"I, Naruto Uzumaki, am going to take the Chunin Exams! If you've got the guts, beat me in the Chunin Exams!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. "Don't say I'm not giving you a chance. If you don't have the guts, stop blabbering."
Facing the harsh remarks from all around, which were extremely unpleasant, Naruto couldn't afford to lose his momentum.
The stronger Naruto's momentum became, the more ferocious looks the people around gave him. They were all arrogant young ninjas, not afraid of anyone and not willing to yield to anyone.
Naruto's declaration was quite effective in the ninja world. In the ninja world, only the weak don't deserve sympathy. If you become assertive, others will see you as a competitor.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I recognize you," said the young man with thick eyebrows in green clothes. "Since Sasuke said so, let's have a battle."
"Might Guy-sensei!" Naruto suddenly greeted. "Why do you have the time to come here?"
"Sensei is here!" The young man with thick eyebrows in green clothes was so scared that he quickly turned around and said to the air, "Guy-sensei!"
"Huh?" The young man with thick eyebrows in green clothes found that there was no one there. Might Guy-sensei didn't come at all. When he turned around, he found that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had already sneaked away.
"Sigh," Naruto sighed. "All I meet are idiots. They're like they're on a crazy high. Gaara, Rock Lee, and Neji are all cut from the same cloth."
Sasuke, walking beside him, said, "Naruto, we must settle the score between us."
"Even Sasuke is like this," Naruto felt so tired.
"Naruto! Answer me directly!"
"All right, all right. I'll fulfill your wish when the time comes."
Despite some minor setbacks, they finally made it to Classroom 301 smoothly. Kakashi had already been waiting there.
"I didn't expect Sakura to show up too," Kakashi sighed. "The fact that the three of you are here together means you've qualified for the Chunin Exams."
Both Sasuke and Sakura were shocked.
Kakashi explained, "Although I said it was on a voluntary basis, in fact, you need to register as a team of three to be eligible for the Chunin Exams. If any one of you is absent, the whole team will be disqualified."
"Because I wanted you to think it through carefully, evaluate your own strength, and then decide whether to take the Chunin Exams. Don't worry about your teammates' feelings and make your own call."
"I'm really glad that all three of you have chosen to take the Chunin Exams and are officially eligible."
Kakashi emphasized to Naruto, "Especially you, Naruto. I have full confidence in you. With your skills, you can definitely make Chunin."
"Whoa!" Naruto gave himself a thumbs up, which made Sasuke extremely envious. He could get such high praise from Kakashi.
Little did they know that Naruto was actually thinking, "I'm not interested in becoming a Chunin at all. I said I'm the Strongest Genin, so I'll just stick to being a Genin. I'm taking the Chunin Exams just to keep my Hinata company..."
The first test of the Chunin Exams has begun. The chief examiner is Ibiki Morino, a Tokubetsu Jonin from Konoha. This guy has several scars on his face, is wearing black clothes, has a muscular build, and a menacing look in his eyes. He is obviously a tough guy.
In a classroom capable of accommodating hundreds of people, the chief examiner, Ibiki Morino, explained the rules. "Without the examiner's permission, no one is allowed to engage in private fights. Even if permission is granted, no one is allowed to take a life. Otherwise, you'll be disqualified from the exam."
Immediately, there were jeers from below. "What the heck kind of exam is this? It's a breeze!"
"Compared to the competitions in our village, it's not even a real fight if there aren't a few casualties."
"It's not worth watching if the mortality rate doesn't reach 50%."
"Hmph," Ibiki Morino said in a deep and magnetic voice. "I'm now distributing the test papers. Everyone, get ready for the written exam."
"Rule one, each of you starts with 10 points. There are a total of nine major questions on the test paper. One point will be deducted for each wrong answer. If you get all the answers wrong, you'll have 0 points."
"Rule two, whether you pass or not will be judged by the total score of your three - member team. If one person gets zero points, the whole team will be eliminated."
"Rule three: If you're caught cheating, 2 points will be deducted each time. Once your 10 points are all gone, your whole team will be eliminated."
After hearing the rules, Sakura thought to herself that Naruto should be able to pass since Teacher Kakashi had said Naruto would be fine.
Sasuke, sitting a few rows behind Naruto, wasn't worried at all as he looked at Naruto's back. He knew that with Naruto's strength, Naruto would definitely find a way to pass the test.
Sakura got the test paper and glanced at the nine major questions. She was completely stunned and immediately showed a worried look on her face. She thought to herself: No other Genin could possibly answer these questions except me. Sasuke will surely be okay, but can Naruto really pass?
After Sasuke got the test paper, he immediately understood the purpose of this exam. Even he couldn't answer these questions, let alone others. Sasuke also didn't believe that many people could answer them.
Sasuke thought: This exam isn't testing our problem - solving ability but our information - gathering ability. No wonder the third rule is so strange. It clearly allows cheating, but just not clumsy cheating.
Naruto, with your ability, you must have also discovered the real purpose of this exam, Sasuke stared at Naruto's back and thought. It's to get us to cheat to get the answers without being caught.
At this time, Naruto wasn't focused on the test paper. His whole attention was on his deskmate because Hinata was sitting next to him.
Naruto thought: Hinata is so cute... She seems to want to take a look at me. After taking a look, she quickly averts her gaze... I can't stand it...
"Naruto..." Hinata said in a soft voice. "What's wrong with you?"
"Hinata, do you want to join Team 7 and go on missions with me?"
"Uh? Can I transfer to Team 7 when the teams have already been assigned?"
"I'll figure it out. As long as you're willing, I'll get you into Team 7."
"Um," Hinata gave a soft murmur but didn't really answer. Her face was already very red, and she buried her head in the test paper.
Naruto felt a surge of ecstasy inside. First, he'd get Hinata into Team 7. Then they could be together all the time. More importantly, Hinata was too weak. In this dangerous ninja world, it would be difficult for her to protect herself. Naruto had to figure out a way to make Hinata stronger, at least as strong as Sasuke.
"Aren't you going to answer the questions?" Hinata pressed the test paper under her arm and quietly moved it in Naruto's direction. "You can copy my answers."
"Sure." Naruto wouldn't refuse Hinata's request. Only now did he finally pick up his pen and start writing on the test paper.
Hinata didn't know that while Naruto was looking at Hinata's test-paper, the pen in his hand was writing on his own paper: Today, Hinata smells like lily...
Hinata was extremely excited, with her heart pounding. She was overjoyed as Naruto was actually copying her answers. Why did she feel so happy? Was it because she could help Naruto? For the first time in so many years, she could help Naruto.