Chunin Exams Already?

The next day, Wu Liang left Haku Yuki with some medical books he had stayed up late organizing, along with a few common detoxification techniques and Healing Techniques. Then he publicly announced that Haku Yuki had died.

As for Naruto's tearful promises with Tazuna's family and all that, Wu Liang really could not bear to watch, so he headed to the ferry crossing early.

Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and the others only slowly departed after receiving the townspeople's enthusiastic farewell.

After returning to Konoha Village and turning in the mission, Wu Liang and Naruto went their separate ways and returned home.

In the Third Hokage's office, the Third Hokage looked over the mission report for a long while before saying, "That boy from the Yuki Clan did not die, did he? If Danzo learns about this, he will surely do everything he can to abduct him. Remember this: I will destroy the mission records shortly. As for you, make sure those children keep quiet. The Chunin Exams are approaching, and I do not want Danzo stirring up any more trouble. Do you understand, Kakashi?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Good. You may go. Oh, and the Chunin Exams will be held soon. Take those registration forms to the little brats. I think they will be more than willing to accept them." The Third Hokage chuckled.

"Yes."

Kakashi answered, then left with several Chunin Exams application forms.

The Third Hokage placed the mission report and mission order together, then breathed out a tiny flame and burned them to ashes.

Over the next few days, Naruto continued doing D-rank missions. However, he no longer complained about them. After all, without strength, he needed to train. Naruto also used every opportunity he could to improve his Chakra control.

If Wu Liang remembered correctly, the Chunin Exams should be happening not long after the Land of Waves mission. That also meant Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha was coming soon. He did not have much time left in this world.

Sure enough, just a few days later, Wu Liang could sense a trace of tension in the village even while training. Large numbers of ninja had been deployed to maintain order, and ninja from other villages could occasionally be seen around Konoha.

The atmosphere in the village grew increasingly tense, and Wu Liang stopped going out to train. After finishing his meal, he intended to find Naruto and see whether he had finished his mission, but when Wu Liang neared the street where Naruto was working, the scene ahead caught his attention.

Because of Wu Liang's interference, the Third Hokage's grandson had not become Naruto's follower, and they had never even met. Yet now, Konohamaru was being held by the neck and suspended in midair by a Sand Ninja wearing a black coat, carrying a coffin on his back, and sporting purple face paint. Nearby, two children wearing wind goggles sat frozen on the ground in fear, while a beautiful blonde woman with an impatient expression stood beside them.

How familiar this scene was. Were those not Kankuro and Temari, two of the three Sand siblings from the Land of Wind's team? Still, it seemed the correction and inertia of the plot were truly terrifying. Even without Naruto and Sakura's squabbling, the Konohamaru Corps had still run into the Sand Ninja. He just did not know why this time.

Originally, Wu Liang had not wanted to interfere. But since he had come across this, would it not be harder to extort the old Third Hokage next time if he did not help? Though after this, he did not even know whether he would have another chance to extort him.

Kankuro held Konohamaru while saying something Wu Liang could not make out. Konohamaru's face had clearly turned red.

Wu Liang flashed forward, grabbed Kankuro's arm, and said, "You ninja from another village are bullying a few children in Konoha Village. Is that really appropriate? And do you know who the brat in your hand is? Aren't you afraid of causing conflict between our villages?"

Just as Kankuro was preparing to teach this annoying Konoha brat a lesson, someone suddenly grabbed his arm. He could not pull free no matter how hard he tried, and he was immediately shocked. "Who are you? Why are you meddling in our business? I do not care who this brat is. If he offended me, I will make him pay!"

Wu Liang looked at Kankuro with a strange expression, then snatched Konohamaru from his hand and placed him behind himself. "He is the Third Hokage's grandson. If you do anything to him, I do not think you can bear the consequences."

Kankuro and Temari had been somewhat angry over losing their hostage, but upon hearing Wu Liang's words, cold sweat instantly broke out across their backs. Kankuro stared at Konohamaru, not knowing what to say. He had casually run into a brat in Konoha, and the kid was actually the Third Hokage's grandson. What rotten luck.

Temari hurriedly spoke up awkwardly. "Hello, sir. You should be a Konoha ninja, right? We came to participate in the Chunin Exams. Everything that happened just now was a misunderstanding. Ha ha... um..."

Wu Liang ignored them and turned to Konohamaru. "What happened with you little brats? They are obviously not Konoha ninja, so why did you provoke them?"

To be honest, Konohamaru had been terrified when that Sand Ninja grabbed him. But after Wu Liang appeared and rescued him, he found his courage. "We did not provoke them. We were just playing on the road when we accidentally bumped into that strange guy carrying a coffin. Then he grabbed me. He even demanded that I kneel and apologize. He said that if we did not kneel and apologize, he would make me pay."

"Oh?"

After hearing that, Wu Liang's expression as he looked at Kankuro became even stranger. After a long moment, he said to Konohamaru, "You should go home first."

Then he turned to Kankuro. "I do not care how much authority you have in your village or how strong you are. In Konoha, if you are a dragon, coil up. If you are a tiger, lie down. And you are quite bold, daring to bully the old Third Hokage's grandson. Aren't you afraid you will not make it home?"

Kankuro's expression turned even stranger as he awkwardly said, "I did not expect that the brat I randomly bumped into in Konoha would be the Hokage's grandson. Nothing happened, did it? Let us just call it a misunderstanding and move on."

Wu Liang clicked his tongue inwardly. This guy is really stubborn.

Then he looked at Temari. "Can you keep your companion under control? If he had truly harmed the Hokage's grandson, he would have been finished."

Temari knew Kankuro had indeed gone too far. Forget that they had merely bumped into each other and he had demanded the children kneel and apologize—if he had actually attacked just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable. She actually had a good impression of the ninja who had stood up for the Third Hokage's grandson. If Wu Liang truly wanted to harm her and Kankuro, he could have simply stood by and reported the matter afterward. Thus, Temari looked at Wu Liang with a hint of gratitude. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder. I opposed my brother acting so arrogantly from the beginning, but perhaps the journey exhausted him so much that his mind is not clear. When we return, I will make sure to discipline him properly."

Kankuro quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes. We traveled all the way from the Land of Wind to the Land of Fire. The journey was so boring that I got a little carried away. Please do not hold it against me. I will definitely change."

"Fine, you can go. Just do not cause any more trouble in Konoha. A lot of ninja from other villages have arrived these past few days, and Konoha is somewhat short on manpower. Otherwise, you would not even have been able to get close to that brat, much less grab him." Wu Liang did not press the matter further. He still needed to find Naruto. Still, Kakashi should let them participate in this year's Chunin Exams, right? Their team was far stronger than in the original story.

After saying goodbye to Temari and the others, Wu Liang went to find Naruto.

After Wu Liang left, Temari coldly glared at Kankuro. "You nearly caused a disaster. If that ninja had not stopped you, you would have been scolded again. Think about Gaara."

When Kankuro heard his sister mention Gaara, his body could not help but shudder. Good thing he had been stopped. It seemed he could not act recklessly in Konoha Village from now on. If he ran into the descendant of some other important figure, just thinking about it was terrifying.

When Wu Liang found Naruto, Naruto was using Multiple Shadow Clone to cut grass while his real body refined Chakra nearby. Sasuke and Sakura had also unusually not stayed home to train. Instead, they were accompanying Naruto on his mission. Well... it was obvious they found home too boring, so they were training while accompanying Naruto on his mission.

Wu Liang greeted everyone and was just about to ask whether they wanted to participate in the Chunin Exams when Kakashi appeared behind him. "Oh my, everyone is actually here today. That is rare. Still, it is good that you are all here. I have something to announce, though it is a little sudden."

Kakashi then took several Chunin Exams application forms from his pocket and handed them to everyone. "These are the application forms for this year's Chunin Exams. I have already recommended you to participate. Of course, whether you go is up to you. Discuss it among yourselves. The selection round will take place in seven days."

The moment Naruto heard that Kakashi had recommended them, he happily said, "The Chunin Exams? How could they possibly leave out me, Naruto Uzumaki? I will definitely become a Chunin!"

Sasuke looked disgusted. Why is this guy so energetic all day long? Is he not tired after doing so many low-rank missions?

Then Sasuke said, "I have no problem with it."

Kakashi nodded at Sasuke, then looked at Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Haruno hesitated slightly. "I have already switched to studying Medical Ninjutsu. Is that alright?"

Kakashi nodded. "Your Chakra control is very strong. If you can learn the Super Strength Wu Liang taught you, then becoming a Chunin will be a sure thing."

After receiving Kakashi's approval, Sakura no longer hesitated. "Alright, then I have no problem with it either."

Seeing that all three of them were willing to take the Chunin Exams, Kakashi felt somewhat gratified. "Good. Starting tomorrow, you will not need to carry out missions. You will be on break until the Chunin Exams selection round. Train well."

Wu Liang watched them discuss everything from beginning to end, but Kakashi had ignored him. So he said to Kakashi, "Hey, hey, hey. Did you forget about me? Are you not going to ask whether I want to participate in the Chunin Exams?"

Kakashi looked at Wu Liang with a strange expression. "You could take the Jonin assessment if you wanted. Why would I need to ask? Besides, you do not need to participate in the qualification selection round. You can directly enter the final Chunin Exams. But there is one condition: Sasuke, Naruto, and the others must pass the selection round. Otherwise, you will lose your qualification with them and can only wait until next time."