The Chunin Exam

"Mom, I'm going out to train!" Duanmu had a piece of bread clenched in his mouth as he hurried toward the door. He had barely stepped over the threshold when he nearly ran straight into his mother, who was carrying a laundry basin.

His mother quickly steadied the basin and gave him a scolding pat on the back. "Slow down. You haven't even finished breakfast. What's the rush?"

Duanmu waved a hand, his words muffled, nearly spraying crumbs from his mouth. "No time, Mom. I'm meeting friends at the training ground. If I'm late, they'll laugh at me!"

With that, he shot down the stairs like a gust of wind, leaving his mother at the doorway, smiling helplessly and shaking her head, still holding the milk he hadn't finished.

He said he was meeting friends, but Duanmu was actually training alone. It had been a long time since the Land of Waves mission ended, and his research into the Flying Thunder God had already made some initial progress.

While training in the Flying Thunder God, he was also systematically organizing and guiding his chakra reserves. He discovered that the growth of his chakra wasn't without pattern, but was tied to the concentration of his mental energy, the limits his body could endure, and his perception of natural energy.

After all, the Flying Thunder God was a technique that consumed an extreme amount of chakra. If his chakra reserves were insufficient or his control unstable, then even if he mastered the skill of marking spatial coordinates, it would still be difficult to achieve precise instant movement. He might even suffer serious physical damage from an energy backlash.

Just as Duanmu arrived at the training ground, he saw many Jonin squad leaders hurrying toward the Hokage Office.

Could it be the Chunin Exams already? A trace of anticipation and nervousness rose in Duanmu's heart.

This Chunin Exam was a major turning point in Naruto, and Orochimaru also used this opportunity to officially make his move against Konoha.

He disguised himself among the Genin of the Sound Village, hiding among the examinees. While secretly observing the strength of Konoha's new generation of ninja, he also laid the groundwork for carrying out his "Konoha Crush Plan."

During the exam, Orochimaru not only set numerous traps for Naruto and the others in the Forest of Death, but also made contact with Sasuke and planted the Cursed Seal inside his body, attempting to cultivate him into his own vessel.

At the same time, he used the ninja of the Sound Village and Sand Village as pawns, step by step eating away at Konoha's defensive strength and setting the stage for the later invasion.

From the very beginning, the entire Chunin Exam was shrouded in the conspiracy he had meticulously woven. Every duel and every crisis became a key step in advancing his plan, while everyone in Konoha remained utterly unaware, still immersed in the tense atmosphere of the exam.

A few days later, while Naruto, Duanmu, and Konohamaru were fooling around on the street, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara arrived in Konoha, and Konohamaru just happened to run into Kankuro.

Kankuro grabbed Konohamaru by the collar and lifted him up. "Hey, brat! Don't you watch where you're going? Can't you see we're in a hurry?"

His voice carried a hint of impatience, and his fingers turned faintly white from the force. The gloomy aura unique to a puppet master made Konohamaru shrink his neck instinctively.

Although Konohamaru was young, that stubborn unwillingness to lose surged up from deep in his bones. He struggled, trying to break free from Kankuro's grip, his little face flushed red. "Let me go! You're the one who was walking too fast and bumped into me!"

Kankuro raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking arc, but the strength in his hand didn't loosen at all. Instead, he lifted Konohamaru even higher. "Oh? Brat, do you know who I am? You dare talk to me like that? Believe it or not, I'll make you run home crying for your mommy."

Temari, standing to the side, frowned impatiently and lightly tapped Kankuro's arm with her fan. "Kankuro, don't waste time here. We still have to report to the Hokage Office."

Her gaze swept over Konohamaru with a hint of scrutiny, as if assessing whether this brat who had suddenly appeared was worth wasting any more words on.

Gaara remained expressionless from beginning to end. There wasn't the slightest ripple of emotion in his deep eyes, as though everything happening in front of him had nothing to do with him. He simply stood there quietly, an icy aura that warned strangers away radiating from him. The sand at his feet seemed to wriggle slightly, as if silently warning the people around him not to come closer.

"Hey! You guys, hurry up and let Konohamaru go!" Naruto rushed forward in one swift stride, blocking in front of Konohamaru, hands on his hips as he glared angrily at Kankuro.

What he couldn't stand most was this kind of bullying the weak, especially when they dared to bully Konohamaru.

"You're ninja from the Sand Village, right? You just got to Konoha and you're already this arrogant? Are you looking for a fight?"

Duanmu also quickly walked to Naruto's side, but his gaze was sharp as a blade as it swept over Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara before finally settling on the hand Kankuro had gripping Konohamaru's collar. His tone was calm, yet carried unquestionable pressure. "Put him down. On Konoha soil, treating a child like this isn't how guests should behave."

He knew very well what these people from the Sand Village were like, especially Gaara. He was definitely a dangerous figure. But right now, he couldn't back down. Konohamaru was their companion.

Kankuro was stunned for a moment by Naruto's sudden roar and Duanmu's calm warning. Then the mockery on his face grew even stronger. "Two more brats? What, do Konoha ninja all love sticking their noses into other people's business this much?" He exerted a little force with his hand, making Konohamaru cry out, "Ow!"

"Try touching him!" Fighting spirit instantly ignited in Naruto's eyes. His right hand quietly formed a seal, and even the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble slightly. He was already prepared to fight at any moment.

Seeing this, Temari's frown deepened. She could sense that the aura coming from Naruto and Duanmu wasn't weak, especially Naruto's chakra. Although it was somewhat chaotic, it was abnormally vast.

She didn't want to create unnecessary trouble before the Chunin Exam, so she tapped Kankuro again with her fan. "Enough, Kankuro. Why are you arguing with children? Let's go."

After saying that, her gaze fell on Gaara again, and she noticed that his eyes seemed to have changed in the slightest way. It was a desire for battle. Alarm bells immediately rang in her heart.

Although Kankuro was somewhat unwilling, he still grudgingly loosened his hand and threw Konohamaru to the ground. Konohamaru staggered, then immediately ran behind Naruto, poking out his small head while still stubbornly glaring at Kankuro.

At that moment, a stone came flying over and struck the very hand Kankuro had used to grab Konohamaru.

The stone wasn't large, but it carried no small amount of force. It made Kankuro's hand go numb, and he instinctively shook it, letting go of Konohamaru. His face instantly filled with anger as he whipped his head toward the direction the stone had come from and shouted sharply, "Who is it?! Get out here!"

Sasuke walked out from the shadow of a street corner, both hands in his pockets. His cold gaze swept over Kankuro, and his tone carried an undisguised warning. "Sand Village ninja should act like guests when they're in Konoha. Don't you think it's embarrassing to lay hands on a child?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a sharp blade cutting through the tension in the air.

Kankuro was intimidated by his presence and, for a moment, couldn't say anything. He only glared fixedly at Sasuke, while the spot on the back of his hand where the stone had struck still throbbed faintly.

Temari's expression darkened as well. She hadn't expected a Konoha Genin to dare provoke them like this. She was just about to speak and rebuke him when Gaara gently tugged at the corner of her clothes.

Gaara's gaze fell on Sasuke. A nearly imperceptible trace of interest flashed through those deep eyes, as though he had found new prey. Sasuke, however, paid it no mind and walked straight to Naruto's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. The aura radiating from the two made the Sand Village trio unwilling to act rashly again.

Kankuro gritted his teeth, but in the end, at Gaara's signal, he gave a cold snort, turned around, and left with Temari.

Konohamaru ran out from behind Naruto and made a face at their retreating backs. Then he ran up to Sasuke, tilted his small face up, and said worshipfully, "Big Brother Sasuke, you're so awesome!"

The corner of Sasuke's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing. He only silently withdrew his gaze and looked at Duanmu. "What are the Sand Village people doing here?"

"Chunin Exam," Duanmu said, spitting out four words.