The candidates filed into the third-floor exam hall. Behind them, the heavy oak doors slowly closed with a dull creak, shutting out the noise outside entirely.
An almost stagnant tension filled the vast space, as though invisible pressure hung in the air.
Everyone's gaze instinctively turned toward the podium at the front, where two men already stood.
One stood on either side, their auras completely different.
Every candidate felt the pressure.
Konoha's Technician, Kakashi of the Sharingan, was certainly famous.
The other man had a thick beard.
Anyone who could stand alongside Kakashi was surely no ordinary figure either.
Naruto spotted the familiar figure on the left at once, and his eyes lit up.
He instinctively opened his mouth to call out, "Kakashi-sensei!"
But just as he raised his arm to wave,
a warm hand clamped tightly over his mouth, muffling him into a series of "Mmph! Mmph!"
It was Sasuke.
"Idiot. Don't move."
Sasuke's low voice sounded right beside his ear, carrying a faint, barely detectable impatience.
"Listen. If you call out now, aren't you practically telling everyone, 'The examiner might favor his own students'? Go ahead if you want everyone to see you as a thorn in their side."
Only then did Naruto catch on. His cheeks instantly flushed bright red, and he stopped struggling.
He merely forced a muffled complaint out of his throat. "Fine, I won't say anything... Why are you being so mean, Sasuke~?"
His voice held a touch of grievance.
He looked just like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on.
"I... I get it... Sorry..."
Sasuke's hand stiffened, and he nearly failed to maintain his cold expression—
What exactly does this Dead Last have in his head? He took a deep breath, withdrew his hand without a fuss, and turned toward the