Thanks to Shikamaru's earlier analysis, Choji stubbornly held back his hunger and didn't touch the snacks in his ninja tool pouch. He lay listlessly on the table. Meanwhile, Ino rested her right hand on the desk, supporting her chin, casually watching the candidates in the classroom. Occasionally, she glanced at Shikamaru, who was seriously focused—there was a subtle charm on his face, and a faint blush colored his fair cheeks.
As time passed and the registration deadline approached, more candidates filled Classroom 301. Groups of two or three ninja from the same village found familiar faces to chat with, killing time and easing their nerves.
"Ha! Finally found you guys!" A familiar, somewhat teasing voice called out from behind Shikamaru.
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino turned to see three youths approaching. The one speaking was in the center, with a small pure-white ninja dog perched on his head. The other two companions flanked him: one wore a high-collared jacket and round sunglasses, while the other was a shy girl with short hair and a timid gaze. These three were their former classmates from the Ninja Academy, members of Genin Team 8—Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga.
"Oh, it's Kiba, Shino, and Hinata," Ino greeted them. Then she asked, "You three are taking this exam too?"
"Of course!" Kiba grinned broadly. Seeing the empty seats beside Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino, he sat down with Shino and Hinata, looking at Shikamaru with a challenging tone. "We've trained hard. This time, we're not going to lose to you guys."
"Kiba, you're just trying to rile up your rivals," Shino said sternly from his usual quiet spot.
Kiba stuck his tongue out and turned away with a slightly annoyed expression, ignoring Shino's scolding. Then he continued to Shikamaru and the others, "I heard Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura from Team 7 are taking the exam too. I wonder if they're already here."
Akamaru, perched atop Kiba's head, twisted his head, scanning the crowd for Team 7's three Genin but found no sign of them yet.
"Come to think of it, all nine new Genin from Konoha are taking the exam," Shino said slowly. "I wonder how long everyone will last."
"We're definitely going to win!" Ino immediately snapped back at Shino, as if taking his comment as a provocation.
"No, you misunderstood, Ino." Shino shook his head, not angry, then looked at Shikamaru and said, "I'm afraid you've noticed, Shikamaru—foreign ninja have a strong hostility toward Konoha's shinobi. And as rookies, some veteran Genin in the village will probably see us as weaklings. We're in a difficult position."
"Oh?" Shikamaru looked thoughtfully at Shino, with Kiba and Hinata nodding in agreement. He asked, "Have you already had conflicts with foreign Genin?" It was no surprise—foreign ninjas had a grudge against Konoha. Hinata's shy and gentle personality made her an easy target for bullies. Kiba and Shino, both strong-willed, were more likely to get into fights. Judging by Shino's words and the expressions on Kiba and Hinata's faces, they had already sensed the hostility from other countries' Genin.
"Just some small fry from the Rain Village," Kiba sneered, then glanced toward a direction in the room before turning his attention back. "I'm not too worried about you three. What concerns me is Team 7. Naruto's a hopeless underachiever, Sasuke's arrogant to the extreme, and Sakura's all theory, no real fight. If they get picked on badly, the rest of us from their generation will be looked down upon too. That'll just bring more trouble."
Just as Kiba spoke, Akamaru suddenly growled twice. Kiba's eyes lit up as he listened carefully, then smiled slightly and told Shikamaru and the others, "Speaking of them—they're here."
"They're at the door? Only just arriving?" Kiba stood up, with Shino and Hinata following suit. "I'm going to go say hi to them. You guys coming?"
Ino and Choji looked toward Shikamaru, clearly waiting for his decision. Shikamaru shook his head and said, "You three go ahead. We don't need to."
As Sasuke Uchiha—the vessel that Orochimaru coveted—was already under Yakushi Kabuto's watchful eyes, Shikamaru didn't want to associate too closely with Team 7 during this Chunin Exam to avoid any dangerous entanglements with Orochimaru or Kabuto.
"Lee," said Hyuga Neji quietly to his companion as Team 7 pushed open the classroom door and entered. Neji's sharp gaze fixed on the trio, especially Sasuke.
Lee, wearing his signature deep green jumpsuit with his bowl-cut and thick eyebrows, nodded. These two were last year's graduates from the Ninja Academy, now Genin.
"Did you just spar with them? How strong are they?"
"That short blond guy's taijutsu is terrible—he's nothing special, Neji," Lee answered. "But Sasuke, although his taijutsu is average, he already uses the Sharingan. We fought briefly before; he didn't get to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but if he has the Sharingan, his ninjutsu and genjutsu will be strong."
"Is that so?" Neji nodded but immediately activated his chakra by forming hand signs. The veins around his Byakugan bulged, his expression becoming intimidating as he examined Team 7.
Neji frowned and said, "Lee, I think you're wrong. That blond guy's chakra is huge—really impressive."
"Chakra amount doesn't always determine a ninja's strength," Lee said, pursing his lips and glancing at Neji, knowing very well how deadly Neji's Gentle Fist style was. "If Sasuke's taijutsu is weak, and Neji gets close enough to hit vital points, no matter how much chakra the opponent has, it won't matter."
"That's true," Neji agreed, remaining silent. His Gentle Fist was so refined that his Byakugan allowed him to see the tiny pressure points on the body even at high speed, enabling him to disrupt chakra flow precisely. Under such circumstances, as Lee said, raw chakra alone was meaningless if the opponent lacked taijutsu skills.
Outside the classroom, after encouragement from their mentor Kakashi Hatake, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—the three Genin of Team 7—pushed open the door with confidence. But upon seeing the crowded room filled with other Genin, their excitement gave way to nervousness.
"Wow, so many people!" Sakura murmured softly, overwhelmed by the number of candidates either sitting or standing inside.
Because they arrived late, Team 7 stood out starkly compared to Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino, who had quietly slipped in early and blended with the crowd.
"There are so many candidates... and they don't look very friendly," Sakura whispered, worried.
The door had made a loud noise when they entered, drawing the attention of several nearby Genin, who now shot hostile glances at them. Sakura's heart jumped, thinking, Did we attract too much attention?
Even Naruto and Sasuke frowned slightly, sweat beading on their foreheads. At that moment, a familiar voice called out a greeting to Team 7.
"Hello there, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura."
It was Kiba Inuzuka, pushing through with Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga. Kiba smiled and teased, "You three are a bit late, aren't you?"
"The best usually show up last—don't you know that?" Naruto snapped back, annoyed by the slight provocation. Naruto and Kiba had never gotten along well since the Ninja Academy days.
"You're still the same braggart, Naruto," Kiba said with a cold laugh. "I wonder how long you can keep up that tough talk. Don't get knocked out right when the exam starts and embarrass our generation."
"What did you say!?" Naruto spat, pointing at Kiba aggressively. "We will definitely not lose to you!"
"Hey!" A stern voice cut through their bickering. A young ninja with long gray hair tied in a high ponytail, wearing the Konoha headband and round glasses, approached. "You guys better quiet down!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin