One hour later.
"Good morning, everyone."
Just as the three were waiting, a voice sounded and immediately after, Kakashi appeared on the railing at the end of the bridge.
"I got lost on the path of life today."
"Liar!"
Sakura's roar sounded almost the same instant Kakashi finished speaking.
She took a big step forward, the veins on her forehead visible. "Kakashi-sensei, you use this excuse to fool us every time! Last time it was getting lost, the time before that it was getting lost, and the time before that it was still getting lost! How many turns have you actually taken on the path of life!"
"Now, now, Sakura, don't be so agitated. The path of life is inherently winding, so it's quite normal to lose your way occasionally."
Kakashi cleared his throat, his tone becoming a bit more serious. "Although it's a bit sudden, I am recommending the three of you to participate in the Chunin Exams."
As he spoke, he pulled three application forms from his ninja tool pouch and handed them to the three.
"Chunin Exams?"
Sakura took the application form, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three. "Many ninjas from other villages have come to the village recently, you should have noticed it on the streets these past few days."
Sasuke leaned against the bridge railing, his brows furrowing slightly.
Naruto scanned the content on the paper, and remained calm.
"I'll say this in advance."
Kakashi raised a finger, his tone returning to his usual lazy cadence, but his eyes revealed a hint of seriousness. "This recommendation is not mandatory. The Chunin Exams are a selection process where you put your life on the line, not a graduation test at the Ninja Academy. Whether you participate is your own choice."
After finishing, he put his hands back in his pockets, his eye sweeping across the faces of the three.
"Those who want to participate, sign your names on the application form and come to Classroom 301 at the Ninja Academy at 3:00 PM five days from now."
"That's all. Dismissed."
Kakashi's figure disappeared.
Sasuke looked down at the application form in his hand, his gaze landing on the name field.
The Chunin Exams would gather Genin from various villages for multiple rounds of selection, and those who made it to the end were, without exception, the elites of their respective villages. This meant he would have many opportunities to fight against truly strong opponents.
Especially that Sunagakure ninja named Gaara. Just the aura radiating from him was not on the same level as an ordinary Genin.
Fighting against someone like that was the best test of his strength.
He needed to become stronger quickly, and nothing stimulated growth in strength better than actual combat.
Thinking of this, his fingers tightened slightly.
Naruto flipped to the signature section of the application form and signed. After that, he folded the application form in half and put it into his Ninja tool pouch.
His mind couldn't help but drift to the plotline of the Chunin Exams.
Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, the Konoha Crush Plan a month later, and the death of Hiruzen.
As he thought, Naruto's mind drifted to the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Right, ninja tools.
The Flying Thunder God Kunai made of Chakra Metal must be sorted out as soon as possible. The formula inscribed on ordinary Kunai would become blurred and ineffective after a few days due to Chakra dissipation. He didn't want to find that his destination was long gone when he tried to teleport during a battle.
Sakura held the application form and read it through once, then raised her head and secretly glanced at Sasuke.
Sasuke's expression was focused, and there seemed to be something weighing deep in his eyes. She knew Sasuke was thinking about how to become stronger.
Immediately after, she secretly glanced at Naruto.
Naruto had finished signing the form and was putting his pen away. There was no trace of nervousness or excitement on his face.
Sakura suddenly felt a tightness in her throat.
The mission in the Land of Waves was her first high-difficulty mission as a ninja, yet throughout the entire process, she had barely participated in any substantial combat.
When Haku and Zabuza appeared, she was guarding Tazuna. When Sasuke fell, Naruto took over the fight and defeated Haku.
And yet, here she was, sulking over something as trivial as "absolutely ignoring Naruto."
Now that she thought about it, what right did she have to give Naruto the cold shoulder?
She couldn't even match his strength, yet she was still acting petulant.
But if she didn't participate in the Chunin Exams, would she drag Sasuke down? Would she drag the whole team down?
Sakura didn't know. She wanted to ask, but she didn't dare.
Naruto fastened the buckle on his ninja tool pouch, and when he looked up, his gaze happened to sweep across the side of Sakura's face.
He saw that her face was full of hesitation and anxiety. Her fingers kept kneading the edge of the application form, leaving several messy creases on the paper.
Looking at Sakura's expression, images involuntarily surfaced in Naruto's mind: the future Sakura, paying off her mortgage while raising Sarada, and her growth trajectory—apprenticing under Tsunade and striving to become Konoha's top medical ninja.
To be honest, Sakura was indeed weak at this stage. If the current Sakura were placed on the same scale as himself and Sasuke, the counterweight would send her flying into the sky.
But as a member of Team 7, her current weakness didn't mean she would always be weak, provided she could overcome this current hurdle.