"W-What is this place?!" Naruto stared at the enormous forest before them, surrounded on all sides by a tall fence and signs that read 'No Trespassing.'
"This is the location for the second stage of the Exam... the forty-fourth training field." Anko answered and smirked. "Also known as... the Forest of Death."
"The... Forest of Death?" Naruto repeated, a chill shooting down his spine as he gulped.
A rustling came from the treeline as a box painted to resemble a rock moved toward the group of Genin slowly.
"Hm?" Naruto looked to the side as the box stopped and he narrowed his eyes. "Fake rocks? What's up with that?"
Naruto slowly walked away from the box, watching it carefully from the corner of his eye as it followed him. He stopped suddenly and the box stopped as well. Then, he ran and was followed again, while the other Genin stood around and watched in confusion. Back and forth he ran, moving faster as he went, until he stopped suddenly again and turned toward the box as it almost skidded to a halt and rested his hands on his hips.
Naruto narrowed his eyes and pointed at the box. "That's the worst disguise of all time, Konohamaru! There's no such thing as square rocks! It's totally obvious!"
"You saw through my camouflage yet again!" The boy's voice came from beneath the box, muffled slightly. "You're slick, Boss. That's just what I'd expect from my greatest rival."
The box exploded in a burst of smoke and Naruto's eyes widened. When the dust and smoke cleared, he saw Konohamaru and friends coughing on the ground.
"I think we used a little too much gunpowder, guys." Konohamaru coughed as his ears rang. "Huh?"
He blinked as he met Naruto's eyes and the kids jumped to their feet to pose.
"I'm Moegi, the sassiest Kunoichi in preschool! Check me out!"
"I love algebra!" Udon sniffed at the snot dripping from his nose. "Call me Udon."
"And I'm the number one Ninja in the Village! Konohamaru!"
"And when we're all together, we're the Konohamaru Trio!"
Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and rolled his eyes as he muttered.
"Yeah, I knew it was you guys the whole time. What do you squirts want? I'm about to take the second phase of the Chunin Exam, so I don't have time to be playing games with you."
"We didn't come to play around, Boss!" Konahamaru closed his hand into a fist. "We're on official business!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Moegi nodded quickly. "We came here for an exclusive interview."
"Uh-huh." Udon nodded in agreement and sucked his snot again.
"An interview?" Naruto blinked and looked down at them.
"Yeah." Konohamaru put his hands on his hips. "We're here on assignment to write an article for the Academy's newspaper. It's a big-time feature story all about the Chunin Exams."
"So that's why we want to do an exclusive interview with you. Please say that you'll do it." Moegi clasped her hands and widened her eyes.
"It would mean a lot to us." Udon wiped his nose and smiled slightly at the Genin.
"Yeah, but... right now?" Naruto lowered his arms and squinted slightly.
"Hey, you over there!"
"H-Huh?"
"What are you doing?! You're holding up the exams!" Anko walked over and narrowed her eyes at Naruto.
"Uh, sorry, but Konohamaru was telling me something about an interview for the Academy newspaper."
Anko's eyes widened and she gasped slightly, then laughed and scratched her head. "O-Oh yeah... I forgot all about it. Lord Hokage did mention something about them interviewing me."
"Uh... interviewing you?" Naruto repeated slowly.
"Alright! We're taking a ten-minute break!" Anko announced to the crowd of Genin. "For those that are scheduled to be interviewed, please be courteous and respectful to the reporters from the Academy newspaper!"
"I thought I was the only one being interviewed." Naruto blinked.
"No, Boss, but you are the most important to us." Konohamaru looked at him.
"Oh? Well, in that case, I'll be happy to give you an interview." Naruto chuckled and scratched his cheek, then pointed his thumb at himself. "It'll make it clear to your readers why I'm the greatest Ninja ever!"
Natsumi slowed her pace as she saw the group of Genin and let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh good. We're just in time. They haven't started yet."
Hasu's eyes widened at the sight of the enormous trees beyond the high fence and then he looked over the Shinobi gathered there.
"Is that where they have to take the Exam?" He pointed at the forest, and Natsumi straightened with a nod.
"It's referred to as the Forest of Death."
He paled slightly at the name, then looked away briefly. "That sounds... exciting."
"It's dangerous." Natsumi muttered. "It's full of giant animals, just waiting to eat you. Not to mention, traps and poisonous plants."
"And, it's appropriate to send children there?" Hasu blinked and glanced back at the trees.
Natsumi looked at him. "In the Shinobi world, you're a fully-fledged Ninja as soon as you graduate from the Academy. That means even being eligible for being called upon in times of war."
His expression fell slightly and he looked over the Genin again.
"At your age?" He quieted as he watched her nod. "That's terrible."
"That's the life of a Shinobi." She replied quietly. After a pause, she looked back at him. "We can't stay long, and we to be careful around the foreign Ninja. I don't think they'll have any connection to what happened to your family, but we should be careful anyway."
Hasu nodded and Natsumi turned her eyes back to the group, and she smiled.
There he is.
"Come on." She motioned for him to follow her, then walked quickly over to where the blond boy stood with his back to her and she hugged him tightly from behind.
"Naruto!"
"Ah!" Naruto jumped at the sudden embrace and then turned and grinned as his sister released him from the hug and he looked at her. "Natsumi! What are you doing here?"
"Well, I had to see you before you went into the Forest of Death, didn't I?" She put her hands on her hips. "After all, you are my younger brother, and people have died in there. I couldn't live with myself if something happened and I didn't see you beforehand."
Her eyes narrowed and she pointed at him. "By the way, you'd better not die. I don't want to be alone, and I'd miss you too much. If you die, I swear I'll bring you back and beat you to a pulp myself."
Naruto paled slightly and gulped, then crossed his arms with a huff. "As if I would die, ya know! I'm the one who's going to be Hokage someday!"
"Huh?" Natsumi blinked and looked over at the trio of kids. "Konohamaru? Why are you guys here?"
"Neechan!" The boy's eyes lit up and he hugged her. "We're here to do interviews for the Academy newspaper! We're doing a big story on the Chunin Exams."
"Oh, really?" Natsumi smiled and looked between the kids. "That sounds like it's going to be good. Once it's done, could you save me a copy? I'd love to read it."
"Yes, Neechan!" They cooed in unison and she laughed and patted their heads.
"I won't get in the way of your journalism, I promise. I just came to see Naruto for a minute." Natsumi looked back at her brother, who made a face.
"Eh? You just got here and you're leaving already?"
"Sorry." She held up her hands in a small shrug and shook her head. "I have important things that I need to do."
"Important stuff?" Naruto repeated in a mumble and crossed his arms, then noticed Hasu and squinted. After a moment, he leaned close to Natsumi and held up a hand to his mouth to whisper. "Uh... Natsumi... there's a guy stalking you."
"Stalking?" Natsumi laughed quietly, shaking her head as she stepped back to stand beside Hasu. "He's not stalking me." She paused. "Naruto, this is Hasu. Hasu, this is my brother."
Naruto narrowed his eyes again and looked the older boy over, then his eyes widened once more and he pointed at the boy. "I-Is that your boyfriend?!"
Natsumi blushed deeply and Hasu blinked, his own cheeks warming faintly.
"He's not my boyfriend!"
"I-I wouldn't use those exact words..."
The two looked at each other, then averted their eyes quickly. Natsumi crossed her arms, then let out a short breath and looked at her brother.
"Hasu is a friend."
"Friend, huh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy again, then shared a look with Konohamaru. "I've never seen you around before."
"I'm visiting the Leaf currently, and Natsumi has graciously volunteered her time to be my guide for the duration of my stay."
"Visiting?" Naruto repeated.
"You're not a Ninja, then?" Sakura asked, stepping closer as she looked at the boy. "H-He's so handsome!"
"I am not." Hasu smiled and looked at Sakura. "Though, I have recently become very fascinated with Shinobi and am eager to learn more."
"He talks so formally, too. Who is he?"
"Hasu, this is Sakura, Naruto's teammate." Natsumi motioned to the girl, then her expression shifted slightly as she moved her hand to gesture to the other boy. "...And, that's Sasuke. The other one on their team."
Hasu took Sakura's hand, touching it to hips lips as he smiled.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I see the Leaf is in no short supply of beautiful girls."
Sakura blushed and froze in place, unable to speak. "B-Beautiful?!"
Nastsumi blushed, looking away slightly.
It's nice of him to get on someone's good side from flattery, but... I mean, she's not that pretty.
Hasu released Sakura's hand, and she continued to stand fixed in place.
"H-He's so charming! Like a fairytale prince!"
"Well, Hasu, I think we should get going now." Natsumi cleared her throat quietly and looked at him. "There's still a lot to see around the village."
Besides, us being here is drawing unwanted attention.
Natsumi glanced at the group as several sets of eyes fell on them. Her eyes rested on the trio from the Hidden Grass.
I don't like the aura they're giving off. It's dangerous for a non-Shinobi to be here.
"Of course." Hasu nodded and stood beside her.
"Naruto, be safe, okay?" Natsumi looked at him and lowered her voice slightly.
Naruto met her eyes and then nodded. "Yeah. I will."
The corners of her mouth twitched in a smirk.
"Also, show everyone just how awesome you are, okay? Dominate the competition so epically that everyone will talk about it in every Village."
"Of course!" He put his hands on his hips with a grin. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, after all!"
Natsumi hugged him gently, then waved at the kids.
"Good luck and have fun with your story!"
"Bye, Neechan!" They waved at her with a smile, and Konohamaru grinned and looked at Naruto.
"Should we get started now?"
Natsumi turned and walked away with Hasu beside her as a chill ran down her spine and she slowed to look over her shoulder at a Genin with a straw hat on with his face was hidden by the shadow of the hat.
He's been staring at us since we walked up...
Her eyes narrowed slightly at the Shinobi until he turned to look away and Natsumi kept her eyes on him for a moment.
And, I can't explain it, but... something about him feels familiar. I don't like it.
Natsumi slowly turned to continue walking his Hasu, and his expression had become neutral.
"Trouble?" He muttered and looked at her from the corner of his eyes.
"Not explicitly." She answered under her breath. "But a few of them have a nasty sense of bloodlust that I recognize."
Thanks to Jiro.
"I'm going to teleport us back, okay? It might feel a little weird."
"Teleport?" He raised a brow. "You can do that?"
Natsumi touched his shoulder and held up a hand sign, and the two vanished from the training grounds and reappeared in a side street of Konoha.
His eyes widened as he watched her seal faded on the fence where she had placed it. Then, he leaned against the fence and groaned quietly.
"Are you okay?"
Hasu nodded after a moment and straightened. "That was as... exhilarating as it was dizzying. Is that how using all Ninjutsu feels like?"
Natsumi shook her head. "That's a rare, very difficult technique. It's harder than the others to learn and control."
"Amazing." He smiled at her. "You really are incredible."
She blushed faintly and looked away. "A-Alright... where do you want to go next?"
Her stomach growled loudly and she stiffened at the sound, blushing deeper and he laughed.
Crap! I completely forgot to get breakfast!
"I think somewhere where we could eat would be ideal."
"That's not nece—"
Her stomach growled again, louder now, and she clutched at it and lowered her eyes. "...I guess I could eat."
"Any recommendations?"
Natsumi grinned and met his eyes. "How would you like to try the world's greatest ramen?"
"Naruto and the rest of Squad Seven." Konohamaru introduced, then looked at Naruto. "All right, Boss, first tell us a little about yourself."
"Okay!" Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei gets me and my sister at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen with my sister and comparing them. And my future dream is to become the greatest Hokage! The whole village will respect me then and treat me like I'm somebody important! No other Genin can match any of my Jutsu. Even Iruka-sensei can't help being impressed. And now that I'm in Squad Seven, I get to prove it by going on dangerous missions every day. In Group Seven, there is also Sasuke and Sakura. Since I'm the only one that shows great potential, you don't have to worry about the other two."
"Don't say that!" Konohamaru interrupted Naruto's rambling. "Introduce them properly!"
"I know, I know." Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms. "This guy's name is Sasuke Uchiha and he's a pretentious guy. I heard that he's one of the last members of the famous Uchiha clan, but he's a pretty pitiful guy... Anyways, he's always swooping in at the last minute and making me look bad."
"There's also Sakura Haruno." Naruto paused, chuckling softly and scratching his cheek. "I'll let you in on a little secret. She's madly in love with me. She'd never admit it, of course, but I think her coyness just makes her even cuter."
"Eh... It doesn't really sound to me like she's in love with you, Boss." Konohamaru frowned slightly.
"Ha!" Naruto laughed awkwardly, then crossed his arms and grumbled. "Very funny, Konohamaru. But, you gotta trust me when I say that she is, ya know." He paused. "Anyway, putting that aside, our squad is like a well-oiled machine that can succeed in any mission, no matter how dangerous."
"I don't think you've done a lot of dangerous missions..." Moegi held up her hand near her mouth. "I mean... didn't you just weed gardens, walk dogs, and collect trash...?"
"I mean, I'm not always busy with dangerous missions." Naruto made a face. "I still had time to teach the Hokage a thing or two. Like when I knocked him out with my Sexy Jutsu."
"Boss, I don't really think this material is appropriate for the article." Konohamaru frowned slightly.
"Fine, fine." Naruto grumbled. "What do you want to talk about? How about the first time you met me?"
"Okay!" Konohamaru grinned. "My name is Konohamaru and I'm the grandson of the Hokage. Grandfather is the most important person in the Leaf Village and is the Third Hokage. Those who succeed the Hokage name is the top Ninja of the village. Especially the Fourth Hokage, who is a great hero who protected the village from the demon fox!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Naruto interrupted and waved his hands. "You're only talking about other people!"
"I was just about to start on myself!" Konohamaru defended. "Besides, Bro, you talk too much about yourself!"
"Of course! I'm the star of the article! The other people don't matter!"
"Big Bro! Next up... I'm counting on you!"
"Right, right." Naruto nodded and crossed his arms. "Oh, then I guess I could talk about Sasuke's stories of failures..."
"We've already heard you say stuff like that. Get more serious!" Moegi protested.
Sasuke and Sakura watched Naruto sitting with the kids, their eyes twitching slightly. Sakura let out a hot breath and put her hand on her hip.
"That Naruto...! He's just making up stuff as he pleases..."
"Hmph." Sasuke huffed softly and closed his eyes briefly. "Who cares either way?"
Sakura sighed again, then looked at Sasuke and crossed her arms as she muttered to herself.
"I wonder how much longer this is going to take, anyway. We've still got the Exam to do, after all." She looked back to where Natsumi and Hasu had been, then went quiet.
"I wonder who that boy was... He must be a VIP of some kind if he's got a guide like that..." She blushed and blinked, then covered her mouth slightly. "O-Or... could it be...? M-Maybe he really is her boyfriend?!"
Sakura fidgeted in place where she stood and then glanced over at Sasuke, who was sitting nearby.
"Could she really be so much more mature than me? First, she almost openly flirts with Sasuke, then when they were fighting and he ended up staring at her..." She blushed deeper and looked down at her own chest. "Being more confident like that, and having a nice figure... she really is more womanly, than me, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if that's her boyfriend at all."
She let out a sigh.
"And here I am, unable to even get Sasuke to really acknowledge my presence."
Kankuro stood with his arms crossed and leaned up against the tree as the rest of the Genin candidates stood aimlessly around during the break. After a while, he let out a breath and Temari glanced over at him, then followed his eyes to an empty space across the field. She stood beside him, then leaned against the tree.
"You know, if you were trying to make it obvious that you have some kind of connection to that girl, you're succeeding."
Kankuro blinked at her sudden interruption and jumped slightly, looking at her.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure, you don't. You're just standing at where she was with kind of a dumb expression on your face while you think." Temari's lips twitched in a smirk and she looked at her brother. "You're jealous that she was with a guy, right?"
"Shut up. That's not it." Kankuro's cheeks warmed and he looked away. "I'm just... irritable that we have to wait around like this instead of starting the Exam already."
"Hah." Temari smirked and laughed under her breath. "You really are jealous, then."
"Shut up." Kankuro muttered again, avoiding eye contact with her, then muttered to himself. "I didn't think she had a boyfriend, though."
Temari laughed to herself again, then stepped closer to her brother. "You never struck me as the jealous type, Kankuro."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He furrowed his brows slightly.
"You shouldn't be so quick to judge a girl, though." Temari waved her hand slightly. "After all, it's been a while since you saw her, and they didn't seem all that close. If they are dating, it only happened recently."
Kankuro blinked. "You're surprisingly defensive."
Temari furrowed her brows and she crossed her arms, shooting him a glare. "Maybe it's because I'm also a female and I don't appreciate how you were so quick to assume that she's fickle. Guys like that really piss me off."
Kankuro leaned back from her for a moment, chuckling awkwardly to himself as he scratched his head. "Sorry, sorry."
"Anyway, don't get distracted." Temari crossed her arms and looked away, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked around at the other Genin. "We came here for a reason. Getting caught up with a girl isn't part of the plan."
"I know that." Kankuro mumbled and scowled faintly. "I'm not getting caught up in anything. Maybe I was just curious..."
"You know what they say about curiosity..." Temari smirked slightly and Kankuro frowned.
"Shut up."
"The Art of Being a Ninja." Meogi smiled. "We'll now have my senior as a Kunoichi, Sakura Haruno, give us a short lesson about Ninjutsu."
"Yes, of course." Sakura smiled and coughed softly. "Yes, I am the lovely Sakura Haruno."
"Lovely?" Moegi repeated and raised an eyebrow.
Sakura crossed her arms. "What? You have any complaints?"
"Oh, no, of course not." Moegi shook her head quickly and held her pencil close to the page of her notebook. "Please continue."
"Alright." Sakura nodded. "Well, first, about Naruto's Ninjutsu... the Sexy Jutsu, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and... Harem Jutsu... and then playing pranks like dropping an eraser on Kakashi-sensei's head... he's really just a hopeless guy." She sighed, shrugging as she shook her head again. "But anyway, the secret for excellent Ninjutsu is all in the balance between Hand Signs and Chakra Control, Moegi."
Sakura paused, then blushed and glanced over her shoulder at where Sasuke sat, before she started to speak again.
"Next is the number one rookie, Sasuke, who graduated as the top student at the Academy. The most popular in the class, he can also fight Kakashi-sensei as an equal. Sasuke is so awesome!"
"Say, Sakura..." Naruto moved closer, scratching his ear with his pinky finger before crossing his arms and making a face. "Your Sasuke introduction is taking too long."
"Naruto, you're so noisy." Sakura rolled her eyes and shot him a look. "Just stay quiet! It's my turn!" She cleared her throat and looked back at Moegi. "Although we've seen Sasuke using powerful Jutsu like the Fire Style Fire Ball Jutsu, the Demon Wind Shuriken, and Sharingan, the greatest of all is... the sharp look of his eyes! Any girl who has been stared at with those eyes will immediately fall in love with him!"
Sakura blushed and looked back at Sasuke, and Moegi turned to follow her gaze, almost blushing herself.
"Sasuke! Look this way!" Sakura waved at him, calling out.
"How annoying..." Sasuke looked up at them slightly, his brows furrowed and his eyes stern.
Sakura blinked, then slumped as he looked away with a pout. Moegi patted her back as Sakura sighed.
"Well, that cold behavior is also another attractive quality of Sasuke..."
Konohamaru blinked and shared a look with Udon, who only shrugged.
"I really don't understand girls." Konohamaru whispered to his friend.
"Me either." Udon sniffed, then shook his head.
"Hey, Sakura." Naruto looked at her, pointing. "You keep going on about how 'great' Sasuke is or whatever, but you forget that Natsumi beat him easily."
Sakura's eyes widened and she blushed faintly, and the kids' eyes widened.
"H-Huh?!" Moegi turned to him.
"Natsumi neechan?" Konohamaru leaned in closer to Naruto, with his wide as he grinned. "Did she really beat that guy in a fight?!"
"Idiot!" Sakura flicked Naruto hard on the forehead and then crossed her arms. "Don't forget that she beat you, too!"
The kids' gasped collectively and Konohamaru looked at Naruto as he rubbed his forehead.
"Boss, is that true?!"
"W-Well..." Naruto chuckled and scratched his cheek. "She's my sister, so, I had to let her win..."
"Liar!" Sakura smacked the top of his head and knocked him back. "She took you out without even breaking a sweat!"
"Amazing..." Their eyes nearly sparkled and they looked between each other.
"Hey, how about we find Neechan and interview her once we're done here?" Konohamaru suggested.
"Maybe we can get her to demonstrate her techniques!"
Naruto made a face, slouching slightly as he sighed. "But I thought I was the main focus of your article..."
"W-Well..." Konohamaru scratched his head. "Hearing that Neechan beat both of you is just really impressive..."
"Sakura-senpai, how was that fight with Natsumi neechan? Was it really good?" Moegi looked at the girl.
"U-Uh..." Sakura swallowed and look away for a moment, then laughed awkwardly under her breath. "S-She was really strong. She took on the three of us all at once. I was really surprised."
"Really? Really? All three of you?" Konohamaru stared. "So cool!"
"Natsumi neechan is so awesome." Moegi cooed.
"Ahem." Naruto cleared his throat and then grumbled. "Can we get back on topic? There's still a lot I wanna talk about."
"Right." Konohamaru nodded, and turned his attention to Sakura. Naruto made a face as he was passed over and Sakura started again.
"Next is out teacher, Kakashi Hatake, also known as Copy Ninja Kakashi." Sakura straightened as she continued. "He uses the Sharingan in his eye to assess the enemy's technique as is said to have copied over a thousand different Jutsu. But... he's always late to meet people, and whenever he has any time, he always reads this questionable book called Make-Out Paradise and he always looks like he doesn't really care about things... And the biggest mystery of all is his face hidden under that mask! I wonder what he really looks like..." Sakura paused, looking upward and touching her chin in thought. "On top of that, why does he have the Sharingan in his left eye, when it's only passed on through the Uchiha clan bloodline? It's just one mystery after another when it comes to Kakashi-sensei, and there are so many things that I don't understand... I wonder if he'd tell me if I asked."
"Ah." Sakura scratched her head, then looked back at the kids. "Next, I guess are the Ninjutsu of the other Ninja besides us. There's such a diverse collection of Ninjutsu that I have no time to explain it all..."
"Mhm..." Moegi nodded as they took notes, and then the trio looked over at the Uchiha sitting alone.
"Please, Sasuke, whom I feel is most like my future self, you take care of this next part about Ninja Rivals." Udon sniffed and adjusted his glasses.
"Sure. After all, I have been the one to do something about it." Sasuke looked over at the group, then nodded after a moment of quiet and he moved over to sit by them. "I knew that from the beginning."
"Hmph." Naruto crossed his arms, making a face as he looked over at his teammate. "Don't try so hard to look cool. Sasuke, the snob."
"Don't interfere." Sasuke shot him a cold glare. "Stay out of this, loser."
"Damn, you're so annoying." Naruto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he glared back. "Shut up! I hate the fact that you stand out so much."
"Hmph." Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily and smirked slightly. "That's because nobody strong is interested in someone that's weak."
"What the...?!" Naruto clenched his fists tighter.
"That sand guy... that Hyuga... even that Bushy-Browed weirdo in the green tights... none of them were interested in you at all."
"Nobody thinks of you really at the strong type, Boss." Konohamaru crossed his arms and looked at Naruto.
"H-Huh?" Naruto recrossed his arms and made a face. "That's not true at all! They're just blind!"
"Hmph." Sasuke chuckled quietly under his breath. "As always, Naruto, you're all bark and no bite."
"That's not true!"
"Sasuke's right!" Sakura pointed at Naruto. "You just talk the talk but you're unable to walk the walk."
"Damn, now Sakura's picking on me..." Naruto grumbled and looked away, furrowing his brows.
"The students who gathered for this Chunin Exam are all skilled." Sasuke continued. "All of them are the cream of the crop. Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi, Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame... Naruto, you won't be able to even get close to winning with the way you've been fighting. You must understand that, right?"
"Heh! Of course!" Naruto rubbed his nose, pointing it upward to snub him. "You'd better be careful, too. Don't let your guard down so you won't be defeated by some lame guy!"
"Hmph. Of course." Sasuke smirked.
"That's right..." Sakura smiled slightly and she looked between her teammates, and then turned back to the Academy students. "We passed the first stage of the Chunin Exam and are now about to start the second stage... no matter what adversity lies ahead; we won't be afraid! And we'll definitely pass the Exam and all become Chunin! Because we... we have the greatest teamwork that was formed by a strong bond!"
"Yeah! That's right!" Naruto grinned and held up his fists, pumping them into the air. "I'm raring to go!"
"Thank you so much for cooperating with the interview!"
Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon bowed their heads at Team Seven and Konohamaru held up a thumbs-up and looked up at Naruto.
"Boss, do your best!"
"Yeah! Just leave it to me!" Naruto held up a thumbs-up and grinned, and the kids turned and waved as they left.
"Good luck!"
"See you later!"