In the end, Sakura was judged to have narrowly won the match, because Ino had fainted before she did. After all, Sakura, who had effectively spent five days on a camping trip, had been in much better shape than Ino.
But Ino did not mind at all. She was very happy for Sakura. As for becoming a Chunin, well, there were two chances every year.
How wonderful!
After resting for a while, the two returned to their respective teams.
Seeing Sakura return, Sasuke grew a little excited, both because she was all right and because this meant they could now set out to find Su Yu.
But then he grew uneasy. After all, Su Yu's standing in his mind now surpassed even the Hokage's. More importantly, the choice lay entirely in Su Yu's hands, so what exactly could he offer to win his favor?
By contrast, although Sakura was a little nervous too, she was not as anxious over the outcome as Sasuke. Sasuke needed strength for a concrete goal, while Sakura had no such goal. Even if Su Yu refused to teach her, she would keep training little by little through her own efforts.
With everyone present, Kakashi and the others prepared to leave. Yes, Kakashi intended to accompany them too. He was curious whether Su Yu would agree to their request.
"Kakashi, are you leaving? Is something the matter?"
A man wearing the same outfit as Rock Lee, only with an additional vest, suddenly appeared before Kakashi and the others as they were about to leave.
"Oh, Guy. Nothing much. We're just going to see someone," Kakashi said lazily.
Behind him, Naruto seemed to remember something upon hearing Guy's name. He propped his chin on one hand, looking thoughtful.
Kakashi chatted casually with Guy for a bit and