"Woof, woof, woof."
Akamaru suddenly barked as he walked along the ground. Kiba understood him and translated for his teammates.
"There's some really intense commotion over there?"
Kiba looked in the direction Akamaru pointed. From a distance, something seemed to be sticking out above the forest canopy.
"Isn't that our campsite?"
The corner of Kiba's mouth twitched. He had already guessed roughly what was going on. Naruto must have started building things again.
"Huh, should we go find them, then?"
Sakura asked, but then shook her head herself.
"Never mind. Let's wait until we've collected all the scrolls."
These were the Chunin Ninja Exams. Naruto and the others were strong enough, and their S-rank mission meant they no longer needed this exam to prove themselves, but Sakura and the others did.
If they went to Naruto and the others for help now, how would that be any different from cheating?
With her pride added to the mix, Sakura rejected the idea herself.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever happens, we can't embarrass ourselves in front of Naruto."
Kiba nodded in agreement, and Akamaru, following him on the ground, gave a howl too.
"I wholeheartedly agree."
Shino pushed up his glasses. Numerous insects bearing runes could be seen crawling out from his trouser cuffs and concealing themselves around him.
"All right, let's give it our best together."
Kiba patted his chest, and the team went off together to find somewhere to stay that night.
Sasuke froze for a moment when he heard violent rumbling behind him. Then a boar charged out from the side, looking as though it wanted to ram him to death.
For a moment, Sasuke genuinely didn't know whether to complain about Naruto's construction work behind him or his own damned connection with boars.
"Get lost!"
Lightning sparks flickered over