Konoha, Classroom 301
When Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke pushed open the door, they found the spacious classroom crammed with people. All sorts of bizarre-looking individuals were present, and Sakura noticed headbands from several different ninja villages. The room was a cacophony of noise.
"Th-This... so many people," Naruto stammered, feeling a bit intimidated as all eyes in the classroom turned towards them.
"Sakura, long time no see!" a somewhat arrogant voice called out.
"Oh, it's Kiba. Hi! And Akamaru, too," Sakura said, turning to see the three members of Team 8 approaching.
"S-Sakura, l-long... long time no see," Hinata greeted Sakura, blushing slightly as she stole glances at Naruto.
Naruto noticed Hinata looking at him and felt a flicker of confusion. They had been classmates for years, and he'd often caught Hinata sneaking peeks. But Hinata was always quiet and had a weak presence among the girls, so Naruto had just dismissed her as a strange, shy kid.
But now that they had graduated, Naruto was curious.
"Hey, uh... Hinata, why do you always look at me?" Naruto asked, his curiosity piqued. Now that they were no longer classmates, he decided to ask.
"Ah! I... I d-don't..." Hinata stammered, her face turning even redder as she fumbled for a denial.
"Huh? You don't? I've felt it several times, though?" Naruto said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I clearly felt someone staring at my back during our time at the Academy."
"..." Hinata's face was now as red as a tomato.
"Naruto, the reason Hinata pays attention to you is because..." Shino began, but he was cut off.
"Hey, what are you guys doing standing in the doorway?" Shikamaru's voice called out from behind Team 8.
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, her complexion returning slightly to normal. Kiba and Shino were actually aware of Hinata's crush on Naruto. They'd been together for years, and Hinata hadn't exactly been subtle. Unlike the oblivious Naruto, Kiba and Shino had easily picked up on it.
"Move it, don't block the doorway!" another voice called from behind Shikamaru.
The group of genin quickly made way, and then Ino, like a cat smelling fish, pounced towards Sasuke. However, Sasuke deftly sidestepped her, perfectly avoiding the tackle.
Ino, having missed her target, glared resentfully at Sakura.
Sakura completely ignored Ino. Ino still believed that Sakura was the reason Sasuke paid her no attention. In those three years when Sakura was absent, Sasuke wasn't like this. Now, seeing Sakura and being ignored by Sasuke again, Ino was consumed by anger.
"Hey!! Haruno Sakura, I challenge you!" Ino shouted, driven by her fury and ignoring everything else.
"Ino, are you serious? Do you really think you can beat Sakura?" Shikamaru felt compelled to warn her, seeing her enraged state.
"I don't care! This is a challenge of love!" Ino thought smugly. Sasuke, I'm challenging her for you! You better be touched.
"Fine, I accept your challenge. See you at the Chunin Exams," Sakura replied with a casual shrug.
"If you lose, you're forbidden from trying to seduce Sasuke ever again!" Ino spat out venomously.
Just as Sakura was about to respond, a disgruntled voice interrupted from nearby.
"You must be the nine rookies fresh out of the Ninja Academy. All this chattering is giving me a headache. This isn't a field trip." A white-haired ninja wearing a Konoha headband and glasses spoke.
"Hey, who are you? Acting all high and mighty," Kiba said, sounding displeased.
"My name is Kabuto. You should take a look around. The Hidden Rain ninja behind you aren't known for their patience," Kabuto continued. "Everyone's tense before the exams. You should be careful not to provoke them!"
"But I can't blame you; it's your first time, right?" Kabuto added.
Sakura watched Kabuto's smooth talk, a cold smile playing on her lips. He was truly an excellent spy. If she didn't know he was the final boss, she would have been completely fooled. However, now wasn't the time to expose him. That would alert Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was on the same level as her master, Tsunade. To free Sasuke from the curse mark, she needed to act unexpectedly. If Orochimaru became cautious, she wouldn't stand a chance.
"You... You're Kabuto-senpai, right?" Ino asked, after hearing what Kabuto said. "Then this isn't your first time taking the exam?"
"That's right. I've taken it six times already. This is my seventh."
Everyone was shocked. They hadn't expected to meet someone who had failed the exam six times. Their initial optimism was replaced by a sense of heaviness. There were actually candidates here who had failed six times.
"So, you're familiar with the exam content?" Shikamaru quickly grasped the key point.
Kabuto's disguise was remarkably good; even Shikamaru didn't detect anything amiss. However, this was partly because they hadn't even considered the possibility of a spy.
"Of course. Let me, your senior, give you a little information. Using my Ninja Info Cards," Kabuto said, taking out a stack of cards.
"Over the past four years, I've collected information by participating in the exams. I use ninjutsu to convert the information into markings and store them on these cards. Then, with my ninjutsu, I can reveal the information on them," Kabuto explained, spreading out the cards.
"Do you have any personal information on there?" Sasuke asked eagerly, immediately interested.
"Of course, but I need some specific characteristics to find them." Kabuto replied.
"Gaara of the Sand and Neji Hyuga of Konoha," Sasuke said without hesitation.
These two were the individuals Sasuke was most concerned about. Gaara's dismissive attitude and Neji's possession of eyes similar to his own were both pieces of information Sasuke needed.
"You know their names? That makes it easier. Let me find them," Kabuto said, flipping through the Ninja Info Cards.
Sakura watched Kabuto's diligent searching, and if she hadn't known he was a spy, she would have been completely deceived.
"Found them! Here's the information on Gaara and Neji Hyuga," Kabuto said, handing the cards to Sasuke.
Sasuke stared at the information on the cards for a long time, speechless. The intel provided was far superior to anything he currently possessed.
"Konoha, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, and Sound all have outstanding genin participating in this Chunin Exam. The Sound Village is newly established, so there isn't much information on them. The other villages have sent their elite genin," Kabuto explained to everyone.
"I... I'm losing confidence," Hinata said worriedly.
Sakura noticed Naruto trembling, and she was instantly puzzled. Was Naruto scared? He hadn't backed down even when facing Zabuza.
Naruto stepped forward, pointing his finger ahead. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I won't lose to any of you!"