"Everyone, I have the latest intel," Hongdou said as she walked into the exam room, addressing the ANBU members present.
All of them turned to face her. Hongdou carefully chose her words, explaining the situation with the Sound Village ninjas—but she deliberately omitted any mention of Naruto.
"Should we terminate the Chunin Exam immediately?" one ANBU member asked.
"No. The Hokage has instructed that the exam proceed as planned. As for us, our role is simply to discreetly prevent any sabotage by Orochimaru," she replied.
Hongdou paused thoughtfully before continuing, "Other Chunin teams will operate in groups of three to track down the Sound ninja, but they should not alert her. Instead, they should use her to trace Orochimaru's location."
"Understood."
With that, she and the others began their covert patrol of the Forest of Death.
This aligned perfectly with Naruto's thinking. For him and Sakura, locating Kin was a tedious and thankless task—but if they could strategically leverage their relationships, the effort would pay off significantly.
Meanwhile, the Chunin patrol would also shrink Kin Kazuya's operating space and force him to expend energy evading pursuit.
Elsewhere:
"Oh, I just saw you here."
The Seventh Team had just finished packing when a tall, silver-haired figure with signs of battle slowly approached.
"Kabuto Yakushi…" Naruto observed silently, while Sasuke walked forward cautiously, his guard up.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to steal your scrolls," Kabuto quickly said when he noticed Sasuke's hostile expression. "I've lost contact with my companions and need someone to quickly check if we can find backup."
Sasuke's wary expression didn't change. "Have you collected the Earth Scrolls?"
"Of course," Kabuto said, producing the scroll and waving it toward the three of them. Naruto and Sakura said nothing, while Sasuke breathed a small sigh of relief.
Unlike in the original story, Sasuke didn't hand the scroll to Orochimaru out of fear. Instead, he kept it safely in his pocket. With the Sound Village's Earth Scroll in hand, the Seventh Team now had everything required to pass the exam.
Compared to the original, the atmosphere felt calmer, more relaxed.
"Let's go together. We're all from Konoha—we can watch each other's backs," Naruto said, stepping forward with a smile at Kabuto.
Sakura remained silent, observing Naruto thoughtfully.
She knew Kabuto was trying to collect information on Sasuke for Orochimaru, but Naruto's reaction was intriguing…
Are they planning to use Kabuto as cannon fodder? she wondered. There are a lot of unstable variables here—this isn't the original storyline.
"Let's go together, Kabuto," Sakura finally said, agreeing.
Sasuke turned to them, his expression slightly odd.
These two young people don't even pretend—they must be in cahoots. Just because I'm single, they're bullying me?
But given Sasuke's personality, he said nothing and simply nodded slowly.
Kabuto looked at the three of them, smiling warmly with gratitude. Naruto and Sakura also returned friendly smiles, lightening the atmosphere slightly.
"You go ahead first?"
"No, no—you go first," they all said politely, the warm smiles softening the tension.
"It's great to meet friends who've come from afar, haha."
"You're well-mannered."
"Haha, I, Naruto Uzumaki, am a somewhat well-known intellectual in these parts."
Sasuke: "…"
Naruto and Kabuto exchanged polite, friendly words, building trust while making arrangements to move forward with the Chunin Exam. They encouraged each other and worked as a team, each concealing their own agenda.
Soon, the four approached the central spire.
Naruto appeared calm on the surface, but internally he was tense. Outwardly, he seemed to be negotiating with Kabuto, but in reality, he was closely monitoring their surroundings, constantly alert for Kin's appearance.
If I were Kin, I'd try to stop us from passing the exam. If I wait until after we pass, there are too many variables, Naruto thought, though everything around them remained quiet.
After walking for a while, even Sasuke sensed something was off. He pointed to a nearby spot. "Have we been here before?"
"Finally found it. If we hadn't arrived early, my leg might've been broken…" Naruto feigned surprise, speaking to Kabuto beside him. "Senpai, it looks real. Can you protect us?"
He said this with anticipation and a hint of admiration, his eyes sparkling.
Kabuto returned a warm smile but his mouth twitched slightly. "Naruto-kun, then let's work together." He assumed a defensive stance.
Too bad you'll leave soon, or I'd really make you sick… Naruto held back a teasing expression, his gaze flicking around as he considered the unfolding situation.
He remembered they would face some enemies skilled in genjutsu, but overall, these opponents weren't too difficult—they were merely at the level of lower-rank ninja.
"Haha, finally found you…" a male voice called from above.
The air around them began to warp. Suddenly, a series of twisted black phantoms appeared, all masked and wielding kunai.
"Sasuke, can you use your Sharingan to deflect genjutsu?" Naruto asked, turning his head. He remembered that strong visual power could repel illusions, just as Uchiha Itachi had done.
Naruto planned to use the simplest method to handle them.
Sasuke froze briefly, then whispered, "I'll try."
"Ah."
Naruto turned to Sakura. "Can you handle the kunai in the corners first?"
Sakura frowned slightly. "What are you doing?"
"Trying for a one-hit kill," he replied.
At that moment, the black phantoms surged toward them.
Sakura and Kabuto defended themselves—one with fists, the other with kunai—while Sasuke closed his eyes, focusing chakra into his eyes.
"Ugh…" As Sasuke concentrated, pain shot through his shoulders. Simultaneously, an external force surged through his body. Kabuto witnessed the scene.
But soon, his attention shifted back to Naruto.
Naruto had summoned a Shadow Clone. Even without the Nine-Tails' chakra, the clone began spinning rapidly in his hand, the surrounding air intensifying violently.
"This is…" Kabuto's pupils contracted slightly, his focus snapping back from Sasuke to Naruto.
Meanwhile, in the bushes near the fight:
The unconscious woman slowly awoke. She first rubbed her temples, then knelt painfully, clutching her head tightly.
She covered her mouth with one hand, trying to remain silent.
"We're almost there… we'll be saved soon…"
The fierce figure who had struck fear into Mingying and the others struggled to her feet, charging toward the battlefield.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "A Witty Life in the Naruto World" is 30 chapters ahead there