Chapter 7: Sasuke, show him what you're made of

That night, the Hokage's Office.

The dim room was wreathed in smoke.

After listening to Ibiki Morino's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi, renowned for his composure, wore an expression of barely suppressed shock.

As a professor of ninjutsu, he naturally understood the terrifying difficulty of that kind of genjutsu.

Naruto was actually a... genjutsu genius?

Even Sasuke, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?

He was only twelve years old, wasn't he?

Taking a couple of deep puffs from his pipe in an attempt to calm his inner turmoil, the pungent tobacco instead choked him into a fit of coughing.

Cough, cough, cough.

True to his title of the Third Hokage, seasoned by adversity and possessing veteran acting skills, Hiruzen recovered immediately after a couple of sharp coughs, then asked with an unchanging expression.

"Is that all?"

"Lord Hokage, that is all."

Nodding slightly, Hiruzen instructed, "Very well, you may leave."

"Yes."

Once the man had gone, Hiruzen fell into deep contemplation.

Naruto... Sasuke.

To think they would give Konoha such a pleasant surprise at a time like this.

Well, other major powers had long since begun training troops and preparing for war; it was about time new talents emerged in Konoha.

At that moment, Hiruzen suddenly recalled something.

It was ten years ago, when Naruto was a child.

Three days after he taught Naruto how to refine chakra, Naruto had mastered the Transformation Technique on his own, even deceiving the ANBU guards assigned to protect him.

Back then, he had recognized that Naruto was a genius, but Naruto's subsequent performances had failed to meet those expectations.

Naruto had been extremely fond of pranks in his youth, and Hiruzen had simply assumed he was just being playful.

Looking back now... there must have been a hidden story behind it.

Otherwise, why would Naruto have hidden his talents all through the academy, only to unleash his full strength right after graduation?

What on earth was the reason?

Thinking it over and over... only Danzo came to mind.

He needed to find a way to warn that old friend of his and make him stay away from Naruto.

......

The next day, Location: Training Ground 44.

Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death.

Its terrifying nature was evident right from the name.

The perimeter was enclosed by wire fencing to prevent unauthorized entry.

Towering ancient trees whose crowns vanished from sight stood thick inside, and just standing outside was enough to evoke a gloomy and bone-chilling dread.

A lumberjack like Baldy would definitely make a fortune here.

The venue for the second round of exams was set here. All the examinees gathered in front of the massive gates, where Instructor Anko, whom they had met yesterday, came forward to announce the exam rules:

1. The examination venue is Training Ground 44, a circular area with a radius of 10 kilometers. At the very center of Training Ground 44 stands a tower.

2. A total of 26 teams are participating. Half of the teams hold the Scroll of Heaven, while the other half hold the Scroll of Earth.

3. Winning condition: A team must collect both the Heaven and Earth scrolls and have all three members reach the central tower together.

4. Time limit: 120 hours / 5 days.

5. Quitting midway is strictly prohibited, and the scrolls must never be opened and read during the exam.

Hearing this, Naruto instantly grew excited.

A river of blood was about to flow.

Theoretically, at least half of these people would be eliminated, and if any accidents occurred, the casualty and elimination rate would be even higher.

However,

Looking back at the examinees, Naruto thought this second exam truly had hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

Through chakra perception, a few individuals demanded attention.

A red-haired tattooed boy—Gaara; he possessed a fair bit of strength.

Neji from the Hyuga clan—a genius from the previous generation, bound to be formidable.

A miniature version of Might Guy—same green spandex, same bowl haircut, thick eyebrows.

If he remembered correctly, this guy had challenged him back when they were kids; Rock Lee, was it? A taijutsu specialist.

And there was another one whose chakra didn't resemble a genin at all, surpassing even a chunin.

It was a bespectacled guy with grayish-white hair similar to Kakashi's, though not spiky, but tied into a small ponytail.

He wore a Konoha headband, so he must have been from Konoha.

Konoha truly was brimming with talent.

Furthermore, there was one particularly peculiar fellow from the Grass Village.

This chakra... compared to yesterday, it was like an entirely different person.

Although the appearance was identical, the chakra was completely different.

Chakra was the combination of spiritual and physical energy, and everyone's was unique.

Naruto was certain that this person was no longer the same individual as yesterday.

Ref, I'd like to report someone for account sharing from a different location!

He had considered exposing this person on the spot, but Naruto didn't make a move immediately.

He was curious about what this person's objective was.

Coming for revenge?

Quite possible.

Just yesterday he had made a flashy debut, and today his enemies were already knocking on the door.

The response time was a bit too prompt.

It really was strange; how did his deadbeat parents manage to make so many enemies?

Not only were they all quite formidable, but their intelligence network was exceptionally well-informed.

Take this fellow with the chilling chakra, for instance, or another one like Obito Uchiha.

That guy Obito sure could run.

Six-Barrel had chased him for days without catching him, and now that he was reassigned to Konoha, catching him would be even harder.

Naruto was inclined to award him the title of the Uchiha King of Track and Field!

Would he really need to collect the entire Uchiha Mahjong squad just to apprehend Obito Uchiha?

After signing the consent form and receiving the scroll, Team 7 was led to Gate 12.

"Sakura, here."

Tossing the scroll to Sakura, Naruto said, "You hold onto the scroll. If you really can't beat the enemy, just throw the scroll at them; they probably won't give a girl a hard time."

"Huh?"

Sakura was startled, not expecting Naruto to say something like that.

Was this... a lack of trust in her?

Glancing at Sakura, Naruto withdrew his gaze. With a provocation like that, you should at least feel driven to prove your confidence and properly protect this scroll.

You're already someone capable of crushing other genin with a single punch, yet you're still so lacking in confidence!

When you actually fight the enemy later, given your strength, surely a bit of confidence would fire you up?

He really broke his heart over this team!

Click.

Time was up, and the gates swung open.

The other two wanted to rush in immediately, but Naruto stopped them.

"Let's agree on a secret code first to prevent being fooled by transformation techniques."

"I'll go first. We'll address each other like this: I am the Grand Senior Brother," Naruto pointed at Sasuke, "you, Second Junior Brother, and you, Sakura, Third Junior Brother. It's settled happily like that!"

"Naruto, why am I the Third Junior Brother?"

Sakura's face darkened, showing signs of a potential outburst.

"Because you're a girl, and if we used 'Third Junior Brother' as a title, absolutely no one would ever guess it."

"Fine... alright." Sakura was still puzzled. Was it really going to be like this?

"Let's go!"

After traveling for a short while, the three of them found a safe spot. Naruto released his perception and a smile crept onto the corner of his mouth.

That person had arrived.

He glanced at Sasuke, "Sasuke, care to race and see who gets another scroll first?"

"Sure."

Sasuke glanced sideways at Sakura. He had more or less guessed Naruto's intent; he had also noticed yesterday that Sakura seemed somewhat lacking in self-confidence.

"Starting now?"

"Start!"

"I'll take south, you take north." Dropping those words, Naruto leaped directly toward the south.

Whoosh.

Sasuke also began making his way northward.

Leaving only Sakura shivering in place behind them.

"You guys..." Watching the two figures already receding into the distance, Sakura muttered, "Why did you leave me behind?"

Huh? Wait, they aren't coming after me?

Barely a kilometer away, Naruto noticed that the person had changed direction, heading straight for Sasuke.

Could this person... be Sasuke's enemy?

No, the Uchiha clan had been wiped out so many years ago, where would enemies come from?

Thinking carefully, a suspicion suddenly arose in Naruto's mind.

Could this guy be the very person who lured Sasuke away?

In terms of strength, compared to an average jonin, this person's chakra was indeed formidable.

Even stronger than Kakashi.

By estimation, while he might not achieve a one-hit KO, he should still be able to defeat Kakashi.

So, it's you, huh?

The guy who seduced Sasuke and guided him onto the path of a rogue ninja.

Naruto suddenly grew interested; a good show was about to begin.

He didn't know what Sasuke was like in his past life, but the Sasuke of this lifetime wasn't someone who could be manipulated so easily.

Chances were, this fellow might actually crash and burn right here.

With that thought, Naruto concealed his chakra and immediately turned back to find Sasuke.

The good show was commencing!

Sasuke, go on and give him a taste of your power!