The day of the Chūnin Selection Exams had finally arrived.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto met at the entrance of the Ninja Academy, where the first test would take place.
Only Naruto knew that the first test was a written exam and would last for an hour.
Upon entering the Academy, they ran into two Chūnin blocking the entrance to the exam room.
On the floor, Naruto recognized Rock Lee and TenTen, lying defeated, clearly showing signs of having been struck by the two guards.
Both were hiding their true strength.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Who cares? Let's beat them up," Naruto replied without a second thought.
If they were blocking the way, the logical move was just to knock them out, right?
Even though he knew it was a Genjutsu, he decided to ignore it.
Naruto wanted Sasuke and Sakura to realize it on their own.
Sasuke smiled in approval at his words.
"I'll go first," she declared, stepping forward without waiting for a response.
Naruto frowned as he saw her activate her two-tomoe Sharingan.
Before the two Chūnin could react, they dropped unconscious, caught in a Genjutsu in the blink of an eye.
Their bodies hit the ground with a thud.
Naruto whistled, impressed by Sasuke's growth.
She had become far stronger than he remembered. At this stage, she shouldn't have reached that level yet.
Naruto puffed his chest with pride. After all, he had been the one who trained her.
Sasuke scoffed playfully when she noticed his reaction.
"Don't take all the credit. Kakashi was a good teacher these past weeks."
Naruto rolled his eyes, annoyed that she was downplaying his role.
"It's still thanks to me," he insisted confidently.
Sasuke simply ignored him.
That's when Sakura noticed the sign above the room they were standing in front of.
"Why would they use a Genjutsu? Guys, we're still on the second floor. We have to go up to the third."
Naruto and Sasuke stopped and nodded, turning to continue.
Naruto realized Sasuke had already noticed the Genjutsu.
However, before they could walk away, a voice stopped them.
Naruto sighed in frustration, recognizing Rock Lee's voice.
Lee approached Sakura with a blush on his cheeks.
"You're Sakura-san, right? Go out with me! I'll protect you with my life!"
Sakura blinked, perplexed by the sudden proposal.
"Not a chance," she replied immediately, crushing Lee's hopes entirely.
Naruto nearly collapsed from laughter.
A loud, uncontrollable laugh escaped his lips as he pointed at Rock Lee.
"I can't believe Sakura rejected you like that! HAHAHAHA!"
Sakura, mercilessly, added: "Your eyebrows are way too thick…"
Lee sank even deeper.
Naruto, unable to contain himself, laughed even harder.
"Says the one with the giant forehead! HAHA!"
Sakura shot him a murderous glare.
Even Sasuke had a small amused smile seeing how depressed Lee looked after being rejected.
Sakura forgot all about Naruto's teasing when she saw that smile on Sasuke's face.
Rock Lee, noticing it, frowned.
Was his Sakura in love with Sasuke Uchiha?! He wouldn't allow it! He would fight for her love!
That's when TenTen and Neji approached the group.
Neji's eyes immediately landed on Sasuke.
[Hizashi Hyūga: I can finally see my son! He's grown so much since I last saw him! I'm glad he doesn't look like a girl anymore, he was really feminine as a kid…]
[Kushina Uzumaki: That's the first thing you notice about your son?]
[Hizashi Hyūga: It's important.]
In the Pure World, Kushina sighed heavily after reading Hizashi's comment.
Neji was about to ask Sasuke her name, recognizing her as a member of the Uchiha Clan. However, Sakura, eager to get away from Lee, pulled Sasuke and Naruto along.
Team 7 headed to the third floor, leaving Team 3 behind.
But unfortunately for them, Rock Lee followed.
Before they could reach the stairs to the third floor, he stopped them again.
"You! The one with the intense stare, wait!" Lee pointed at Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at him lazily. "What the hell do you want?"
Lee stood up straight, serious.
"I want to fight you right here and now."
"I want to test my techniques against the descendant of the genius ninja clan."
He suddenly glanced at Sakura.
"And… Sakura-san, I love you."
He made a heart with his hands.
Naruto, once again, couldn't hold back his laughter.
How could he? Rock Lee even blushed!
Sakura, meanwhile, made a disgusted face.
"No. You disgust me."
Lee kept praising her and even blew a kiss in her direction.
Sakura jumped behind Sasuke to dodge it.
[Might Duy: I BOY! HE RADIATES THE FIERY SPIRIT OF YOUTH! THIS IS HOW EVERYONE SHOULD BEHAVE! HIS SENSE OF FASHION IS ALSO OUTSTANDING!]
[Sakumo Hatake: He's like your clone, Duy.]
[Might Duy: Now that you mention it… HE MIGHT BE MY GRANDSON! LOOKS LIKE MY SON GUY FOUND LOVE!]
[Sakumo Hatake: I'm still surprised you managed to have a kid, let alone grandkids.]
Sasuke stepped forward.
"You challenge me knowing I'm a… an Uchiha? You're an idiot. I'll show you what my name means, bushy-brows."
Naruto leaned slightly toward her and whispered:
"Just don't let him kick your ass…"
Sasuke flinched, startled.
She hadn't even noticed when Naruto got so close to her.
Only then did she realize that she wasn't the only one who had gotten stronger over the past few weeks.
Naruto gave her a serious warning:
"Don't underestimate him because of how he looks, or it'll cost you."
He didn't want Sasuke to be humiliated by Rock Lee.
Sasuke nodded, taking the fight seriously.
She activated her Sharingan.
Rock Lee's eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that the Sharin…?"
Before he could finish his sentence, his gaze turned blank.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan," Sasuke muttered.
"What kind of Genjutsu is that?" Sakura asked, surprised by how easily Sasuke won.
Naruto whistled in admiration.
If the fight had been hand-to-hand, Sasuke wouldn't have stood a chance against Lee.
But since she took the initiative, she caught him in the Genjutsu instantly.
Sasuke smiled with satisfaction.
"With just one look, I can trap anyone in a Genjutsu. Such is the power of the Sharingan. The bushy-brow isn't unconscious—just immobilized. I wanted him to see with his own eyes the gap between us."
She tried to run a hand through her hair as she turned, but stopped with a grimace, remembering her hair was shorter in her disguise.
Naruto shook his head, amused, and followed the two girls toward the stairs to the third floor.
[Mikoto Uchiha: My Sasuke has become so smug… I'll have to fix that attitude when I come back to life.]
[Fugaku Uchiha: Leave her alone. What does it matter if she shows off in front of weaklings?]
[Mikoto Uchiha: I think I'll need to fix the father's attitude first.]
[Fugaku Uchiha: Wait a second…]
[Mikoto Uchiha: Get ready.]
In the Pure World, Fugaku sighed, resigned to his fate.