Rock Lee

The next afternoon, the group arranged to go to the academy together.

Naruto kept feeling the application form in his pocket the whole way there. He would touch it, lower his head to check it, then stuff it back inside, as if afraid it would suddenly grow legs and run away. Sakura grew irritated watching him and could not help saying, "Can you stop taking it out? What if you really lose it?"

"How could I?" Naruto immediately patted the application form against his chest. "This is my first step toward becoming a Chunin!"

Walking beside him, Sasuke said coldly, "You're so loud."

After they entered the academy, it looked much the same as usual, except there were clearly far more people in the building today. The hallways were full of unfamiliar faces—some from Konoha, some from other ninja villages. Every one of them looked fierce and hard to mess with.

The group went upstairs, but before they even reached Classroom 301, a crowd had already blocked the way ahead.

Two large examinees stood at the door, shoving out someone who had tried to enter.

"With your level, you want to take the Chunin Exams?"

The person fell to the ground, gritted his teeth, and did not dare talk back. Some people nearby lowered their heads, while others quietly backed away. No one dared push forward again.

When Naruto saw this, his temper flared at once.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Just as Sakura was about to stop him, she suddenly frowned. She looked at the room number, then at the nearby window, her expression turning strange.

"Wait."

Naruto turned back. "What is it?"

Sakura lowered her voice. "This is the second floor."

Naruto froze for a moment.

"The second floor?"

Sasuke looked up at the room number, and his gaze turned cold.

"Hmph. Such a cheap trick. Release the genjutsu."

As soon as he said that, quite a few people around them looked over. The expressions of the two examinees at the door changed as well before they sneered.

"You've got sharp eyes."

The 301 on the sign swayed, quickly changing into 201.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Huh? They actually tricked us!"

"Anyone who can't even see through that would only be walking to their death if they went in." One of the fake examinees stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over Sasuke before settling on Chiya. "But seeing through it doesn't mean you're qualified to enter."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his leg and kicked at Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes turned cold. Just as he was about to move, a shuriken suddenly flew from Chiya's sleeve.

With a whoosh, it shot toward the man's leg.

The man paused, forcibly changing the path of his kick. He instantly lost his balance and staggered, nearly falling to the floor.

The hallway fell silent.

Chiya stood where he was, making it almost impossible to tell that he had just thrown the shuriken. He snorted coldly.

"Don't block the way."

The two stared at him for several seconds before finally moving away from the door.

Naruto immediately became smug, pointing at them. "See that? This is Team 7!"

Sakura grabbed his clothes. "Enough already. Say less!"

Sasuke glanced at Chiya without saying anything, then headed upstairs.

The group continued upward. Just after turning past the stairs, a boy in a green jumpsuit suddenly blocked their path. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and hair shaped like a bowl cut. He had appeared so suddenly that Sakura nearly ran into him.

It was Rock Lee!

"Hello!"

Naruto jumped. "Who are you?"

But the boy did not look at Naruto. His eyes immediately landed on Sakura, and his face instantly flushed red.

"Miss Sakura, please go out with me! I will protect you with my life!"

Sakura's expression froze for an instant.

"No."

Her answer came so quickly that even Naruto was stunned.

The next second, Naruto clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Rejected! That's so pathetic!"

Rock Lee looked like he had suffered a devastating blow. He lowered his head, and even his shoulders slumped. Beside him, a girl with two buns covered her forehead, looking like she did not want to know him. Another boy with the Byakugan leaned against the wall, his gaze sweeping over the group before finally settling on Sasuke and Chiya.

"Uchiha."

Sasuke raised his eyes at him.

The Byakugan boy did not say anything else.

Rock Lee, however, quickly raised his head again, his eyes blazing once more.

"Sasuke Uchiha, I want to challenge you."

Naruto immediately became unhappy. "Hey, why Sasuke again? I'm strong too, you know!"

Rock Lee gave him a serious look.

"You are not my target."

Naruto's face darkened.

"You bastard!"

He charged forward immediately.

Sakura shouted, "Naruto, don't mess around!"

But it was already too late.

Rock Lee's figure flashed. Naruto did not even see how the other boy moved before he slammed to the ground with a bang.

The atmosphere in the hallway changed at once.

Naruto had been making a fuss just moments ago, but now he lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up for quite a while. Sakura's expression changed, and Sasuke's gaze darkened as well.

Rock Lee did not press the attack. He only looked at Sasuke.

"Please fight me."

Sasuke snorted.

"Fine."

The next moment, the two moved almost simultaneously.

Sasuke was already fast, but Rock Lee was even faster!

There were no flashy hand seals in his punches and kicks, nor any ninja tools. He relied entirely on taijutsu. After several exchanges, Sasuke was actually forced two steps back.

Naruto climbed up from the ground, clutching his stomach, but still refused to admit defeat.

"Sasuke! Don't lose to this watermelon-head!"

Rock Lee's expression stiffened.

Sakura shouted, "Naruto, shut up!"

Sasuke's gaze sank, and his Sharingan opened instantly.

When Rock Lee saw those eyes, his expression grew more serious.

"So this is the Sharingan."

He stamped his foot, dropping his body low.

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

That kick was terrifyingly fast.

Sasuke's Sharingan could see his movements clearly, but his body was still just a little too slow to keep up!

Chiya flicked his wrist, and steel wire flew in from the side, wrapping around Sasuke's waist before yanking him backward. Sasuke was pulled half a step away. Rock Lee's kick almost brushed his clothes, and the wind it created even blew Sakura's hair into disarray.

After Sasuke steadied himself, his expression turned even uglier.

Chiya had already finished forming hand seals.

"Meteor Release, Lava Bullet!"

A finger-sized, glowing red stone bullet shot from his mouth and struck toward Rock Lee's feet with a whoosh. Rock Lee reacted incredibly quickly, flipping through the air and landing on the other side of the hallway.

Bang!

The stone bullet struck the corner of the wall. The plaster instantly blackened, and a wisp of white smoke rose up.

The hallway fell silent for a moment.

The girl with the two buns widened her eyes. "What was that?"

The Byakugan boy finally turned his attention to Chiya as well.

Rock Lee looked at the corner of the wall, then at Chiya, his eyes shining even brighter than before.

"You are strong too."

Chiya did not respond. He merely reeled the steel wire back in.

Sasuke lowered his head to look at the clothes wrinkled by the wire, his face terrifyingly cold.

"It's not over."

Rock Lee assumed his stance as well.

"Just what I wanted!"

Just then, a green figure suddenly charged up from the stairway.

With a bang, Rock Lee was punched flat onto the floor.

A man wearing the same green jumpsuit stood in the hallway, tears streaming down his face.

"Lee! Didn't I tell you that youth must burn in the right place?!"

Rock Lee lay on the ground and began crying too.

"Teacher Guy! I'm sorry!"

When Chiya saw this, he could not help covering his face and turning his head away. It was too painful to watch.

The impact of seeing it in person was on an entirely different level from seeing it in a comic.

Naruto stared with his eyes wide open.

"What is wrong with those two?"

Sakura's mouth twitched as well, and she took half a step back.

After that farce ended,

the group finally arrived at the real door to Classroom 301.

Naruto rubbed the stomach that still hurt from the kick and grinned. "This time, it won't be fake again, right?"

Sasuke did not say anything. He raised his hand and pushed open the door.

As the door opened, the voices inside suddenly quieted considerably.

All the genin inside turned to look at them.

Some stared at Naruto, some at Sasuke, and some at Chiya.

In a corner, a Sound Ninja lowered his voice and said,

"Two Uchiha have arrived."