It was July 1.
Luo Mang headed toward the Academy alone. They had had seven days to prepare, after all, and everyone had been busy. He had needed time to take care of his own preparations, too.
He had not had the leisure to contact anyone during that time, so they had not arranged to meet.
But as soon as he reached the Ninja Academy's entrance, he spotted three people.
"Brother Mang!"
"Bro."
"Mang~"
Sasuke Uchiha leaned against a tree, while Naruto Uzumaki sat nearby, looking bored. When Sakura Haruno spotted Luo Mang, she called out at once, her hands behind her back.
Their reactions made it clear that they had been waiting there for quite a while, long enough to grow impatient.
Luo Mang was surprised to see their expressions.
"Brother Mang, you're finally here! We're teammates, aren't we? Let's go together."
Naruto Uzumaki hurried up to him with a broad smile.
"Sure."
Luo Mang nodded in response and followed Naruto Uzumaki into the Ninja Academy.
It was not far to walk.
Normally, they would have chatted a little, but perhaps because they were nervous, everyone was quiet.
Even Sakura Haruno simply watched Luo Mang's profile in silence, occasionally biting her lip or lowering her eyes as she pondered something.
The other two were lost in thought as well, enjoying a rare stretch of quiet.
Just as Luo Mang and the others reached the second floor, they heard an argument.
"The chunin ninja exams are hard. We've failed three times in a row..."
"..."
They looked over and saw two people guarding the entrance to Room 301, sternly addressing a thick-browed boy who had been knocked to the floor!
Those two were responsible for the preliminary screening, checking whether the candidates could recognize the Genjutsu before them.
So was