If Anything Happens to You, I'll Destroy the Entire World

"Hinata." Naruto called Hinata's name deeply, making her shudder. Then he said, "Can you help me apply some medicine?"

A moment ago, Naruto had been worrying about the whole world. The next, he had already lifted his shirt and exposed the wound beneath his ribs.

Hinata became even more shy. Afraid to look directly at him, she first averted her eyes, then secretly stole a glance—only to discover that white vapor was rising from the wound beneath Naruto's ribs, like pale steam.

Under Hinata's astonished gaze, Naruto's wound rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving her completely transfixed.

"Hm?" Naruto was confused, so he looked down at his ribs. His face immediately showed dissatisfaction as he cursed inwardly, Damn Nine-Tails fox, its chakra leaked out again! Of all times, it had to happen now. Couldn't it wait until Hinata finished applying the medicine before leaking out...? Nine-Tails! You bastard must be jealous of me...

"Haha." Naruto gave an awkward laugh and lowered his shirt, saying apologetically, "The wound suddenly healed, so it looks like I don't need any medicine."

Naruto was crying inside, shedding silent tears in his heart.

"As expected of Naruto-kun, you really are different from everyone else," Hinata said with a smile.

Naruto suddenly turned serious. He stepped close to Hinata and said, "When we take the second exam later, if you encounter a Sand Ninja, make sure you don't go near him."

"A Sand Ninja?"

"He has a gourd on his back, red hair, and the character for 'love' carved into his forehead. His name is Gaara," Naruto said. "If you see him, run. Run as far away as you can."

"Is he very strong?" Hinata nodded. "But since Naruto-kun says so, I won't go near him."

"Very strong. What's even more frightening is that he has no humanity," Naruto said worriedly. "If you run into him, abandon Shino and Kiba Inuzuka..."

Upon hearing him say to abandon her companions, Hinata froze. Shino and Kiba Inuzuka were both her teammates in Team 8, and the three of them had even carried out missions together.

Naruto directly pulled Hinata into an embrace and said, "Sorry, I said something stupid. If anything happens to Shino or Kiba Inuzuka, I'll kill Gaara and avenge them. But if anything happens to you, I'll destroy the entire world."

Held in Naruto's arms, Hinata did not dare move. Her head felt dizzy, as though everything had happened too quickly and too soon, leaving her at a loss.

"Huh?" Naruto touched Hinata's forehead and said anxiously, "You're burning up! Do you have a fever?! I'll take you to a medical ninja!"

"No! I'm fine." Hinata turned and ran away, leaving Naruto behind with a strange expression.

The second round of the Chunin Ninja Exams officially began. There were fourteen teams in total, entering the Forest of Death through different entrances. Their objective was to seize scrolls and eventually reach the tower.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura moved swiftly through the jungle. Naruto suddenly made a hand signal, causing Sakura to tense up at once. The three stopped and waited for Naruto's next instruction.

Sakura vigilantly scanned their surroundings but found nothing unusual. She asked, "Naruto, are there enemies nearby?"

"Probably not." Naruto tilted his head. "We just came in and haven't even taken more than a few steps. How could we possibly run into enemies?"

"Then why did you stop?!" Sakura roared.

Sakura's voice was so loud that Naruto's eardrums hurt from the vibration. He could only explain, "If we move at a normal pace, we'll definitely run into enemies."

"The Forest of Death is a perfectly circular map, with the tower at the center. Fourteen teams enter from different locations along the outer edge. Once everyone heads toward the center, we'll definitely cross paths."

"Then we just need to slow down. As long as we move slowly, we'll naturally avoid them," Naruto explained his strategy.

"Idiot." Sakura refuted him. "If we don't encounter enemies, how are we supposed to take their scrolls? We only have a Heaven Scroll. We still need an Earth Scroll."

"Don't worry. Look at Sasuke—he completely agrees with my strategy." Naruto pointed at Sasuke.

"Y-Yes, Naruto is right." Sasuke hurriedly nodded. "We'll do as Naruto says."

Sakura sighed. Even Sasuke had already agreed with Naruto, so there was nothing she could do. After all, she listened to Sasuke quite well too.

Thus, for the time that followed, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura advanced at a turtle's pace, as though they were sightseeing. When they encountered fierce beasts, they sneaked past them; when they encountered poisonous insects, they went around them.

Though the Forest of Death was filled with danger everywhere, most threats could still be avoided with enough caution. Their journey was alarming but ultimately safe.

After a full day, Naruto's team was the slowest. They had fallen far behind everyone else, so naturally they had not encountered any opponents or fought any battles.

However, while passing through a grassland, they accidentally found severed limbs and broken legs. Some unfortunate Genin examinees had likely met their end in the bellies of beasts.

By the second day, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were resting beside a river. Naruto had gone into the water to catch fish, Sasuke sat by the riverbank, and Sakura returned with some fruit.

"Sasuke, these are fruits I picked. I already washed them." Sakura handed the wild fruit in her hands to Sasuke, but he seemed not to hear her at all.

"Sasuke?" Sakura found it strange and called again, "Sasuke, these fruits are safe. I heard our teacher at the Ninja Academy say that this kind of fruit can be eaten in the wild."

Sasuke still seemed not to hear her, staring blankly into space by himself.

"Sakura, you're back." Naruto walked over carrying a large fish. He snatched the fruit from Sakura's hands and began munching on it, saying, "These are pretty good. The juice is nice and sweet."

"Naruto, what's wrong with Sasuke?" Sakura pulled Naruto aside and whispered mysteriously, "I keep feeling like Sasuke has been different these past two days."

"Isn't this just Sasuke? What's different about him?"

"He really is different." Sakura said anxiously, "Even if Sasuke didn't talk to me before, he wouldn't ignore me like this."

"Uh..." Naruto thought about it and said inwardly, Did Sasuke and Sakura ever even talk before they got married...? I honestly can't remember...

Naruto put on a sour face and said, "You and Sasuke never talked much to begin with. This is normal. You're overthinking it."

"Hehehehe..." A string of chilling laughter drifted over from afar. Naruto and Sakura were instantly alarmed, especially Naruto, whose hand holding the fish was trembling.

Has he finally come? Naruto thought. There was no escaping this stage after all.

"It's already the second day, yet you're still crawling along here so slowly. You really made me search," said a female ninja from Kusagakure as she emerged from the woods.

It was Orochimaru! I traveled at the slowest possible pace and could avoid everyone except Orochimaru! One of Konoha's Three Legendary Ninja had still come looking for us.