Feelings Yet Unnoticed

Sasuke, freed from the Cursed Seal, suddenly staggered.

He sat down on the ground, looking exhausted as he panted heavily.

"I'm fine. I just used up a bit too much chakra."

Sensing Naruto's gaze, Sasuke answered.

Of the three members of Team 7, Sasuke had originally been in the most dangerous physical condition while unconscious.

But now, Sasuke had merely depleted some chakra.

The injuries he had suffered earlier had completely healed under the effects of the Cursed Seal transformation.

Naruto, on the other hand...

Sasuke looked at Naruto's stomach, which was already covered in crimson.

A deep gash had split open Naruto's abdomen, soaking his jacket entirely red with blood.

"Stop the bleeding quickly, Naruto. If you keep losing blood, you'll really die."

Anyone could tell at a glance how serious Naruto's injuries were.

He was so badly wounded himself, yet he still had the mood to worry about others...

"I... I'll bandage it..."

Sakura hurried over.

With the crisis over, the adrenaline keeping her body in a heightened state began to fade.

The pain from her back hitting the tree trunk finally struck Sakura's nerves belatedly.

Sakura merely gritted her teeth and silently endured the discomfort in her body.

She pulled medical bandages from her ninja tool pouch and went to Naruto's side.

"No need. I'll just use a Shadow Clone to deal with the wound myself."

Naruto refused Sakura's help.

"But..."

Sakura wanted to say something more, but ultimately remained silent.

"I can't stand this! It's a matter of life and death, so why are you two still dragging things out?"

Team 10 had originally planned to leave quietly and give Team 7 some privacy, but Ino could no longer stand watching Naruto and Sakura. She strode quickly over to them.

Choji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara could only follow Ino's lead and wait quietly to the side.

"With injuries like yours, don't recklessly use the little chakra you have left! Something might go wrong when you split your chakra for a Shadow Clone."

Ino reached out and slapped away Naruto's hand as he prepared to form the Shadow Clone hand seal.

Ino was acting out of kindness, and there was nothing wrong with what she did.

When chakra was insufficient, unless one was a Jōnin with extraordinarily precise control over their own chakra,

it was best not to use a ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone, which evenly distributed one's chakra.

Who could guarantee that after splitting half of his already limited chakra, he would not suffer chakra depletion and worsen the injuries to his main body?

After Ino suddenly gave his hand a heavy slap, Naruto looked at her expressionlessly.

Previously, whenever he showed that expression, Ino would lose all her nerve and only tuck her tail between her legs, letting Naruto do as he pleased.

But this time, Ino fiercely glared back at Naruto.

"Hurry up and take off your clothes. Let us see your wound!"

Before Ino had even finished speaking, she had already started manhandling Naruto.

"Wait...! Ino, stop it! Don't act like some hooligan!"

Ino's unexpectedly aggressive behavior startled Naruto.

Naruto nearly forgot his disguise and was ready to forcefully push Ino away.

Fortunately, Naruto remembered that he was currently a "seriously injured patient" suffering from severe blood loss.

He should not have had much strength to resist.

The moment Naruto's hands touched Ino, he hurriedly held back his strength, turning it into a weak, feeble shove.

After protesting for a while, he realized that unless he exposed the fact that his "injuries were serious" was an act, he could not stop Ino from forcibly stripping off his clothes.

Naruto resigned himself to his fate.

"This wound..."

Ino undid Naruto's bloodstained clothes.

Ino stared blankly at the wound for a moment before her eyes quickly regained their clarity.

On Naruto's exposed abdomen was a wound even larger than everyone had expected.

The wound only looked frightening. Deep inside, it had long since healed under Naruto's control.

It was only because so much blood had flowed earlier, and because Naruto had deliberately not fully healed the wound, leaving behind an obvious external injury as camouflage,

that no one could notice that Naruto's wound had nearly closed completely.

This was the backup plan Naruto had prepared for situations where he could not use a Shadow Clone to bandage his wound and conceal his true condition.

Seeing Naruto's wound, Ino sharply sucked in a breath.

Sakura did not speak. She silently prepared to bandage Naruto.

But Sakura tried several times to tear open the bandage's seal and failed every time.

Ino looked at Sakura, who appeared calm and steady on the surface but was actually already in turmoil.

She reached out and took the bandage from Sakura's hands.

"I'll do it..."

Compared to Sakura's difficult struggle with the medical bandage,

Ino easily tore open the seal in her hands.

Ino handed the opened bandage back to Sakura while rummaging through her ninja tool pouch. "I'll clean the blood around Naruto's wound. Sakura, cut the medical bandage to the right length to wrap the wound first."

"I'll clean it myself..."

Naruto snatched the wound-cleaning solution Ino had just taken from her ninja tool pouch.

This time, Ino did not object.

As long as Naruto did not use a Shadow Clone while seriously depleted of chakra,

it made no difference who cleaned the wound.

Ino also did not want to seem overly "attentive" toward Naruto when she was from another team.

She turned her attention to Sakura. Sakura was clearly beside Naruto as well, yet she seemed far too quiet.

Sakura lowered her head and did not cut the bandage as Ino had instructed.

She merely stared blankly at the medical bandage clenched in her hands.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's condition seemed unusual. Worried, Ino moved closer and softly called Sakura's name.

Perhaps she had heard the concern and care in Ino's voice;

or perhaps Sakura's emotional threshold had finally been suppressed to its limit, causing all the tangled emotions in her heart to erupt...

After Ino called out to her,

the tears Sakura had held back for so long finally streamed down her face.

Crystal-clear tears fell onto the bandage, soaking it wet.

The girl's quiet sobs made Ino's heart tremble as her friend, and they also drew the attention of Sasuke and Naruto, her fellow Team 7 members.

Only after noticing her companions' concern did Sakura raise her head again and voice the thoughts in her heart through tears.

"Naruto, Sasuke... I will definitely, definitely become stronger as quickly as possible... I won't just be protected by you anymore. I won't just be Team 7's burden anymore..."

"So... so can you give me a little more time? Just a little time. Even though I'm unbelievably weak right now and can't be of any use... I'll risk everything, everything, to catch up to you!"

Having come this far together, Sakura, who had always trailed slowly behind Naruto and Sasuke, knew clearly that both of them were firmly walking toward the futures they had chosen.

Sasuke and Naruto's steps ahead of her were so steady, filled with unwavering resolve.

While she herself was always hesitant about everything.

Sakura looked toward Sasuke, who had turned his gaze toward her, but as if possessed, her eyes settled instead on Naruto in front of her.

After learning from Kakashi that the survival exercise was the true graduation exam, she had been unable to bear the possibility of failure. Fear had arisen in her heart, and she had considered withdrawing.

At that time, she had been the first to disregard Sasuke and Naruto's feelings.

Yet Naruto had keenly sensed her emotions, comforted her, and soothed her unease.

During the survival exercise, Kakashi had forbidden Sasuke from eating.

Sasuke was the one she had repeatedly claimed to like.

Yet she had chosen to obey Kakashi's orders.

It had also been Naruto's act of sharing his food that made her understand that companions were more important than orders.

When the Demon Brothers launched their ambush in the Land of Waves, Naruto had saved her too...

And now, in the Forest of Death, both Naruto and Sasuke had fought so hard for Team 7 and been injured because of it...

Yet she herself was still so useless...

She had even caused Naruto to suffer worse injuries because she had taken the initiative to attack...

She had clearly boasted to Kakashi before that she would grow stronger.

Yet in the end, she was the only one in all of Team 7 who had remained standing still.

What Sakura had experienced in the Chunin Ninja Exams had matured her temperament.

Even if Sakura's strength as a ninja was temporarily somewhat weak, with such maturity of heart, she would one day become a powerful female ninja.

"If I still keep dragging everyone down like before, I'll personally ask Kakashi to let me leave Team 7!"

Sakura looked at Naruto. It was both her vow and her resolve.

She forced herself to change.

She did not want to experience what had happened in the Land of Waves or the Forest of Death ever again.

She did not want to keep watching her companions fight desperately while she could not even help them.

Naruto said nothing and stared straight into Sakura's eyes.

Sakura did not avoid Naruto's gaze.

She quietly waited for his answer.

Other than Naruto himself, no one could guess what he was thinking when he was silent.

Naruto finally replied, "Sakura, do you remember what Kakashi said during the Land of Waves mission?"

"Sasuke and I have never thought you were holding us back—so don't say things like leaving Team 7 again. Team 7 is Team 7 because it has Kakashi and the three of us."

"Don't cry anymore. I've never thought you were a burden, and Sasuke definitely feels the same way."

Naruto turned to Sasuke and asked, "Sasuke, I'm right, aren't I?"

"Of course."

Sasuke responded.

He glanced at Sakura's still-reddened eyes, which no longer shed tears, and knew that Naruto had steadied her emotions again.

"Honestly... boys are way too dense!"

Ino looked at Sakura, then at Naruto, and suddenly snapped at Naruto irritably. "Naruto, especially you! If a perfect score is ten, you lose five points!"

Having been scolded by Ino for no apparent reason, Naruto looked bewildered.

What points? Why lose five?

Sasuke, however, seemed thoughtful and understood the implication behind Ino's words.

Sasuke said nothing, keeping himself out of it.

But inwardly, he strongly agreed with Ino's score for Naruto.

What a fair and impartial judge, Ino!

"Tch."

Ino clicked her tongue softly at Naruto's reaction, wondering whether deducting only five points had been going too easy on him.

She took the medical bandage from Sakura again and tossed it to Naruto. "Choji, come help Naruto bandage his wound!"

Ino gave the order to Choji, who was eating potato chips from who knew where.

Then she said to Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, keep a good watch on the surroundings. Naruto and Sasuke are very weak right now, so we can only rely on you."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Shikamaru wore an expression that said this was troublesome, but he still began vigilantly watching the surrounding area.

Then, without another word, Ino forcibly pulled Sakura toward the tree hollow where Team 7 had been resting.

"Boys, turn around!"

She also pulled a large piece of cloth from her ninja tool pouch to cover the entrance to the tree hollow.

Still not entirely reassured, Ino shouted at the four boys gathered together.

Although they had no idea what Ino was planning,

the imposing aura she was showing made all four boys obediently comply with her demands.

"Ino... after putting kunai and shuriken and all those things in her ninja tool pouch, how can she still fit such a huge piece of cloth inside?"

Naruto could not suppress his curiosity.

"Don't use common sense to guess what girls... no, women keep in their bags, or how much they can keep in them."

With the tone of someone speaking from experience, Shikamaru advised Naruto to restrain his curiosity about such matters.

It seemed Shikamaru's father, Shikaku Nara, had suffered for this sort of thing before.

Naruto had already guessed the source of Shikamaru's experienced tone.

Naruto took the medical bandage Choji had cut for him. Without letting Choji help, he wrapped it several times around his waist and abdomen himself.

After bandaging the wound, Naruto put back on the clothes Ino had spread open.

"By the way, Shikamaru, what scroll did Team 10 get from the examiner?"

Naruto suddenly asked.

"What? Naruto, we just helped you. Are you planning to take advantage of us now?"

Choji panted heavily as he stared at Naruto.

Shikamaru Nara raised his listless eyes and told Choji Akimichi to calm down. "Calm down, Choji. Naruto isn't the kind of person to kick someone when they're down—besides, in this situation, if Team 7 and Team 10 fought, we'd be the ones taking advantage of them."

Shikamaru Nara analyzed the current situation of the two teams.

Team 7 had fought the Sound Ninja. No... they must have encountered danger even before fighting the Sound Ninja.

The three members of Team 7 had not had much chakra to begin with.

After fighting the Sound Ninja, Team 7's chakra had been depleted even further.

Shikamaru Nara looked at Naruto but did not speak right away. He merely took a white scroll from his ninja tool pouch.

Shikamaru Nara was holding the Heaven Scroll Team 10 had exchanged from the examiner.

"What a coincidence. Then you can have the Earth Scroll the Sound Ninja just left behind. Team 7 already collected our scrolls earlier... the extra one is useless to us, so we might as well give it to Team 10 as thanks for helping Team 7 fight the Sound Ninja just now."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke. Given the relationship between Sakura and Ino, she would not object to his decision.

That made Sasuke's opinion important.

Sasuke merely snorted and left the decision to Naruto. "Hmph, whatever."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. I won't turn down a choice that makes this troublesome exam easier to complete."

Shikamaru Nara gladly accepted the scroll left behind by the Sound Ninja.

Naruto smiled and nodded, but his gaze subtly shifted toward a large tree in the distance.

The person hiding in the tree had left with the Sound Ninja and had not returned.

It seemed he had not merely pretended to leave... he really had been monitoring the Sound Ninja!

Naruto had sensed both the Sound Ninja who had deliberately appeared before Team 7 and Team 10, who had happened to pass by.

If only the three members of Team 10 had been hiding nearby and observing Naruto's battle with the Sound Ninja,

Naruto would never have gone so far as to put on such a painful act.

Naruto had deliberately let Dosu notice his Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, causing his ninjutsu to fail.

It was all for the sake of reasonably showing weakness.

Naturally, that display of weakness was not aimed at Team 10.

Team 10 did not have enough value for Naruto to be willing to truly suffer serious injuries just to disguise himself.

What Naruto feared was the third chakra presence he had sensed, apart from Team 10 and the three Sound Ninja.

It was chakra that belonged neither to an examinee nor an examiner of the second exam.

That chakra had followed the three Sound Ninja, who had been completely unaware they were being tracked.

Its chakra reserves had reached the level of a Jōnin...

Naruto quickly guessed the identity of the ninja lurking in the shadows—Konoha's ANBU.

Last night, Naruto had sensed Orochimaru's chakra briefly come into contact with Anko Mitarashi's.

Anko Mitarashi had already discovered that Orochimaru had disguised himself as a Chunin Ninja Exams candidate and infiltrated the Forest of Death.

Perhaps, just as in the original story, Orochimaru had revealed that he was the founder of Hidden Sound.

And through Anko Mitarashi, he had threatened the Third not to allow the Chunin Ninja Exams to be stopped.

The Konoha ANBU now entering the Forest of Death showed that the Third was indeed wary of Orochimaru's threat.

Without affecting the remaining examinees, Konoha's ANBU were searching for Orochimaru and monitoring the three Sound Ninja who had been clearly identified as connected to him.

He had to make himself lose to the three Sound Ninja. He absolutely could not let Orochimaru suspect his true strength too early.

And he also had to guard against Konoha's ANBU.

Naruto knew very well that the longer he stayed in the Forest of Death, the more likely the ANBU ninja moving through the forest would find a flaw.

Looks like I need to find Karin quickly and end this exam in the Forest of Death...

Naruto showed no extra emotion on his face as he chatted idly with Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Sasuke.

He had already reached a decision inwardly.

"Those boys don't seem to realize that we're enemies in this exam."

Inside the tree hollow, listening to the boys' laughter outside,

Ino took off Sakura's jacket and applied a blood-circulating bruise ointment to the dark purple skin on Sakura's back.

"Don't you lack that awareness too, Ino?"

Sakura smiled. The ointment was cold, while Ino's hands were warm. The opposing temperatures stirred an unusual feeling in Sakura.

But the pain from her back injury soon made her forget that faint, ambiguous sensation.

"Bear with it. This ointment is specially made with deer antlers by the Nara Clan. It works very well."

"Shikamaru's father, Mr. Shikaku, specially prepared this ointment for me, Shikamaru, and Choji after learning that Team 10 would be taking part in these Chunin Ninja Exams."

Ino gave her a reminder.

The Nara Clan managed Konoha's medicinal herb industry and was deeply involved in Konoha's medical system.

The deer antlers from the deer raised by the Nara Clan were extremely precious top-grade medicinal ingredients, whether in the Land of Fire or abroad.

Only after briefly explaining to Sakura that pain from applying the ointment to a wound was a normal reaction did Ino answer Sakura's earlier words.

"Of course I have that awareness, but you're different from everyone else, Sakura."

Sakura was slightly stunned by Ino's words.

"Thank you."

After a long while, Sakura finally answered.

Feeling Ino's hands leave her back, Sakura put her clothes back on.

"I'm going to check on Naruto."

Sakura was still worried about Naruto.

But Ino stopped her.

"Naruto is definitely fine. That guy doesn't even take his own injuries seriously."

"But..."

Sakura was still worried.

Looking at Sakura's expression, Ino suddenly said something shocking.

"Sakura, I'll definitely get Sasuke's love before you do!"

But Sakura's reaction was somewhat strange...

She did not start arguing with Ino like before.

Instead—she did not care.

"You really haven't noticed..."

Ino sighed softly.

"What?"

Sakura suddenly found herself unable to bear the way Ino was looking at her.

"You've fallen for Naruto."