A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Luo Mang had barely trained that month. He had spent more of his time going back and forth between Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga, showering them with affection.
They had already reached the hand-holding and kissing stage.
If he wanted to take things further, neither of them would refuse, but...
Forget it. I can't get past that mental barrier. I'll wait a little longer.
Luo Mang sat straight up in bed. The Chunin Ninja Exams began today, and from what he had seen over the past few days, there were noticeably more people in the village.
"I'll just go watch Hinata's and Sakura's matches."
It was a major event, but the main focus had been Orochimaru's attack. With that no longer happening, everything would surely go smoothly.
He could more or less guess the lineup, so there was no need to go. Still, both his girlfriends were competing, so he ought to watch and cheer them on.
"Just going to watch."
Taking a deep breath, Luo Mang finished getting ready, grabbed a quick breakfast, and left home.
"Brother Mang."
"Bro."
"Mang."
Three voices rang out at once, and he could tell who they were just from how they addressed him. Looking up, he saw the three youngsters waiting at his door.
No, he should call them four youngsters now.
Beside them stood Karin, a red-haired girl wearing glasses, with a shy expression. As far as she could tell, her new friends-or rather, everyone around her-seemed to think very highly of Luo Mang.
And there was Hinata Hyuga, the little princess, too.
As a result, facing him felt only slightly less intimidating than facing Hiruzen Sarutobi. She assumed Luo Mang would be difficult to get along with.
But she couldn't simply not