hands as not being imposing enough, and the other time was to yawn and say: "Hmph, your use of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is barely acceptable; you didn't disgrace my Chakra!"On the last night, Naruto did not continue with extra training.He stood in the cave for a moment, looking around at the small pile of Kunai used for practice at his feet and the Flying Thunder God marks fixed on the rock walls, then brushed his hand over the sixteen Kunaiwith pentagram marks inside his Ninja tool pouch, before withdrawing his gaze.As he walked out of the waterfall area, he looked up at the greyish-white morning light breaking on the horizon and let out a soft breath.From the time of his transmigration until now, he had finally transformed himself from a transmigrator relying on plot knowledge and instinct to survive, into someone who truly held a few trump cards on this land of Konoha.Morning.Naruto stood in the squeaky-clean bathroom of his apartment, examining his new look in the mirror.His hair was a bit longer than before, no longer that short, shaved crew cut, but slightly longer, just enough for a few strands to naturally hang on both sides of his cheeks.He swept his golden bangs upward, no longer covering his forehead, revealing his full eyebrows and forehead protector.The deep blue band of his forehead protector was tied very neatly, making him look like a completely different person compared to his previous crooked tying style.He had also completely changed his clothes.It was no longer the orange tracksuit, but a sleek, black, high-collared bodysuit, tailored to fit closely but not tightly, well-highlighting his joints and muscle lines.Over it, he wore a short white trench coat, unbuttoned, its hem fluttering slightly behind him, creating a sharp visual contrast with the pure black clothes underneath.At the same time, he also changed into a pair of black Ninja shoes, the soles of which were more wear-resistant than the previous pair, suitable for high-speed movement.Naruto smiled at himself in the mirror.If not for the three iconic whisker-like marks still on his face, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed person in the black trench coat and white jacket in the mirror would be the spitting image of a miniature Minato Namikaze.No.In fact, compared to Minato Namikaze's aura of composure mixed with low-key gentleness, his features and eyes possessed an extra layer of flamboyant, youthful sharpness.Originally, Naruto didn't intend to be so flashy, but his strength gave him the confidence.The Flying Thunder God Level Two's practical teleportation ability combined with the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—appropriately revealing some changes to let the outside world speculate would actually make it easier to seize the initiative.Besides, he was going to be the Hokage in the future; if he always cowered and hid, he would never be able to uphold the Hokage haori behind him.True control was never about not being discovered, but about changing his appearance, standing in front of everyone, and having everyone be forced to accept it.After adjusting his forehead protector, Narutostepped out with a steady, unhurried pace and pushed open the door of his apartment.
Chapter 50: Ninja AcademyNaruto walked towards the Ninja Academy, following the route in his memory.His pace was neither fast nor slow, his white trench coat swaying gently as he walked. The black high-collared bodysuit made him look infinitely sharper in the morning light than he had before.A few middle-aged women sweeping the side of the road looked up at Naruto, their brooms stopping, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes."That is?""The... Fourth Hokage?""No... that's impossible!"They opened their mouths, but dared not say anything more, lowering their heads to continue sweeping.Naruto paid no attention to these gazes.He turned the last corner before the Ninja Academyand saw two familiar figures in the distance.Sasuke was leaning against a tree at the school entrance with his hands in his pockets, and Sakurawas standing beside him.Naruto walked towards the two of them and raised his right hand in a casual wave."You two are here early."Sasuke and Sakura turned their heads at the same time.Then both of them froze.It was Naruto's voice.Sasuke's pupils constricted slightly when he saw Naruto.Who was this blond-haired, blue-eyed guy in front of him?His hair was a bit longer than Naruto's, and the golden strands on his forehead parted naturally to the sides, revealing his full eyebrows and forehead protector.He was wearing a sharply tailored black bodysuit, with a short white trench coat over it. The coat was unbuttoned, fluttering behind him whenever the wind blew.There was a calm smile on his face beneath the forehead protector, making him look like a completely different person from the Loser who was always grinning foolishly."This Loser is actually acting so cocky."Sasuke evaluated coldly in his heart.He wasn't quite sure why he felt a bit annoyed; maybe it was because Naruto's outfit was vaguely starting to surpass him.Sakura's reaction, however, was in a completely different direction.The golden hair fell naturally from both sides, giving him a sense of clean, sharp youthfulness that he usually lacked.The black high-collared shirt accentuated his flat, straight shoulder line, and the white trench coat fluttered slightly in the morning breeze—it was simply a product of a different dimension compared to that sloppy orange tracksuit from before.Sakura subconsciously compared him to Sasuke, and then let out a scream in the depths of her heart that only she could hear."So Naruto is actually this handsome when he cleans up?""No, no, no...""Damn it, Sakura, what are you thinking? You like Sasuke-kun!""Someone like Naruto can't compare to Sasuke-kun at all!""Sasuke-kun will always be the most handsome!""Naruto just changed his clothes; he's still that same Loser at his core!""That's right, that's right, exactly!"After completing a whole process of self-persuasive debate in her mind, Sakura coughed and resumed her reserved expression.She shifted her gaze away from Naruto and looked at Sasuke's profile, confirming that her heart did indeed beat faster when looking at Sasuke, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.Subsequently, the three of them walked along the corridor towards Classroom 301.The school building was already crowded with many Genin taking the exam. The corridors were lined with members of various teams; some were looking down, checking their ninja tools, while others were whispering and discussing tactics. The air was filled with a tension and excitement akin to the moments before a great battle.Naruto walked slightly behind the other two, with Sasuke in the lead and Sakura beside Sasuke.As they passed through the middle of the corridor, whispers broke out on both sides."Hey, look at that blond guy.""Blond hair, blue eyes, black clothes, white coat—this color scheme and temperament, could it be...""That's impossible, the Fourth Hokage has already...""But he really looks too much like him. Look at the way he walks, and his hair color—he's cut from the exact same mold as the Fourth Hokage's statue on Hokage Rock...""I heard that the Fourth Hokage's wife was indeed pregnant back then...""Shh, don't talk nonsense!""That kind of thing is not allowed to be mentioned by the higher-ups."Gazes gathered from all directions, some filled with curiosity, some with surprise, and some with a touch of scrutiny and appraisal.Naruto remained calm, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his mouth, neither explaining nor denying it.He already saw very clearly in the mirror just how high the similarity was between his current attire and his father, Minato.Let others guess however they want; the more they guess, the less they will dare to act rashly.In an arena like the Chunin Exams, where various factions are testing each other, a newcomer from the Village who bears a striking resemblance to the Fourth Hokage inherently carries complex informational weight, which is more effective than any graded warning.Sasuke walked in front, and he could hear the content of those whispers behind him.His hand clenched slightly in his shorts pocket, then relaxed.He didn't know what he was thinking."The Fourth Hokage?""What does that have to do with Naruto?"But he did notice that since returning from the Land of Waves, Naruto's gait, the rhythm of his speech, and even his expressions when quiet were different from before.Sakura's curiosity was being clawed at like a cat, getting itchier the more it was scratched.She couldn't help but steal glances at Naruto every few steps, sizing up his profile and hair, comparing where Naruto's face resembled the stone carving of the Fourth Hokage on Hokage Rock.After struggling internally for half the corridor, Sakura finally couldn't help it, and she moved a step closer to Naruto."Hey, Naruto, they said you look really like the Fourth Hokage!""Look, look, blond hair, blue eyes, and your height is about the same proportion!""It's really super similar, did you hear what they were saying at all?"Naruto turned his head to look at Sakura, a wry smile on his face, and said nonchalantly, "Sakura, that's the Fourth Hokage; it's probably just a coincidence.""Right, right, I also think it's a coincidence."Sakura nodded thoughtfully. Her understanding of Naruto since childhood was that he was an orphan with no relatives in the Village. A high-and-mighty figure like the Fourth Hokage could never have any blood relation to Naruto.It was probably really just a coincidence.Blond hair and blue eyes, while rare, were not unheard of.Yeah, that's it.Sakura successfully convinced herself and then turned her attention back to Sasuke.The three of them turned onto the stairs and headed towards the third floor.The floor where Classroom 301 was located was just a short distance up from the end of the second-floor corridor, but when they reached the corridor between the second floor and the mezzanine, a large crowd was gathered not far ahead.The crowd blocked the entire corridor so tightly that it was impossible to get through.In the center of the crowd was a doorway, and above the door hung a sign that said 301.Standing at the entrance were two Genin, one tall and thin, the other of medium build and stocky. Both wore Konoha forehead protectors, their arms crossed over their chests, and their faces wore a very deliberate, fierce expression.On the ground in front of them, several Genin who had been beaten black and blue were clutching their stomachs and crawling away.
Chapter 51: Rock Lee, NejiA youth wearing a green bodysuit, with eyebrows as thick as two caterpillars, was arguing with those two gatekeeping Genin.His tone was agitated, his arms waving through the air with great force, but there were several obvious shoe prints on his bodysuit."On what grounds are you not letting us in?""The Chunin Exams are right here!""You are obstructing us from taking the exam!"One of the gatekeeping Genin lowered his head and glanced at him with a look of disdain.It was as if he were looking at a grasshopper that had accidentally hopped onto his foot, and then he raised his leg and kicked Rock Lee straight back.Rock Lee rolled on the ground twice before climbing back up. There was a bruise on his face, but his eyes were still frighteningly bright, as if taking those hits was no different than being brushed by a breeze."So it's Rock Lee."Naruto stood still on the periphery of the crowd, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trench coat.Since Rock Lee was here, then Tenten and Neji must be nearby as well.His gaze swept over the crowd, and sure enough, he saw Tenten and Neji in the very front row.Tenten had her signature twin buns, holding a few shuriken in her hand, and was about to step forward to reason with them.Neji stood half a step behind Tenten, his white eyes sweeping over the two gatekeeping Genin. His expression was calm as water, but the position he stood in was just right to reach out and support her the moment Tenten was attacked.Tenten stepped forward, her tone far more restrained than Rock Lee's, attempting to persuade the two gatekeepers to let them pass by reasoning with them.The gatekeepers didn't reason with her at all. One of them flicked his arm, and the back of his hand slapped directly onto Tenten's cheek."Slap!"The sound wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either.Tenten's face was knocked to the side, and a red mark immediately appeared on her left cheek.Naruto watched this scene from the periphery of the crowd, his brows furrowing slightly, but he didn't move his feet.In order to avoid attracting attention, Rock Lee and Tenten had disguised themselves as weaklings, so they didn't fight back even when hit.Since it was someone else's plan, why would he go up there?Besides, this kind of showing off definitely required the 'King of Cool' to make an appearance. Narutoshifted his gaze to the side.Sure enough, Sasuke moved.He strode forward from the back of the crowd, his gait carrying that unique Uchiha confidence.He passed through the crowd without even glancing at anyone around him—not even giving Tenten or Rock Lee a look—and walked straight up to the two gatekeeping Genin."Move aside, we're going through."The two Genin wanted to speak, but were interrupted by Sasuke: "Also, you should hurry up and dispel this barrier created by low-level genjutsu.""I'm heading to the third floor, not the second."In an instant, the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar."Genjutsu? He said this is genjutsu?"A Genin nearby lowered his voice and said to his teammate."How is that possible? This is clearly a 301 sign, I can even see seats through the crack in the door."His teammate pointed at the door, looking unconvinced."That's correct, this is the second floor."At this moment, Sakura stood at the front of the crowd, arms crossed, her tone firm and decisive.She had stared at this door for less than a minute before discovering something was wrong; the writing of '301' on the sign had extremely subtle fluctuations under the light.Her Chakra control precision and sensitivity to genjutsu were considered high among her peers, and the traces of this genjutsu were, in her eyes, practically a small trick laid out right in front of her.The two gatekeepers were silent for a moment."Hmph!"One of them curled the corner of his mouth slightly in a cold snort, then performed a hand seal himself.Immediately, the air trembled slightly, and then the '301' on the wall squirmed and changed back to '201'. The outline of the door frame also distorted slightly, merging back into the structure of the second-floor hallway.The crowd gathered at the entrance gasped in unison."Pretty impressive.""However, just seeing through it isn't enough..."Before the gatekeeping Genin could finish his sentence, his right leg had already kicked out as fast as lightning, his instep aiming straight for Sasuke's face with a sharp whistling wind.The speed of this kick was immeasurably faster than when he had kicked Rock Lee earlier. Clearly, when they were beating up that bunch of small fry before, these two hadn't used their real skills at all.Sasuke's pupils constricted slightly, and his left leg kicked out at almost the same instant.He had been training his taijutsu incessantly since the Land of Waves mission, especially after sparring with Sakura for five days, so his leg speed was faster than before.But just as their feet were about to collide in mid-air, a green afterimage inserted itself between the two at a speed that defied physical intuition.Both of their feet were caught simultaneously by a pair of hands wrapped in white bandages.Sasuke's foot was firmly gripped in the left palm, and the gatekeeping Genin's foot was gripped in the right palm.Both of their feet stopped in mid-air, less than a palm's width away from each other's faces.At this moment, the anxious expression Rock Leehad during the earlier argument was gone, replaced by a completely different kind of seriousness and focus."So fast..."Sasuke was shocked inside.He hadn't even clearly seen how Rock Lee had instantly appeared in the middle from the edge of the crowd.The surrounding crowd was also silent. The thick-browed youth in front of them, who had just been getting kicked all over the hallway, was now displaying a performance that made everyone refresh their perception of him."Hey, hey, Rock Lee, this isn't what we agreed on."At this point, Neji stepped forward from the crowd, his tone indifferent: "Didn't you say you didn't want to attract too much attention, so as to avoid being guarded against prematurely?""But..."Upon hearing this, Rock Lee's expression switched instantly from serious to a shy shade of red. His gaze passed over Sasuke and landed straight on a patch of pink hair in the crowd ahead.He released their feet, and in 0.1 seconds, switched from combat mode to youthful confession mode. He excitedly took a step forward and spoke loudly to Sakura."My name is Rock Lee, you are Sakura, right? Please go out with me!""I will definitely protect you, I will protect you until I die!"In an instant, the air in the entire hallway froze.Sakura's expression went from nervous to confused, to shocked, to disgusted, completing a textbook-level four-stage facial transformation.She looked at Rock Lee in front of her—thick-browed and big-eyed, wearing an all-green bodysuit, hair cut into a bowl cut, and eyebrows so thick they could be used as a scrub brush—and her mouth twitched involuntarily, then she made an 'X' with her hands in front of her."Absolutely not! I don't like boys with such thick eyebrows!"Rock Lee was petrified on the spot as if struck by lightning.His body was still maintaining the posture of his confession, but he had lost all color from head to toe.Taking advantage of this opening, Naruto waved at Tenten."Long time no see, Tenten."Tenten was rubbing her cheek, which had been slapped red. Hearing the voice, she looked up, saw Naruto standing in the crowd waving at her, was stunned for a moment, and then smiled.
Chapter 52: Rock Lee Challenges Sasuke"It's Naruto, I almost didn't recognize you! Long time no see!"Tenten heard this, her gaze moved away from the still-petrified Rock Lee, and when she turned to see Naruto, her eyes lit up: "Did you change your look?""You were still wearing that orange one when we last met.""This outfit is nice, it looks much sharper than your previous one."Naruto was about to answer, but Neji, standing beside him, tilted his head slightly to look at him.He lingered on Naruto for a moment; his expression didn't change, but his gaze slowly shifted between Naruto's white windbreaker and black turtleneck before he retracted his gaze and asked: "Do you know each other?""Yeah, he ordered ninja tools from my family's ninja tool shop, so we've met once."Tenten answered very straightforwardly.Sakura watched this scene, watching the natural conversation between Tenten and Naruto, and a strange, uncomfortable feeling suddenly welled up in her heart.She cleared her throat, then grabbed Sasuke's sleeve and called out to Naruto's side."Let's go, let's go, Sasuke, Naruto, the exam is important, don't waste time here!"Naruto nodded to Tenten as a farewell, then he, Sasuke, and Sakura passed through the crowd that had returned to normal and headed up the stairs toward the third floor.At this moment, Rock Lee broke out of his petrified state. He looked in the direction where Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had left, his thick lips moved, then he clenched his fists and straightened his back again.After passing through the second-floor mezzanine, the corridor was noticeably much quieter.Most of the candidates who had truly passed the illusion identification had already gone in; only the three of them were on this short stretch of stairs.Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the corner of the stairs behind them.Naruto's footsteps paused slightly, he swept his perception backward, and then the corners of his mouth curved slightly."Wait a second."Sure enough.The next moment.A green figure dashed up from the corner and, the next second, stopped steadily behind the three of them.Rock Lee stood in the middle of the stairs, his voice full of vigor, causing a slight echo in the hallway."Uchiha Sasuke, I want to challenge you."Rock Lee's gaze passed over Sakura and Naruto and landed on Sasuke."It wasn't convenient on the second floor just now, but now that no one is disturbing us here, I want to confirm one thing for myself: just how much strength does Uchiha Sasuke, the number one rookie of this year, really have?"Sasuke turned around slowly, looking down at Rock Lee.This thick-browed guy had caught his leg and the gatekeeper Genin's leg with a single move on the second floor just now; his speed was indeed fast enough.Sasuke's lips curled up slightly."Sure."Having said that, Sasuke turned and walked toward Rock Lee, his white collar brushing gently against his neck as he turned.Sasuke launched the attack first.He pushed off the ground with his right foot, Chakraerupting at his ankle, and his entire body turned into a black straight line, charging straight at Rock Lee.This punch had no feints, no probing; he simply pushed his speed to the limit, hitting head-on, testing just how fast the opponent really was.Rock Lee tilted his body slightly—not a Body Flicker Technique, not a Replacement Technique, just pure lower-body evasion.Sasuke's fist missed, brushing past the tip of Rock Lee's nose; the wind from the punch lifted the eyebrows on Rock Lee's forehead, making them flutter slightly.Before Sasuke could retract his arm from the missed swing, Rock Lee's right foot sprang up from the ground, his leg snapping out like a fully tensioned steel bar, the arc it traced in the air almost leaving no shadow."Konoha Whirlwind!"This kick landed solidly on Sasuke's ribs.Sasuke only had time to turn his body slightly at the moment of contact to use his shoulder to absorb some of the impact force, but his whole body was kicked away, his back slamming into the corridor wall, creating spiderweb-like cracks on the plaster wall before he bounced onto the ground."Sasuke..."Seeing this, Sakura's face instantly turned pale.Sasuke stood up, supporting himself with the ground.His breathing wasn't ragged, but the corner of his eye twitched.The speed of that strike just now—let alone seeing it clearly, he hadn't even had time to activate his Sharingan.Sasuke exercised his right shoulder, which had been kicked numb, took a deep breath, and then raised his head.In his eyes, two black tomoe were slowly rotating within the scarlet irises.Two-tomoe Sharingan, the Bloodline Limit of the Uchiha Clan; this was the first time Sasuke had activated it in a real battle.These eyes could see through the opponent's muscle exertion, Chakra flow, and movement trajectory. Theoretically, any Taijutsu would be predicted in advance in front of these eyes."Sharingan?"Rock Lee was clearly stunned when he saw the scarlet eyes, then he smiled—not out of contempt, but out of excitement: "The Bloodline Limit of the Uchiha Clan, it truly lives up to its reputation.""Then let me experience it, Uchiha Sasuke, your Taijutsu after activating the Sharingan!"Sasuke began to charge again, his speed faster than before.After activating the Sharingan, his dynamic vision was elevated to a completely different dimension.He could clearly see every tiny sway of Rock Lee's shoulders, every pre-exertion of his calf muscles, and could even capture the pattern of his footwork as his center of gravity switched between his left and right feet.Sasuke chose to cut in from the side the moment Rock Lee changed direction from the front, tapping his left foot on the ground and suddenly shifting his center of gravity.A standard Sharingan counter-attack form.However, Rock Lee was still faster than him.Rock Lee's lower-body evasion didn't rely on fancy footwork, but on pure speed dominance.At the same instant Sasuke cut in from the side, Rock Lee's body had already sunk into a lower stance in advance, and his right leg kicked out diagonally from Sasuke's visual blind spot.Sasuke's Sharingan captured the kick, but Rock Lee's speed was too fast.There was a time difference of less than half a second between capturing it and his body being able to keep up."Bang!"Another loud bang, and Sasuke was kicked, flipping half a turn in the air before falling heavily to the ground, his forehead protector even sliding to one side."How is that possible? Sasuke has clearly already activated the Sharingan!"Sakura covered her mouth.When Sasuke stood up again, his legs were already a bit weak.This thick-browed guy's speed was so fast that even the Sharingan couldn't fully keep up.Moreover, Sasuke could feel that the opponent hadn't even used his full strength yet.He gritted his teeth and assumed a fighting stance again.Rock Lee sprang from the ground again; this time his speed was even faster, his entire body becoming almost a dark green straight line in the air, appearing directly behind Sasuke.He pulled his right hand back and pressed his left hand downward—this was his standard opening stance. The next move would be the Shadow Leaf Dance, followed by a series of aerial combos that no one could escape.Just then, someone grabbed Rock Lee by the back of his collar.The next moment, a thick arm reached over from behind, lifting Rock Lee, who was in mid-air preparing to attack, like a chick.Then, a fist slammed not too lightly and not too heavily onto the top of Rock Lee's head."Thump!!"
Chapter 53: Kakashi, Who Had Been Waiting for a Long Time"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!!"Lee clutched his head as a bump instantly swelled up, tears welling in his eyes.Standing right behind Lee was a tall man wearing a green bodysuit, sporting a bowl cut, and thick eyebrows even more exaggerated than Lee's.His stance was as broad as a mountain, his back as straight as a flagpole, and he grinned to reveal a mouthful of sparkling white teeth.Might Guy.The Sublime Green Beast of Konoha, the Joninleader of Team Guy."Guy-sensei, why are you here?!"Lee clutched his bump, looking incredibly aggrieved."Lee!!"Guy's voice was so loud that dust from the walls of the entire corridor began to rain down.Without answering Lee's question, he pulled Lee into a bear hug, his thick arms tightening like iron bands, turning Lee's face bright red as tears gushed from his eyes."This is youth!!"Guy roared at the sky, his volume so great that a few birds at the end of the corridor fluttered away from the windowsill."Guy-sensei!!"Lee was also crying; struggling, he extended his right hand from Guy's embrace and used his last bit of strength to fist-bump Guy."Lee!!""Guy-sensei!!"Naruto watched this "This is Youth" annual drama performed by the master and student, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, but he was thinking about something entirely different.Guy's Eight Gates.The speed Lee displayed just now was the foundation built from the training system of the Eight Gates.He had seen this technique countless times in the Naruto of his past life; after opening all Eight Gates, Guy could almost go head-to-head with Six Paths Madara, nearly ending the series with a single kick.As for how close it actually was, who knows.Could he learn this set of taijutsu?The Nine-Tails Chakra had extremely strong self-healing abilities, so the backlash of the Eight Gateson the body could be cyclically complemented by the recovery power of the Nine-Tails Chakra.Coupled with the speed foundation under the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, his speed and power after opening the Eight Gates would be amplified many times over; this combination was a pairing that had never appeared in the entire history of the Ninja World.And more importantly, when confronting the Ōtsutsuki Clan in the future, the Rinnegan could directly immunize against the vast majority of Ninjutsu, but Taijutsu was not included in that.When facing the Ōtsutsuki, having or not having a pure Taijutsu ultimate move capable of going one-on-one with the Rinnegan was a completely different level of combat.However, that was the era of the next tattoo; now was still the era of colored contacts, and there was plenty of time to slowly cultivate, so there was no rush.Sasuke stood up from the ground and straightened his crooked headband.Then he walked straight toward the staircase on the third floor, his short black hair obscuring most of his face, making his expression unreadable."Sasuke, wait for me..."Sakura shouted at Sasuke and then quickly chased after him.Naruto smiled at Guy and Lee, who were still hugging and crying, then stepped forward to follow Sasuke and Sakura."That child..."Guy looked at Naruto, his expression turning serious.The three of them turned the last corner of the stairs, and the view suddenly opened up.At the end of the corridor was a huge double door, with a plaque reading "301" hanging above the lintel.In front of the wooden door, a silver-haired Ninjahad been leaning against the doorframe, waiting for a long time.Hearing the footsteps, Kakashi closed his book, shoved it into his Ninja tool pouch, and looked up.His gaze first fell on the face of Sasuke, who was walking in front; Sasuke's expression was heavier than usual, the cloth of his headband was slightly crooked, and there were a few patches of dust on his clothes.Then he glanced at Sakura; her breathing was a bit rapid, clearly having been quite frightened just now.Finally, his gaze landed on Naruto.Then he paused.A white short windbreaker, a black high-collar bodysuit, golden hair a little longer than before, naturally hanging down from both sides of his headband; the silhouette of his entire figure, in the black-and-white contrasting colors, was far sharper than the brat in the orange jacket he remembered.And from this angle, in this light.Kakashi's single eye trembled slightly."Sensei..."An image uncontrollably surged up from the depths of his long-sealed memories.Many years ago, on the roof of the Hokage Building, a young man with golden hair and blue eyes, wearing a white Hokage haori, turned and smiled at him; the wind blew from the direction of the Hokage Rock, stirring the golden hair on the man's forehead and the hem of his haori.Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, and also his, Kakashi Hatake's, Jonin leader.The Naruto before him, standing in the light of the corridor, the hem of his white windbreaker fluttering gently in the draft of the hallway.Kakashi almost called out his teacher's name."Kakashi-sensei, why are you here?"Sakura's voice pulled Kakashi back from the image.Kakashi blinked rapidly, pushing those surging old memories back down.He coughed, pushed his headband up, and revealed eyes curved into crescent moons."I'm waiting for you."Kakashi's voice returned to its usual lazy tone: "The Chunin Exams require a three-person squad to register; if one person is missing, you cannot enter.""So I am here to confirm if all three of you have arrived."Sakura widened her eyes slightly.She thought back to when they gathered by the bridge, when Naruto had said that the Chunin Exams required a three-person squad to register.Now Kakashi-sensei was standing here and saying the same thing himself.This meant that if she had really given up on this exam due to a lack of confidence, Sasuke-kun and Naruto really wouldn't even be able to enter the exam venue.She subconsciously glanced at Naruto, only to see Naruto standing behind her to the left, looking straight ahead, his expression unchanged, as if he had never worried about this matter at all."Naruto, your new look is quite nice!"Kakashi suddenly spoke.This was not just polite talk.When Kakashi said this, he stared at Naruto's face for several seconds, scanning from his golden hair down to the hem of his white windbreaker."Although it is a bit late, I feel I should say this to the three of you."Then he shifted his gaze, took his hands out of his pockets, stood up straight for once, put away his lazy expression, and looked at Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto in turn with his right eye:"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, you are the team I am proud of.""Good luck with the Chunin Exams."After saying this, he stepped aside to clear the path in front of the door.Sasuke nodded slightly to Kakashi, then reached out and pushed open the heavy wooden door.Sakura took a deep breath and followed Sasukeinside."Naruto, stay safe during the Chunin Exams!"Naruto was walking last; as he passed by Kakashi, Kakashi said this in a volume that only the two of them could hear.Naruto tilted his head slightly to look at Kakashi, nodded, and then walked into Classroom 301.After the three figures disappeared.Kakashi leaned against the doorframe, listening to the gradually rising voices and noisy chatter inside, and closed his eyes."Sensei...""Naruto has inherited your genes, whether it's the hair, the gaze, or the posture he takes when standing in front of his teammates.""He is becoming more and more like a mature Ninjanow."
Chapter 54: The Konoha 12 AssembleThe moment the three of them pushed open the door, dozens of gazes shot over in unison from every corner of the classroom.These gazes came from the Genin of various villages who were already seated; some were leaning against the wall, some sitting on the windowsill, and some squatting on the desks.However, all their gazes were cold, carrying the alertness of examining prey and undisguised murderous intent, causing the temperature in the air to drop by several degrees.Sakura paused.She instinctively shrank towards Sasuke, her breathing becoming slightly rapid, and her hands clenched involuntarily.A Genin from Amegakure with bandages wrapped around his face in the back row stared at Sakura for two seconds, the corners of his mouth pulling into a not-so-friendly arc, causing Sakura's fingertips to turn slightly pale.Naruto met these gazes without changing his expression.It was like a person walking into a noisy bar, sweeping a glance over the rowdy patrons at the bar, and then continuing to walk inside.Looking at this group of people, a word involuntarily popped into Naruto's mind.A bunch of thugs.Just then, a figure appeared behind Sasuke."Sasuke-kun!!"A girl with a high blonde ponytail grabbed Sasuke's neck from behind, the sudden situation causing Sasuke to stagger half a step backward.Sasuke's temple twitched.Watching Ino hanging on Sasuke's back, Sakura's pink pupils were instantly ignited, and her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles cracked."Let go of Sasuke immediately, you fat pig Ino!!"Sakura's voice was sharp, causing several people sitting in the corner of the classroom to shrink their necks in unison.Ino let go of Sasuke's neck and looked at Sakuraslowly, hands on her hips, her blonde ponytail whipping a provocative arc behind her head."Isn't this the ugly Sakura with a forehead wide enough to run a carriage?"Ino's lips, coated in light pink lip gloss, curled to the right: "The forehead is still as big as ever, huh? What, are you using that wide forehead as a shield to block shuriken for Sasuke-kun?""What did you say!!"The veins on Sakura's forehead were throbbing at a visible frequency. She stepped forward, and Ino met her without showing any weakness. The two stood face to face, almost nose to nose, and the surrounding temperature seemed to rise by two degrees out of thin air.While using her peripheral vision to lock onto Sakura to prevent any chance of a sneak attack, Inocasually swept a glance next to Sasuke.Then she saw the blonde-haired boy standing diagonally behind Sasuke.Ino's eyes lit up.Blonde hair hung naturally from both sides of his forehead protector, he wore a clean-cut white windbreaker over a black turtleneck, his forehead protector was tied neatly on his forehead, and his blue eyes even smiled when he saw her.Handsome, and very handsome at that."Who is this handsome guy?""How come I don't know him?"Ino turned her face away from Sakura and flashed a bright smile at Naruto, her tone switching faster than performing Ninjutsu hand signs.Looking at Ino's bright, smiling face, Naruto couldn't help but smile as well.Ino Yamanaka, one of the Konoha 12, heir to the Yamanaka clan, and also Sakura's best friend and love rival.Back at the Ninja Academy, Ino, like everyone else, called him a Loser, but unlike the others, Ino had never truly shunned him; at most, she just thought he was a bit noisy.In Naruto's memory, Ino was one of the few people who would share a piece of snack with him when passing them out."Long time no see, Ino."Naruto raised his right hand and waved it casually, his tone carrying the casualness only found between old classmates.Ino's smile froze.She blinked.Is this voice Naruto's?The Naruto in her memory wore an orange sports jacket, always had a goofy smile on his face, and followed behind Sasuke like a little golden tail.But the blonde boy standing in front of her now had a clean hairstyle, an upright posture, and the black and white outfit made him look stylish and well-proportioned. The eyes beneath his forehead protector were no longer the goofy, wide-eyed look from before, but carried a gentle composure."What?""You are Naruto?"Ino's exclamation was not quiet, directly shocking the surrounding examinees who were still eyeing each other to turn their heads."What? That blonde guy is Naruto?"Just then, several familiar figures approached from different directions in the classroom upon hearing the commotion.The first to walk over were Shikamaru and Choji.Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets with a lazy expression, his gaze narrowing slightly as he swept over Naruto's face.With Shikamaru's IQ of over 200, he was capable of skipping straight past such a drastic change.He went directly from the confirmation phase of "Is this really Naruto?" to the speculation phase of "What on earth did this guy Naruto go through?"However, he was too lazy to speculate, simply saying in a low voice: "What a drag."Choji held half a bag of potato chips, stared at Naruto for a few seconds, then grabbed two chips from the bag and handed them over."Naruto, snacks are delicious.""Thanks, Choji!!" Naruto took them and thanked him.Ino's gaze jumped back and forth between Narutoand Sasuke, and then she saw Sakura glaring at her, letting out a scream in her heart that could only be matched by the psychic level of the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu.Damn it, why is Sakura so lucky!!Their team, Uchiha Sasuke, the top rookie of Konoha, the cool guy with cold black hair, the dream lover of all the girls in the school.And now even Naruto has turned from an ugly duckling into a white swan.The handsome guys are all in her team!!Look at her own side: Shikamaru, so unmotivated that he finds walking a hassle.Choji, whose only hobby is eating snacks.Although she knows Shikamaru and Choji are reliable teammates, the comparison right now is about who is more handsome!!"Naruto, you guy, you've actually become this handsome!!"Ino finally couldn't help but ask her question.Just then, Kiba strode over from the side, and Akamaru barked twice while lying on his head.Kiba crossed his arms: "Naruto, you guy, you've stolen all the spotlight! Even Akamaru looks at you more often than he looks at me!!""Akamaru, whose side are you on!!""Woof woof~"Akamaru whimpered twice, his tail wagging rapidly.Shino walked closer silently behind Kiba.He pushed up his sunglasses, the lenses reflecting the classroom lights. His parasitic insects flapped their wings silently by his collar, and then he said in his usual, emotionless tone: "Naruto has changed a lot.""From the perception of my insects, the Chakradensity is on a completely different level than before."Hinata stood next to Shino, her fingers twisting together.She raised her head and glanced quickly at Naruto, her face flushing with a blush the moment her gaze met his."Na... Naruto-kun's look is so handsome!!"
Chapter 55: The Dream Maker, Yakushi KabutoHinata's voice was very soft; after speaking, half of her face was already buried in her collar.Naruto's gaze swept across the crowd and paused on Hinata for a moment.Then, he swept his gaze across the faces of Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Shino one by one, before nodding at everyone.Adding Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten, whom he had met outside, the Konoha 12 were all present."Yo, everyone is here!""Let's all do our best in the Chunin Exams."After saying this, Naruto looked back at Hinata and smiled gently: "Especially you, Hinata, do your best!"Upon hearing this, Hinata raised her head. The moment her white eyes met Naruto's, her face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears.Her lips moved slightly, and her fingers subconsciously touched together as she replied intermittently:"O-okay, Naruto-kun.""Y-you should do your best too!"Naruto smiled and nodded.Hinata at this time was just too prone to shyness whenever she saw him.However, come to think of it, there probably wasn't any boy who wouldn't like a girl who blushed to her ears every time she saw him and had to muster all her courage just to speak!This kind of affection is a protective instinct that naturally arises when seeing a girl become completely flustered just because of something you said."Hey, Naruto, you brat! You're actually flirting with our teammate right in front of me!"Kiba stepped forward to block Hinata: "Akamarujust said that it also thinks you're deliberately trying to look cool.""Right, Akamaru?""Woof?""Yes, Kiba."Naruto looked at Kiba, who had been competing with him to be Hokage since they were young, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "You do your best in the Chunin Exams too, but I'm the one who will eventually become Hokage.""Naruto, I'm definitely the one who will become Hokage!"Upon hearing this, Kiba's voice rose sharply, and Akamaru also barked twice in response.Since becoming a Ninja, Kiba had already been able to coordinate with Akamaru to use the Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu and Beast Human Clone. This was the unique combat power of their Inuzuka clan, and Kiba was very confident that his current strength was far beyond the level of the Ninja Academy days, where he only knew how to fool around with shuriken with Naruto.In his eyes, there was both the competitive spirit between friends and a complete, unwavering confidence in his own strength.Naruto smiled, not continuing the argument.There was no need to continue the dispute; the battle for Hokage wouldn't be decided by bickering in a hallway.He took a half-step back, about to call Sasuke and Sakura to go find a place to sit."Hey, you guys."Just then, a polite, soft voice came over.The tone was very courteous, attracting the attention of everyone present.Naruto turned his head and saw a silver-haired Ninja wearing glasses and a light gray robe, leaning against the classroom window, smiling at them.Yakushi Kabuto.The name Yakushi Kabuto and the events related to him surfaced in Naruto's mind.Later, he inherited all of Orochimaru's Ninjutsu and launched a large-scale Edo Tensei during the Fourth Ninja World War, resurrecting countless deceased powerhouses, allowing brothers Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke to fight side by side, and letting Zabuza and Haku reunite on the battlefield.He was affectionately called by Naruto fans: The Dream Maker!"Who are you?"Ino looked Yakushi Kabuto up and down, her tone carrying a hint of wariness; she was clearly very guarded against this upperclassman who had suddenly interrupted them."My name is Yakushi Kabuto."Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses, his tone gentle and humble, like an upperclassman helping newcomers get acquainted with the campus.He tilted his head slightly, signaling everyone to look around: "Although I know you are all acquaintances and can't help but want to chat when you meet, it's better to be a little quieter. After all, everyone is watching you; chatting for too long will attract unnecessary attention."Ino turned her head to look, and sure enough, the crowd in the classroom who had been chatting among themselves had already cast their gazes toward them.The gazes of several Genin among them were particularly unfriendly, as if they were evaluating the combat power of prey, scanning them from head to toe.Ino couldn't help but shrink her neck."Thanks for the reminder, Senior Kabuto.""Senior Kabuto, are you also participating in the Chunin Exams this year?""No, this is our seventh time participating in the Chunin Exams!"Everyone was stunned.Sakura took half a step toward Yakushi Kabuto, her tone carrying a bit of caution: "Senior Kabuto, you said this is your seventh time participating in the Chunin Exams, so do you know a lot about the exams?""I know a little."Yakushi Kabuto took out a stack of cards from his Ninja tool pouch, flicked the edge with his fingertips, and then drew one out.The card was densely recorded with detailed information about a certain Ninja, from the number of missions to Ninjutsu specialties and Chakraattributes, everything was there."This is a Ninja Info Card. I used Chakra to record information on many candidates from various countries on them."Yakushi Kabuto held the card at a suitable height for everyone to see clearly, then changed the subject: "However, it's more convenient to look them up if you have their names.""Do you have information on Rock Lee and Gaara?"Upon hearing this, Sasuke stepped forward and asked."Rock Lee and Gaara, I have both names, so that's easy to find."Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses, drew two different Ninja Info Cards from the stack, and handed them to the group. Seeing this, everyone gathered around, and they saw Rock Lee's mission records listed densely on them."Rock Lee, one year younger than me, 20 D-rank missions, 11 C-rank missions, specialized in Taijutsu, mentor is Might Guy.""Gaara of the Sand, 8 C-rank missions, 1 B-rank mission. Note: It is already unusual for a Genin to perform a B-rank mission, but he returned from that B-rank mission completely unscathed.""A Genin went to perform a B-rank mission and returned completely unscathed?"Kiba's voice was the first to break the silence. He turned his head to look at Akamaru, who was lying on his head. Akamaru also whined twice and curled its tail.The expressions of the others also became a bit more serious."Quiet down, all of you trash!"Just then, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the front of the classroom, followed immediately by a dense cloud of white smoke exploding in front of the podium.After the smoke cleared, a row of people stood neatly in front of the podium.The man standing at the very front had a burly physique, his face covered in crisscrossing scars, the one on his chin particularly gruesome. He wore the iconic black headband of a member of the KonohaTorture and Interrogation Force, and standing there, he looked like an iron tower pulled up from the ground.Behind him stood a dozen or so Konoha Chuninexaminers, all dressed in standard dark gray examiner uniforms, their expressions colder and sterner than the next."Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the proctor for the first stage of the Chunin Selection Exams, Ibiki Morino."