The first day of the second month of summer turned out to be incredibly hot. The cicadas chirped stridently, trying to "out-sing" each other. The villagers donned kasa, but the cone-shaped hats didn't particularly save them from the scorching sun. For the most part, people tried to stay in the shade. Some hurried about their business, some sipped cool drinks, while others, on the contrary, preferred to quench their thirst with hot green tea in the heat.
Naruto noticed all this, lazily looking around as he walked towards the Academy. Today was a special day. The day when he would take a step closer to his dream. No, not a dream anymore. A goal. He had firmly decided for himself that he would become Hokage. And the Chunin Exams were just one of the steps on his path, which he would overcome, just like all the subsequent ones.
Yes. Kakashi had indeed decided to allow Team Seven to participate in the Chunin Exams. Or was it the old man's decision? Well, it didn't matter. They would go through any difficulties to prove that they deserved to advance further. Hatake had said something about being able to refuse. But Uzumaki, familiar with the exam rules, immediately noticed that only teams of three were allowed to take the exam. Therefore, if one of them refused, the others would automatically fail as well, and their chunin vests would be gone with the wind.
And Naruto desperately needed the chunin rank. Because a chunin was a full-fledged shinobi who gained rights. Moreover, shinobi starting from this rank received a stable salary. Genin, on the other hand, could mainly earn money only for low-rank missions, and even then, they had to share the rewards with their jonin mentor...
The hot wind ruffled Naruto's sun-bleached hair. Despite his firm resolve and cheerful disposition, the jinchuriki looked unwell: dark bags under his eyes, traces of recently healed cuts, and bruises on his face – all this testified to the difficult trials that had befallen Uzumaki over the past time. However, these were far from all the injuries he had received in recent days. There were also numerous bruises under his clothes, cracks in his bones, countless contusions, and other unpleasant injuries.
Naruto had never felt so lousy. It seemed that Kurama's regeneration was barely managing to patch him up. And then there was this terrible heat. And in preparation for the exam, Naruto had hardly slept in recent days. The information coming from the clones was literally tearing his head apart.
But now Uzumaki's brain was resting. And his body too. The clones had been dispelled. His chakra reserve was half full. His body was slowly returning to normal after training with his sensei. But for some reason, the injuries he had recently sustained still hadn't healed.
— Naruto-baka, who beat you up like that? — Sakura's voice brought the blond out of his reverie. He had been so engrossed in himself that he hadn't noticed reaching the entrance to the Academy. The rest of Team Seven were already waiting for him here.
He smiled and scratched the back of his head, switching to "idiot-Uzumaki" mode:
— Hey, Sakura-chan. What are you even talking about?
— About your appearance, you blockhead, — the girl explained. — Honestly, they lay prettier corpses in coffins.
— Eh, no, — Uzumaki drawled. — I'm not planning on kicking the bucket yet, dattebayo.
— Are we going in or waiting for Kakashi? — the gloomy Uchiha inquired.
— Ha-ha, — Naruto laughed. — Yeah, Kakashi-sensei will be three hours late again...
— Mma-mma... — a familiar voice was heard. The genin turned around and saw their jonin mentor, who had arrived not only on time but even a little earlier than expected.
— Kai! — the kids said in unison, forming a hand seal.
Kakashi displayed his eye-smile.
— Come on now. You'd think I never arrived on time...
Team Seven simultaneously shook their heads. Kakashi thoughtfully scratched his chin under his mask, as if remembering when he had been late.
— Have you been here long? — Sakura inquired.
— Actually, I've been waiting for you for half an hour already, — Hatake drawled.
— ... — the genin's faces stretched, and their jaws dropped slightly.
— Just kidding, — Kakashi smiled with his eye again. — You didn't forget your exam applications, did you?
The genin breathed a sigh of relief and shook their heads.
— Well, good. Room three hundred and one. Try not to be late and... good luck!
The kids expected the jonin to vanish with a puff, but to their surprise, their mentor turned around and slowly walked away...
— Wow, not a clone... — Sakura whispered. And Team Seven quickly proceeded into the shinobi Academy building.
***
Walking through the corridors of the Academy, Uzumaki noticed that his eyelids were involuntarily drooping. He slapped himself a couple of times to wake up, but it didn't help. His teammates stared at his actions in surprise, but he just waved his hand wearily.
"Damn. I should have rested at least a little, dattebayo," flashed through the blond's mind.
He hadn't felt this sleepy in a long time. And it was strange. After all, he should be nervous and worried about passing the first stage, but at the same time, he sometimes felt like he was being knocked out. This was unlikely to be how his anxiety manifested itself; most likely, he was just too tired in recent days. Previously, Naruto's clones had spent whole days in libraries, absorbing tons of new information. Some replicas had bothered Iruka-sensei to give them at least an approximate list of questions. But that damn Iruka-sensei was in no hurry to help at all. He just waved them off and said that Naruto shouldn't worry and should firmly go towards his goal; after all, Iruka had recently checked his level of theoretical knowledge and had been quite impressed. However, Umino hadn't elaborated on the details of the first stage. The former sensei's confidence, of course, warmed his soul, but the worm of doubt didn't go anywhere.
As for physical training, Naruto was on the verge of collapse here too. Master Saitama had come up with very harsh... these couldn't even be called training, more like torture. But first things first...
Six days ago, Naruto naturally lost his first fight with the bald shinobi. He felt that he had given it his all like never before: his speed and the power of his blows had increased many times compared to when he graduated from the Academy... He felt that he had become much stronger. True, when he discovered that the Master was playing with him and still perceived him as a child, a boiling power and anger surged inside Naruto. The world was covered in a scarlet haze, his perception became clearer, his reflexes faster – the borrowed power of the Nine-Tails was manifesting. But even with it, he couldn't even scratch the bald guy. Master Saitama was on a completely different level.
Despite the fact that the teacher hadn't laid a finger on him, the demonstration of power had a sobering effect on the jinchuriki. Initially, the bald guy's fist had been aimed at the genin. Naruto had then felt like an insignificant bug in front of... not even a predator, but a god in human form. However, at the last moment, the mentor redirected his strike slightly to the side, after which a clearing more than a kilometer long remained in the Red Zone of the Forest of Death.
When he and his teacher met in the evening, Uzumaki told Saitama about what had happened in the Land of Rivers and asked his mentor to train him for real.
The Master thought for a long time. Then he looked at his student. Then he thought again. Then, apparently having decided something, he firmly nodded to his thoughts and agreed. But with one condition: if Naruto couldn't handle it and gave up, then Saitama would no longer teach him anything. Ever.
"Finally, dattebayo! Real training with Master Saitama will begin!" Uzumaki thought then.
He expected Saitama to reveal the secret of super-training, teach him super-punches, give him combat experience in sparring... but he hadn't expected this.
No. There was training. True, it turned out to be much more sophisticated.
After the conversation, the teacher immediately led Naruto to the edge of the forest, which looked bloody in the setting sun to the boy. Then Saitama began to enthusiastically tell the blond about a foreign treatise on the art of fighting that he had once read. Naruto listened attentively to his sensei but didn't understand anything at all of what he was saying.
— What's this Observation Haki, sensei? — Naruto asked then.
— Khe-khe, — Saitama cleared his throat. — It's... in short... well, don't worry your head about it. We'll train your reaction and instincts. Uh-huh.
After these words, the sensei demanded that Naruto blindfold himself. The boy fulfilled the master's strange request, hiding his eyes with his hitai-ate.
Before Uzumaki could get used to the new sensations, something heavy hit him in the forehead, causing him to lose consciousness for an indefinite amount of time. Naruto woke up abruptly from the cold river water into which his head had been submerged to bring him to his senses.
Next, Saitama told him about playing snowballs. Uzumaki said that he knew about it, but since it was summer (and even in winter, snow fell very rarely in Konoha), playing this game was quite problematic. But Saitama only grinned at this and, taking a clod of soil, compressed it into a ball the size of a dango ball...
When Naruto regained consciousness again, he found himself at home; it was night outside the window, and Saitama and Anko were arguing outside the door of his one-room apartment. The latter was vividly describing the bald guy's pedagogical talents, saying that he probably wanted to kill the kid. But Uzumaki then hastened to get up and go outside to explain everything to the kunoichi.
Naruto understood the essence of his mentor's training. He had to catch or dodge the "snowball" with his eyes closed to train his instincts.
And so the days until the Chunin Exams dragged on. And for Uzumaki, a personal hell began. In addition to almost round-the-clock training and studying by the clones, the original Naruto did a standard log complex from five in the morning, including, as usual, running on water and a sheer cliff, side jumps, squat jumps, plank push-ups, and more. Then, after a short recovery and hunting in the Forest of Death, he would meet with his teacher, who would begin to conduct executions for several hours. Saitama didn't just throw dirt balls at Naruto during these trainings, forcing him to dodge in time; he also periodically used a thick branch. By the way, despite the fact that it was just a branch, it didn't make it any easier. Fragile in appearance, it seemed to become steel in the sensei's hands. Bruises, cracks in bones, cuts, bruises, hematomas – all this was abundantly present at the end of such training sessions. Several times Naruto even lost teeth. True, they would grow back on their own in just a couple or three hours. The regeneration he got from the bijuu did its job.
Saitama himself read a book from the "Icha-Icha" series during the executions. But Mitarashi, looking at the torment of the blond, only gritted her teeth but didn't interfere. After observing the first two days of Uzumaki's training, Anko cursed and went somewhere, and Naruto didn't see her again.
On the fifth day, Uzumaki felt something. As if he could predict the place where the teacher's club or a small pebble would land. There was much joy. But it didn't last long. Because, despite the premonition, the guy still didn't have time to react; the projectiles flew too fast, and even if he covered himself with his hand, he still got injured. And when the teacher struck with a stick from different sides, there could be no talk of dodging or blocking. The maximum he could do was to strengthen the intended point of impact with chakra...
— Kids like you have no business being at the exam! — Naruto heard someone's voice. The blond shook his head, finally coming out of his thoughts.
— What's going on there? — Sakura asked, pointing to the crowd near a room on the second floor.
Uzumaki's curiosity fought with the fatigue of the past days. In the end, the former won.
— Let's go take a look? — he said and, without waiting for his teammates' agreement, went ahead.
Approaching the noisy crowd, which paid no attention to him, he looked up at the sign with the number "301." Actually, that's where they needed to go. Just yesterday, Kakashi had said that the genin should come to room three hundred and one at 4:00 PM. Like Iruka, the One-Eyed-sensei had kept silent about the details.
Naruto cast a thoughtful glance at the wall clock on the other side of the corridor – less than ten minutes remained until the exam. Then he looked at the group of genin who had gathered near the room. Then he looked at the sign again.
— Huh? — Naruto said. — I don't get it. We've already arrived, dattebayo? I thought we were on the second floor, aren't we?
— This is just a simple genjutsu, — the approaching Uchiha drawled. His hands rested in his pockets. His gaze was fixed directly on the chunin. — And those guys look awfully like gatekeepers, — the dark-haired boy activated his Sharingan for a moment, after which he said: — Yes, it's definitely them. And what's with this performance?
— Ah, I see, — Naruto couldn't suppress a yawn. — Apparently, to reduce the number of people in the first stage.
— Probably, — Sakura said. — But it's too obvious a trap.
The murmur of the crowd grew louder. Two by the door were talking about the difficulty of the exam, responsibility, and so on. However, Uzumaki only yawned widely and, folding his hands behind his head, walked past the group of genin straight down the corridor towards the stairs to the third floor. Sasuke and Sakura followed.
— Hey, where are you going? — a guy called out to the kids.
— We're going to three hundred and one, — Sasuke said without stopping, — and it's on the third floor, you idiot. — Then he addressed the pair of chunin:
— Your genjutsu in this situation is ridiculous and absurd.
The kids whispered among themselves. And one of the shinobi gatekeepers who were blocking the entrance to room "301" spoke up:
— So you noticed? Not bad, but illusions aren't everything. We need to test your skills. The Chunin Exams are a serious test. And weaklings have no place in them. We'll test you first!
The chunin lunged at Uchiha, apparently wanting to strike, but something orange flashed before him, and the poor guy's body flew into the neighboring room along with the door.
The second shinobi gatekeeper's mouth involuntarily opened, and his eyes resembled dango balls.
While he and the others were in shock, Naruto yawned widely again, rubbing his fist:
— Let's go already. I'm so tired. Damn, I should have taken a break from training with sensei today.
— Naruto, I could have handled it myself, — Sasuke muttered discontentedly.
— Come on, — the blond said, — you'll have plenty of time to throw punches later, but we need to go, or we'll be late for the exam.
— Naruto's right, — Sakura cautiously noted, looking away from Uchiha. — It's better to arrive early... But showing off your power now was very unwise! — she fixed a stern gaze on Uzumaki.
— Sakura-chan, have you finally admitted that I'm sometimes right? — Naruto grinned, ignoring the second half of the kunoichi's outpouring.
Haruno pursed her lips.
— Let's go already, — Sasuke threw out.
Before the kids could reach the stairs, someone called out to them:
— Stop!
The kids turned around. A strange guy in a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers stood before them. Behind him were a girl in pink and a guy from the Hyuga clan.
— Lee, what are you thinking? — Hyuga asked coldly. — We agreed not to attract unnecessary attention, didn't we?
— Neji, — Lee's thick eyebrows furrowed. — We are friends, aren't we?
— Um... — the guy hesitated. — Yes?
— Could you please look at...
— Look at what? — Hyuga wondered.
The girl in pink adjusted her hair, which was gathered in two tight buns on the sides.
— I think I understand, — the kunoichi quietly snickered into her palm.
— Ten-Ten? — Neji stared at her questioningly.
Ten-Ten winked at the thick-browed guy:
— What about Haku, Lee? Don't you love him anymore?
The thick-browed guy's cheeks flushed crimson.
— It was a misunderstanding. Haku-san is a guy. And anyway, how long are you going to keep bringing that up? — the genin grumbled discontentedly, blushing even more.
— He-he, well, I don't know, — Ten-Ten drawled. — It seems to me that Haku is prettier than this pink-haired girl...
— Well... — Lee pondered, and his cheeks turned even redder.
— Ah, I see, — the corner of Neji's lip curled into something resembling a smile. The guy remembered what had happened in the Land of Waves. — Byakugan!
The veins around Hyuga's eyes bulged, and he turned his gaze to the pink-haired kunoichi. The latter shuddered from the white-eyed gaze.
— You can relax, — Neji deactivated his dojutsu. — It's a girl in front of you.
— Hey, what the... — Sakura wanted to ask, but she was interrupted.
— Yosh! — Lee's fist shot into the air. A moment later, the guy's silhouette blurred, and he, appearing opposite Sakura, bowed low.
— Sakura-san, right?! My name is Rock Lee! — he introduced himself loudly, then struck a good-guy pose, dazzling the girl with a snow-white smile. — Please, be my girlfriend!
Sakura shuddered again, but this time from the thick-browed guy's proposal. Her face twisted as if she had eaten a lemon.
— Uh... — the girl stammered. Apparently, she was trying to figure out how to let the stranger down gently. For some reason, something like: "No way!", "Never in my life!", "Not with you!" was ready to burst from her lips... But she was a future medical-nin, and medical-nin should be attentive and polite with patients...
— Sakura-chan is busy, dattebayo, — Naruto answered for her, stepping slightly forward. All the genin's lazy, sleepy look had vanished somewhere.
— Huh? — Haruno stared at the blond in bewilderment.
Lee, however, ignored the kunoichi's reaction. His thick eyebrows shot up, then lowered, then joined into one wide stripe above his nose.
— I am ready to fight you here and now. To decide which of us is worthy to be with Sakura-san.
Haruno silently opened and closed her mouth. She was probably trying to find the words to describe the current situation.
Uzumaki grinned, ruffling his blond hair.
— You train hard with your father every day, right? I've seen you running around Konoha.
— Guy-sensei is my teacher. But yes, we train with all our might, in the name of the Power of Youth! — the boy's fist shot up again.
— There's too little time left, — Naruto said. — Let's spar after the first stage...
— No! We will fight here and now! — Lee demanded, getting into a fighting stance. — I will defeat you to be with Sakura-san. In the name of the Power of Youth! Attack!
— Hmm... — Uzumaki drawled and lazily scratched his chin. — What an impatient guy, dattebayo. Are there any rules?
— You can use anything you want! — Lee stated firmly. — And I will use taijutsu.
— Anything you want, you say? — Naruto inquired insinuatingly, a sly smile creeping onto his face.
— Absolutely! — the thick-browed genin exclaimed.
— Well, if you say so, — Naruto said. The expression on his face became stern. He formed a hand seal, and a wave of killing intent emanated from the blond. — Then I'll finish everything with one move...
— Wait, Naruto, — the agitated Sakura began. — The Academy corridor is no place for fights...
However, Uzumaki ignored his teammate. The surrounding people broke out in a cold sweat, as the blond's killing intent intensified.
— Serious technique... — he said slowly, — of seduction! Sexy Jutsu: Sakura Version! — he exclaimed.
The killing intent suddenly disappeared. In Naruto's place, in clouds of smoke, Sakura appeared in a revealing pink swimsuit. Only, unlike the original Haruno, this version had more seductive forms... yes, very. Very. Seductive.
It was as if the air had been let out of Lee. The genin's legs went limp, and a thin trickle of blood flowed from his nose.
— Lee-kun, — "Sakura" purred, arching her back and displaying her rounded, alluring breasts. — Come to me, my dear...
But Lee didn't move. His eyes glazed over, and the red liquid continued to leave his body.
"Sakura's" hands formed a seal, and several more "Sakuras" appeared around the thick-browed boy, who began to touch him and whisper sweet words in his ear.
Lee's will, hardened by the Power of Youth, gave way, and, releasing a scarlet fountain, the strongest genin fell flat on his back, unconscious.
— A clean victory, — Hyuga commented.
— Naruto! — the enraged Sakura roared. Her pink hair flared. And her killing intent was no worse than Naruto's a few moments earlier.
— He-he, Sakura-chan, — Uzumaki dispelled the technique and raised his hands in conciliation. — I was just...
The pink-haired fury didn't listen to the blond's excuses. She properly swung her leg and kicked him in the head.
Naruto didn't dodge and, like a true man, proudly took the blow with his face.
The girl expected the blond's body to fly somewhere to the side, but Uzumaki stood his ground without any problems, and didn't receive any visible injuries. And this was despite the fact that even before entering the Academy, he had looked very battered.
— I just got rid of a pesky suitor, dattebayo, — Naruto grumbled resentfully. After which, his face lit up in understanding: — Ah, I get it! I understand why you're angry.
— Oh really? — Sakura drawled menacingly, raising an eyebrow. — And why is that?
Naruto formed a seal again, and a naked Sasuke, in nothing but shorts, appeared opposite the kunoichi. Only this "Sasuke" was a couple or three years older than the real one. Tight ropes of muscle twined around his torso and arms. Small droplets of water were visible on his skin, as if the guy had just come out of the shower. His hair was also wet and a little longer than the original Uchiha's.
— Sakura, — he whispered hotly and gently touched her cheek with his hand. — Will you go on a date with me?
Sakura "floated" for a moment. A single short stream flowed from her nose, but the girl immediately sucked it back in, stubbornly shook her head, and punched her teammate in the jaw with her fist.
The Henge dissipated, but Sakura immediately began to cradle her bruised hand.
— Naruto-baka, — she hissed. — Are you made of stone?
— Sorry-sorry, — the blond said. — But you hit me yourself. Don't hit me – and don't... — the guy thought for a couple of moments. Then a bright and extremely satisfied smile lit up his face.
— What is it? — Sakura inquired suspiciously.
— I remembered. Master Saitama said, — Uzumaki raised a finger instructively. — If a girl hits you – it means she likes you. Sakura-chan, you've finally confessed your feelings. I'm so happy! You can hit me again if you want.
— What an idiot, — she said resignedly, slapping herself on the face with her palm.
Then, remembering that she was actually very angry with the blond, she made a stern face and declared:
— Naruto! I don't want to see you using these perverted techniques again. Do you understand me?
— Of course, Sakura-chan, — Uzumaki nodded obediently. The girl relaxed. — Don't worry. You won't see these techniques anymore. Because next time, before I use them, I'll blindfold you...
A vein pulsed on the girl's temple. She wanted to beat up her teammate, but, remembering that her blows had no effect on the blond and that he was only waiting for her to hit him, the kunoichi pulled herself together.
— Idiot... — Haruno sighed wearily.
— How long are you going to stand there? — Sasuke said discontentedly. — The exam is in a few minutes. I don't think we should be late.
— Of course, Sasuke-kun, — Sakura snapped out of it. — Let's go, Naruto. And please, be more serious.
— I'm always serious, — the blond grinned carelessly.
Sakura only shook her head at this statement, and Uchiha let out his usual "Hn."
Soon, Team Seven went up to the third floor. Walking down a long, sunlit corridor, the genin stopped in front of wide double doors.
— Let's go, guys! — Uzumaki declared, unable to contain his smile. — We'll show them how to pass the exam! — his palm gripped the handle of one of the doors and forcefully pulled it towards him.
— Huh? — Naruto didn't understand, looking at the door lock with a piece of the door in his hand.
— You should have pulled it towards you, — Sakura rolled her eyes.
— Hn, — Uchiha supported her.
— Oops, he-he, — Naruto uttered...
A couple of moments later, the trio entered room "301." Soon it would be time for the exam, and each of them would need to give it their all to show that they deserved to step up. Deserved to become full-fledged shinobi in the rank of chunin...