Our plan for The Chūnin Exam is to be memorable, to make a name for ourselves, and to stamp the memory of our faces into the minds and hearts of the masses, and while it's a bit early to know whether or not we've succeeded, I will say that we're doing well so far.
Everywhere we go in town, it seems like everyone recognises us; the Leaf rookies who made such great displays in the first round, Team Seven.
To my and Sakura's great irritation, and the blonde idiot's eternal pleasure, Naruto seems to have made the strongest impression of us all.
It's understandable, of course, after all, the idiot went on stage and practically challenged The Hokage for his hat, but that doesn't mean that Sakura and I have to like it. Especially when it seems like people are already beginning to wonder if he could really do it; become Hokage one day.
So, yes, people recognize us, and they're talking about us, but that's not enough.
The whole point of our being here is to make an impression on the minds, but more importantly, the hearts of the masses, and while making a good showing in the arena goes a long way to help with that, it's not enough.
Consequently, here we are, like the sleazy politicians of Caleb's world, 'touring' the city after the first round of the exam today.
The job right now is simple; befriend people. Make them go from seeing us as insanely powerful, larger than life ninja who could squish them like bugs, to seeing us as insanely powerful, larger than life ninja who could squish them like bugs, but are also totally pretty chill people who are fun to interact with.
And as much as it pains me to admit it, Naruto is a natural at this.
See, Naruto is like morphine; useful, and leaves you with a pleasant feeling, but only best taken in small doses.
The more you get to know Naruto, the more obnoxious he becomes. Now, I will readily admit that maybe there is a point at which the scale tips, and if you push past you begin to like him again the more you know him, but if such a point exists, I don't think I'm anywhere near it.
Regardless, Naruto is in his element here.
These people know next to nothing about him, and he's unlikely to ever meaningfully interact with most of them ever again; this is the perfect place for him to shine.
His bright smile, his carefree attitude, that boyish face, all of it works together with his natural extroverted nature to make him the perfect magnet for people who are already eager to like us to begin with.
Thanks to this, over the course of the day, Kakashi, Sakura and I step back, using Naruto as the 'tip of the spear' in our public relations effort, as we go around the city, browsing through stores, entertaining groups of children, even helping out a few elderly here and there, anything and everything to better grease our entry into the hearts of the masses.
Manipulative? Totally. But do I give a shit? No. Not even a little bit.
Sitting at a ramen stand we've stopped at for what is either a very late lunch or a somewhat early dinner, Sakura turns to me as Naruto regales the older woman making the noodles, and anyone else who cares to listen really, with some story about his time in The Academy.
"Do you think he even remembers why we're out here doing this?" Sakura asks, using the excuse of needing to speak softly to lean a little too close into me.
I stare at her flatly. She blushes and draws back.
"No," I reply, after a moment. "Which is why he's perfect for it."
Sakura watches Naruto for a moment, his audience of four spellbound by every word. "I suppose," she agrees finally.
We retire to our room sometime around seven, and the day ends with little fanfare.
The Chūnin Exam has a day of rest after every round, ensuring that anyone who pushed too hard for a victory in their previous match would have time to recuperate for their next, so, the next day sees us with little to do but more public relationing.
I do take the opportunity to check out the training yard for contestants that Kakashi had told me about our first night here, but that's one big disappointment.
It's a twenty foot square patch of grass that seems more like a little park for relaxation than something to actually train on.
Even more disappointing is that none of the sixteen contestants left in the exam seem either careless, or cocky, enough, to use it either.
We spend much of the day as we spent much of yesterday, moving around the city and meeting people, Naruto, once again, taking the helm.
By evening, despite having not done a whole lot physically, I'm exhausted.
It isn't just me either; while Naruto looks like he could do this all week, Sakura looks just as drained as I feel. The smiles are coming slower, the well of pleasantness running dry.
Luckily, Kakashi can tell, because he soon takes us up to a nice, high rooftop to sit on, away from all the people and chaos of Phoenix Palace City.
I suck in a deep breathe of air free from some of the many odours that mix together to make the city's unique aroma.
This is nice.
We proceed to plan for our matches tomorrow then, up on the rooftop.
None of us have any idea who we'll be fighting tomorrow; the roster for the exam is randomised each round, ensuring that, until the finals, the matchups are never a sure thing, so we spend hours up on that roof, coming up with ideas and strategies for every single person we could face tomorrow, including ourselves.
By the end of it, I feel better, energised; excited.
Whatever my match tomorrow brings, I'm sure I'm ready. And so are my teammates.
Thanks for reading.
link in my bio to read ahead.