Here @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.
As promised, here's today's bonus chapter.
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When Team 7 was about to leave, a turtle appeared in front of them.
Naruto sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"What's a turtle doing here?" murmured Sakura, confused.
"That's Ningame, Might Guy's personal summoning. He's the Jōnin-sensei of Team 3," Naruto replied, not taking his eyes off the animal.
In addition to being Guy's personal summon, Ningame usually watched over Rock Lee when his master wasn't around.
The turtle looked surprised when he realized he had been recognized.
"I see... you're a fan of Guy-sensei," Ningame commented.
Naruto rolled his eyes and remained silent.
"…"
Yes, he admired Guy—but only for his strength.
Everything else about him made Naruto hate his guts.
Not only was he weird, but also flashy, annoying, and irritating. Maybe he was funny sometimes, but to Naruto, Guy was a walking nuisance.
Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared above Ningame, revealing Might Guy with his arms crossed and a serious expression as he looked at Lee.
"Lee," his master called.
The boy lowered his head in shame, too embarrassed by his defeat.
He couldn't even look him in the eyes after such humiliation.
[Might Duy: OHHHH!!! MY SON GUY RADIATES SO MUCH YOUTH!!! I'M SO PROUD OF HIM!!!]
[Sakumo Hatake: Just as weird as his father.]
A tear rolled down Guy's face before he threw himself into Lee's arms.
The two hugged tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, Guy-sensei… I lost…"
"Say no more, Lee. We'll just double your training from now on... no, let's quadruple it!"
Lee nodded vigorously, still crying.
Sakura, having had enough of the scene, turned and began walking away.
Sasuke and Naruto followed her without hesitation.
[Might Duy: SO MUCH YOUTH!!! GUY HAS RAISED HIS SON WONDERFULLY!!!]
As they walked, Naruto let out an amused snort.
It was funny that Duy thought Lee was Guy's biological son.
He wouldn't correct him. Better let him figure it out on his own.
As for Guy, though curious about the students of his eternal rival Kakashi, he didn't try to stop them.
He'd have time to see how much they'd grown under Kakashi's care during the Chūnin Exams!
...
The first test of the Chūnin Selection Exams took place in classroom 301.
Upon entering, the ninjas from Otogakure, Kusagakure, Sunagakure, and Takigakure stared at them intensely, sizing them up.
Even the ninjas from Konohagakure paid attention to them.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura spotted an empty table and headed toward it.
However, before they could sit, Ino—who was also taking the exam—spotted Sasuke from across the room. Without hesitation, she ran toward him and threw herself into his arms with a radiant smile.
Seeing this, Sakura instantly reacted and confronted her.
The two began arguing heatedly.
Taking the opportunity, Sasuke slipped away to the side, quietly distancing herself.
"Women are scary…" she muttered.
Naruto chuckled.
"You are a woman," he reminded her quietly.
Sasuke glared at him.
Shikamaru and Chōji, who were taking the exam with Ino, walked over to greet them.
Seeing this, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata joined the group as well.
"Hi, Naruto," Hinata greeted with a huge smile before hugging him.
Naruto smiled and gently patted her head, then kissed her forehead—causing Hinata to beam happily with a light blush on her cheeks.
Kiba, on the other hand, glared furiously at the scene.
Meanwhile, Sasuke stared at Hinata with clear displeasure.
"Since when are you so close with Hyūga?" she asked, not even bothering to say her name.
To the side, Shikamaru chuckled.
"Anyone would think you're jealous of Hinata, Sasuke."
"Don't be ridiculous," Sasuke replied immediately.
Everyone looked at her, confused.
Naruto, however, stared at Shikamaru in surprise.
Could it be he had already figured out that Sasuke was actually a girl?
It wouldn't be strange. Shikamaru was always too smart for his own good.
Then Naruto's gaze shifted to Kiba, who was practically growling in his direction.
"What's your problem?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tch…" Kiba clicked his tongue and turned away.
Hinata, still clinging to Naruto, looked at Kiba sadly.
"K-Kiba hates you," Hinata revealed.
Shino, standing beside her, nodded in agreement. "Kiba's in love with Hinata," he said.
Hinata tensed at Shino's words.
Naruto frowned. "Hinata's my girlfriend. If Kiba wants to take her from me, it'll be over my dead body."
Hinata blushed when she heard Naruto call her his girlfriend, and her hug tightened around him.
Yes. During their training, Naruto had made Hinata his girlfriend.
Honestly, it hadn't been that difficult.
Hinata had already been in love with him for a long time, and after helping her train and improve her Gentle Fist for a few weeks, Naruto had confessed.
At the time, Hinata fainted, but when she woke up, she happily agreed to be his girlfriend.
Hinata had also lost much of her shyness since they started dating.
Hearing Naruto call Hinata his girlfriend, Sasuke clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Shikamaru watched from the side, amused.
"…" Naruto silently stared at Kiba as he walked away.
He'd have to teach him a lesson during the Chūnin Exams.
Suddenly, a boy a few years older approached them.
Naruto stared at him, frowning.
The boy had black eyes behind round glasses, with grayish hair tied in a ponytail.
"You'd better lower your voices. You're the Rookie Nine, right? Fresh out of the Academy. Don't cause such a scene, for god's sake. This isn't a school trip."
The Rookie Nine—except for Kiba, who had walked off—frowned at his words.
"Who do you think you are?" asked Ino, hands on her hips.
"My name is Kabuto Yakushi…"
"Shut up. No one cares about your name." Naruto cut him off without hesitation.
Kabuto frowned.
"I was just trying to warn you. You're drawing a lot of attention…"
"Who cares about a few losers staring at us?" Naruto replied with a question of his own, gesturing at the large crowd watching them.
As expected, they all burst into complaints and insults directed at him.
Naruto ignored them all, amused.
The more they insulted him or complained, the more they proved him right.
[Madara Uchiha: Hmph. None of these fools are worth anything. Just trash.]
[Tobirama Senju: Even trash, when it piles up, becomes a nuisance.]
[Madara Uchiha: There's always a simple solution—burn it.]
[Tobirama Senju: …]
Kabuto shook his head, wearing a condescending smile.
"You'll regret drawing attention like this."
"Just leave." Naruto waved him off without even looking.
Kabuto forced a smile before turning and walking away.
Naruto didn't even bother interacting with him.
He had zero interest in his ninja info cards.
[Naruto Uzumaki: What a pain. I wish I could just skip the Chūnin Exams and start executing my plans already.]
[Tobirama Senju: Plans? Since when do you have plans, brat?]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Since forever. Unfortunately, I've had to wait all this time to carry them out.]
[Madara Uchiha: What kind of plans?]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Plans that will completely change the world.]
[Hashirama Senju: Are you planning to unite the Five Great Ninja Nations?!]
[Madara Uchiha: If that's the case, I'm interested in helping.]
[Hashirama Senju: I refused once in the past, and many died because of it. This time, you can count me in!]
[Madara Uchiha: Are you serious, Hashirama?!]
[Hashirama Senju: My path didn't work. It's time to follow yours, Madara.]
[Tobirama Senju: You've gone mad, brother. You can't seriously be considering this…]
[Mito Uzumaki: Actually, I think it's for the best.]
[Tobirama Senju: You too, Mito?!]
[Minato Namikaze: Many will die during the unification.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: But many more will live in peace once it's done, Minato.]
[Minato Namikaze: I was just stating a fact, not rejecting the idea.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Why do you all assume my plan is to unite the Five Great Nations?]
[Madara Uchiha: Isn't it?]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Well… partly, yes. But that part of the plan won't happen for a long time. First, I'll clean out all the filth in Konoha.]
[Madara Uchiha: In that case, you have our support.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: And what about your original plan?]
[Madara Uchiha: That…]
Madara fell silent.
The time he had spent with Hashirama in that space hadn't changed his conviction… but it had made him reflect.
He would observe Naruto. He'd give the boy a chance to change the world.
If he failed…
The Infinite Tsukuyomi would succeed. Without a doubt.