Gaara's gaze never left Naruto. The confusion in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a bloodthirsty anticipation.
It was as though he could no longer wait to experience the thrill of battle.
Seeing that his opponent was Gaara, Kiba's face turned slightly pale.
Back in the Forest of Death, he had witnessed Gaara brutally killing an Amegakure ninja, a scene that had remained unforgettable for the rest of his life.
Against an opponent like that, his chances of winning were practically zero.
Sasuke glanced at the Sunagakure trio with a disdainful look, clearly not taking those two seriously.
Too bad it wasn't Gaara.
The others who remained all wore different expressions, their feelings incredibly complicated.
Some had to face people from the same village, while others even had to face teammates they spent every day with.
Naruto scratched his head, thinking, Looks like I'll have to disappoint you all...
The initiative for this Chunin Exams—and even the Konoha Crush Plan—was in his hands, so the first round would not be completed.
Given Naruto's personality, he naturally wanted to get things moving as quickly as possible.
Watching the varied reactions of the genin below, the Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction. "I greatly look forward to your outstanding performances one month from now."
The atmosphere in the training ground immediately became tense.
Everyone had already begun imagining the battles to come and the training they needed to prepare for afterward.
Before leaving, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Naruto, who stood calmly among the crowd, a meaningful look.
In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave the venue.
As the Hokage departed, the tense atmosphere eased slightly.
The Jonin Instructors of each team also began walking toward their subordinates.
"Yo." Teacher Kakashi still looked as lazy as ever, one hand in his pocket