The Chūnin Exams were fast approaching, and it was finally time to see what Naruto and Sasuke had achieved after a week of hellish training.
"Sister! Give me a few more hours! I'm almost… done mastering that last technique!" Sasuke said through clenched teeth, sweat dripping down his face. Even with the talent of an Uchiha prodigy, learning several high-level techniques from Tobirama Senju's forbidden scroll within a single week was absurdly difficult.
Meanwhile, Naruto's shadow clones were still flashing all over the training ground like headless flies. Had he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique? Not completely. The clones could already activate the space-time jump, but every teleportation still carried a slight positional error from the Flying Thunder God formula seal.
Still… Chinatsu was already extremely satisfied.
A week ago Naruto couldn't even understand the principles behind the technique. Now he had already reached the point where he could perform imperfect teleportation. Even Namikaze Minato would probably be shocked by that progress.
"Alright, alright, stop training already. I don't mind giving you more time, but the Chūnin Exams won't pause just because you two are obsessed with training," Chinatsu said as she clapped her hands. "This is only the second stage anyway. Save the real showing off for the third round."
Gaara, who hadn't been assigned any special training over the past week, was already waiting quietly outside the Uchiha compound gates.
Living together these past few days had greatly improved their relationship.
At least, that was what Chinatsu believed.
Naruto and Sasuke reluctantly stopped training. Their chakra reserves were not at full capacity, but neither of them cared. For the second stage of the Chūnin Exams, this amount was already excessive.
"Well then, Sister, we're heading out."
"No need to say goodbye. I'm going too."
Chinatsu walked over casually and joined them as though she were going out shopping rather than attending the Chūnin Exams.
Why?
Was Chinatsu participating in the Chūnin Exams too?
The answer was… yes.
However, she wasn't participating as a genin examinee, but as one of the proctors personally appointed by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After the "World Peace Technique" incident in the Forest of Death, Hiruzen was genuinely afraid that if Chinatsu got bored again, she might secretly continue researching whatever horrifying thing she called "science."
So instead of letting her wander freely, he simply dragged her into exam supervision.
As for Chinatsu?
She was delighted.
Watching chaos unfold was one of life's greatest joys, and watching her little brothers cause chaos was basically a New Year festival.
Because the Forest of Death had become permanently sealed off after Chinatsu's previous "accident," the second stage of the Chūnin Exams had undergone major changes.
The rules this year were different.
Teams still consisted of three people. Inside the designated battlefield area, each team possessed one stationary flag and one movable flag.
If your stationary flag was destroyed, your team was immediately eliminated.
To pass, a team needed to successfully obtain two movable flags from opposing teams.
In simpler terms:
Protect your own base while stealing everyone else's.
As soon as Sakura reunited with Naruto and Sasuke, Naruto blinked a few times before speaking hesitantly.
"Sakura… maybe it's just my imagination, and if it is I'm sorry, but… you kinda seem more muscular now?"
Sakura's face instantly turned red.
"How could that be?! Naruto, stop saying weird things!"
In reality, Naruto's observation was correct.
Ever since Sakura began training under Chinatsu's guidance and secretly learning techniques inspired by Tsunade's chakra-enhanced strength, her physical conditioning had increased dramatically.
However, Sakura had been deliberately controlling her muscle growth with precise chakra control because she absolutely refused to become visibly bulky like Might Guy or Rock Lee.
If Naruto didn't possess abnormally sharp instincts, nobody else would have noticed.
Sakura clenched her fist slightly before relaxing it again.
"Leave the attacking role to me," she said seriously. "You two can stay behind and guard the flag."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances.
Honestly, neither of them planned to reveal their true strength during the second stage anyway. The Flying Thunder God Technique and Sasuke's newly learned forbidden techniques were not yet stable enough for public display.
The real stage was the third round.
Just as they were talking, a violent sandstorm suddenly erupted somewhere in the distance.
Sakura froze in shock.
"Where did that come from?!"
"That idiot already started," Naruto said instantly.
"Let's move," Sasuke added without hesitation.
Both of them immediately recognized that only Gaara of the Desert could create something like that.
Sakura hesitated briefly before following.
Although she still didn't fully understand what was happening, she absolutely had no intention of falling behind.
As Gaara's sandstorm spread across the battlefield, every participating team began reacting immediately.
Some teams chose aggressive tactics, sending two members out to seize enemy flags while leaving one behind for defense.
Other teams adopted an ultra-defensive strategy, stationing all three members around their own flag and waiting for opportunities.
Passerby A whispered nervously, "Why does this Chūnin Exam feel more terrifying than an actual war?"
Passerby B swallowed hard. "War? This is worse than war! Didn't you see that explosion in the Forest of Death before? If we'd been anywhere near it, there wouldn't even be bones left!"
Passerby C nodded frantically. "I heard that was Konoha's ultimate weapon. Their secret super-weapon! Konoha was only weakened for a few years, and now they're already becoming the strongest of the Five Great Villages again."
The three ninja currently guarding their flag with a turtle-style defense formation continued whispering among themselves, completely unaware that Sakura was already approaching silently through the trees.
Sakura lowered her breathing to its absolute minimum.
Her footsteps were nearly soundless.
Her eyes locked onto the flag.
Then
She exploded forward.
"Eight Gates… Second Gate… Gate of Healing, OPEN!"
Boom!
Sakura instantly pushed her body far beyond its normal physical limits.
By the time the three enemy ninja realized what was happening, it was already too late.
Sakura's fist smashed directly into one ninja's face.
Before he even hit the ground, she twisted midair and drove a spinning kick into another ninja's ribs.
The third ninja tried forming hand seals, but Sakura grabbed him by the throat and slammed him headfirst into the ground with terrifying force.
BANG!
The entire battle lasted less than ten seconds.
All three opponents were completely incapacitated.
After defeating them, Sakura did not immediately release the power of the Eight Gates. Instead, she grabbed the enemy flag and rapidly rushed back toward Naruto and Sasuke's position.
She returned proudly, lifting the flag high into the air, ready to boast about her victory.
Then she froze.
Around Naruto and Sasuke lay a huge pile of unconscious ninja from various villages.
Some were foaming at the mouth.
Some had white eyes.
Some were still twitching slightly on the ground.
Sasuke calmly brushed dust off his clothes and snorted.
"Honestly, I can understand them targeting Naruto, but I was standing here too. Did they really think they could win?"
Naruto immediately exploded.
"What do you mean they targeted me because I look weak?! I counted! I beat one more person than you did!"
"Hah? Impossible."
"Absolutely impossible!"
The two glared at each other intensely.
Crackling sparks practically appeared between their eyes.
Sakura silently looked down at the flag she had fought so hard to obtain.
Suddenly…
It didn't feel very impressive anymore.
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