"What? Genjutsu?"
"When did we fall for a genjutsu?!"
"That's impossible."
"What nonsense is he spouting?!"
A cacophony of discussions erupted from the crowd.
Indeed, many Genin hadn't even realized they were caught in a genjutsu.
Uzumaki Naruto tucked his pocket watch back into his pocket, raised a hand, and calmly pointed at the classroom's door number.
"This isn't the third floor at all. The classroom in front of us isn't '301' but '201' instead!"
The '301' door number, under the transparent Uzumaki distortion, actually changed into '201'.
"You saw through it, kid."
The two Ninja guarding the door curled their lips.
"But just seeing through genjutsu isn't enough!"
One Ninja suddenly moved, turning sideways and raising a leg, a kick whipping out like a sharp lash.
Uzumaki Naruto stood still, but a green figure, even faster than the Ninja, blocked the side kick with his bare hands.
"This kid—"
"Such speed, such power."
The door-guarding Ninja's pupils suddenly constricted, a look of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
On the contrary, he...
The door-guarding Ninja looked at Uzumaki Naruto, who seemed to have no reaction at all, and couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
If he hadn't been obstructed by the bushy-browed kid, his kick just now might have knocked Uzumaki Naruto to the ground.
"Uzumaki Naruto? A dead last is always just a dead last. His ability to defeat the Sharingan and become the top graduate of this Ninja Academy probably involved a lot of luck."
"Rock Lee."
A young man with Byakugan, like Hyuga Hinata, appeared, his handsome face showing a hint of displeasure as he chided, "Why did you change your mind?"
"Didn't we agree to keep a low profile to avoid alerting others?"
"Well—"
Rock Lee was about to explain something when he spotted Ino Yamanaka, who stood out even in the crowd. He immediately walked up to her and introduced himself familiarly, "My name is Rock Lee. You're Ino Yamanaka, right?"
Ino Yamanaka looked bewildered.
"Please go out with me! I will protect you with my life!!"
Rock Lee gave a thumbs-up, grinned, and revealed a mouthful of sparkling white teeth.
....
"No way!"
Ino Yamanaka crossed her arms, snorted lightly, and turned her head, firmly refusing.
"I already have someone I like."
"Alright—"
Rock Lee, looking dejected, hung his head.
But the next second, he turned to Hyuga Hinata, his enthusiasm instantly reigniting: "My name is Rock Lee, and I presume you are Hyuga Hinata, please go ou—"
Before the word "out" could escape his lips, Hyuga Neji delivered a hand chop to Rock Lee's head.
"Hinata—Young Lady."
Hyuga Neji's gaze was somewhat complex.
He had initially loathed and resented the weak and incompetent Hyuga Hinata, but recently, Hyuga Hinata's reputation and performance within the clan had gradually made Hyuga Neji look at her with new eyes.
He even started using the respectful address of "Young Lady."
"Rock Lee, she is the eldest daughter of our Hyuga Clan, you are not allowed to talk nonsense!" Hyuga Neji glared at Rock Lee in exasperation.
Tenten stood by, sighing helplessly.
"Neji-nii, it's fine..." Hyuga Hinata was still a bit shy in front of many people, but she was much better than before.
"Lee-kun, I'm sorry, I also have someone I like, please look for someone else."
Hyuga Hinata politely refused Rock Lee, her voice soft yet firm, maintaining the demeanor of a refined young lady.
"Darn it—"
"I wonder who that lucky person is, to be liked by two beautiful girls."
Rock Lee wanted to bite his handkerchief, tears streaming down his face, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Uzumaki Naruto.
However.
Rock Lee turned and walked towards Sakura Haruno and Uchiha Sasuke, and boldly confessed to Sakura Haruno.
Sakura Haruno refused with a speechless expression: "Absolutely not! Your eyebrows are too thick!!"
"Alright, rejected again—"
"When will I experience the 'youth' that Guy-sensei talks about?"
Rock Lee dropped his arms in despair.
"No!"
"I must cheer up, I can't let Guy-sensei down."
Rock Lee slapped his face with both hands, then blocked the path of the Seventh Team trio.
"Hey, you're the top graduate of this Ninja Academy, right? I want to have a match with you!"
Rock Lee's thick eyebrows and large eyes became serious.
"By the way—what was your name again?"
"Before asking someone's name, you should introduce yourself first, shouldn't you?"
Uzumaki Naruto, who was about to head to the third floor, stopped and turned to look at Rock Lee.
Rock Lee pointed his thumb at himself and said, "My name is Rock Lee."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"However—are you sure you want to challenge me so early?"
Uzumaki Naruto's expression became strange.
Rock Lee during the Chunin Exams was certainly not weak, and his battle with Gaara even became one of his few shining moments in the original story.
But—
With Uzumaki Naruto's current strength, he definitely belonged to the hidden great demon king of the Chunin Exams.
To challenge him, the final BOSS, right at the start?
He didn't know whether to say Rock Lee was lucky or unlucky.
"Why challenge me when you could challenge Uchiha Sasuke?"
Uzumaki Naruto's gaze swept over Hyuga Neji and Tenten, noticing that they also seemed curious about the strength of him, the top graduate.
"Naruto, how about I do it?"
Hyuga Hinata said softly, wanting to fight in Uzumaki Naruto's place.
Uzumaki Naruto waved his hand, saying, "He challenged me, there's no reason for you to fight. Otherwise, people will think I only hide behind girls."
"Come on, Rock Lee."
Uzumaki Naruto's lips curled into an interested smile.
Let me experience the power of Eight Gates a little!
"Okay!"
Rock Lee, who was about to assume his taijutsu stance, suddenly winked at Sakura Haruno, who was watching nearby.
"No—no—!!"
"I hate your droopy eyelashes the most!"
Sakura Haruno, who was originally curious about Uzumaki Naruto's strength, immediately shivered and turned away in extreme aversion.
"That hairstyle, those thick eyebrows..."
"Oh, my angel~"
Rock Lee blew a kiss to Sakura Haruno, who was trembling and had goosebumps, directly causing a critical hit effect that almost made Sakura Haruno collapse on the spot.
Play is play, mischief is mischief.
But when facing Uzumaki Naruto, who defeated Uchiha Sasuke and was hailed as the strongest comeback top graduate of the Ninja Academy, Rock Lee's playful face,
became serious again, his round eyes sparkling with excitement and fighting spirit.
"Finally, I get to fight the strongest rookie of this generation."
"Guy-sensei, watch me, I will defeat the top graduate who beat a genius, and prove it to you!"
Rock Lee put one hand behind his back, standing as straight as a javelin, and extended his other bandaged hand towards Uzumaki Naruto.
"You go first. It's best to go all out from the beginning."
Uzumaki Naruto's expression was calm; he stood still and waved back at Rock Lee, signaling him to make his move, like an experienced elder guiding a naive junior who fears no tiger.