Winning Hinata Over, Nine-Tails' Recognition 16.1%
Naruto entered the arena and searched for quite a while before finding his team.
Ino and Sakura, who did not need to compete, were sitting together and talking about something. Beside them, Choji was eating potato chips and enthusiastically watching the lively scene below. When he saw Naruto arrive, he quickly raised a chubby paw and waved.
"Over here! Over here!"
Only then did Naruto squeeze through the dense crowd and find his seat. The four sat in a row, with Naruto beside Choji. Before he had even sat down, he asked, "Choji, are your injuries better?"
During the extra round of the second stage of the Chunin Exams, Choji had narrowly lost to Kiba Inuzuka. After taking the pills, his body had been overtaxed to the point that the Medical Unit had carried him straight into Konoha Hospital.
"I'm completely fine now!" Choji wore a goofy smile. "But wasn't sending four or five crates of fruit a bit excessive? You even scared my dad. Besides, I don't like fruit."
"Being a picky eater isn't a good habit. Make sure you eat fruit properly and on time while you're recovering, Choji."
The instant Naruto sat down, he habitually grabbed a handful of chips. He also lifted a paper bag and handed the three of them the canned drinks he had prepared earlier. But when he looked up, he noticed that Sakura, seated at the far left, seemed distracted.
"What's wrong, Sakura?"
"Huh? What?"
Sakura snapped back to her senses when she heard her name, meeting Naruto's puzzled gaze.
"You seem like something's on your mind."
"Sakura's definitely worried about Sasuke. She hasn't seen him in a month," Ino said.
Sakura did not deny it. She merely lowered her head gloomily and said,