[LOL, both members of Team 7 are protecting Naruto. Turns out Naruto's the team mascot all along]
[Hanabi: captain. Sasuke: member. Naruto: pet. Checks out]
[What about Kakashi? Kakashi's gonna cry when he sees this LOL]
[Kakashi went to turn in the mission report]
[Wait, it took me forever to get it—that was a Soviet-style joke]
[It's an American joke now LOL]
Gaara eventually calmed down.
Sometimes what brings a person back to their senses isn't the warnings of those around them, but a genuine, tangible threat.
Sasuke's killing intent had been almost completely unrestrained.
One could say that the moment Gaara tried anything again, Sasuke would charge in without a shred of hesitation.
"We're saved." Temari breathed a sigh of relief. "What a handsome guy, though."
Although it was only killing intent, it had genuinely calmed Gaara down.
She really didn't want any more complications.
Her heart genuinely couldn't take it.
"So anyway!"
Suddenly, an enormous voice rang out.
It was Naruto.
That booming voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
"That Chūnin Exam thing you guys were just talking about—what is that?!"
Dead silence.
Even Kushina was at a loss for words.
—Her own son was really this clueless?!
Could it be that the Nine-Tails' chakra had caused some kind of cognitive development issue?!
This was all that damn Nine-Tails' fault!
"Um." In the end, it was the original victim, Konohamaru, who couldn't stand watching anymore. "The Chūnin Exams—if you pass them, Boss, you go from Genin to Chūnin."
"Ohhh, I see!" Naruto finally understood. "I get it now, totally! I'm gonna become a Chūnin!"
"That brat."
Kankuro found Naruto thoroughly irritating, but he couldn't deny that if Naruto hadn't broken the tension just now, who knew how long the standoff would have dragged on.
"This Chūnin Exam is a joint examination between allied nations, and the reason we've come to Konoha. Everything that happened earlier was a misunderstanding—I hope we can each take a step back."
Temari's one prayer right now was that Hanabi wouldn't come out and stir things up again.
[Sometimes I want to call Naruto an idiot, but his clutch saves are actually pretty important]
[Great wisdom looks like foolishness; great foolishness looks like wisdom]
[I could tell with my feet that there was no way they'd actually fight—the Chūnin Exams haven't even started yet]
[Bring it on, tournament arc, serve it up, I know the drill!]
The audience had all transformed into self-proclaimed experts.
In any case, the problem on this end was more or less resolved. On the Stage's screen, the scene cut over to the Third Hokage.
As the Third Hokage announced that the Chūnin Exams would officially begin in one week, the story entered an entirely new chapter.
[Gaia!]
[Gentlemen, see you in seven days!]
[LOL, this time it synced up with the anime]
[Another filler episode]
[Dude, how are you still here, Mr. Filler]
That wrapped things up on the audience's end.
Hanabi, however, had received a notification from the Stage.
[Ninja's Path: Chūnin Exams Arc—Coming Soon]
[The production team has issued a new commission]
"A commission?"
Hanabi had been enjoying the danmaku and comments with great interest, but upon hearing the notification, she switched over.
[Bulletin 1: Ninja's Path]
[Category: Animated series, long-running serial]
[Role: Supporting character]
[Client task requirement: Destined Showdown! Have the Child of Destiny, Naruto Uzumaki, face off against Gaara, and give Naruto a moment in the spotlight]
"Is this mandatory?" Hanabi asked.
[This task is optional. However, the production team will occasionally issue mandatory tasks to ensure structural integrity of the series or story]
[In certain anime, live-action dramas, or other productions, completing the client's commissioned tasks takes top priority and typically yields substantial popularity points or experience]
"Mm, got it. Revenue share versus buyout."
There were technically some differences, but understanding it that way wasn't too far off.
Put simply, these tasks were like a director on set giving instructions to an actor.
"But it doesn't specify how I have to make it happen." Hanabi thought about it. "So if I tied Naruto and Gaara together and said whoever wins gets their mother resurrected, and let them duke it out—would that fulfill the requirement?"
The Stage seemed to freeze for a second.
[Feasible, but not recommended. May result in premature cancellation]
"Got it."
Gaara's group had already left, and Hanabi returned to Naruto and Sasuke's side.
By this point, a new episode had begun.
Although the audience had waited seven days, the opening segment didn't jump straight to seven days later. Instead, it picked up right after the "seven days ago" timeline—the part following Gaara's departure.
"Hey, Naruto, what was the deal with those chains you used earlier?"
Sasuke had also seen the chains Naruto had used to save Konohamaru.
"Heheh, that's my secret weapon!" Naruto was utterly smug, practically preening.
"You won't be able to learn that one, Sasuke," Hanabi said bluntly. "And Naruto, you're not exactly proficient with it yourself, are you?"
"Ah, well... heheh, heheheh..."
Naruto didn't really know how to respond.
It wasn't accurate to say Naruto hadn't contributed—he had.
But the reason he could use the technique at all was because Kushina had been assisting from behind the scenes. To put it simply, Kushina had been guiding Naruto's hands through the entire process.
So Naruto couldn't really explain it himself.
"Now that things are settled, let's get back to what we were discussing before. Don't slack off on training."
At Hanabi's words, both Naruto and Sasuke straightened up.
Realizing the Chūnin Exams were right around the corner, the three of them were raring to go, ready to fight.
Regardless, the whole incident had been resolved.
After seeing off the Konohamaru trio, Hanabi headed to the training grounds with Naruto and Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you should listen in on this part too. Your constitution is different from Naruto's, so be careful when using it."
Hanabi addressed Sasuke first, then turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, create a Shadow Clone first."
"Oh, okay."
Naruto produced a Shadow Clone.
"Now, the real you—go over there and don't look this way." Hanabi pointed to a spot in the distance.
"Oh, okay."
Naruto was still completely in the dark, but his real body ran off as instructed.
Hanabi then turned to Naruto's Shadow Clone and said: "Naruto, if you pass the Chūnin Exams, I'll treat you to a whole month of Ichiraku Ramen."
"Yes!" Naruto's Shadow Clone immediately erupted into cheers.
[It's over]
[It's over, it's so over this time]
[Naruto, disqualified!]
[Naruto, listen to reason—just try again next year LOL]
[Hanabi buying someone a meal is basically a death flag]
[Do you guys meme this hard? Does the production team even know?!]
[LMAO]
"Alright, dispel the Shadow Clone first. Then have the real you come back." Hanabi had Naruto release the clone.
"OHHHH!" The moment Naruto's Shadow Clone vanished, the real Naruto let out a gasp, then came sprinting over.
"Hanabi, did you really mean that?!"
Hanabi didn't respond to Naruto. Instead, she looked at Sasuke beside her: "Did you catch on?"
"Shadow Clones... they can be used like that?" Sasuke's eyes lit up.