Some time after the Land of Waves mission, Naruto and the others had proven their strength.
But Team 7 still could only take on D-rank missions.
Such as finding lost cats and dogs, helping villagers weed their gardens, or clearing trash from the waterways.
The other teams who had graduated alongside Naruto were just as busy with missions.
With the Chunin Exams drawing near, the Genin still had no idea, but the Jonin were all seasoned veterans. They were stepping up their students' training, some openly and others behind the scenes.
So even though they lived in the same village, Naruto almost never saw his peers, like Shikamaru and Hinata.
Now and then, they passed each other at the mission assignment point, but all they managed was a hurried nod. They didn't even stop to exchange greetings.
During this time, Naruto was busy training, too. He had no time to waste—not with the Konoha Crush Plan approaching. It was an important moment, and he still had to keep researching a way to break the Caged Bird.
Time slipped by, and the mood in the village gradually began to change.
Anbu patrols became noticeably more frequent, and shinobi from other villages began appearing on the streets.
Naruto quietly observed it all. He knew exactly what was coming.
The Chunin Exams were just around the corner.
Sure enough, the next day—
They had just finished their mission when Ninja Hawks began circling overhead, crying out.
The notice was for all the Chunin, Jonin, and relevant personnel in Konoha: the Chunin Exams were officially underway.
Kakashi glanced up at the sky, his tone as languid as ever. "That's it for today's mission. Same place tomorrow."
With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique and left, as briskly as ever.
Naruto stood where he was, thinking over the circumstances behind this joint Chunin Exam.
On the surface, the nations hadn't gained the benefits they'd expected from the end of the Third Shinobi World War. Iwagakure and Kumogakure had openly begun an arms race, and tensions were quietly rising.
Sunagakure, meanwhile, had suffered major cuts to its military budget because the Daimyo of the Land of Wind preferred to assign missions to Konoha. With no other choice, the village had partnered with Otogakure and was secretly plotting the "Konoha Crush Plan."
Konoha itself had been dealt blow after blow: the Nine-Tails Attack, the Hyuga incident, and the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Its strength had been greatly diminished.
Konoha couldn't afford to join the arms race, but it also couldn't let the other nations see how weak it had become.
So Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi had decided to hold this joint Chunin Exam.
The aim was to showcase the strength of Konoha's Genin and indirectly declare that Konoha was still powerful.
Besides its ally Sunagakure, the invited villages included those of several neighboring small nations: Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Otogakure.
The Jonin Commission Office.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his broad desk, holding a list in his hand. His gaze slowly swept over every Jonin present and every official involved in the Chunin Exams.
Then he exhaled a puff of smoke, and the white haze drifted slowly through the air.
"Are there no outstanding Genin taking part in the Chunin Exams this year?"
Hiruzen asked mildly.
His gaze, however, was pointedly directed at the few Jonin who had only just begun leading teams this year.
Kakashi stood among the crowd, well aware of what the Third Hokage meant.
That question was meant for him.
Using this exam to keep an eye on everything, Hiruzen could assess Naruto's strength—and his heart.
With that in mind, Kakashi stepped out from the crowd. "I nominate the members of Team 7—Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno—for the Chunin Exams, in the name of Kakashi Hatake."
As Kakashi finished speaking, Asuma stepped forward too, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. "I nominate the members of Team 10... in the name of Asuma Sarutobi."
Kurenai Yuhi stepped forward as well. Her voice was gentle, but firm. "I nominate the members of Team 8—Hinata Hyuga, Inuzuka Kiba... and Shino Aburame—for the Chunin Exams, in the name of Kurenai Yuhi."
The Third Hokage took a slow drag from his pipe. A look of what seemed like delight, though he had expected this all along, appeared on his face. "Hmm... How unexpected. All the Genin who graduated this year are taking part in the exams?"
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke around the pipe between his teeth, but this had all been part of his plan from the start.
Just then, Umino Iruka squeezed his way out from the back of the crowd, his face set with obvious unease and determination. "Please wait, Third Hokage!"
"The students those Jonin just nominated were all taught by me at the Ninja Academy. They only graduated recently. They're nowhere near ready to take the Chunin Exams!"
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
Do you have any idea how strong Sasuke is now?
He didn't know how much power Sasuke had mastered through his Sharingan as a descendant of the Uchiha Clan, but... he'd already learned my signature Ninjutsu, Chidori.
And Naruto—Kakashi had never told anyone this, but even with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, he might struggle to handle Naruto.
Even Kakashi himself didn't know Naruto's true level.
Iruka, you have no idea how strong Naruto is, do you?
"They've already become excellent shinobi. That's why I nominated them for the Chunin Exams," Kakashi said.
There was no way he could explain the reasons to anyone else. Even without the Third Hokage, Naruto and the others were sure to take part in the Chunin Exams.
"But..."
Iruka tried to argue again.
"They're my subordinates now!"
This time, Kakashi bluntly cut Iruka off before he could finish.
Do you want to get yourself killed?
This was something the Third Hokage had hinted at!
Seeing the two argue, the Third Hokage lowered his head slightly. The corner of his mouth seemed to curl in a barely perceptible smile.
He said nothing, merely smoking in silence.
The argument unfolding before him was exactly what he'd expected.
And he didn't need to intervene himself.
That afternoon, at the Konoha training ground.
Sasuke was training, Chidori shrieking in his hand as the lightning changed shape in various ways, growing longer and shorter. He was practicing shape transformation with Chidori.
Naruto lay on the grass not far away, his arms folded behind his head. He looked as though he were resting with his eyes closed.
At the other end of the training ground, the members of Team 3 had just finished a round of Taijutsu practice and were taking a short break.
Tenten deftly spun a Kunai in her hand and was the first to bring it up. "Have you heard? After five years without any new candidates, nine new Genin have signed up for the Chunin Exams this year."
She sounded plainly curious.
Rock Lee kept doing push-ups, replying without losing his steady breath. "It's probably those Jonin instructors competing behind the scenes again. We spent a whole year building up our strength before we dared enter this year's exams."
As he spoke, Lee flipped to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Neji Hyuga sat cross-legged nearby, silent. His gaze wasn't on his teammates.
Instead, he frowned as he listened to the grating sound nearby, unable to fully calm his mind.
"I heard Kakashi's three students are taking part this year, too. I'm looking forward to it," Tenten added.
Everyone in Konoha knew about the relationship between Team 3's instructor, Might Guy, and Kakashi Hatake.
Neji suddenly spoke, his voice flat. "Kakashi Hatake's team? I remember one of them is called Naruto Uzumaki?"
He hadn't forgotten their brief encounter.
"I think there is someone like that," Tenten said, tilting her head as she thought. "I didn't pay much attention."
Neji slowly got to his feet, his tone cool. "Never mind..."
Seeing that they'd done enough training for the day, Neji decided to leave the training ground. Lee and Tenten naturally followed.
As the three passed through a small grove, they spotted Uchiha Sasuke training in the middle of the grounds.
The Gunbai crest on the back of his clothes stood out.
"That's..." Lee's eyes sharpened, and he stopped. "The Uchiha crest!"
Only one member of the Uchiha Clan remained. His identity was obvious.
At almost the same moment, Neji's gaze passed over Sasuke and landed on the figure lying on the grass a short distance behind him. That bright golden hair was impossible to miss.
"Naruto Uzumaki..." Neji murmured.
Thinking back to their last meeting, Naruto had said, "We'll meet again soon, at the Chunin Exams or even before then."
Now his prediction had come true. The Chunin Exams hadn't even started, yet they'd already met again at the training ground.
Neji's gaze lingered on Naruto for a moment as he wondered, We've met again. So what exactly are you planning to do next?
Before you continue