"Naruto-kun, you're late..."
A soft yet excited voice rang out through the crowd.
Ino sprinted toward Naruto with a bright smile on her face. Before he could react, she jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck like a clingy vine.
"I thought I'd be able to see you again so soon... I was waiting in pure excitement~!" Ino added, her eyes sparkling with mischief, lips curling into a teasing smile. Her perfume surrounded him, floral and sweet.
Naruto blinked, unsure whether to laugh or panic.
But Ino, in her enthusiasm, completely failed to notice the dark aura that was beginning to swell beside them.
Sakura's temple twitched. Her hands clenched into tight fists. A vein popped on her forehead. Her usually bright smile was replaced by a terrifying scowl.
"You—YOU!" She suddenly roared. "Stop hanging on, Naruto, you Ino pig!"
The air trembled, and some genins close to them flinched.
The pink demon had awoken.
Ino froze for a second, then slowly turned her head to the side. Her cheerful smile turned cold and smug.
"Oh my, if it isn't Sakura… That billboard forehead of yours hasn't changed, huh? Still shining like a beacon, Ugly."
Naruto took a deep breath and sighed.
"These two… They will never change, huh?" He muttered to himself, glancing between them.
Sakura's eyes blazed like wildfire.
"What did you just say to me?" She snarled, taking a threatening step forward. The atmosphere between them thickened, charged with the tension of an incoming explosion.
Naruto raised his hand slightly, about to intervene, but then sighed and let it drop.
'Why do I even try… It's always like this…'
Meanwhile, a short chuckle echoed beside him.
Sasuke smirked as he watched the chaos unfold, arms crossed casually. "Hn... Looks like you're pretty popular now, dobe."
Naruto side-eyed him. "Don't act like you're enjoying this..."
Sasuke gave no reply, but his thoughts betrayed him.
'Still… why does it sting seeing them run to him? It used to be me they all chased after…'
Before the battlefield of insults could erupt any further, a calm, familiar voice interrupted the scene.
"You guys are really going all out already..." Shikamaru's bored tone cut through the noise as he approached with his usual lazy gait.
Chouji followed right behind him, munching on a fresh bag of spicy chips.
"Are you guys taking this bothersome exam too?" Shikamaru asked, yawning as he scratched the back of his head.
Naruto blinked in relief.
"Yo, Shikamaru! It's been a while. How've you been, man?" He called out, thankful for the distraction.
Chouji gave Naruto a wave, but didn't pause in chewing. "Heya, Naruto."
Shikamaru sighed deeply, eyes already half-shut from mental exhaustion. "Not well... my team dragged me into this ridiculous exam. I just wanted to cloud-watch, not get punched in the face by some musclehead from the Sand or something."
Naruto laughed. "Come on, you'll be fine."
Sakura and Ino were still glaring at each other with enough intensity to melt steel, but Naruto had completely turned his attention away.
'If I ignore them long enough, maybe they'll stop… or kill each other... Either way, just let them be...'
Sasuke glanced around and noticed a few other Genin teams gathering.
"Yahoo! I found you guys!"
A loud, familiar voice rang out, turning heads as Kiba approached, hands casually in his pockets, and a toothy grin spread across his face.
Right behind him were Hinata, walking quietly, and Shino, silent as always, his shades reflecting the light.
"My my… looks like everyone's gathered already," Kiba smirked as he joined the group.
Naruto turned with excitement. "Yo guys! Kiba, Hinata, and Shino… how've you all been?!"
He waved enthusiastically, but before anyone could answer, Hinata's eyes narrowed.
She had spotted something that made her instantly annoyed.
Ino was still hanging off Naruto's neck like a vine on a tree.
And that was unacceptable.
Hinata stepped forward slowly, each movement measured and deliberate.
There was nothing particularly unusual in her steps, but something about the way she moved made everyone shut up and pay attention.
Her long hair fluttered as though caught in a phantom breeze. Her expression remained calm… too calm.
But her aura began to twist and behind those gentle, pale eyes... a storm raged.
"Ino..." she said softly, like a whisper across a blade.
Ino blinked. "Huh? What is it, Hinata?"
Hinata paused and tilted her head slightly.
"…Stop troubling Naruto," She said, her voice flat, devoid of warmth, before she smiled, a sweet, cherubic smile.
"Or I'll teach you a lesson... bitch."
The word detonated like a bomb in the middle of the group.
Sakura's jaw unhinged like a cartoon character, and Ino's brain completely bluescreened.
Shikamaru's eyebrows climbed so high they practically left his head.
Chouji dropped the chips packet in his hand and then stared at it on the ground in horror.
Sasuke could blink, already in a state of total shock.
Shino's sunglasses slid down his nose, revealing his shocked eyes.
Sakura took a cautious step back. The very idea of interrupting was suddenly unthinkable.
And then, as if choreographed by some invisible force, every boy in the group, including the stoic, pride-of-the-clan Sasuke Uchiha, took a synchronized step backward.
'What just happened?'
'Did Hinata Hyuuga threaten murder?'
'Did she just call someone a bitch…? With a smile?!'
Ino finally blinked and opened her mouth like she was going to respond—then thought better of it.
Whatever reply she had died halfway up her throat.
On the other hand, Naruto felt a spark of admiration. A proud grin crept across his face.
'Heh… I like this version of Hinata. She is confident and bold. Not afraid to speak her heart…'
The silence was broken when Kiba coughed lightly, trying to ease the thick tension in the air.
"Ahem. Anyway…" He said, scratching his cheek. "Looks like all nine rookie Genin are here, huh?"
He looked around at the gathered crowd, the strongest new generation of Leaf shinobi. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"This means we're all in for this Chunin Exam…" His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Now then… the question is... how far can we go…?"
Kiba's gaze landed on Sasuke, challenging and sharp.
"Eh? What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke stared back with calm arrogance. "You're mighty confident, Kiba."
Kiba grinned wider. "We've trained way more than you guys have. We're not the same pushovers anymore."
Naruto chuckled and said to Kiba with a confident smirk.
"Oh yeah? I don't know about Sasuke…" He said. "But I'm not gonna lose to the likes of you, dog-boy!"
Kiba's eyes lit up with competitive fire. "Tch, we'll see about that. I'll show you the results of my training, Naruto!"
Their auras clashed mid-air like invisible lightning.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and smirked slightly.
'He's loud… but I can tell that Kiba, too, had grown stronger…'
Shikamaru, standing a little to the side, sighed deeply. "Troublesome… You all are way too fired up already."
Chouji nodded in agreement, still chewing. "Yeah... but it's gonna be fun."
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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