Change

Outside the alley.

The three of them stood in the sunlight, yet they were frozen stiff. Even Gaara had withdrawn his killing intent, staring in shock at Naruto beneath the shadows.

"Quick, run!" Temari lowered her voice, too flustered to care about anything else.

She hurriedly grabbed the hands of her two rebellious younger brothers and led them out of the alley without looking back. Only after they had gone quite a distance did she let go, gasping for breath.

"What was that?" Kankuro, his face painted with purple striped camouflage, had an empty look in his eyes. Even the hand bracing himself against the wall was trembling.

Kankuro still retained his rationality. He knew that Gaara standing beside him was also a monster and hated that word most of all, so he did not say anything that would do more harm than good.

"N-Nine-Tails." Temari's whole body was shaking. Her calves had been too tense and were still cramping.

"How could Konoha have something that terrifying?" Kankuro recalled what he had just seen, his purple lips trembling nonstop.

"Nine-Tails?" Teacher Maki, the Sand Hidden Leading Jonin in the room, frowned as his gaze swept over the three of them. "How is that possible? You must have been fooled by that Brat."

"Fooled?" Temari and Kankuro looked at each other, while Gaara alone showed no reaction, still standing there coldly.

"Teacher Maki, what do you mean?" Cold sweat seeped from Temari's forehead as she hurriedly asked for guidance.

The Jonin Temari called Maki had a square face. He wore a black bodysuit beneath a brown Sand Hidden Jonin vest.

Half a piece of white cloth draped over his head, concealing the left half of his face. He spoke in a stern tone, carrying a decisive air.

"You don't need to worry too much," Maki said. "More than a decade ago, the Nine-Tails reappeared in Konoha. According to reliable information, that mature Jinchuriki is already dead."

"Konoha's current Jinchuriki is merely an ordinary Brat. He simply cannot control the tailed beast's power."

At this, Maki paused and looked at his three young students.

"What you described just now was the tailed beast taking on a facial form. That is something only a perfect Jinchuriki can achieve. If Konoha truly had such a Jinchuriki, how could we possibly have devised the Konoha Crush Plan?"

"Teacher, you mean that Brat can't truly control the Nine-Tails? He was just pretending he could transform into a tailed beast to scare us?" Temari asked in surprise.

"Of course. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that a village's most important Jinchuriki just happened to pass right in front of you?" Maki nodded.

His eyes seemed to have seen through Konoha's scheme, and he wore a stiff smile that said he was gradually understanding everything.

"The Chunin Exams are originally a competition for every village to display the strength of its new generation. How could Konoha pass up such a perfect opportunity to intimidate Sunagakure?"

"I see." Kankuro nodded. Though he still felt that something was off, none of that mattered anymore.

Since even their Leading Jonin had said so, and their ally in this operation was a party with exceptionally reliable intelligence, there was naturally nothing left to doubt.

Temari also let out a sigh of relief, then gritted her teeth and said viciously.

"That guy actually toyed with us. He'd better never fall into my hands!"

Gaara, who had remained indifferent all along, merely cast them a cold glance and did not bother correcting them.

The instant he lowered his head, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

He knew better than anyone whether that had been the pressure of a tailed beast. There was no mistake—it had been the Nine-Tails.

The next day, a torrential rain fell over Konoha.

Under Kakashi's lead, Sakura and Sasuke headed to the Hokage Building to submit their Chunin Exams registration documents. The three walked through the rain beneath their umbrellas.

Beneath a pink umbrella, Sakura broke the silence. Gathering her courage, she asked Kakashi's back ahead of her.

"Kakashi-sensei, why can't Naruto take the Chunin Exams with us?"

Drip. Kakashi stopped at her words and turned to look at Sakura.

"It's Lord Hokage's order. There's nothing we can do about it."

"But..." Sakura swallowed. Her knuckles, gripping the umbrella in the heavy rain, were especially pale. "But we're a team, aren't we?"

The sound of pouring rain blocked out most of the outside world. Sakura could only shout for Kakashi to hear her, and the rain had soaked the ends of her cherry-pink hair.

Her voice trembled slightly, filled with hesitation.

"You taught us that, Kakashi-sensei. We're a team. So... so we shouldn't just leave Naruto behind like this!"

Sasuke also stopped walking, his brow slightly furrowed. Although he said nothing, he turned his gaze toward Kakashi as well, his meaning clear.

"Even if it is the Hokage's order? You would still defy it?" Kakashi looked down at Sakura with an emotionless glance.

"Perhaps your and Sasuke's eligibility for the exams will be affected as well. Even so, will you still insist?"

"I..." Hearing that Sasuke might be affected too, Sakura hesitated.

Kakashi did not address Sakura's hesitation. His single eye swept over Sasuke and Sakura as he asked them sternly.

"The Chunin Exams are the only path for Genin to become Chunin, and also the fastest path for you to become Chunin. After becoming Chunin, both mission rewards and available resources will be dozens of times greater than those of a Genin."

"You both have your own goals, don't you? Wouldn't it be better to achieve them sooner? The Chunin Exams are being held on Konoha's home ground. This is a rare opportunity."

"If you wait for another chance, that would be troublesome too. By then, perhaps your companions from the Ninja Academy will have already become Jonin ahead of you."

"Even so, will you still insist?"

Rumble! Lightning tore through the curtain of rain. The downpour grew even louder, the pounding against the umbrellas seeming to question their hearts.

Sakura and Sasuke both fell silent, letting the sound of rain swell without end.

"It's all right," Kakashi said again. "The order barring Naruto from this Chunin Exams was personally issued by the Third Hokage. It isn't something you can change."

"Let's go. If we're any later, it'll be too late."

As he spoke, Kakashi had already turned around and started walking ahead, his tactical boots splashing through the water.

"I..." Tears streamed uncontrollably down Sakura's face. She remembered the first time the three of them had shared intelligence, and Naruto's words of comfort.

"There's nothing wrong with being ordinary, if you have a choice. But..."

"Sakura, your strength isn't in combat. You don't need to force yourself. Sasuke and I will take responsibility for the fighting."

Sakura could no longer hold back. Tears burst from her eyes as she lowered her head and sobbed. She regretted her moment of hesitation—when Naruto hadn't hesitated at all.

"Kakashi-sensei! I... I still want to take the Chunin Exams with Naruto!" Sakura raised her head and cried out.

Her vision was blurred by tears. She didn't even know whether Kakashi had already gone far away. Maybe the rain was too heavy, and he hadn't heard her.

Maybe...

The sound of splashing footsteps drew closer from afar. Sakura felt a pair of warm hands rest on her head. Looking up, she saw Kakashi's smiling eyes as he said gently, "I approve."

"You really are excellent. Sasuke already told me. Sakura, you did well."