Konoha Stadium
Starting yesterday, the Daimyo of various countries allied with the Land of Fire had arrived in Konoha. Because ninjas didn't produce anything, their income came from the Daimyo's support and mission commissions.
The Chunin Exams were also a way to showcase the strength of each ninja village, in order to secure more mission commissions. In addition to commissions from the larger countries, commissions from smaller countries without ninja villages were also a source of income for the ninja villages.
"So many people..." Hinata, who had come with Sakura, remarked.
"Yeah. Oh... Naruto's here. Let's go say hello," Sakura said, spotting Naruto's arrival and pulling Hinata along.
"Do your best. You're up first," Sakura told Naruto.
"N-Naruto... G-good luck," Hinata added.
"Hehe, Sakura-chan and Hinata! Just watch, I'll definitely win the first round," Naruto said, wiping his nose.
"Don't get cocky... Hmph," Sasuke, standing nearby, chided Naruto.
"Hmph, Sasuke, I'm really looking forward to facing you..." Naruto was in the first match, and Sasuke was in the second. If they both won, they would eventually face each other.
"You two, hurry up and get on stage..." Sakura urged them, seeing that the other contestants were already in the center of the arena.
"Distinguished guests! Thank you all for gathering here to attend the Chunin Selection Exams... hosted by our Konohagakure! Now, let the nine contestants who passed the preliminaries... begin the official selection matches! ...Please enjoy the show!" As Sakura and Hinata settled into their seats in the stands, the Third Hokage's voice resonated throughout the arena.
Nine contestants? Hearing the Third Hokage's words, Sakura looked towards the center of the arena. Indeed, there were nine contestants. Scanning them one by one, she noticed that the Sound ninjas were absent. That meant there would be a bye. Lee was last, meaning Lee would get the bye.
The proctor on the field was still Hayate Gekko. Sakura, seeing that he was still alive, guessed that her information had spared him the need to take risks. It seemed the butterfly effect was gradually appearing.
"First round, Naruto Uzumaki versus... Neji Hyuga. Cough, cough," Hayate coughed. "You two, stay here. The rest of you, please go to the waiting room outside the arena to watch."
"First match, begin!"
"Don't worry, Hinata. Naruto will definitely win," Sakura reassured Hinata, seeing her worried expression.
"If Neji underestimates him, he might lose. I know that from experience," Kiba added, having acknowledged Naruto's strength after his own defeat.
The two in the arena had already begun their fight. Naruto was still using his specialty, Shadow Clones, against Neji. The Byakugan could see chakra flow, but it couldn't distinguish which of the evenly chakra-distributed Shadow Clones was the real body.
Just as Sakura was thinking, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw it was Kakashi-sensei.
"Sakura, come with me," Kakashi said.
"Yes, sir," Seeing Kakashi-sensei's serious expression, Sakura figured he had a mission for her.
The two arrived at a secluded room.
"Today is the last day of the Chunin Exams. If Orochimaru is going to make a move, it will be today," Kakashi paused, then continued, "Your strength is quite considerable now, so I want to assign you a task."
"What task, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.
"Protect the civilians in the arena and assist with evacuation. Treat the injured," Kakashi explained further. "The village has limited manpower, and we Jonin are all handling multiple tasks. Orochimaru is definitely prepared. The village is in a very reactive position. Since you have medical ninjutsu and considerable combat power, help the village out a bit, so we Jonin can focus on dealing with Orochimaru."
The Third Hokage, when assigning tasks, hadn't placed many people around himself. Instead, he had the Jonin protect the villagers in the arena and deal with any emerging enemies.
Although the Third Hokage's decision had also met with opposition from the Jonin, he insisted on this arrangement. This was the Third Hokage... a "Kage" who valued the village more than his own safety.
Perhaps the Third Hokage also felt a need to atone for the mistakes he'd made in the past.
Because of the Third Hokage's arrangement, Kakashi had sought out Sakura, hoping she could alleviate some of the burden on the Jonin, allowing him to focus on the potential threat of Orochimaru.
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura nodded.
If the Four Violet Flames Formation trapped the Third Hokage inside, the Jonin wouldn't be able to help. Kakashi's intentions were good, but there were too many variables.
Sakura had a very clear objective for this event: protect Sasuke. As for whether the Third Hokage lived or died, Sakura really couldn't do anything about it. She knew her own limits.
When Orochimaru's plan began, Sakura would first grab Sasuke—no, Hinata too—and find a safe place to hide. Whatever happened after that, she didn't care. She would just wait quietly for things to end.
If she could prevent Sasuke from being cursed in this event, that would be a victory for Sakura. Her current strength wasn't even enough to be a snack for Orochimaru. Sakura wouldn't be foolish enough to seek trouble.
When Sakura reappeared in the stands with Kakashi, Naruto and Neji's battle had already concluded.
Naruto had won. Neji lay on the ground, staring blankly at the birds circling in the sky, his thoughts unknown.
"First round, the winner is Naruto Uzumaki," Hayate announced.
"Hehe," Naruto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up at the stands where Sasuke, Hinata, and Sakura were, giving them a thumbs-up.
"That's great... Naruto won," Hinata said, her face slightly flushed as Naruto gave them a thumbs-up.
"Naruto's really strong now. Sasuke, don't lose to him, okay?" Sakura teased Sasuke.
Suddenly, something occurred to Sakura, and her expression turned grim. Sasuke's opponent was Gaara, which meant... Orochimaru was about to make his move.
Damn it. This was much earlier than the original timeline. Her small changes had altered the course of events. Sakura suddenly felt uncertain about how this event would unfold.
"Sasuke, you're up. Hehe, don't lose here," Naruto said, running up to the stands and grinning at Sasuke.
"Hmph, you should worry about winning against me, dead-last," Sasuke retorted, forming hand seals and using the Body Flicker Technique to appear in the center of the arena.
Gaara was already waiting for him.
"Second round, Sasuke Uchiha versus Gaara. Begin!" Hayate, seeing that both contestants had arrived, didn't waste any time and announced the start of the match.
Sakura watched Sasuke and Gaara in the arena, filled with unease. In her line of sight, the number of Anbu in the stands had visibly increased.
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