A rapid knocking sounded, and the entire room began to tremble under the pounding on the door.
Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes, his body tensing.
His gaze quickly swept across the room before finally stopping on the foot Naruto had extended onto his face.
He froze for a moment, baring his teeth as if he wanted to curse, but instantly regained his composure.
Time was of the essence. If he did not move now, it would be too late to react!
Because...the door had already been opened from outside.
"Hey! Naruto! I came to see you!" a familiar voice called out, filled with concern.
Sasuke's heart tightened, and he frowned slightly.
Wasn't Naruto an orphan? How did someone suddenly come here?
Naruto also rubbed his bleary eyes and got up.
The two of them had only just fallen asleep, yet now they had been woken up by someone.
Iruka walked into the room. He glanced at Sasuke, who was staring at him from the side, scratched his head, and smiled.
"Sasuke is here too?"
Sasuke nodded, sizing up the person before him uncertainly.
Naruto also walked out. He realized that he did not know this person at all, so he simply pretended to be groggy.
"Haah—"
"Good morning. Sasuke and I trained until midnight before going to sleep, so we're still really tired..."
Iruka smiled helplessly at Naruto's appearance.
"Got it! Naruto, you really need to work harder!"
"The Chunin Exams are just around the corner. I came to check on you, Naruto. Keep working hard! I believe in you!"
Iruka put the pile of snacks he had bought on the table, then patted Naruto and Sasuke on the shoulders.
"Remember, just do your best. The Chunin Exams aren't something you can pass easily, and you only just graduated from