Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, the fifth day arrived.
The main gate of the Konoha Ninja Academy was several times noisier than usual, with unfamiliar faces in various ninja attire pouring into the school in an endless stream.
Today was the first day of the Chunin Exams, and not only were Konoha's Genin gathered here, but ninja teams from many allied nations were also participating.
Beside the school gate, under the familiar swing tree, Hinata and Shino had been waiting for a long time. They had agreed to meet Mamoru here, but the appointed time had passed, and the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
"Mamoru-kun... why isn't he here yet?" Hinata sat on the gently swaying swing, her hands clasped nervously, her tone filled with obvious worry. "Could something have happened?"
Shino had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the tree trunk, his gaze steady behind his lenses as he scanned the crowd. He comforted her in a calm voice, "There's no need to worry excessively. Since he promised, he will come. He's probably just temporarily delayed by something."
Not far away, Sasuke and Naruto were also standing near the school gate. Sakura came running from a distance, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
"Sakura, you're so late!" Naruto was the first to shout.
"Yeah, sorry." Sakura smiled apologetically, then turned her gaze to Sasuke, her voice softening unconsciously. "Good morning, Sasuke."
Sasuke only gave her a brief glance and let out a short "Hmph" from his nose as a response.
The three of them then joined the flow of people and walked into the school.
The crowd of people waiting for companions at the school gate gradually thinned until almost everyone had entered, and only then did the figure they had been waiting for arrive late.
"Yo!"
Mamoru was seen carrying a plastic bag, walking leisurely from a distance, the relaxed and pleasant expression on his face clearly indicating his excellent mood.
"Mamoru-kun!"
Seeing his figure, Hinata immediately stood up from the swing and ran to meet him, her face filled with relief.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" Mamoru came before Hinata and naturally reached out to gently rub her hair, then handed over the paper bag in his hand with a smile.
"I ran into Kurenai and Asuma on the way, so I 'reluctantly' joined them for a cup of tea. Here, the dango you like. Share them with Shino."
In reality, Mamoru had stumbled upon Kurenai and Asuma on a date, and he had then stuck to them like an inseparable shadow. In the end, Asuma, in order to get rid of this oversized third wheel, had to spend money on snacks to successfully 'dismiss' him.
"Mhm." Hinata nodded.
She took the paper bag with both hands, and held it carefully in her arms as if it were some precious treasure.
"Mamoru." Shino walked over with steady steps.
Although his sunglasses and high collar hid most of his face, the twitching of his eyebrows and his suppressed tone of dissatisfaction fully explained his current mood. "What time do you think it is?"
"Alright, don't be mad. Didn't I bring these snacks as an apology?" Mamoru patted his shoulder with a grin, then turned around first and walked toward the school gate. "Let's get inside quickly, any later and we'll really be late."
Hinata quickly followed his back with small steps.
Shino sighed helplessly, pushed up his glasses, and followed closely behind.
Entering the long-unvisited school building, the three were already familiar with the layout and headed straight for Classroom 301 on the third floor.
Their footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. Just as they reached the third floor, they saw several familiar figures standing in the hallway ahead—four people, to be exact.
It was Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke of Team 7, along with their Jōnin instructor, Kakashi.
"Yo, isn't this Team 7?"
Mamoru recognized them from afar and shouted, "Sasuke, what are you standing there for? Acting as a guard?"
"Noisy."
Hearing the voice, Sasuke turned and gave Mamoru a cold glance, snorting softly, not bothered to respond.
"Mamoru, are you guys taking the Chunin Exams too?" Naruto couldn't help but ask curiously as Mamoru passed by Team 7.
"Isn't that obvious? Everyone's here." Mamoru looked back at him as if looking at an idiot, his tone carrying its usual teasing.
"Mamoru! Just you wait, I'll definitely defeat you in this exam!" Naruto shouted defiantly behind him.
Mamoru didn't stop, not even turning his head, only waving his hand casually as his voice drifted back with a laugh. "Keep that kind of dream for when you're lying in bed at home."
While speaking, they had arrived in front of Classroom 301.
However, what Mamoru did next caught everyone by surprise. Without any warning, he raised his leg and kicked the door of the room.
Bang!
The door swung open, and he then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Children, Daddy's here!"
The classroom, which had been filled with low conversations and was somewhat noisy, was instantly silenced by this sudden commotion.
Time seemed to freeze, and everyone in the classroom stopped their movements, looking at the door in shock.
In the next second, almost everyone's eyes were focused on the three people at the door or more accurately, on the handsome but flamboyantly behaving boy.
The three members of Team 7, who had witnessed the whole process from behind, were so shocked their jaws almost hit the floor.
This... this was too reckless!
Mamoru had offended every contestant in the classroom in one go.
Kakashi scratched his signature white hair helplessly, his visible eye filled with resignation.
What a troublesome fellow, making such a scene as soon as he arrived. He only hoped he wouldn't go too far during this exam.
Facing the countless gazes from the classroom—a mix of malice, suspicion, dislike, contempt, provocation, and even greed—Mamoru seemed completely oblivious. He calmly surveyed the interior of the classroom, his gaze sweeping over the strangely dressed ninjas from various countries.
At first glance, he almost burst out laughing. The styles of these people were so bizarre that for a moment he thought he had accidentally entered some 'Most Emo-lookimg Contest'.
He couldn't help but complain internally, 'What kind of aesthetic is this?'
Hinata felt uncomfortable under these unfriendly stares and instinctively shrank behind Mamoru, trying to draw a sense of security from him.
Shino remained calm on the surface, but a closer look revealed that his joints seemed a bit stiff, clearly exerting all his effort to resist this invisible pressure.
Mamoru didn't lower his voice at all, his tone nonchalant as if stating an obvious fact. "Don't be afraid, they're just a bunch of small fry. Don't mind how they're all dressed up to look fierce and important. They're still taking the Chunin Exams at their age, their strength can't be that great."
As he spoke, he stepped into the classroom as if no one else were there, treating the hostile glares around him like irrelevant curtains at the edge of a stage.
Hinata and Shino had no choice but to brace themselves and follow behind him, their bodies slightly stiff.
As Mamoru stood fully inside the examination room, a deathly, murderous atmosphere pervaded the entire room, and the air seemed to grow heavier.
However, as the center of the storm, Mamoru still didn't care about these "small fry."
Of course, there was still one person in the crowd worth his attention, Orochimaru. He keenly sensed an unusual aura.
But an unexpected situation happened too quickly, even catching him slightly off guard. A dark shadow swiftly moved through the crowd and lunged straight at him.