The Chunin Ninja Exams officially began, and the participating ninja headed toward the examination hall.
The first test was a written exam, which drew complaints from quite a few ninja. After all, not every shinobi village provided its ninja with an academic education.
The proctors had yet to arrive, and the examination hall was a noisy mess, with plenty of people complaining.
Some people had yet to arrive, too.
Naruto sprawled over his desk in boredom. Hinata sat beside him with her head lowered, her little face bright red.
Sakura sat in front of Naruto, feeling rather nervous. Before the exam, she had gotten some information about it from a white-haired senior named Kabuto.
But this was her first exam, so nerves were inevitable. Compared to the others, she was just an ordinary person, after all.
She didn't have Naruto's nerves of steel, nor was she like Hinata, whose lovestruck mind had room for nothing but Naruto.
Then again, hadn't she once been just as lovestruck, with nothing but someone else on her mind?
Sasuke. Once, her heart and eyes had been filled with nothing but Sasuke. But he had actually said those things to her that day. It had really hurt.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a familiar yell rang out in the classroom.
"Naruto, what are you doing? There are so many people watching!"
Sakura had barely finished complaining when Naruto shouted again.
"Sasuke! And Haku! What are you doing here?!"
His shout made everyone in the examination hall turn toward the doorway.
Kabuto Yakushi smiled and shook his head at the sight, thinking to himself.
That's Sasuke for you. Wherever he goes, he's the center of attention.
A boy in white stood in the doorway. Beside him were a lovely-looking "girl" and a red-haired girl.
Sasuke spotted Naruto and snorted.