"Um, Sasuke Uchiha, can I go out with you?"
No one paid any attention to the man who had already experienced heartbreak before even falling in love; everyone's attention was now focused on Sakura Haruno and Sasuke, eager to see how Sasuke would respond.
To agree or to refuse?
After hearing Sakura Haruno's words, Sasuke picked at his ears with some suspicion. He didn't even doubt whether Sakura Haruno had said something wrong; instead, he wondered if there was something wrong with his ears that made him hear such a thing.
However, he quickly realized that it was all real; the Sakura Haruno in front of him had really confessed her feelings to him.
Sasuke sized up the person in front of him, unable to recall who they were. He only remembered that they had probably been in the same classroom before.
"Um, do we know each other?"
Sasuke impatiently scratched his hair, but he just couldn't remember the name of the person in front of him.
"Um, Sasuke-kun, my Sakura Haruno. We used to be in the same class."
Sakura Haruno was incredibly excited to finally be able to talk to Sasuke, even though they had never spoken to each other in all the years they had been in the same classroom.
"Oh? Is there something you need?"
Sasuke asked impatiently. He had just glanced at Naruto and saw Naruto trying hard to suppress a laugh. He felt that if he interacted too much with this woman, something unpredictable might happen.
"Um... um... Sasuke-kun, I like you, can we go out together?"
Sakura Haruno looked at Sasuke with anticipation. What girl doesn't dream of love? Especially if she's met someone as handsome and outstanding as Sasuke since childhood, he's like the white moonlight in people's eyes.
What? You're asking me what "white moonlight" is? A little white dress, white socks, white shoes, bear underwear—if that's not "white moonlight," then what is?
The girl desperately tried to control her heart, which was pounding with excitement. She looked up at the boy in front of her, both expectant and afraid. She hoped he would give her an answer, but she was also worried that she would be rejected.
However, what happened next was completely unexpected, and not just for her, but for everyone present.
"Huh? You want me to play that boring dating game with you? I have no reason to like you, and no reason to be liked by you..." Sasuke stopped there, ignoring Sakura Haruno's increasingly pale face, and continued speaking.
You're really annoying.
As soon as Sasuke finished speaking, Naruto and Hinata stared at him in disbelief. Their reactions differed: Naruto thought Sasuke's words were incredibly cool, while Hinata was somewhat worried that Sakura Haruno's mindset might affect her upcoming exams.
With a loud bang, it was as if something exploded in Sakura Haruno's mind, making her suddenly feel weak and powerless, and her body uncontrollably fell backward.
It was her best friend, Ino, who caught her just as she was about to fall after seeing what happened.
"What, what, why is this happening?"
Ino could still hear Sakura Haruno's muttered words. She gave Sakura Haruno a pitying look. "See? I told you before, don't like Sasuke. He's the second young master of the Uchiha Clan! How could he possibly be interested in a commoner like you? What's the difference between this and accidentally wandering into the imperial palace?"
Of course, Ino wouldn't tell Sakura Haruno what was on her mind.
She felt that Naruto was the gentlest, at least he wouldn't reject people in public and embarrass them, so she looked at Naruto with starry eyes.
This made Naruto extremely uncomfortable. Was there something on him? Or had Ino developed a new Kekkei Genkai for the Yamanaka Clan? A new Dōjutsu? Starry eyes?
"Hello, Naruto, long time no see."
After Ino helped Sakura Haruno up, she ignored her completely. What was she compared to a handsome guy?
"Yes, it's been a long time."
The group chatted idly as they headed to the exam classroom, completely ignoring the disheveled Sakura Haruno and the petrified Rock Lee.
After they had walked away, Rock Lee suddenly came to his senses. Looking at Sakura Haruno, who was still disheveled, he couldn't bear it and spoke up to comfort her:
" Sakura-chan, don't be sad. If all else fails, there's always me! Don't worry, I definitely won't refuse you!"
Rock Lee spoke with unusual gentleness, looking at the sobbing girl in front of him, wishing he could pull her into his arms and comfort her.
But at that moment, Rock Lee's words were like a sharp knife, piercing her proud heart and causing her to break down and go berserk.
"I don't want to leave."
"Even if I sew it up, I won't give it to you."
"Get out of here."
Noticing the stares of those around her, Sakura Haruno fled from the spot as if running away. Little did she know that from this day forward, she would completely lose her name and would be known by new names: Rock Sister, Sew-It-Shut Sister.
As for Rock Lee, who was once again struck down by Sakura Haruno, his petrification buff was added to his already weakened state. In the end, he was dragged into the examination room by Tenten and Neji.
Some people watch the sea, some are loved, and some are like dogs on the street, kicked and kicked again.
In the large classroom used for the exam, Naruto and his two friends were chatting with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, completely unaware of what had just happened.
" Naruto, I didn't expect you to participate in this Chunin Ninja Exams. This is troublesome."
Shikamaru, bored, glanced at the intimidating people around him and couldn't help but speak up.
"Relax, Shikamaru, the Chunin Ninja Exams are very easy."
Sasuke completely believed Naruto's words. Under Naruto's relentless pressure, his current strength was far greater than that of his younger self in the original story.
Just as Sasuke was about to speak, a sneer suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"Heh, simple? Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue when you say that?"
"Who?"
As they were talking, a man with the same trendy granny gray hair as Xue Zhiqian from back then emerged from the shadows. He pushed up his glasses, revealing his sharp eyes, but quickly concealed them again.
Naruto recognized him too; wasn't that the Dream-Fulfilling Master — Kabuto Yakushi?
Naruto wasn't surprised at all that Kabuto Yakushi was there.
If he doesn't come, how can the plot move forward? If he doesn't come, how can Naruto find Orochimaru?
Thinking this, Naruto's eyes burned with fervor as he looked at Kabuto Yakushi. If Kabuto Yakushi had appeared, Orochimaru couldn't be far behind.
"If you're not meat, who are you?"
Sasuke glanced at Kabuto Yakushi, and after a moment's recognition, he realized he didn't recognize him, even though Kabuto was wearing Konoha Forehead Protector.
Seeing that someone had given him a chance to show off, Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and said unhurriedly:
"If I had to assign myself a role, I would say I'm your senior."
As he said this, he specifically pointed to the Forehead Protector on his forehead, which bore the distinctive leaf symbol of Konoha.