Just as Naruto stepped forward as well, grinning as he said this.
The Konoha ninja in the arena all turned their attention toward him, including Neji and Hinata in the distance, who were both watching Naruto closely.
After all, as the child of the Fifth Hokage, Naruto's identity was somewhat special to Konoha's ninja.
After hearing Naruto's words, a fierce-looking, powerfully built ninja who had been standing before them slowly turned around. A crude, savage grin spread across his face as he said coldly, "Kid, if you get lost right now, I might still forgive you!"
"The Chunin Exams aren't a game for brats whose hair hasn't even grown in yet!"
Hearing that, Naruto's azure eyes darkened slightly as he stared at him and slowly said, "Oh? If you can beat me, then go ahead and try!"
The moment his words fell, the dense crowd of vicious-looking ninja blocking the entrance seemed to form a group directly opposed to Naruto's, the two sides facing each other in cold confrontation.
Suddenly feeling so many icy stares, Sakura, standing behind Naruto and Sasuke, instinctively hunched her shoulders. She looked at Naruto and Sasuke with concern, then softly said, "Hey, Naruto, is it really okay to draw this much attention right from the start...?"
Hearing her, Naruto lightly turned to look at her. He suddenly grinned, a smile appearing on his face as he said confidently, "Don't worry, Sakura!"
"No matter what, I'll protect you properly!"
As Naruto said this, sunlight shone over him, giving off a warm, reassuring feeling.
For that brief moment, even Sakura was slightly dazed. She felt that Naruto was no longer the same prank-loving boy he had once been.
Sakura's face flushed faintly, and she felt much more at ease. Pretending to be annoyed, she said, "Who needs