"A Genin, and he's already completed two B-rank missions, both flawlessly."
Shikamaru Nara repeated Kabuto Yakushi's words, his brows knitted tightly, before reaching a conclusion. "What a drag."
To take on so many missions in such a short time...
Just how terrifying was Yemu's strength for the village to trust him that much?
"Oh?"
"What's going on? Everyone looks so serious."
"Did you run into some powerful enemy?"
Yemu came over to the Konoha teams with Qingxue and Hinata.
"Yemu, I'm going to beat you!! No, I mean all of you."
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I won't lose to any of you!!"
Having only just arrived, Yemu watched Naruto Uzumaki excitedly point at the other ninja taking the exam.
He was a little speechless.
This guy was still putting on a loud act to draw everyone's attention.
Honestly, it was pretty sad.
"Hmph."
"Brat."
Omoi noticed Naruto Uzumaki from among the crowd and contemptuously spat his lollipop stick onto the floor.
Gaara noticed Naruto too. "That guy... wasn't he the ninja we clashed with earlier?"
Kankuro chimed in with a sneer. "The weaker they are, the louder they bark, huh? Right, Temari?"
"Hey, Temari, what are you doing?"
Seeing Temari staring blankly, Kankuro couldn't help prompting her.
The exam was about to start, and she still had time to space out?
But when Kankuro followed Temari's gaze and discovered that she was looking at Yemu Hyuga...
He immediately slapped his face, speechless.
Was Temari boy-crazy too?
Temari snapped out of it.
She gave an awkward little cough.
She really wasn't boy-crazy. It was just that whenever Yemu Hyuga appeared, she couldn't help looking his way.
It was as though he had some inexplicable pull.
"Naruto!!"
Sakura Haruno had been worrying that, with her strength, she would be nothing but cannon fodder in the Chunin Exams.
She had assumed Naruto was scared too.
Who would have thought Naruto would casually provoke everyone with a single remark?
At that thought, Sakura Haruno slammed a fist into Naruto's head.
"Sorry, Naruto's just like that. He wasn't trying to provoke any of you."
Sakura Haruno caught Naruto in a headlock.
When she noticed everyone looking their way, an angry vein bulged on her forehead.
"Hmph!!"
"You actually called Otogakure some insignificant little place? You should know just how ruthless Otogakure is!!"
With his head wrapped in bandages and only his left eye exposed, Dosu saw that his village was being looked down on.
Already belligerent by nature, he couldn't hold himself back at all.
He charged over with his companion Zaku.
As for their target...
Naturally, it was Yemu Hyuga, the supposedly powerful Genin they had been talking about.
!!!
The Genin in the classroom instantly jolted in surprise.
Someone was actually starting a fight at a time like this.
And he seemed pretty fast, too.
Yemu Hyuga looked utterly baffled when he realized Dosu was attacking him.
He didn't quite understand.
What exactly was going through this guy's head?
If he remembered correctly, weren't Kabuto Yakushi and the three Sound Ninja supposed to put on a little act together?
Why had they suddenly set their sights on him?
Sasuke Uchiha's eyes narrowed as he watched Dosu move like a blur.
So fast!!
But his eyes could just barely keep up.
The thought had only just crossed his mind.
Dosu was already in front of Yemu, ready to teach him a lesson with his sound waves.
Yet before he could even react...
A tremendous force struck his abdomen, sending him flying backward.
Bang, bang, bang!!
Dosu's body bounced and tumbled across the classroom like a stone skipping over water.
Qingxue Uchiha, who had used the Body Flicker Technique to attack him, slowly lowered her long leg from the high kick.
"Holy crap! That was so cool!!"
Before Sakura Haruno could even process what had happened, she saw Qingxue Uchiha's long black hair fluttering, her stunning profile tinged with coldness.
That fierce look in her eyes, in particular, made Sakura Haruno's heart skip a beat.
No, no!!
Sakura Haruno immediately shook her head, clearing those stray thoughts away.
She was straight.
Or was everyone in the Uchiha Clan this cool?
"Interesting."
"So there are some skilled fighters here."
Omoi narrowed his eyes, his expression turning somewhat serious.
Even he would have had to take things seriously to react to that burst of speed.
Otherwise, Dosu wouldn't have been kicked away before he could even respond.
"Qingxue Uchiha?" Neji Hyuga's gaze sharpened.
He had spent the past few years focusing on Yemu.
He hadn't expected the girl who followed Yemu around to be so strong, either.
And then there was Hinata. It had been a long time since their last clan sparring match.
He wondered just how much the heiress had grown.
At that thought, Neji Hyuga felt the pressure mounting.
There were people who wanted to challenge him, and someone he wanted to challenge as well.
"Qingxue, you were so cool."
Hinata Hyuga clasped her hands together, a delighted smile on her face.
"Hmph."
Qingxue Uchiha gave a proud little huff without speaking, merely brushing back her long black hair before quietly returning to Yemu's side.
"Damn it, what's with that woman?"
Dosu climbed up from the floor.
Blood trickled from his mouth. To describe the sensation vividly, it felt as though he had been hit by a car.
Standing behind Yemu, Kabuto Yakushi narrowed his eyes.
His gaze shifted back and forth between Qingxue Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha.
So neither of the Uchiha Clan's last descendants was ordinary?
Both possessed talent impressive enough to catch anyone's attention.
Dosu still wanted to get up and retaliate.
But when he saw Yemu's Byakugan faintly glowing blue in the distance...
He froze on the spot in fear.
It was as though he had returned to that terrifying moment in his childhood when a wild beast had fixed its eyes on him.
"All right, brats. No fighting in the classroom."
Bang!!
As a cloud of smoke dispersed...
The Konoha examiners for this round of the Chunin Exams appeared before everyone.
The man at their head...
Was the scar-faced squad captain from Konoha's Interrogation Department.
"My name is Ibiki Morino, and I'm the examiner for the first stage of these Chunin Exams."
Dressed entirely in black, Ibiki Morino looked sternly at the Sound Ninja getting to their feet and demanded, "Do you want to be eliminated before we even begin?"
At those words...
Dosu's heart tightened. He couldn't be allowed to disrupt Lord Orochimaru's plans. "Sorry. It's our first time taking the Chunin Exams, so we got a little excited."
"All right."
Ibiki Morino didn't pursue the matter any further. "In that case, I'll give you a brief explanation of the rules for this exam."
"Submit your Chunin Exams applications, collect your Number Tags, and take your assigned seats."
Yemu Hyuga went up as well.
After collecting his Number Tag, he found his seat.
Qingxue Uchiha sat to his left, and Hinata sat to her right. To Hinata's right was a miserable-looking Naruto Uzumaki.
Once the exam papers were handed out...
And he saw that the questions covered material taught at the Ninja Academy...
Naruto Uzumaki looked even more despairing.
Weren't these questions just pure torture for him?
Before you continue