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You can now get early access to Chapter 75 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my . You can also read up to Chapter 18 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
Finally, the day everyone had been waiting for had arrived: the beginning of the third test of the Chūnin Exams.
The representatives of Otogakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure made their appearance, each escorted by their respective entourages.
At the front of the delegation marched the carriage of the Kazekage of Sunagakure.
Behind it came the daimyōs of the Land of Fire, Wind, Grass, Rice Fields, and the Waterfall. Nobles, officials, and powerful figures gathered in the same place, eager for what was about to begin.
But to Naruto, who was walking alongside Karin, all of that was irrelevant.
Unbothered by the pomp of the parade, the two of them headed straight to the Konoha Arena.
Still, as they walked, a thought crossed Naruto's mind… Would Kusagakure try to get revenge for the death of Zōsui?
He was looking forward to it.
Although he then remembered something: Jiraiya had told him he would personally take care of the matter. It was very likely that he had manipulated the situation to make the death look like an accident.
Naruto never asked about it or looked for details.
But most likely, nothing linked him directly to Zōsui's death.
Shortly after, Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi joined Naruto and Karin.
When they finally reached the arena, the three of them, along with Karin, went up to the stands to watch the fights.
Naruto, meanwhile, went directly down to the combat arena.
There he noticed a curious detail: Genma Shiranui wasn't present. He was supposed to be the referee, but he wasn't there.
In his place, waiting at the center of the arena, was Hayate Gekkō.
It made sense. After all, since he had never died, Genma never needed to replace him.
Naruto positioned himself next to Shikamaru, just as he heard him grumble:
"Tch, how troublesome. Looks like my opponent still isn't here…"
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Haven't you heard…?" he said with an amused tone.
Shikamaru looked at him, confused.
"Dosu was found dead on the outskirts of the village. Unless you plan on visiting him in the Pure World, I doubt he'll ever be your opponent again."
Shikamaru's eyes widened before he let out a resigned sigh and scratched his neck.
"I had prepared to fight him… now I'll have to come up with a new strategy. How troublesome."
Naruto stopped paying attention to him. Shikamaru was always complaining about everything.
He, on the other hand, looked up at the stands.
And there they were. Not all of them, but most.
The first figure to catch his attention was unmistakable. Naruto nodded, and the figure responded with the same gesture.
Fugaku Uchiha sat with his arms crossed, serious and silent. Beside him, Mikoto clung to his arm with a radiant expression.
Not far away, Rin Nohara and Izumi Uchiha chatted distractedly with each other, unaware of everything else.
Elsewhere, Naruto recognized a female figure with long tied-up hair, green in color except for two orange strands that framed her face. She wore a short sleeveless dress.
Pakura was staring at him. When she noticed he was looking at her, she silently nodded, serious and unshakable.
Next to her, Shisui was trying to talk to her, without success. Naruto watched him with a bit of pity.
Pakura was completely ignoring him.
Pakura turned her gaze toward the Sunagakure Ninja, and then toward the area where the supposed Kazekage, Rasa, was seated next to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Naruto knew that if Pakura hadn't attacked him yet, it was only because he had told her the truth: Rasa had died at the hands of Orochimaru, and the man sitting there was nothing more than an impostor.
Near them, Sakumo Hatake, Might Duy, and Hizashi Hyūga chatted calmly.
But among all those present, one figure stood out above all others.
Her blood-red hair was like a beacon in the middle of the night.
Kushina Uzumaki, his mother.
She was sitting right next to Karin, hugging her so tightly it looked like she wanted to crush her. She shook her from side to side while laughing enthusiastically.
Karin's face was completely red, as red as her hair, and her expression showed a mix of discomfort and resignation.
Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi watched her in confusion, having no idea who she was.
Naruto let out a small laugh.
It wouldn't be long before Hiruzen noticed what was happening. Someone in the crowd would end up recognizing one of them and report it to the Hokage.
And although Hiruzen wouldn't stop the Chūnin Exams because of it, he would send someone to investigate.
Naruto only hoped that someone would be Kakashi.
He wanted to see his face when he met his father… and Rin, whom he had killed with his own hands.
Hiruzen's face upon seeing Kushina also promised to be a spectacle worth watching.
Naruto couldn't wait for it.
And speaking of surprises… Naruto was more surprised than anyone.
Hours earlier, after having revived so many members of the group chat, the system had launched an unexpected message:
[ Chat Group System – Status Update ]
[Warning: The current number of active members has reached a critical level.]
[Current members: 6/15]
[Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Mito Uzumaki and Yahiko.]
[Initiating automatic search protocol...]
[The system will begin locating and selecting new candidates to restore group balance.]
[Priority: High – New members will be integrated as soon as possible.]
Since then, Naruto had been alert for any change.
But no matter how much time passed… no new member appeared.
Who would the next members be? Naruto had no idea.
The Ninja World was full of important dead characters for the story. Potential candidates for the group. But another possibility also worried him.
What if this time the system wasn't looking in the Pure World?
What if the new members were alive?
He frowned at the thought.
He hoped he was wrong.
As he pondered that, Hiruzen's voice echoed throughout the stadium. The third test of the Chūnin Exams had officially begun.
Hayate Gekkō pulled a scroll from his vest and unrolled it in front of all the participants.
"There was a small change in the matchups," he announced in his hoarse voice.
The participants stepped forward to look at the list:
First match: Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyūga
Second match: Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha
Third match: Kankurō vs Shino Aburame
Fourth match: Temari vs Shikamaru Nara
Fifth match: Sakura Haruno vs --
Sakura was the first to react.
"What does this mean? Who am I supposed to fight?"
Hayate took his time to respond. He coughed a few times before clarifying:
"After the first four matches are finished, one of the losers will be randomly chosen. That person will be your opponent."
Sakura frowned, visibly upset.
"That gives me an unfair advantage. Whoever lost will be tired, or even injured."
Naruto rolled his eyes at her comment.
He observed everyone present carefully.
He knew exactly who was going to lose.
Neji, Gaara, Kankurō, Temari.
Among them, Sakura would only have a chance against Kankurō or Temari.
Neji would undoubtedly go straight to the hospital after his fight with him.
And Gaara… Naruto had no doubt Sasuke would beat him. She had trained with Izuna. Naruto was sure her level had grown exponentially.
Naruto trusted Sakura could defeat Kankurō, but he wasn't sure about Temari.
All that was left was to wait.
And, for the first time in a long while, Naruto felt something new.
The moment had finally come for the pieces to start moving.
That day, the future of the Ninja World would begin to change.
Everything he knew would start to crumble, to make way for what he had been preparing since the day he arrived in this world.
Naruto felt thrilled to realize that, for the first time in a long time, something was changing. He didn't know what was going to happen, and that made it even more exciting.