The morning didn't begin with an alarm clock.
Naruto sat in the center of his bedroom in the lotus position. Around him, on the very edge of perception, pulsed a dense, heavy aura.
Inhale.
White Qi flooded his pores, saturating every cell, every particle of bone tissue.
Exhale.
Grey steam escaped from his lungs—the condensate of fatigue and the last remnants of toxins.
His eyes opened. For a split second, pure white light flared in the depths of his blue irises. His fist clenched. The skin over his knuckles pulled tight, becoming hard as polished granite.
Peak of Body Tempering.
The ceiling had been reached. His muscles, bones, and organs were reinforced to the limit of human—even superhuman—potential. Next was only the formation of the Golden Core, a process requiring time and resources unavailable to a Genin. But for now, he was physically perfect.
Stand up. Lightness and power in every movement. The Land of Waves had left scars, but they had only tempered the steel.
"It's time," he spoke into the silence of the room.
Wardrobe. Mesh armor, black jacket, dark grey pants. Forehead protector. Pouch on his thigh. He was ready.
Reflected in the mirror was not a child going on a mission. It was a soldier going to war.
***
The bridge. Gathering point.
Sasuke was already there. Leaning against the railing, he glared at the water. Hearing footsteps, he turned sharply.
The Uchiha's gaze was heavy. Leaden. After the Land of Waves, after Naruto had shielded him from Haku's senbon and survived, something had changed in Sasuke's attitude. Not gratitude. Black, burning envy mixed with confusion.
Why? Why didn't he die? Why did he recover so quickly? And that strength...
Naruto met the gaze calmly. No smile, no greeting. A short nod.
Sakura arrived third. Nervous, but determined. She still remembered Zabuza. She remembered her helplessness and didn't want to be a burden anymore.
"Good morning," she said quietly, trying not to look at the electrified Sasuke.
Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke exactly at the appointed time. An event of historical magnitude in itself.
"Yo."
The single eye slid over the team and lingered on the blonde. The Jonin sensed a change in his student's aura. It had become... even denser. More monolithic.
"I recommended you for the Chunin Exams," Kakashi held out three forms. "This is not an order. It's voluntary. But I think you are ready."
Sasuke snatched his paper first. His lips twisted into a predatory smirk.
"Finally. A chance."
Sakura hesitated, crumbling the paper in her grip.
Naruto took the form calmly, scanning the text.
"Good," he simply said. "This is the logical next step."
No reaction, just a cold statement of fact.
Kakashi nodded.
"Then go to the Academy, room 301. Good luck."
***
The Academy was buzzing. The corridors were packed with Genin from various nations. Tension hung in the air, thick as Kirigakure mist.
Team 7 went up to the second floor. Naruto immediately noticed the sign with the number "301" on the doors of room 201—a cheap Genjutsu. He remained silent, allowing Sasuke to dramatically dispel the illusion and show off for the audience.
A crowd stood by the real room 301. Two guys blocked the path, beating someone up.
"Want to pass?" one of the gatekeepers mocked. "Chunin are commanders. Weaklings don't belong here. Run back to your mommies."
On the floor lay a girl with two buns and a guy in a green jumpsuit.
Sasuke stepped forward. His entrance.
"Move aside," he commanded in an icy tone.
"Make us, pretty boy." The gatekeeper smirked and swung his leg.
Sasuke began the movement for a counterattack, but...
Whoosh.
A green blur streaked through the air.
Rock Lee intercepted the gatekeeper's kick and simultaneously blocked Sasuke's lunge.
"Enough," Lee said with a serious face. "There is no need for this fight."
Sasuke recoiled. The speed of this "clown" shocked him.
Lee turned to Team 7. His gaze slid over Sakura, Sasuke, and finally froze on Naruto.
Thick eyebrows met at the bridge of his nose. As a Taijutsu master, Lee read bodies. He saw how the blonde stood. Perfect balance. Muscles relaxed but ready to explode with movement in any fraction of a second.
"Hey, you with the black hair!" Lee pointed a finger at Sasuke. "Fight me. I want to test if the Uchiha clan is really that good."
"Here? Now?" Sasuke scoffed. "You'll regret it, Bushy Brows. Come on, while there's still time before the start."
A couple of minutes later, Sasuke lay on the floor.
The Sharingan burned crimson but was useless. Lee was too fast. Too technical. Konoha Senpū (Leaf Hurricane) had simply swept the Uchiha away, grinding the clan's pride into the floorboards in front of everyone.
"My eyes can see it!" Sasuke wheezed, trying to stand. "Why won't my body react?!"
"Because seeing and keeping up are two different things," Lee said didactically. "Taijutsu isn't just eye tricks. It's hard work. And now... I will finish this."
The bandages on his arms began to unspool. He was preparing a technique against an already defeated opponent.
Naruto, who had been silently propping up the wall, pushed off from the surface.
Lee is getting carried away. Sasuke is already down. Maiming a comrade before the exam started is a bad idea.
Lee surged forward, going for a grab.
THWIP.
Naruto appeared in the trajectory. No seals. No sound.
Lee, unable to brake in time, threw a kick aimed at the chin to launch a new target.
Naruto didn't dodge. He simply raised his forearm.
BAM!
The sound of the impact resembled a gunshot.
Lee's leg slammed into the block.
Naruto didn't move a millimeter. The floor under his soles cracked slightly into a spiderweb, but he stood like a boulder. His bones, saturated with Qi, met Lee's shin with the hardness of a granite cliff.
Lee leaped back, rubbing his leg. His eyes were wide as saucers.
"You..." the Taijutsu master exhaled. "That was... hard. Like I kicked a steel pillar."
Sasuke, lying behind, looked at his teammate's back with horror.
He... stopped his kick? With one arm? I could barely track him, and he...
"Enough," Naruto said calmly, lowering his arm. "The exam is about to start. Stop wasting strength."
Lee straightened up. The fighter's stance instantly changed to a "good guy" pose. A bow.
"You're right! As I thought, you are very strong! I am Rock Lee, and you?"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"I'll remember that," a dazzling smile with sparkling teeth. "You are a worthy rival! Not like that one..."
The sentence hung in the air, but the glance at Sasuke said everything. The Uchiha clenched his fists until they bled. The humiliation was absolute.
The appearance of a tortoise and Guy-sensei turned the drama into a farce.
While everyone was distracted, Naruto felt it.
Cold. Sticky, slippery, crawling up his spine.
Slow turn of the head.
In the shadows of the corridor stood a guy with glasses and a grey ponytail. A polite smile, but the aura...
Naruto narrowed his eyes. Qi Sensory: Scan.
The aura was strange. Outside—medical chakra, precise, sterile. Inside—a ball of snakes writhing in the dark.
Snake in the grass.
The guy intercepted the gaze. Adjusted his glasses. The smile widened. A step forward.
"You guys are total rookies, huh? Started a fight right in the corridor."
"And who are you?" Sakura snapped, helping Sasuke up.
"Kabuto Yakushi," he introduced himself. "And believe me, you better keep it down. You've attracted attention."
A nod towards the others.
Naruto ignored the lecture about information cards. He looked at Kabuto and saw falsehood. Every word, every gesture—a pretense.
"You should leave."
Naruto cut off the stream of pleasantries. Dismissing the "well-wisher" cold, without even a nod.
Kabuto froze. The glare on his glasses hid the expression in his eyes.
Hmm... Orochimaru's spy thought. Strange look. Did he see through me? Or just doesn't like pushy people? Need to be careful with this Uzumaki.