"No wonder that guy always targets me..."
"Actually," Hinata said with a gentle smile, "isn't Naruto-kun the same way? You care most about Sasuke-kun, don't you?"
"Me? Care about him? Don't be ridiculous." Naruto scoffed, but Hinata just laughed to herself.
"By the way, Hinata, tell me more about the Chunin Exams."
"Actually, that's all I know," she shook her head. "But it's about to start anyway, so we'll all know then. Besides, it's time for me to go home."
"Oh, right," Naruto said, his voice a little disappointed, though he quickly masked it. "I almost forgot. Your family must be worried about you being away for so long. Go quickly!"
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata was clearly reluctant to leave.
"Hey, I'm fine!" Naruto patted his chest. "I'm used to it after all these years!"
"Okay, then... see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun."
"Yeah! See you tomorrow!"
As Hinata's figure disappeared into the distance, Naruto's forced smile faded, and a look of desolation and loneliness appeared on his face. But it only lasted for a moment. *Ha, what's so great about that? Anyway, I'll be making a name for myself soon!* he thought, though he couldn't help but lower his head. *Never mind, what am I thinking? Right now, I have Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Might Guy-sensei, Asuma-sensei, plus Hinata... and I guess I'll add Sasuke, too. I'm no longer alone. Besides, I'm now a recognized genius ninja! Okay, time to go home, continue my training, and prepare for the Chunin Exams!*
Back home, Naruto reviewed his progress. His proficiency in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu had all increased significantly. The newly mastered Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and Wind Release: Wind-Slicing Blade techniques were both at 60-70% proficiency. In addition, for completing Kakashi's rigorous training within three days, the system had given him a special reward: a new entry, [Wind Release Mastery]. This new ability doubled the effectiveness of his training and enhanced the power of his wind-style ninjutsu, further strengthening his resolve to become the strongest Wind Release ninja.
He quickly finished his meal and began his new "inhuman" special training once again. Although the alternating practice of two completely different jutsu was grueling, Naruto realized that it had refined his mastery of Wind Release to a new level.
*The Chunin Exams,* he thought. *Strong people from other villages will be there. Perfect! Let the entire ninja world witness the brilliance of Uzumaki Naruto!*
The system had also issued a new task: conquer the Chunin Exams and successfully advance to Chunin. Failure would result in a baptism of lightning. For Naruto, who had vowed to prove himself, this was nothing. But then, the system added another condition: *The Chunin Exams are conducted in teams. The host must ensure that both teammates also advance to Chunin, otherwise the mission will be considered a failure.*
"...What?! I can manage myself, but how can I manage others?!" Although he cared a lot about Hinata and Sasuke, ensuring that they both became Chunin was beyond his control. They were both strong, but all assessments had an element of randomness. What if they had to fight each other? There was no guarantee they would both win. His initial excitement suddenly turned into immense pressure. *No, I have to urge them to work harder, too!* With that in mind, he decided to start tomorrow. *We'll all get stronger, together!*
The next day, Kakashi was, unsurprisingly, late. Naruto took the opportunity to express his thoughts. "Hinata, Sasuke, let's do our best in the Chunin Exams!" Hinata nodded, but Sasuke just frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, surprised by Naruto's encouragement.
"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? We're all members of Team 7! Of course I hope everyone can be promoted to Chunin! I heard the exams are conducted in teams, which means... we're all in this together," Naruto explained.
"We all prosper together, and we all suffer together," Hinata added.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"What are you getting at?" Sasuke scoffed. "Do you think I'll hold you back?"
Naruto wanted to say that he didn't mean it that way, but he knew that provocation worked better with Sasuke. "Ah, I do have that concern," he said with a smirk.
Sasuke was instantly furious. "Loser, do you want to fight? It's not certain who the dead-last is now!"
"You—"
"Alright, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, stop fooling around," Hinata interjected. "Our Team 7 is definitely one of the strongest. If we were to lose, it wouldn't be because of our strength, but because of internal division, like right now."
Naruto and Sasuke knew she was right but wouldn't admit it. "Sasuke, let's settle this in the Chunin Exams! If we have to face off, I won't hold back. But if we don't, whoever fails to advance will never be able to hold their head high again!"
"Fine!" Sasuke roared. "Whoever fails will be inferior for the rest of their life!" Naruto secretly smiled, his plan having worked perfectly.
Just then, Kakashi arrived, even later than usual. "Yo! Good morning!"
"It's getting later and later, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto pointed angrily.
"Well, what can I do? I ran into a lost old lady today..."
"Nobody would believe that! Let's get down to business! The Chunin Exams!"
"Oh, you all already knew?" Kakashi feigned ignorance. "Don't worry, I've already registered all three of you. There are about ten days left before the official assessment begins. But before that, we still need to continue our training and missions as usual. Today's task is... helping the daimyo's wife find her missing cat."
"...How did we end up back where we started?!" Naruto cried out in frustration. "We've already killed Zabuza and completed an A-rank mission!"
"There's nothing we can do," Kakashi said with a shrug. "If you don't pass the Chunin Exams, you're still just genin, and you can only be assigned missions of this level."
"Hmph," Naruto pouted, crossing his arms. "Looks like I have to become a Chunin, otherwise this kind of life will never end!" Hinata and Sasuke felt the same way.
The task of finding the cat was, of course, no challenge for Team 7. Hinata's Byakugan quickly located the habitual fugitive. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, he's in the tree over there on the street!"
"Alright!"
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