Chapter 7 : The Chunin Exams, Begin!
Kakashi stood in front of his three Genin, his usual laid-back expression masked by the headband that covered his Sharingan eye. "I recommended all three of you for the Chunin Exams," he announced.
Naruto's face lit up instantly. "Kakashi-sensei, you rock!" he yelled, launching himself at Kakashi in a full-body hug. Kakashi, however, deftly peeled Naruto off himself with a flick of his wrist, returning to his typical nonchalant stance.
"Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come to room 301 at the academy, 3 p.m., five days from now. That's all," Kakashi finished, eye-smiling beneath his mask.
Naruto, already lost in his thoughts, grinned wildly. "Ehehe, Chunin Exams! Chunin Exams!" he giggled to himself, barely containing his excitement.
Naruto's mind raced with anticipation, imagining the intense battles that awaited him. "Man, I'll get to face that guy with the mummy on his back—what was his name? Kankuro! And then there's this guy with the attitude..." Naruto's grin widened as he pictured himself effortlessly defeating them. He could almost see it now—standing atop a mountain of beaten opponents, receiving the Hokage's hat, skipping the rank of Chunin altogether, and becoming the greatest shinobi in Konoha history.
"Yeah, this is it! I'll show everyone how awesome I am!" Naruto thought, clenching his fist in determination.
Sasuke, meanwhile, remained silent. Though his face was calm, his mind was buzzing with anticipation. He wasn't focused on Kankuro, but rather Gaara—the red-headed boy with the eerie presence. That guy was different from everyone else they had encountered. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. I have to face him, he thought. The thrill of facing strong opponents ignited a competitive fire in him, but beneath that burned his desire to grow stronger—to close the gap between himself and him.
"I'll take on anyone, and I'll win. I'm not losing to anyone, especially not him." His gaze shifted to Naruto briefly. Not this idiot, either. He smirked.
But while Naruto and Sasuke reveled in the thought of challenging opponents and pushing themselves, Sakura remained silent, her heart sinking further with each passing moment. Unlike her teammates, she wasn't eager or excited. In fact, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
Sakura's gaze dropped to the ground. How can I even think about competing? she wondered. She couldn't keep up with Naruto's rapidly improving skills or Sasuke's raw talent. They were both already far ahead of her, and the gap only seemed to grow wider each day.
Naruto had been improving at an almost frightening pace, thanks to his training with the shadow clones. Even if she didn't show it, she was genuinely impressed by his dedication, and while she would never admit it, she was beginning to feel left behind. Sasuke, on the other hand, was an enigma—he had always been skilled, and the thought of even coming close to matching him felt impossible.
Her hands clenched into fists, trembling. What can I do? she thought. I'm not strong like them.A flood of insecurities washed over her, threatening to drown any semblance of confidence she had left. Why am I even here? she asked herself. Sakura glanced at her teammates, who were lost in their own worlds. They looked ready—excited, even. But she...
"Five days," she whispered to herself, her heart heavy. She had five days to decide if she could muster up the courage to take on the Chunin Exams, or if she was just fooling herself.
- The Days Until The Exam -
Over the past five days, Team 7 had pushed themselves in their training, sharpening their skills in preparation for the Chunin Exams. Kakashi had dismissed their usual D-Rank missions, allowing them to focus solely on their development. Naruto, in particular, had shown impressive growth, especially in his basic skills. His taijutsu had significantly improved, his movements were sharper and more controlled—though still not quite on par with Sasuke. His stamina and endurance were already formidable, but now, his timing and precision had reached a new level. Even his hand seals, previously clumsy and slow, had become quicker and smoother through constant practice.
Kakashi had noticed. During their last training session, he had pulled Naruto aside.
"I'm impressed, Naruto," Kakashi said, a rare seriousness in his voice. "Your basics are more than solid now. You're much faster with your hand seals, and your taijutsu has improved significantly. You've put in the hard work, and it shows. But remember," he added with his usual eye-smile, "the basics are something you can never stop practicing. You'll always need them."
Naruto had beamed at the praise, but Kakashi's next words had excited him even more.
"After the Chunin Exams, we'll start focusing on some more advanced skills. But for now, focus on these exams. Knowing you, I'm sure you'll be participating."
Naruto, practically bouncing with excitement, had laughed loudly, "As if I'd miss it! I'm gonna be Hokage someday, remember? I'll crush those exams!" His enthusiasm was infectious, but Kakashi just gave his usual eye smile before turning to leave.
- The Morning of the Exam -
It was the day of the Chunin Exams, and outside the academy, Naruto and Sasuke stood waiting for Sakura. Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he thought about all the strong shinobi he would face in the exams.
"Chunin exams, huh? I'm gonna crush everyone," Naruto said to himself, fists clenched in excitement.
A few moments later, Sakura finally arrived, looking slightly distracted. Naruto greeted her with his usual energy. "Hey, Sakura! You're late!"
Sakura smiled apologetically. "Ha, right. Sorry, guys." Though she had been trying to appear calm, her thoughts were still on the test she was given a few days prior. The third hokage had put all the rookie genin through one of these tests to appease the worried academy instructor, Iruka, who felt that the rookies weren't quite ready for the Chunin Exams.
"Good morning, Sasuke," Sakura said, her voice tinged with a mix of hope and hesitation.
"Yeah," Sasuke replied nonchalantly, though he noticed the slight shift in her demeanor. He didn't press the issue, instead turning toward the academy entrance. Naruto followed with his usual enthusiasm, and Sakura walked just behind them.
Team 7 entered the academy, making their way up the staircase toward what the third floor. After pushing through a small crowd of about a dozen other Genin gathered around the classroom marked "301," they saw two Genin of the Leaf blocking the entrance.
Just as they arrived, a boy in a tight green spandex suit, maybe a year older than them, was struck by one of the Genin guarding the door, causing him to stagger back.
"You're taking the Chunin Exams, but you can't even get past us," one of the door blockers said mockingly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Why don't you give up now, before you get hurt?" the second added, laughing smugly.
A girl who appeared to be on the green spandex boy's team stepped forward, attempting to reason with the Genin blocking the door. "Please, let us through. We're supposed to go in there," she said, but before she could say more, one of the blockers delivered a punch straight to her face. She tumbled to the ground, landing beside her teammate.
The door blockers continued antagonizing the Genin trying to get in. "The exams will make what we're doing look like a picnic," one of them sneered.
Sasuke, who had been observing the situation with mild disinterest, decided it was time to intervene. He coolly walked forward, hands in his pockets, and confronted the pair blocking the door.
"Real nice speech," Sasuke said casually. "Now let us through."
The two Genin in front of the door exchanged glances before Sasuke continued. "And while you're at it, drop the Genjutsu. We can see through your illusion. We're still on the second floor."
Some of the other Genin in the crowd mumbled to one another in confusion. "What does he mean? We're on the third floor, right?"
The door blockers smirked. "Well, well… so you noticed the Genjutsu, huh?"
Sasuke turned to Sakura, giving her a quick glance. "Why don't you tell them, Sakura? You probably noticed long before I did. After all, you've got the best analytical skills on the team."
Sakura blinked in surprise, a small smile creeping onto her face at the unexpected compliment. She stepped forward. "Yeah, I saw it right away. We're still on the second floor. That sign saying '301' is a fake."
With that, the sign above the door flickered, revealing the true number: 201. The crowd of Genin murmured in shock.
"Well, aren't you a smart one," said one of the door blockers, his smile fading. "You noticed the illusion." Without warning, he launched a high kick toward Sasuke. "Now let's see you deal with this!"
Sasuke reacted instantly, launching his own kick to intercept. But before either of their attacks could connect, a blur of green appeared between them.
Rock Lee, the green spandex boy from earlier, had moved with such blinding speed that neither Sasuke nor his opponent had seen it coming. He stopped both kicks with a single hand on each of their legs.
Team 7 was shocked.
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait… that guy's not a weakling?" she thought, stunned by how easily Lee had intervened.
Sasuke, too, was caught off guard. "He blocked my kick… effortlessly."
Naruto, however, saw something different. Thanks to his recent taijutsu training, he could now recognize just how fast and skilled this boy truly was. "This guy... he's no joke," Naruto thought, realizing that Lee had been holding back
At that moment, the girl from earlier approached alongside a boy with striking white eyes, clearly a Hyuga. "Hey," the Hyuga said in an unimpressed tone, addressing Lee. "What happened to the plan? I thought we were supposed to keep a low profile."
Ignoring him, Rock Lee walked straight up to Sakura with a grin on his face. "You must be Sakura Haruno, right? My name is Rock Lee. Please, be my girlfriend! I vow to protect you with my life."
He flashed her a thumbs-up and a blindingly white smile.
Sakura's face twisted in both confusion and disgust. "Definitely not," she replied coldly.
Lee faltered, his expression dropping comically. "Aw, why?"
Sakura frowned. "Because you're a weirdo."
Rock Lee's shoulders slumped, defeated.
Meanwhile, the white-eyed Hyuga boy, Neji, approached Sasuke. "Hey, you," he said, looking Sasuke up and down. "What's your name?"
Naruto, standing to the side, clenched his fists in frustration as Sasuke once again became the center of attention. "Sasuke always gets all the attention!" he muttered angrily to himself.
Sasuke gave Neji a nonchalant look. "It's common manners to give your own name first."
Neji, ignoring the comment, continued, "You're one of the rookie Genin, aren't you? How old are you?"
Sasuke, refusing to give a straight answer, turned and began walking away. "I'm not obligated to answer."
In the background, Rock Lee and Naruto were both leaning against the wall in their own shared depression. Lee, still feeling the sting of being called a weirdo by Sakura, and Naruto, once again feeling overlooked by everyone.
Sakura, realizing the conversation was over, called out to her teammates. "Come on, you two. Let's go."
With that, Team 7 began climbing the stairs to the real third floor, moving toward the exam hall and the challenges that awaited them.