Chunin Exams?

Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office. "Lord Hokage, we're back." He formed a hand seal in greeting.

"Mm. You've worked hard. How did the three children perform?" The Third Hokage did not mention the Anbu, and Kakashi did not ask. They both knew, so there was no need to bring it up. That was not the important part.

"They all performed exceptionally well, especially Sasuke. He did very well. Even I failed to notice that the enemy was an impostor, but he saw through it. However, Sasuke was a little depressed after the battle. He's doing better now, but he still needs to be observed. Naruto has also grown quickly. He was even able to come up with a battle plan during the fight, which is very rare. Sakura has grown the slowest, but she was always able to hold her position in battle, which is already quite good. I also heard that Sasuke suggested she learn Medical Ninjutsu. I think that is a good suggestion. Sakura has exceptional Chakra control."

"Good. It seems this trial was very successful. Still, you've had it hard. You had to suffer in order to cover for the Anbu." The Third Hokage offered Kakashi his sympathies. Kakashi then left, and the Third Hokage returned to his work. As for what he was thinking, no one knew.

The next day, Sasuke entered another frenzied mission-grinding phase. Naruto no longer complained, though no one knew how long he would be able to endure it. The term mission maniac was practically made for Sasuke. A large number of D-Rank Missions were completed, while the other two teams were still taking things slowly. Kakashi was quite supportive of this. Missions were genuinely useful. He had analyzed some of the details of their recent operation for the three of them. That was a teacher's responsibility, and all three listened attentively. He carefully broke down Haku's disguise, including both its concealment and its flaws. Sasuke also shared his own views. Of course, Naruto might not have understood everything, but Sasuke was his goal. Since Sasuke was so determined to do missions, Naruto would not back down either.

The days drew closer and closer. There was just over a week until the Chunin Exams. After finishing their mission that day, the three planned to eat ramen, but a dirt-yellow box appeared behind them. Sasuke's mouth twitched when he saw it. After spending so much time with Naruto and Konohamaru, will my intelligence get dragged down too?

"Hey, Naruto, hurry up and deal with those three. Are they pretending to be rocks while wearing a square box over their heads?" Even Sakura could not stand watching any longer.

"Konohamaru, what are you doing? What kind of rock is square? And the pattern is completely different from the rocks on the ground. What are you even doing?" Naruto said as he looked at the box on the ground. Together with the three little ones, the group noisily headed toward Ichiraku Ramen.

"They're so noisy. I hate brats." A voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention. Sasuke glanced over. This was Kankuro.

"Hey, who are you calling a brat?" Naruto naturally would not swallow the insult.

"Hehe, of course I mean brats like you. I hate brats the most." He was probably talking about his own younger brother. Poor guy.

"Starting trouble in someone else's village isn't a wise decision. You're from Sunagakure, right? Is it really a good idea to provoke us right in front of us?" Sasuke said with a smile. Temari blushed slightly as she looked at the handsome Sasuke.

"There's nothing wrong with it. Are you planning to teach me a lesson?" Kankuro said provocatively.

"There's no need to teach you a lesson. After all, we're the hosts here, and we should be polite to our guests. Otherwise, someone might say we're poor hosts. Don't you think so? You in the tree?" Sasuke looked up into the tree after speaking. "There's someone in the tree?" Naruto asked foolishly.

"Kankuro, are you causing trouble again?" A low voice sounded from the tree. Then a small figure dropped down—Gaara of the Sand. "I am Gaara of the Sand. What is your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. I think we'll have a chance to fight soon enough."

"Let's go." Gaara led his group away. "Sasuke, shouldn't we ask why they're in our village?" Sakura asked.

"If they can walk around the village so openly, they must have permits. Kakashi-sensei probably knows what's going on. We don't need to worry about it. Let's go eat ramen."

"Konohamaru, why didn't he ask for my name?" Naruto asked Konohamaru.

"Naruto-brother, you're so lame. You didn't even notice there was someone in the tree." Konohamaru looked down on Naruto.

Sasuke did not point out the Sound Ninja not far away. If he got the chance, he would kill those three. After all, he would feel no psychological burden over killing them. The three older ones and three younger ones went to eat ramen together. Their stomachs were more important. To hell with the Chunin Exams. Orochimaru would be there, and Sasuke did not know whether he could avoid him. He hated snakes most of all.

Meanwhile, the Hokage's office had gathered quite a few Jonin and Chunin. Most of them would serve as examiners, while a small number were there to recommend their subordinates for the exam.

"Then, before the Chunin Exams officially begin, those responsible for guiding the newly graduated Genin, step forward." Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and Kakashi stepped forward. "Among the Genin under your leadership, are there any you consider worthy of being recommended for the examination? I need not say more. The rules state that one may take the Chunin Exams after completing eight missions, though by convention, it is best to have completed twice that number."

"I, Kakashi, recommend the following three members of Team 7 under my leadership—Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura Haruno—for the Chunin Selection Exam, in the name of Kakashi Hatake." Kakashi said, forming a hand seal.

"I, Kurenai, recommend the following three members of Team 8 under my leadership—Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino—for the Chunin Selection Exam, in the name of Kurenai Yuhi." Kurenai said, forming a hand seal.

"I, Asuma, recommend the following three members of Team 10 under my leadership—Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi—for the Chunin Selection Exam, in the name of Asuma Sarutobi." Asuma said, forming a hand seal.

"All three recommended candidates?" "It's the first time in five years that rookies have been recommended." The people below began discussing it among themselves. They were curious about the three Jonin recommending rookies. It was not exactly unheard of, but having so many at once was unusual.

"Please wait. The candidates recommended by the three Jonin were all my students at the Academy. I know them well. They only graduated recently. Although they are all talented, it is far too early for them to take the Chunin Selection Exam." Iruka cared deeply about these students. They were all good, but they had only graduated recently. Moreover, he had not spent much time with them for a long while, so he lacked an understanding of their current strength.

Sasuke and the others knew nothing of the discussion concerning them. After eating ramen, they returned home separately. Every day, Sasuke now prepared for the Chunin Exams. For him, the most dangerous part would likely be the second stage. It was necessary to bring more Ninja Tools and Exploding Tags so that he could set traps when the time came. However, the safest course was to obtain the other scroll as quickly as possible and head for the central tower. Once there, he would be safe. Moving at full speed was essential. The most important thing now was determining which team carried the other type of scroll.