"Sasuke, I knew you could win."
"Truly worthy of being Sasuke!"
Naruto and Rock Lee let out a collective sigh of relief when they saw Sasuke win. If they lost this match, it would have a significant impact on tomorrow's exam.
Rock Lee, in particular, felt this keenly. Suigetsu's Water Transformation Jutsu was his nemesis. He wondered about its limit; every ninjutsu had a weakness, a lesson his teacher, Might Guy, had taught him and which he kept in his heart.
"Looks like the people from the Mist Village this time aren't that impressive!" Naruto said casually, resting his hands behind his head.
"You're wrong! That person called Suigetsu Hozuki was probably the weakest in their team. This Chunin Exam is really going to be exciting!" Neji said, then turned and left.
"Lee, let's go."
"Oh, okay!"
Rock Lee patted Naruto's back and encouraged him, "Then I'll be going now, Naruto. Good luck with tomorrow's exam! If we become opponents, I will fight with all my might!"
After they left, Naruto walked up to Sasuke and asked, "Sasuke, do you think what Neji said is true?"
Sasuke, who was retrieving his steel wire and shuriken, casually replied to Naruto's question, "Who cares? As long as you don't hold me back."
"What did you say! Damn it!"
"Sasuke, I'm telling you, I, Naruto Uzumaki, am not the same as I used to be!"
"Speaking of which, why did you only train with us in the afternoons for the past month and a half?"
Sasuke's steps faltered, his expression twitching slightly. This was a question he really didn't want to answer.
Why?
It was because he had to endure a beating every night! And it was a passionate beating from his own brother. Did he want to try it?
...
Hokage's Office, Hokage Building.
"It seems your meeting with the Five Kage was not very harmonious."
Lin Yu, while gnawing on an apple, leaned back in the Hokage's chair. Minato Namikaze stood nearby, lost in thought.
Minato Namikaze forced a smile. "No one would get a good result when raising such an issue in front of other countries."
"But fortunately, although they disagreed, they strongly supported this Chunin Exam. Other matters can be dealt with slowly."
Minato Namikaze did not want to discuss serious topics and said with a light smile, "How are the preparations for the Chunin Exam going?"
"So-so, passable!"
"You won't even tell me, the Hokage?"
Lin Yu casually tossed the apple core into a nearby basket and said, "The general framework won't change. It will test ninjas' reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, teamwork, comprehensive strength, and so on."
"Then I can rest assured." Minato Namikaze sighed in relief. He believed that Senior Lin Yu wouldn't prank him on such an important matter.
Well, he probably wouldn't!
After a moment of silence, Minato Namikaze spoke, "The seal on Naruto..."
"Not my business!"
Lin Yu quickly absolved himself of responsibility. "If you want to ask, go ask that fox."
Minato Namikaze said, "I'm not blaming you. Being a ninja is an unstable profession. Who knows what accidents might happen during a mission? I have no objections to Naruto having this safeguard, but..."
Minato Namikaze gave a wry smile. "Naruto is my child, after all. He should at least tell me!"
"It's all the damned fox's doing. Go ask it!"
Dozens of kilometers away from Konoha Village, in a cave, a large orange fox suddenly sneezed.
*Achoo!*
Kurama curiously got up and checked his body, muttering, "Am I catching a cold? Can Tailed Beasts catch colds? Did I get infected by bacteria from being with humans for too long?"
*Achoo!*
Another sneeze. Then a cold wind blew in from outside the cave. Kurama bared his teeth. His body wasn't cold, but he felt a chill in his heart.
"Winter is coming. I need to trick Naruto into giving me some more pocket money."
"Or maybe I should wait until New Year's. I heard humans give out red envelopes."
"Hmm, it would be best if I could also get Naruto to steal some of his father's private savings. Then I could buy a few more custom-made coats!"
"That's settled!"
...
Konoha Inn. Due to the impact of the Chunin Exam, the Konoha Inn had been renovated and expanded, doubling its size and increasing its height, making it capable of accommodating over a thousand people. However, even with this expansion, the hotels outside were still packed with ninjas from all over the ninja world.
At this moment, in a room on a certain floor of the inn, a red-haired young man with a large gourd on his back stood by the window, gazing at the neon-lit streets outside with an unfathomable expression.
"Tomorrow is the first exam. We... Gaara, you..."
The man with painted stripes on his face said somewhat nervously. Although the person before him was his younger brother, Kankuro still harbored a slight fear deep down.
Even though they hadn't seen each other for six years, he still vividly remembered Gaara's berserk episodes as a child.
Temari shot Kankuro a fierce glare, as if saying, "You're a grown man, why are you so timid!"
"Kankuro wants to ask, do you have any combat plans for tomorrow?" Temari pushed Kankuro in front of Gaara.
"Uh, Temari, you..."
Kankuro looked at Gaara, who had a cold expression on his face, and was momentarily at a loss. After gritting his teeth, he said, "I wanted to ask... yes, that's the question."
Looking at the nervous man before him, Gaara suddenly found it somewhat amusing. It seemed he was the younger brother, yet this older brother was acting so tense.
"We'll adapt as we go."
Gaara replied honestly. He didn't really have any good suggestions. Leaving aside Toneri, he couldn't even defeat Kimimaro. He was participating in this Chunin Exam only to prove that he had the strength and talent to become a reserve member of the Eternal Organization.
Perhaps Gaara also had a slight desire to prove to Rasa that he wasn't a waste or a monster. He wanted to show Rasa that abandoning him and treating him as an experiment was the most foolish decision!
"Gaara, after this Chunin Exam, will you still leave?"
Kankuro asked in a low voice. Temari, standing nearby, also pricked up her ears. No matter what, Gaara was their younger brother, and they didn't want to be separated from him again.
They couldn't stop him before due to lack of strength, but now that they were ninjas, they should try.
Gaara was silent for a moment and said, "The Sand Village cannot accommodate me."
The two looked disappointed. Kankuro said, "Is it because of Father?"
*Slap!*
Temari immediately hit Kankuro, her face filled with annoyance. "This Kankuro has such low emotional intelligence! How will he ever find a girlfriend in the future!"
"There are other reasons too."
Gaara thought of Toneri, of Kimimaro, of everyone at the base. To be honest, he had been very happy these past six years. The resentment and loneliness in his heart had dissipated significantly, and his personality had become much more cheerful.
They didn't ask any further questions. The lights dimmed.
...
After sending Minato Namikaze away, Lin Yu hummed a tune as he walked home, wondering if he should visit Kushina tonight, or Mikoto... perhaps both?
Suddenly, he felt a long-lost sensation in his mind. Lin Yu quickly divided a part of his consciousness to check.
He hadn't received a mission in a long time, and Lin Yu almost thought the system had crashed!
Mission Issued:
Mission One: Foster an inseparable bond between Naruto and Sasuke (NaruSasu Bond)
Reward: Yin Power Refinement Method.
Mission Two: Help Toneri find nine life friends. (3/9)
Reward: Tenseigan.
Mission Three: Arrive at the exam venue on time tomorrow.
Reward: Wind Release, Earth Release Ninjutsu Mastery.
Accumulated Missions (1/10):
Mission: Punish Uchiha Madara with a princess carry of Senju Hashirama.
Reward: Eighty Divine Palms (Improved Version).
Limited-Time Rewards: Unconsumed Rinnegan Usage Rights (Remaining 1 hour 30 minutes 39 seconds - Frozen).
Unconsumed Tenseigan Usage Rights (Remaining 1 hour 10 minutes - Frozen).
Although the monthly missions had changed to issuing missions, which was a slight alteration, what surprised Lin Yu the most was the third mission: Arrive at the exam venue on time tomorrow?
Who does this look down on? Giving me ninjutsu for free?
Lin Yu scoffed internally at the system's weakness, which was now trying to please its host. He then opened the door to his house, deciding to "visit" Kushina's room tonight...
"Yo, look who's back, everyone."
As Kushina's sour voice fell, all the beauties inside turned their heads in unison.
"Kushina, Mikoto, Konan, Mei Terumi, and Tsunade, why are you all together?"
"And us too!"
Shion came out from the kitchen carrying bowls and chopsticks, followed by Tayuya, who was sticking out her tongue.
"You, you guys..."
"The food is ready, we can eat now." Miyoko, wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen with a gentle smile and nodded at Lin Yu.
Good heavens! The Queen herself is cooking? What's going on?
Kushina, with a dark expression, walked up to Lin Yu and said fiercely, "Eat a lot tonight. After you're full, come to my room, understand?"
Lin Yu nodded numbly, looking at the various beautiful women, both young and mature, loli and older sisters, he felt a chill. No wonder the system told him not to be late, there was a reason.
However, a new problem arose: there were only two rooms in the house, one for Kushina and one for Lin Yu. How would so many people stay here?