Chapter 48: Registration
Just after Gaara and Temari left, Kakashi looked at their backs, squinted his eyes, then turned to look at Naruto and said with a smile:
"I didn't expect that someone who isn't very popular in the village would be so well-liked by people from other villages."
Naruto smiled faintly.
The people in the village not liking him was nothing new.
After all, Kakashi wasn't unaware of how everyone feared him and called him a demon fox.
As for being liked by people from other villages…
Naruto wasn't sure about that. He shook his head.
Watching Temari's slender figure walk away, Naruto thought to himself:
That woman was not simple.
Temari's words from earlier hadn't been meant as a genuine recruitment.
If they had really wanted to recruit Naruto, Temari and the others wouldn't have said those things in front of Kakashi, nor in front of a group of other ninja.
The reason she had spoken so openly was nothing more than a honey trap, serving two purposes.
The first was to arouse suspicion. To make others doubt whether Naruto would actually defect, and to put Naruto in an awkward position.
After all, Naruto had just offended the Third Hokage's grandson. Now he was being recruited by Sunagakure ninja right in front of everyone. That would inevitably make people think too much.
The second was to test the waters. To tentatively feel out whether Naruto might be open to switching sides.
She wanted to take advantage of the suspicion and exclusion Naruto faced. If Konoha became too hostile for him to stay, Suna would be presented as a place he could go.
That way, if Naruto ever did come to Suna, it would be Suna taking the initiative—not Suna desperately trying to recruit someone who hadn't yet been rejected by Konoha. And it would be easier for them to win both Naruto's loyalty and his skills.
It had to be said, Temari and the others had a good plan.
Their use of charm and manipulation was very well executed.
Unfortunately, Temari and the others had miscalculated one thing.
Naruto had already been disappointed with Konoha for a long time.
And more than that, Naruto wasn't interested in any of this. What he was interested in now was his own plan.
Clearly, Sunagakure wouldn't go out of their way to help him based on what he had shown them so far. These were things he would have to accomplish step by step on his own.
Still, this exchange had taught Naruto something.
Temari truly was the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage and the princess of Sunagakure. She was far from as simple as she appeared on the surface.
Kakashi surely understood Temari's intentions as well. Naruto didn't bother explaining anything.
After the Suna ninja left, Lee and Neji also came to say goodbye to Naruto and the others. They had other things to do.
Lee wasn't discouraged by his defeat at Naruto's hands. Instead, he looked at Naruto with even more fighting spirit.
He declared that he would train hard during the Chunin Exam and become stronger, so that the next time he faced Naruto, they could have a real fight.
He also said that when they fought again, he wouldn't hold anything back.
Naruto just smiled and nodded.
After Lee and the others left, Naruto and his team followed Kakashi to a different location.
As soon as they arrived, little Sakura looked at Kakashi with a complaining expression and said:
"Kakashi-sensei, where have you been all this time? Why were you gone for so long?"
Kakashi smiled and said:
"I was on a mission. A very important one. Anyway, let's not talk about that. I have something to tell you."
As he spoke, Kakashi's expression gradually grew serious. He looked at the group and said:
"You've all seen the many foreign ninja coming into the village."
Little Sakura and the others nodded.
"It seems you already know the reason. That's right. The Chunin Exam is about to begin. And today is the registration deadline."
As soon as they heard Kakashi's words, Sasuke and little Sakura's eyes lit up.
The two of them had been looking forward to the Chunin Exam for a long time.
They were eager to prove their strength, to challenge themselves, and to test the results of all their hard work during this time in the exam.
"Kakashi-sensei, how do we sign up?" Little Sakura asked impatiently.
Kakashi saw how eager all three of them were. He smiled lightly and said:
"Don't worry. I've already registered you. You just need to report to the exam room for the Chunin Exam later."
"Yeah!" Little Sakura cheered happily.
As soon as little Sakura's cheer faded, Kakashi's expression turned serious again. He said:
"However, you have to remember something. This Chunin Exam is full of all kinds of people—good and bad. It's called an exam, but every year, many ninja die in the Chunin Exam. There are dangers everywhere. You need to be careful."
Hearing Kakashi speak so seriously, little Sakura and Sasuke suddenly realized that the Chunin Exam was no game. It wasn't as simple as they had thought.
Immediately, the two nodded firmly.
Seeing that both Sasuke and little Sakura had taken his words to heart, Kakashi's expression softened into a smile and he said:
"But don't worry too much. You're the best group of students I've ever seen. I believe you'll achieve satisfying results in this Chunin Exam."
Hearing Kakashi's praise, Sakura and Sasuke smiled as well.
Of course they had confidence in themselves. Especially after the training Naruto had put them through during this time, their improvement had been even faster.
And the Chunin Exam was the perfect stage to test themselves.
Even though they knew there were many dangers inside, that was no joke. But they weren't afraid.
Because they needed exactly that kind of stage—a place where they could push past their limits.
Seeing the determined looks in all three of their eyes, Kakashi smiled with satisfaction. He took out three blank papers and handed them to Naruto, saying:
"These are your registration forms for the Chunin Exam. Take these forms and report to the exam room."
"Yes."
After the three of them took the registration forms, they nodded.
Once Kakashi had told them the location of the exam room, he left.
After Kakashi was gone, Sasuke and little Sakura took a deep breath and looked forward with anticipation.
Naruto also looked toward the exam room in the distance. His eyes flickered and narrowed slightly as he thought about what was to come.
Then Naruto let out a breath and said:
"Let's go."
Sasuke and little Sakura nodded, and the three of them turned and headed for the exam room.
The Chunin Exam had begun.