Naruto had already signed and was putting away his pen. His increasingly unreadable face showed neither nervousness nor excitement, as if he had signed not a Chunin Ninja Exams application, but a ramen delivery slip.
Sakura suddenly felt her throat tighten.
The Land of Waves mission had been her first high-difficulty assignment as a ninja, yet throughout the entire mission, she had barely taken part in any real combat.
When Haku and Zabuza appeared, she had guarded Tazuna. When Sasuke fell, Naruto had taken over Sasuke's fight and defeated Haku.
Yet here she was, still sulking over something as trivial as "I absolutely won't speak to Naruto."
Now that she thought about it, what right did she have to sulk at Naruto?
She was already weaker than him, yet she was still throwing a childish tantrum.
But if she did not take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams, would she hold Sasuke back?
Would she hold back the entire team?
Sakura did not know.
She wanted to ask, but did not dare.
Naruto fastened the clasp on his ninja tool pouch. When he looked up, his gaze happened to sweep over Sakura's profile.
Sakura's face was full of hesitation and unease. Her pink hair hung down from her constantly lowered head, covering half her cheek. Her fingers kept pinching the edge of the application, leaving several messy creases in the paper.
Looking at Sakura's expression, Naruto could not help picturing the future Sakura paying off a mortgage while raising Sarada, as well as her path of growth after becoming Tsunade's disciple and starting from scratch to become one of Konoha's top medical ninja.
To be honest, Sakura at this stage really was weak. Put her on the same scale as Sasuke and himself, and the weight would send Sakura flying straight into the sky.
But as a member of Team 7, being weak now did not mean she would remain weak forever, provided she could overcome the hurdle before her.
"Hey, listen."
With that thought, Naruto spoke, his voice breaking the silence.
Sasuke and Sakura raised their heads at the same time and looked at Naruto.
Sasuke's brows furrowed slightly, wondering what this dead last was about to say now.
Sakura still had tears in her eyes that she had not had time to wipe away. The way she looked at Naruto was a little like an elementary school student who had suddenly been called on.
"I looked up some information about the Chunin Ninja Exams."
Leaning against the bridge railing, Naruto spoke in an unhurried tone:
"For Genin to take the Chunin Ninja Exams, there is one mandatory rule: they must register as a three-person team."
"If even one person is missing, the whole team cannot participate."
Sasuke froze, his brows drawing together.
He did not doubt whether Naruto's claim was true.
Naruto had felt completely different these past days. If the old Naruto had said something like this, Sasuke would have immediately assumed he was bragging. But when Naruto spoke now, Sasuke would first consider his words before making a judgment.
If they truly had to register as a three-person team, then if one of the three did not participate, the other two could not participate either.
The thought of Gaara's icy eyes, and of the chance to fight strong opponents being lost over some administrative rule, made Sasuke's expression darken.
"What?"
Sakura's face instantly went pale.
She had been agonizing over whether she should participate. Now that Naruto said the entire team could not participate if one person was absent, her hesitation was instantly replaced by intense panic.
If she did not go, Sasuke could not go either?
Would Sasuke hate her because of that?
Would he think she had held him back?
Sakura's mind buzzed, and the application in her hand nearly slipped from her fingers.
Sakura abruptly looked at Naruto and realized that he had been looking at her as he spoke. There was none of his old fawning obsession in those blue eyes, nor any coldness or disdain. He simply looked at her calmly, as if waiting for her to figure something out on her own.
Wait, was Naruto trying to remind me?
He guessed what I was thinking, so he deliberately said he had looked it up? Was he actually saying it for me to hear?
Sakura's gaze at Naruto changed several times. Her mouth opened and closed, then closed and opened again. In the end, she said nothing, only gripped the application tighter.
As expected.
Sasuke's mind rapidly processed the information as well. Then he turned toward Sakura, his tone direct and without the slightest attempt at tact.
"Sakura, among the three of us, you're the weakest."
"There are still five days. Train properly and raise your combat ability."
Sakura's shoulders shrank under Sasuke's blunt words. She looked as though someone had dumped a basin of cold water over her, lowering her head even further. Her pink bangs nearly covered her entire face.
Her fingers pinched the edge of the application until they turned white.
"I... I understand, Sasuke."
Naruto silently turned his face away.
As expected of a guy with an IQ of only 100. He really was that blunt. Though it seemed the original Naruto's IQ had only been around 90.
Holy crap, even Akamaru has an IQ of 130.
Naruto immediately lost his composure. "No, wait. I'm not the original Naruto anymore. There's no way my IQ is only 90!"
Thinking that, Naruto let out a relieved breath.
Still, although Sasuke had put it bluntly, Sakura really was weak right now. However, she ranked among the best at the Ninja Academy in Chakra control precision and foundational theoretical knowledge.
It was just that whenever she encountered Sasuke, she automatically entered one-button reboot mode, with all rational functions completely shutting down.
That trait would gradually be corrected after she became Tsunade's disciple, but right now, it really was a headache.
Fine. If he was helping, he might as well help all the way.
After all, his goal was to become Hokage.
A Hokage's responsibilities included leading all of Konoha to become stronger, and the teammates before him were his very first team.
If he could not even handle one little girl from his own class, how was he supposed to handle those thousand-year-old monsters of the Shinobi World later?
Naruto turned to Sasuke, his expression serious and his tone like he was discussing a tactical arrangement.
"Sasuke, Sakura's strength really is a little lacking."
Sasuke looked at Naruto expressionlessly, waiting for him to continue.
Hearing that, Sakura raised her head. All her complicated thoughts toward Naruto instantly transformed into anger.
Visible flames seemed to rise in her pupils.
I just thought he was helping me, but now he turns around and calls me weak right in front of me?
Whose side are you even on?
But Naruto's next words made Sakura's anger halt in midair as if it had struck a wall of cotton.
"So there are still five days."
"You're the strongest fighter among the three of us. If you teach her personally, five days will be enough to raise her to another level."
Sasuke's expression instantly froze.
His eyebrows and lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Those two minute changes happened at the same time, revealing that Sasuke's mental state was undergoing violent turmoil.
The moment Naruto saw those changes, he knew Sasuke had taken the bait.
"Sasuke, you don't want to miss the Chunin Ninja Exams either, right?"
Before you continue