Ground Floor — Chuunin Exam Building
The air inside the building was thick.
Not with killing intent—
Expectation.
Genin moved in waves, some confident, some pretending to be.
Naruto walked ahead, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning everything.
Sasuke followed just behind him.
Sakura stayed close.
"…There's a lot more people than I expected," Sakura muttered.
"Yeah," Naruto replied. "…Most of them are losers."
Sasuke scoffed lightly.
"…Hn"
Naruto grinned.
"Oh come on, I thought we moved past this. Use your words Sasuke! Words! Hn hn hn."
Sasuke ignored his training partner.
They moved deeper into the building—
Then—
"—WAIT!"
A voice cut through the noise.
Loud.
Passionate.
Naruto blinked.
"…Huh?"
A blur of green—
THUD
A figure landed directly in front of them.
Low stance.
Fist clenched.
Eyes burning with intensity.
Thick eyebrows.
Green jumpsuit.
"…I've been looking for you."
Sasuke's expression didn't change.
"…Move."
The boy shook his head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…I am Rock Lee."
He straightened slightly, pointing at Sasuke.
"…And I challenge you to a fight."
The rest of the Rookie 9 saw the encounter, wondering if their former classmate had even more stalkers than fan girls.
"You good Sasuke?" Kiba called out
"Stay out of this, we'll meet you in the exam room." Was all he got back.
Mutters of "Geeze man, lighten up a little," were heard as the two teams headed up a set of stairs.
Sakura blinked.
"W-Wait, right now?!"
Lee didn't look at her.
His focus never left Sasuke.
"…I want to test myself."
A beat.
"…Against you."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You're not worth it."
Naruto snorted.
"…Damn."
Lee didn't flinch.
"…If I cannot defeat you—"
His stance lowered.
"…Then I have no chance against him."
Sasuke's interest flickered.
"…Him?"
Lee didn't answer.
He moved.
FAST.
Sasuke's eyes widened—
Just slightly—
As Lee closed the distance instantly.
WHAM
Sasuke raised his guard—
A crisp high kick slammed into it—
Forcing him back a step.
Sasuke noticed the force behind the kick and mentally prepared himself.
Naruto's grin sharpened.
"…He's fast."
Sakura's eyes widened. 'Faster than Sasuke?'
Lee pressed forward—
No pause—
A flurry of chops that flowed into roundhouse kicks and elbow strikes.—
Sasuke weaved through the attacks narrowly finally ducking an elbow strike that would've left him down for the count—
His eyes sharpened further.
"…Tch."
Sharingan—
Activated.
The world slowed.
Movements became clearer.
From his crouched position he was able to track Lee's form matching his height close to the ground.
His body, however, was not fast enough to react
A heel kick struck his chin, knocking him high into the air. His head reeled, the sudden change of scenery sent the room spinning.
Lee jumped into the air, somehow becoming parallel with Sasuke's arcing/falling body.
Arms shooting out—
Wrapping around him mid-motion—
Locking his torso.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"…What's he doing?"
Lee's grip tightened—
He crouched slightly—
Preparing to spiral downward—
Sakura's breath caught.
"…Wait—!"
Sasuke's Sharingan spun—
Faster—
Reading—
Predicting—
"…Got you."
Just as they started their downward descent.
Sasuke twisted his body violently—
Breaking the alignment—
His leg shot into Lee's stomach—
"OOF"
The motion disrupted—
The technique collapsed before it could begin.
Both landed gracefully—an extra flip was performed by Sasuke upon making contact with the ground. Lee matched it with a cartweel into a tucked roll of his own
Distance was created allowing for a breather in the close quarters match.
Silence.
Naruto's grin widened.
"…He stopped it mid-startup…"
Lee straightened slowly.
Eyes widening slightly.
"…Impressive."
Sasuke rolled his shoulder once.
"…Whatever that was… i'll be sure to pay it forward."
A pause.
The tension spiked—
Then—
"…That's enough, Lee."
A calm voice cut through everything.
Everyone turned.
Two figures approached.
A boy with long dark hair—
Calm.
Cold.
Eyes sharp.
A girl beside him—
Confident.
Observant.
"…Neji," Lee said.
"…Tenten."
Neji's gaze flicked to Sasuke.
Then Naruto.
"…You'll be late."
Tenten crossed her arms.
"…Save it for the actual exam, Lee."
Lee hesitated.
Then—
"…Understood."
He straightened fully.
Looking at Sasuke one last time.
"…We will fight again."
Sasuke didn't respond.
But his eyes—
Burned.
Lee turned—
Walking back to his team.
A long-haired boy that could've passed for Hinata's brother passed by Team 7—
Glancing once. "Destiny and fate shall always dictate the weak from the strong. It's no surprise your attack didn't land Lee." The female of the team looked towards her bowl headed teammate with pity.
"Come on Lee, you almost had him too!"
Then they were gone.
Silence lingered.
Naruto exhaled.
"…That guy's a problem."
Sasuke scoffed.
"…We got interrupted."
Naruto smirked.
"…Do you think you would've won anyway?" The question lingered. No one in team 7 quite knew the answer.
Sakura stepped closer.
"…Are you okay?"
"…I'm fine."
Naruto cracked his knuckles. ."…Come on y'all im not trying to fail by being late"
He glanced once more in Lee's direction.
Sasuke nodded.
"…Let's move."
And together—
They headed upstairs.
*Ping*
Rival Growth Link - Moderate activated
+30 System points for witnessing your rival in a heated fight
'Jeeze system, you a cuck or something?'
Second Floor — Room 201
This time—
The pressure felt real.
Heavier.
More focused.
Naruto pushed the door open.
CREEEAK—
Dozens of eyes turned.
The room was packed.
Different headbands.
Different killers.
Different monsters hiding behind genin titles.
"…So this is it," Sakura whispered.
Naruto stepped in without hesitation.
"Yeah."
Sasuke followed.
Unbothered.
They found a spot near the center of the room.
Kiba waved from across the way.
"Yo! You guys made it!"
"Barely," Sakura muttered.
Shikamaru yawned.
"…Troublesome crowd."
Ino crossed her arms.
"Try not to embarrass us."
Choji kept eating.
Shino said nothing.
Hinata—
Looked at Naruto.
Then quickly looked away.
A Shift in the Air
Naruto's instincts flared.
Not loud.
Not explosive.
Just—
Heavy.
His eyes drifted.
Across the room—
And stopped.
Red hair.
Pale skin.
Dark-rimmed eyes.
Standing completely still.
Their eyes met.
And in that instant—
Naruto's breath hitched.
—The sand headband strung across his shoulder-
—Blood—
—Sasuke on his knees—
—Sakura screaming—
The vision slammed back into him like a physical blow.
"…!"
His fingers twitched.
"…That's him."
The same presence.
The same suffocating weight.
The same—
Monster.
The red haired boy didn't blink.
Didn't move.
Just stared.
Like he was already imagining how Naruto would die.
A slow grin twitched at the edge of his lips.
Naruto's jaw tightened slightly.
"…Yeah."
No doubt.
"That red haired creep…"
Sasuke noticed.
"…You know him?"
Naruto didn't look away.
"…Not personally."
A pause.
"…Whatever you do, stay away from him."
Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
A faint smirk.
"…What's wrong, Scaredy cat?"
Naruto huffed lightly, but his gaze lingered.
Calculating.
Measuring.
The room noise slowly crept back in.
The tension never left.
Then—
"Wow… you guys are loud."
A new voice.
Soft.
Calm.
Almost too calm.
Naruto's eyes shifted.
A boy stood nearby.
Round glasses.
Silver hair.
A Konoha headband.
Relaxed posture.
Smiling faintly.
"First time taking the exam?" he asked.
Kiba frowned.
"Yeah, so what?"
The boy chuckled.
"Nothing. Just… you might want to keep it down."
Naruto didn't respond, observing the scene that played out before him.
"Name's Kabuto," the boy said, adjusting his glasses. "I've taken the exam a few times already."
"Failed a few times, you mean," Kiba snorted.
Kabuto smiled.
"Yeah. Something like that."
He reached into his pouch—
Pulled out a stack of cards.
Thin.
Chakra-laced.
"Ninja Info Cards," he explained. "They store information on participants."
Ino leaned in slightly.
"…That sounds useful."
Kabuto nodded.
"Very."
He flicked one up.
"Want to see?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Sure."
Kabuto's fingers moved—
Chakra pulsed—
The card flipped—
And displayed information.
Clean.
Detailed.
Too detailed.
Kabuto glanced at Naruto.
"…Let's start with you."
The card shifted.
Text formed.
Naruto Uzumaki
Abilities:
Shadow Clone Jutsu (Advanced usage)
Wind Release Techniques (Cyclone, Gale Pierce)
Trap Deployment (Sealing-based)
Enhanced Chakra Reserves
Close Combat Proficiency (Above Genin Average)
Naruto's smile didn't change.
But his eyes did.
"…That's a lot."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
"I like to be prepared."
Too prepared.
Naruto tilted his head slightly.
"…Then you won't mind showing me one more."
Kabuto blinked once.
"…Hm?"
Naruto jerked his thumb over his shoulder—
Toward the red-haired boy across the room.
"…That red headed creep."
A pause.
"…Show me his."
For just a fraction of a second—
Kabuto's smile stiffened.
Then returned.
"…Sure."
Another card flicked up.
Chakra flowed—
Text formed.
Name: Sabaku no Gaara
Village: Sand
Abilities:
Sand Manipulation
Absolute Defense
Long-Range Suppression
High Chakra Density
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Absolute defense…"
His gaze flicked back to the boy—
Gaara—
Still staring.
Still unmoving.
"…Tch."
Naruto looked back at Kabuto.
"…Appreciate it."
Kabuto smiled.
"Anytime."
Naruto didn't respond immediately.
Instead—
"Inspect."
Ping
Name: Kabuto
Affiliation: Konoha (Error)
Status: Active Genin
Threat Level: Unknown
Additional Notes:
Chakra flow: Highly controlled
Emotional baseline: Deception is at work
Data inconsistency detected
Naruto's expression didn't change.
But something settled in his mind.
"…Yeah."
Kabuto lowered the cards.
"Something wrong?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Nah."
A pause.
Then—
"Just thinking you've got a creepy hobby."
Kiba laughed.
"Yeah, seriously."
Kabuto chuckled lightly.
"Information wins battles."
Naruto tilted his head slightly.
"…Or starts them."
For a split second—
Kabuto's smile paused.
Then returned, thinking nothing of the strange encounter with his fellow leaf genin.
Naruto turned away.
Conversation over.
But his mind—
Was moving.
Fast.
Ping
National Crisis Quest Updated
Objective Added:
Identify the true allegiance of Kabuto
Progress: Ongoing
+20 System points for discovering this lead!
Naruto exhaled slowly.
Eyes drifting across the room.
Different villages.
Different threats.
Different pieces.
"…Yeah."
His fingers twitched slightly.
"Everything's starting to line up."
Sasuke glanced at him.
"…You noticing it too?"
Naruto smirked faintly.
"…Yeah."
"We're going to mop the floor with these guys!."
Somewhere in the room—
A trio of genin with music shaped engravings on their headbands stood up, making their way towards the rookie 9 at the front of the class.
Kabuto watched.
Smiling.