On the day of the Chūnin Exams, Team 7 and the temporary team with Karin arrived right on schedule.
Just as a note: Karin's two temporary teammates were named Sai and Shin.
Sai was especially quiet—your classic tight-lipped introvert.
Ahead of them, a massive crowd surged at the exam building's entrance—clashing colors, wild outfits—every style imaginable.
Rather than a ninja exam, it looked more like a Halloween cosplay convention.
Unlike chūnin or jōnin, genin weren't required to wear standard vests, so they dressed however they pleased.
Almost every small shinobi village near the Land of Fire had sent representatives—mainly just to show Konoha some support.
Everywhere you looked, heads bobbed in the crowd.
You could drop a jutsu here and farm kills until your chakra ran dry.
---
Outside Room 301, the designated Chūnin Exam hall—
"Seriously? With that level of skill, you're trying to take the Chūnin Exams?"
Two disguised Konoha gatekeepers—Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane—effortlessly took down one genin after another who tried to pass.
Izumo:
"Trust me, you'd best turn back now."
"You're way too green for this."
All the while, they made snide remarks as they struck their targets down.
Kotetsu:
"Exactly."
Their strength left most of the younger genin gritting their teeth in silent frustration.
---
"Lee, stop playing around."
Sasuke stepped up to a "fallen" genin, looking as stoic as ever.
"So you came after all, Sasuke," Lee replied, flipping back to his feet like a spring.
Scratching his head, he added a little sheepishly:
"Naruto-sensei said we should disguise ourselves as weaklings to avoid attention. It's called 'playing the pig to eat the tiger.'"
Yeah, that's not how you do that, Lee...
---
"Good day, Naruto-sensei!"
Lee saluted with military posture the moment he spotted Naruto.
"Just call me Naruto when others are around," Naruto replied.
"Yes, sir!"
---
"Ai yare yare da ne… not exactly a low-key entrance."
Naruto spoke in a helpless tone, though the smirk on his face said otherwise.
"With our strength, does it really matter if we stand out?"
Neji calmly walked up beside him.
"I've waited a long time for this day," he said.
"The time you spoke of... it's almost here, right?"
Naruto nodded.
"Yep."
"It's all the will of fate," Neji added—sounding more like a fortune-teller by the second.
---
"Alright, let's head upst—"
"GET OUTTA MY WAY!!"
Before Naruto could finish, Sakura's roar echoed through the hallway.
With one earth-shattering kick, the door to Room 301 shattered into splinters, the illusion broken.
The number on the plaque flickered and shifted from 301 to 201.
A clean and violent genjutsu dispel.
Sakura looked at the mess with satisfaction and clapped her hands.
"Much better."
---
"Your teammate is... quite the character," Neji commented, mildly stunned.
"Right? She's Sasuke's future wife."
Naruto grinned.
Neji: !!! Oh? So Sasuke likes girls like that?
---
"Sasuke, it's been a while since we sparred."
While Naruto and Neji continued talking, Lee turned toward Sasuke with an intense expression.
"So far, our record is 55 wins, 55 losses, and 55 draws. I'm looking forward to our match during the exam."
"I won't let Naruto-sensei down."
Lee's confidence was unwavering.
"Hmph," Sasuke snorted, arrogantly raising his chin and shooting a glance at Naruto.
"I won't let him down either. The only one who deserves to stand beside Naruto… is me."
---
With that, the group confidently entered the real Room 301.
Inside, the place was already packed wall-to-wall with examinees.
'What a sorry bunch,' Naruto thought, scanning the crowd.
None of these small village shinobi even gave off decent chakra pressure.
Including those from Kuragakure and Yukigakure—they were pure filler, here to make up the numbers.
---
"Saaasuke-kuuun! Why did you take so lo—oh! Naruto-kun, you're here too~"
A floral fragrance wafted through the air as Ino flung herself toward Sasuke—
Only for him to sidestep without effort.
---
"INO-PIG!! GET AWAY FROM SASUKE!!"
Before Sasuke could even speak, Sakura went full berserk:
"Sasuke is my man, damn it!"
Did someone hear something a little… odd just now?
Ah well. Classic Sakura. Truly worthy of the "Sakura-bro" title.
---
"Ino, long time no see," Naruto said with his signature fox grin.
Just seeing that smirk made Ino's face flush red in an instant.
Ever since that "Little Windmill" incident, Naruto's smile had become her soft spot.
Some people might assume something happened between them.
---
When Ino saw Sai and Shin behind Karin, her eyes lit up.
Unlike Sakura, who had tunnel vision for Sasuke—Ino simply liked handsome guys.
---
"Hinata!"
Naruto walked straight toward Team 8's corner.
---
"You rookies sure are acting like you own the place."
A plain-looking ninja with glasses stepped forward, trying to sound wise and world-weary.
"As a senior, I advise you to keep a low profile."
---
"Kabuto Yakushi," Naruto said, slowly and deliberately.
"Failed the Chūnin Exams seven times already—this is his fourth year taking it. 163 D-rank missions, 28 C-ranks."
He left out a few key details on purpose.
"Saw your file in Danzo-ojisan's archive."
Naruto slightly emphasized the name Danzo.
There's an old saying in the Naruto world:
If there's a mess and no one knows who caused it—it's probably Danzo.
If there's a forbidden jutsu with no clear creator—it's probably Tobirama.
If there's a spy and no one knows who he works for—it's definitely Kabuto Yakushi.
---
He was a professional infiltrator:
spy for Orochimaru, Sasori, and Danzo—
and was even rated by Orochimaru as a match for Kakashi in strength.
---
"Senior Kabuto, you must know a lot about the Chūnin Exams then, right?"
Naruto squinted, wearing his familiar cheeky grin.
"Care to give your juniors a few tips?"
---
"Heh…"
Kabuto's face flickered with a trace of surprise before he smiled warmly.
"With juniors as charming as Naruto-kun, how could I say no?"
A true master actor—he didn't slip for even a second.
If only he didn't have that faint air of hostility around him...
---
"You know us?"
Sakura stepped forward, hands on her hips, openly sizing up Kabuto.
"Before our Team 7, Kakashi-sensei had a 0% pass rate with Genin."
Before Kabuto could reply, Naruto spoke up:
"Plus, we've got the so-called 'Number One Technician in Konoha' as our sensei. Hard not to get noticed, right, Kabuto-senpai?"
Naruto genuinely admired Kabuto—he was the ideal support ninja.
In fact, if possible, he would love to recruit him for his own side.
Especially now, after seeing how Kabuto didn't even flinch at the mention of Danzo—not in expression, not in chakra flow.
Naruto's respect for him only grew.
This man was the perfect spy, with nerves of steel.
And the hatred Kabuto bore toward Danzo—rooted in the death of his foster mother—was very real.
---
"As expected of Naruto-kun," Kabuto nodded approvingly.
"To be precise, I've been gathering intel on all the new participants in this Chūnin Exam."
"After all… I'm just a regular Genin who's failed seven times."
"I've gotta stay well-prepared, right?"
---
Something about him felt familiar.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
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