Cinema

The so-called Chunin selection exam was held for outstanding Genin from Konoha, Sunagakure, and neighboring small countries.

The reason they took the exam together was to strengthen relations between allied nations, raise the standard of ninja, and, more importantly, ease surrounding tensions and maintain the balance of military power. Put another way, it was a military exercise—this was the most important purpose of the Chunin Ninja Exams.

The next day, they gathered on the bridge as usual, and Kakashi was late again.

Sakura let out a heavy sigh. "Sigh, what is this? He was the one who called us here, but he ended up being late himself."

Naruto leaned against the railing and complained, "Who knows what excuse Kakashi-sensei will come up with this time."

Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"Yo, morning, everyone. I got lost on the road of life again today." Kakashi arrived late, smiling as he waved to greet them.

"Of course it's that lousy excuse again!" Naruto and Sasuke said in unison.

Kakashi took out three recommendation forms and handed them to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "Though this is a little sudden, I've already recommended you for the Chunin selection exam. These are the application forms."

"So it really is this!" Naruto took it in surprise.

Sasuke and Sakura were completely confused, still knowing nothing about the Chunin Ninja Exams. Unlike Naruto, neither of them had encountered the people from Sunagakure.

After Kakashi briefly explained the contents and reasons behind the Chunin Ninja Exams, he told them to turn in their application forms to Room 301 of the Ninja Academy by four o'clock tomorrow afternoon!

With that, Kakashi left, and Team 7 was dismissed!

Just as Naruto was about to leave, Sakura called out to stop him.

"Wait, Naruto. You seemed to know about the Chunin Ninja Exams beforehand?"

Naruto answered, "Isn't it like this every year?"

That single sentence left Sakura speechless.

Sasuke's face was filled with anticipation and fighting spirit. "The Chunin Ninja Exams... there will definitely be a lot of powerful people there."

"That's for sure!" Naruto came up beside Sasuke, resting one hand on his shoulder with a smile.

Sasuke neither refused nor shook him off, merely looking at Naruto calmly. Sakura, standing nearby, stared at them with eyes as wide as saucers.

Naruto continued, "I ran into some people from Sunagakure yesterday. None of them were simple, especially the one named Gaara. He's probably the hardest opponent to deal with in this year's exam. The other two are upperclassmen from the previous class: the Hyuga Clan genius Neji Hyuga, and Rock Lee, who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu and only knows taijutsu."

"Wait, Naruto. Someone who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu and only knows taijutsu is hard to deal with? Are you joking?" Sakura snapped out of it and asked curiously. Sasuke also pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

Naruto said, "When I was buying things at the ninja tool shop, I met Tenten, a senior from the previous class. Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee are both her teammates, and neither of them should be underestimated. Even Tenten is extremely skilled with Summoning Jutsu."

A faint smile appeared on Sasuke's handsome face. "Interesting. I'll remember all that. But compared to them, Naruto, I'm more looking forward to fighting you."

"Oh, is that so? Me too, Sasuke. Me too." Naruto and Sasuke's gazes sparked, their fighting spirits blazing as the air between them filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Naruto lowered the hand resting on Sasuke's shoulder and waved. "See you. Let's meet in front of the Ninja Academy tomorrow."

"Wait, Naruto, where are you going? That's not the direction of your home, is it?" Seeing the direction Naruto was heading, Sakura hurriedly waved and shouted.

Naruto stopped and turned around. He pulled a movie ticket from his pocket and waved it with a grin at Sasuke and Sakura. "I'm going to see a movie, The Adventures of Princess Gale. The Chunin Ninja Exams start tomorrow, so I'm going to relax properly today and face tomorrow's challenge in better shape."

"Oh, right. Come with me, Sakura. You too, Sasuke. This movie has been out for more than half a month already, so it's not the premiere anymore." Naruto waved at them.

"Hmph, boring. I'm going back to train." Sasuke snorted, shoved his hands into his pockets, and prepared to leave.

Sakura stiffly said, "In that case, I'll pass too."

But Sakura's inner self was roaring, "Actually, I really want to go see it! Come to think of it, the three of us seem to have never gone out together before. And just now, why did Sasuke let Naruto get so close to him? I haven't even held Sasuke's hand before! Damn Naruto, I'm so jealous..."

"Don't say that, Sasuke. Come with us. You too, Sakura." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm, leaving Sakura completely numb. Why didn't Sasuke just shake him off?!

Sasuke still went with them. When they arrived at the cinema entrance, Naruto bought two tickets and handed them to Sakura and Sasuke. Seeing the seat number on her ticket, Sakura glanced at Sasuke's ticket. His seat was beside hers, while Naruto had bought his ticket in advance, so his seat was farther toward the front.

"Th-this... I'm sitting next to Sasuke, and Naruto won't even be there! Watching a movie with Sasuke!" Sakura's imagination ran wild, while her inner self roared, "Well done, Naruto! Isn't this basically a date?"

Naruto had no idea what Sakura was thinking and smiled. "It's about to start. Let's go in!"

Sasuke entered with an indifferent expression, holding his ticket. Sakura was so happy she felt like setting off firecrackers, her heart pounding wildly. She was going to sit with Sasuke in the cinema, and Naruto would not even interrupt them.

But once they entered the theater and found their seats, the smile on Sakura's face slowly vanished. Stiffly, she looked at Sasuke Uchiha seated to her left. Their seat numbers were consecutive, but a wide aisle lay between them, separating her from Sasuke perfectly.

"Naruto actually bought tickets across the aisle..." Sakura felt petrified, her face drained of all color and her heart freezing cold. Sasuke was clearly right before her eyes, yet he felt so far away.

Naruto's seat was slightly farther forward. He had just sat down and was waiting for the movie to begin when he suddenly caught a pleasant scent. It was like the fragrance he had smelled on Haku—the natural scent of a girl.

Naruto instinctively looked to his right. A woman sat beside him, wearing a mask and a flax-colored coat, along with a black baseball cap and earrings. Her beautiful blue eyes noticed his gaze. She gave him a brief sidelong glance before turning back to the screen, looking utterly cold.

This big sister feels strangely familiar... Naruto withdrew his gaze, unable to help muttering to himself. That pleasant fragrance was coming from the woman beside him, and a pair of sunglasses was pinned to the breast pocket of her coat. She was deliberately disguised.

As Naruto pondered this, the movie began. He stopped thinking about it and focused on watching.