A Show of Force

The three of them walked down the corridor. As soon as they reached the first floor, they saw Konoha's two gate guardians standing outside a classroom.

Naruto turned and left without a care.

"Such a cheap trick, and you dare show it off in front of experts?"

However, Sasuke had a sharp tongue. Seeing through their clumsy genjutsu, he could not help mocking them.

Naruto's face twitched. It felt like he was carrying around a taunting device.

Sure enough, the two who had been ignoring them instantly turned their gazes over.

"What a punchable brat."

As he spoke, Kotetsu Hagane rushed forward in an instant, sweeping a roundhouse kick at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an arm to block it.

Bang!!!

His body was forced back.

Naruto was speechless and had no intention of stepping in to help.

At the same time, another team entered through the doorway.

Watermelon hair and thick eyebrows—the moment the three of them entered, their eyes locked onto Naruto beside Hinata.

"You're Naruto Uzumaki?"

"I heard you're the strongest of your class."

"Who said that? How come I didn't know?"

Naruto looked puzzled.

"Your team leader, Kakashi, said so," Tenten explained.

Naruto's gaze fell on the little girl. She wore her hair in twin buns and a cheongsam, and she was rather cute.

"Naruto, want to have a match?"

Rock Lee stared at Naruto with bright eyes.

Influenced by Might Guy, Rock Lee felt that he needed a worthy opponent.

Naturally, his eyes settled on Naruto, the strongest one.

As for Sasuke, because he had been training under Itachi Uchiha, his path had already been led astray. He was learning too many things—shuriken techniques, Fire Release, genjutsu, Uchiha swordsmanship.

Being proficient in everything meant being truly skilled at nothing. Since Sasuke was weak in taijutsu, Rock Lee unconsciously overlooked him.

"No. I'm not interested."

"Naruto, come on! Youth means having the courage to fight!"

Completely ignoring Naruto's refusal, Rock Lee instantly fired up.

Seeing that cringe-worthy aura, his two teammates unconsciously took two steps back.

Naruto felt as though something filthy had latched onto him.

"I said no."

Passion? At the very least, Rock Lee could not stir Naruto's blood.

But Rock Lee did not care at all. His body vanished in an instant.

When he appeared again, he was already before Naruto.

His leg whipped out in a roundhouse kick.

"So fast."

The fight on Sasuke's side had already stopped. Seeing Rock Lee attack, his eyes widened in shock.

Naruto frowned. He knew the guy was a hot-blooded idiot, but he had not expected him to attack the moment he felt like it.

Hinata Hyuga was still standing beside him.

He raised his left hand.

A dull thud sounded.

Naruto caught the powerful kick steadily with one hand.

"This feeling... he's wearing weights."

With that, Naruto casually flung his hand, sending Rock Lee's body flying.

"So strong."

Tenten and the other's pupils shrank.

Though they often made fun of Rock Lee, no one knew better than them just how strong he was.

In their memories, only their teacher could block Rock Lee's roundhouse kick with one hand.

"Naruto, you really are my destined rival! I'm fired up! Youth means challenging yourself without end!"

Rock Lee landed, looking even more excited. Chakra erupted from his body, blasting his hair upright.

"Hey, hey! If you charge at me again, I won't be polite."

Naruto did not want this guy clinging to him.

"Alright, Rock Lee. Now isn't the time to fight."

In a flash, a large green-skinned monster appeared.

One hand was already resting on Rock Lee's head.

"So fast. What kind of monster is that?"

Sasuke was stunned. He had not seen how this person appeared at all.

Naruto also turned his gaze toward the newcomer.

A skintight suit, a bowl cut—the strongest taijutsu ninja, Might Guy.

This guy could routinely open the Seventh Gate. Even without activating the Eight Gates, his taijutsu was still at jonin level.

Taijutsu... Naruto was not proficient in it, but he could not help feeling a little fired up.

A man's fight should be fist against flesh. Besides, he was no longer afraid of getting hurt.

So when he saw this man, a long-lost fighting spirit rose within Naruto.

Might Guy sensed that hint of fighting spirit instantly and looked toward Naruto.

"Not bad, young man! Youth means having the courage to challenge!"

He gave a thumbs-up, his gleaming white teeth bright enough to make even a hater jealous.

Naruto felt a flash of white light pass before his eyes.

"My eyes..."

"Hello, Teacher Guy. Goodbye, Teacher Guy."

After saying that, Naruto turned and left with Hinata.

He felt that if he stayed any longer, their presence would rub off on him.

Sure enough, before they had gone far, they heard the two men behind them embracing and weeping together.

Resisting the urge to look back, Naruto unconsciously quickened his pace.

"Teacher Guy, enough already. We're going to be late for the exam."

Tenten's face was full of black lines. She turned and left, feeling far too embarrassed.

They successfully found the examination room.

Naruto and the other two walked into the classroom.

They instantly felt the oppressive atmosphere.

It was like entering a room packed with gunpowder—one tiny spark could set it off.

"Naruto, long time no see! Over here, over here!"

Shikamaru and the others stood and greeted him.

The gazes of everyone around them immediately shifted over.

However, this was Konoha's home turf, so no one caused trouble. They merely stared at them with unfriendly eyes.

Naruto stood at the doorway. He had originally intended to keep a low profile, but the moment he saw these people, he felt annoyed.

He had the distinct feeling that they wanted to give him a show of force.

In that case, I'll show off a little.

The chakra within his body erupted, forming a terrifying pressure.

He took one step forward.

In an instant, everyone in the small room felt that dreadful pressure.

"Damn it, what kind of monster is this?"

"What terrifying chakra."

"How is this possible?"

Some of the weaker people were directly pressed to the floor.

Even Gaara's eyes showed wariness as he took several steps back.

"A bunch of trash. What are you looking at?" Naruto swept his gaze around, his tone disdainful.

"You—"

Someone tried to retort, but Naruto glared at him, and he instantly collapsed to the ground.

Naruto withdrew his chakra, and everyone immediately backed away.

The three of them found seats in the middle and sat down.

"Aren't you being a little too high-profile?"

Shikamaru looked utterly speechless.

"Hey, Naruto, isn't your chakra a little ridiculous?"

Kiba looked at Naruto in surprise.

Naruto's former classmates all gathered around him.

"Long time no see, everyone."

Naruto greeted them.

"You still haven't explained it. What's going on with your chakra?"

Kiba was blunt as ever, determined to find out why Naruto possessed such enormous chakra.

"Kiba."

Shikamaru frowned. Even between friends, he felt that question was inappropriate.

"It's nothing. My physique awakened. The Uzumaki clan naturally has immense chakra reserves."

Naruto casually explained.

The people around Naruto were all from clans, so they naturally knew of the Uzumaki clan.

They chatted happily while everyone else kept their distance.

Because of Naruto's little display, the atmosphere eased considerably, but many ninjas from the smaller villages had their fighting spirit crushed.

Having a lot of chakra did not necessarily mean anything—it depended on how much. Naruto's could no longer simply be called immense.