"Ring Ring Ring!"
Natsuki was jolted awake by a girlish ringing. He opened his eyes to see his sister, clad in a pure white nightgown. Her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying teasingly just above his nose.
"Stop it, it's still early. I'm currently sealed by the Blanket Sealing Technique. Wake me up in two hours," Natsuki mumbled, turning over to fall back asleep.
"No way! Don't forget about the Chunin Exams today. If you delay any longer, we'll be late!"
"Uh-huh."
"If you don't get up now, I'm going to hit you."
"Uh-huh."
Seeing her brother's perfunctory response, Kurenai raised her arm threateningly.
"Big Sis, let me sleep a little longer," Natsuki pleaded, turning over again and snuggling against his sister like a piglet, letting out a couple of satisfied grunts.
"So cute."
Kurenai's resolve crumbled.
Natsuki truly possessed the most handsome and the most adorable face she had ever seen; no wonder he was so popular at the Academy.
At this moment, devoid of his usual mischievousness, his peaceful, glowing sleeping face made Kurenai's breath catch in her throat.
"Natsuki, if you don't get up now, I'm really going to have to resort to using force," Kurenai whispered in his ear, her breath warm against his skin.
It sounded less like a wake-up call and more like a lullaby.
Predictably, she received no response.
A moment later.
Natsuki was startled awake by a soft, moist sensation. He snapped his eyes open to see his sister gazing down at him, her eyes as clear as a mountain spring.
Natsuki shoved Kurenai away. "Sis! What are you doing?! You haven't even brushed your teeth yet! Your breath stinks!"
His words instantly transformed the amusement in her eyes into anger.
She sprang to her feet and delivered a swift kick.
Bam!
"You little brat! You're the one who stinks!
"Ungrateful brat! No breakfast for you today!"
With that, Kurenai stomped out of the room in her slippers.
Slam!
The door to Natsuki's room was slammed shut, leaving him alone and bewildered.
"Wow, how did I become the bad guy here? Women are so unreasonable."
…
Training Ground 44, at the entrance to the Forest of Death.
A group of young ninjas gathered, listening attentively as a female ninja explained the rules.
This ninja was Anko Mitarashi, a Special Jonin of Konoha and the proctor of this exam.
Just like in the original story, it was still a Heaven and Earth scroll retrieval competition. Each team would receive a scroll by drawing lots.
If a team drew a Heaven Scroll, they had to find a team with an Earth Scroll and take it. Then, they had to successfully reach the central tower to pass the test.
Undoubtedly, for the next few days, the Forest of Death would become a stage for fierce battles of competition.
Blades would be drawn, and lives could be lost. Therefore, every ninja participating in this exam was required to sign a death waiver.
"Where's Natsuki?" Ino Yamanaka, ever impatient, paced anxiously as she watched the examinees enter the forest one by one.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Hinata said, trying to sound reassuring, her eyes fixed on the path leading to the training ground.
She had wanted to go directly to Natsuki's house to meet up with him, but she had been escorted here by her clan's ninjas.
"There he is! Natsuki, over here!" Hinata's eyes suddenly lit up as she spotted a figure approaching.
Suddenly, Hinata bounced up and down like a schoolgirl who had just spotted her idol. "Natsuki!" she called out, waving.
Then, realizing she might have been a bit too enthusiastic, she quickly smoothed down her clothes and lowered her head slightly, though her eyes still sparkled with joy.
"Sorry, I overslept. Let's go in," Natsuki apologized to his teammates.
He almost missed the exam! Hmph, it's all Sis's fault.
"It's okay. If we go in later, we might encounter fewer enemies," Hinata quickly responded.
"Hey, Hinata, you're talking nonsense with your eyes wide open! It's the other way around! If they went in earlier, they could have found better spots to ambush us!" Kiba Inuzuka complained.
He felt like he and Akamaru had unintentionally been force-fed dog food again; Hinata was way too biased towards Natsuki.
And looking at Natsuki... Sigh, if only I had Natsuki's looks and strength, what kind of life would I have? Kiba's thoughts trailed off, his mind wandering like a dog off its leash.
"Haha, wouldn't it be great if they dared to ambush us?" Natsuki chuckled.
"Not to mention Hinata, even Akamaru can easily pinpoint their location." Natsuki subtly complimented his teammates' abilities.
Hearing such praise, Kiba immediately puffed up with pride like a preening rooster. "Of course! No matter where the enemy hides or what kind of ambush they set, they can't escape Akamaru's and my nose!
"We'll definitely pass this exam this time. Right, Akamaru?"
"Woof woof!!"
Haha, watching these two goofballs, Natsuki couldn't help but recall the scene in the third exam where Kiba was knocked down by Naruto's fart.
Should I warn him? Seeing how proud he is of his abilities, it probably wouldn't be helpful. Let him learn his lesson.
"Alright, let's go!"
Following the last team of examinees disappearing through the iron gate, Natsuki and his team followed suit.
…
Half an hour later.
As far as the eye could see, there were towering trees.
The forest floor was covered with traces left by poisonous insects and wild animals. Setting aside other concerns, there should be no shortage of food in this forest.
The main worry was avoiding poison.
"Hinata," Natsuki, walking at the front, called out with a smile.
"Hai!" Hinata's crisp voice came from behind, as if she had rehearsed it countless times.
Tenseigan!
Her vision expanded infinitely, and the chakra movements of the surrounding examinees clearly registered in her eyes.
"The closest teams to us are four. Two teams in the southeast are engaged in combat.
"The team due north is moving away rapidly. There's a team to the northwest, hidden in the treetops, waiting in ambush." Hinata reported her observations, her expression suddenly turning serious.
"Another team has appeared. One of them possesses an abnormally large amount of chakra and is pursuing the team heading north at high speed."
An abnormally large mount of chakra? In this exam, only three people should possess such a large chakra reserve.
One was Orochimaru, disguised as a kunoichi from the Kusagakure.
The other two were Jinchuriki, Naruto and Gaara.
But Natsuki wasn't afraid of any of them.
"Well then, let fate decide. Let's randomly choose a lucky team."
Saying this, Natsuki took out a coin and tossed it into the air. "Heads, we ambush the team in the northwest. Tails, we take down the two teams fighting each other. If it lands straight, we pursue the team heading north."
The coin slowly rose to its highest point, then began to fall...
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