It was nine in the morning.
The application forms for every ninja participating in the Chunin Exams had to be submitted. As usual, Team 7 arrived a little late.
The hallway was buzzing with activity. It seemed there had been some arguments, and rumor had it that some candidates had already been beaten up by the chunin guarding the gate.
"The third floor is the right place! But they're blocking the way!"
"We're here for the exam!"
"Shh, something's not right here..."
When Naruto arrived at the entrance, he watched with curiosity as two chunin guards roughed up a genin. He glanced at Sasuke beside him. "After you get promoted to chunin, can you just beat up genin whenever you want?"
Sasuke Uchiha was silent.
Only Naruto Uzumaki could ask such a bizarre question. And what did that idiot mean by looking at him when he asked it?
However, the chunin examiners at the entrance, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, simply smiled at the crowd of genin. "Of course," one of them answered. "As long as you're strong enough, you can even beat up a jonin."
"Sorry, we just want to submit our forms. Please let us in..." a young girl with her hair in buns said, stepping forward.
The examiner paid her no mind and threw a punch right at her face. They were even going to hit a cute girl like that!
Bang!
A figure rushed forward like lightning, kicking one of the chunin examiners away. In a flash, he spun around and kicked the other examiner away, too.
Sasuke Uchiha stood over them, his hands in his pockets. "Stop playing these little tricks," he said casually. "Let us pass."
"Cough, cough... this year's graduates, huh..." Kotetsu and Izumo moved out of the way. They were just a checkpoint, meant to test the new genin participating in the exams. What they hadn't expected was for these little guys to be so capable.
Sakura Haruno looked mortified and bowed awkwardly to the two examiners. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke is always like this. We're all from the same village, after all..."
"Let's go, Sakura," Naruto said, patting her shoulder gently. "Sasuke didn't hit them that hard. See? They don't even need to go to the hospital."
What he said... actually seemed to be true.
The chunin examiner, Kotetsu, finally remembered. The brat who had just walked past him with those insolent words was the demon fox that everyone in the village hated—the same one who had once defeated Ebisu in a head-on battle.
It seemed that among this year's new participants, there weren't just weaklings, but also monstrously strong individuals like Naruto Uzumaki.
In the hallway, some of the other Konoha ninjas began to discuss Team 7. No matter how you looked at it, they were formidable rivals.
The village's demon fox brat...
The last genius of the Uchiha clan...
And their little tag-along girl...
When Team 7 finished submitting their forms, everyone who saw Sasuke's displeased face subconsciously made way for them.
Until one team of ninjas blocked their path. The girl with the buns, who had almost been hit earlier, offered a small laugh. "Thanks for what you did back there..."
"It's okay," Sakura said, waving her hand. She looked at the team, and a flicker of recognition crossed her face. "We saw you yesterday, didn't we? You're..."
"That's right." A boy with a watermelon-shaped haircut and a tight-fitting suit stepped forward. His face was slightly red as he looked at Sakura. "I'm Rock Lee of Team 3, and you're Sakura, right? Will you go out with me? I swear I'll protect you with my life!"
"..."
Sakura sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I have to refuse," she said in a low voice. "I already have someone I like."
The hallway fell quiet for a moment. Some people looked at Rock Lee. Some people looked at Sakura. And some people looked at Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke noticed the stares, but when he turned his head, he saw it was his own teammate. He glared back irritably at Naruto. "You bastard, what are you looking at me for!"
"..."
Naruto just smiled and shook his head. He was only looking, not saying anything. Sasuke couldn't be bothered with him and instead stared at the boy with the Byakugan standing in front of him. "Hey, is there anything else?"
"No, I just wanted to thank you," Neji Hyuga said, pausing for a moment. He then turned to his teammate, who was still gazing nervously at Sakura. "Hey, Lee, let's go!"
"You guys go ahead!" Rock Lee shook his head, slowly moving his gaze from Sakura to Sasuke. "I want to challenge the number one rookie."
As a hard-working ninja, his greatest interest was challenging geniuses. Before facing a prodigy like Neji Hyuga, who had no blind spots, Rock Lee wanted to test himself against Sasuke Uchiha to see the gap between himself and a true genius.
"Sorry, not interested." Sasuke frowned, remembering Naruto's mockery from the day before. He pointed casually at Naruto. "But I'll give you a chance. Wait until you beat our team's dead last, then you can come challenge me."
Naruto Uzumaki was speechless.
This bastard really had some nerve. As of right now, wasn't Sasuke himself the dead last of their year?
However, seeing Rock Lee's burning gaze turn toward him, Lee said softly, "Alright! If I can beat Naruto Uzumaki, you have to fight me!"
"Don't worry, if you can beat him," a smile flashed across Sasuke's lips as he nodded seriously, "I'll fight you, even if you don't ask."
Standing to the side, Tenten frowned. She knew her teammate well and couldn't hide the worry in her expression. "Lee..." she tried to persuade him in a low voice.
Rock Lee was the most hardworking person in Team 3. Even Neji Hyuga, who carried the heavy burden of fate, felt inferior to his dedication. For Lee, challenging geniuses was everything. If he was defeated by Naruto—a ninja Sasuke had just dismissed as the "dead last"—it would be a huge blow to his confidence. It would mean that all his years of hard work still weren't enough to catch up.
"Don't stop me, Tenten." Rock Lee tightened the bandages on his hands and stood in front of Naruto. "I'm sorry, but I want to fight Sasuke... so I must ask you to accept my challenge first!"
"Wait... Lee..."
"Can't this wait until the Chunin Exams?"
"No. At that time, I have someone else I want to challenge more."
Rock Lee shook his head, glancing at Neji not far away. He then looked back at Naruto and said solemnly, "So, I have to test myself first!"
"Sigh..." Naruto said helplessly. "If you want to drag your entire team down for your own sake, then there's nothing I can do."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Rock Lee couldn't help but scratch his head.
Neji's gaze sharpened. He watched as Naruto's chakra began to rise and said in a deep voice, "If one person from a team is absent, they can't participate in the Chunin Exams... You mean..."
"That's right," Naruto said with a shrug. "So I think he should probably listen to his teammates, especially when one of them has been trying to talk him out of it." He then offered a word of advice. "So far, the ninjas who have fought me have either ended up buried in the ground forever or in the hospital..."
As he spoke the last part, his voice remained calm, but it carried the weight of a hundred battles. Everyone present was so intimidated by his killing intent that they didn't dare to move.
"Naruto, what... what are you saying!" Sakura forced herself to stay calm and tried to ease the tension. "Sasuke's perfectly fine, isn't he?"
"Sakura!" Sasuke stopped her from continuing. He knew very well that his fights with Naruto were just experiments with new jutsu. If it were a real life-or-death battle...
Rock Lee wanted to say he would win, but he glanced at Naruto, then at Tenten and Neji. He gritted his teeth and finally unclenched his fist. "I give up... This time, I'm not being a coward for myself! During the Chunin Exams, I will challenge you again!"
-----
Bonus:
Naruto Uzumaki: See that? A victory of wits!
Sasuke Uchiha: You have wits? That was just intimidation.
Naruto Uzumaki: I'm serious. If he had really challenged me, I would have put him in the hospital.
Sasuke Uchiha: Why?
Naruto Uzumaki: I don't know. I just have a gut feeling that putting him in the hospital would be safer for him.