Chunin Exam, Registration

The wild bear heard Sakura's voice, turned its head to glance, but showed no intention of paying attention and continued to scratch the tree trunk.

Naruto gritted his teeth, directly pulled out a kunai, and threw it at the wild bear.

However, the wild bear's skin was exceptionally tough. Even three kunai only pierced its surface.

They didn't cause any substantial damage at all.

"Damn it!" he grumbled under his breath.

In his desperation, he remembered the meatball from the scratch-off tickets.

He took it out with great anticipation.

The moment the futon appeared, a fragrance wafted out, and the wild bear's attention was quickly drawn.

Seeing this, a smug smile flickered across Naruto's face, and he casually tossed the futon.

The wild bear pounced, directly pinning the futon beneath its body, happily licking it. In the blink of an eye, the fist-sized meatball was reduced to the size of a ping pong ball.

After it finished eating the entire futon, Naruto cleared his throat.

"Go back into the forest!"

Sakura and Sasuke both froze, looking at him as if he were an idiot.

That was a wild bear, how could it possibly go back into the forest just because he said so?

However, to their astonishment, the wild bear seemed to understand Naruto's words and slowly turned around.

Wiggling its thick hindquarters, it lumbered back into the forest.

Sasuke, perched on a branch, let out a long sigh, feeling refreshed.

Then, he leaped down and carefully put away the Otaku Provocation Stick.

He didn't want to accidentally point at anything he shouldn't again.

Sakura rushed over, anxiously examining Sasuke.

"Are you okay, Sasuke!"

Sasuke put on a stern face, forcing himself to stay calm. "I'm fine. Let's talk about the mission first!"

"Yeah, Sakura, did the cat go missing around here?"

Naruto also came over, asking softly.

Sakura picked up the mission scroll and looked at the surrounding terrain again. "It was indeed around here, no mistake!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find the cat!"

Naruto rolled up his sleeves and was about to charge into the forest.

Sakura pursed her lips into a smile and took out the Cat Bell she had gotten from the scratch-off ticket shop today from her ninja pouch.

She shook it gently.

The crisp bell sound pierced through the forest, covering an area of several hundred meters.

Before long, rustling sounds began to emanate from the branches and bushes.

Immediately after, wild cats, one after another, jumped out and gathered at Sakura's feet.

Sakura took out the photo of the missing cat and compared them one by one. Finally, she found it among the group of cats!

"Naruto, that's the one!" she shouted happily.

Naruto lunged forward and directly scooped up the cat.

As soon as the kitten was in his arms, it struggled with all its might, scratching several bloody lines on Naruto's face.

Naruto's expression immediately turned incredibly grim. He raised two fingers.

"Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique!"

Ever since he learned this ultimate skill, he had only ever used it on people, never on an animal.

Today was a good opportunity to try it out.

As expected, the moment his fingers poked the cat, it instantly quieted down.

It became completely still, like a stone statue.

"Whoa, it actually works!" Naruto's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have had to feed the futon to the wild bear!

"I regret it!" he thought tearfully.

Afterward, the three of them, carrying the cat, returned to the Hokage Building.

Hokage's Office.

Ebisu tearfully recounted being robbed by Naruto with great animation.

Seeing his tear-streaked face, the Third Hokage sighed.

"Forget it. I'll have the Shadow Department reimburse you for those three thousand Ryo. As for Naruto, let nature take its course!"

"The Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life for Konoha's peace."

"If we don't show a little more consideration for his son, he might not find peace in the other world!"

Ebisu sniffled like a nagging wife.

Fortunately, the three thousand Ryo silver notes he had lost from the Shadow Department were returned.

He could still buy flowers from the Yamanaka clan and pursue the girl he admired.

Bowing and stepping back, just as he was about to open the door, he encountered Naruto returning to turn in a mission.

He was furious and about to scold him when he heard the Third Hokage whisper behind him.

"Ebisu, hurry back and teach Konohamaru properly. Entrusting him to you is a great sign of my trust!"

Upon hearing this, Ebisu turned around excitedly.

Tears streaming down his face, he bowed excitedly, "Thank you for your appreciation, Third Hokage! I will not disappoint you!"

After that, he didn't care about any grievances he had with Naruto.

He clenched his fists and walked out the door with high spirits.

After the three of them completed their mission and received their reward from the Shadow Department, they were contemplating going to the scratch-off ticket store to try their luck when.

Kakashi, Yūhi Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy entered.

Seeing the three Genin counting silver notes, Kakashi chuckled.

"You're all here, good, I don't have to look for you!"

Naruto craned his neck slightly and asked with narrowed eyes.

"Teacher Kakashi, what is it this time?"

Kakashi ignored him and walked forward, handing a form to the Third Hokage.

Naruto stood aside, two crows flying overhead, feeling completely ignored.

"Third Hokage, this is the list of participants for the Chunin Exam. Please take a look."

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of white mist.

"All twelve Genin under the four of you are participating, correct?"

Hearing this, Naruto and the others were stunned.

Then they saw Kakashi and the others nod very seriously.

"Yes!"

The Third Hokage calmly put the form aside and said softly.

"In that case, have them fill out the Chunin Exam registration forms!"

Then, he took out a stack of colorful, mysterious forms from a drawer.

Kakashi took three directly and came before Naruto and the others.

"Fill out the forms now!"

Sasuke naturally had no objections. Being promoted to Chunin sooner would allow him to improve his strength better.

He would also get closer to that man.

Seeing him take the Chunin registration form, Sakura also took one, even though she still had some hesitation.

Naruto licked his lips. He hadn't intended to participate in the exam so early.

But seeing that both of his classmates were signing up, he had no choice but to brace himself and join them.

After filling out the registration forms, Kakashi instructed.

"Go back and practice your ninjutsu well these next two days. Strive to pass the Chunin Exam smoothly."

"Okay!" The three replied in unison.

As they left the Hokage's office, Naruto saw Ebisu at the end of the corridor, counting the silver notes he had just retrieved.

A devilish smile appeared on his lips.

They were about to take the Chunin Exam. Before that, he naturally had to go to the scratch-off ticket store and try his luck.

What if he won a special item? Then he wouldn't have to worry about the upcoming exam!

Don't underestimate him; although he had always been a slacker in ninjutsu training.

When it came to scheming, he was an absolute genius.

He quickly chased after him, shouting with a smile, "Teacher Ebisu, wait!"

Ebisu turned his head upon hearing the sound.

Upon seeing Naruto's hateful face, he stumbled back two steps, clutching his wallet warily.