The three of them stepped into the teaching building where the registration point was located and headed for the second floor. As soon as they reached the top, a heavy thud echoed.
Thump!
Rock Lee, wearing a green bodysuit and trying to hide his true strength, sat on the ground clutching his bruised face. Standing before him were two Elite Jōnin disguised as teenagers: Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane.
Seeing Lee on the ground, the two gatekeepers of Konoha began to mock him in unison.
"Hey, hey! No way, no way! I haven't even used my full strength yet. How'd you go down already?"
"Someone as weak as you should just run back home and cry in your parents' arms!"
"Hahaha..."
They laughed arrogantly, annoying the crowd of examinees. However, given the strength they had just displayed, no one dared to step forward.
Tenten, her hair tied in a bun, sighed. She approached with a pitiful expression and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
"Please, let us in. Please..."
Slap!
Before Tenten could finish speaking, Kotetsu slapped her across the face.
"Don't tempt me! Women only slow down my hand seals!"
Izumo nodded repeatedly, putting on a show of being the bad guy. But he quickly realized what he had just said, turning his head away in terror and taking a step back while clutching his backside.
Noticing Izumo's reaction, Kotetsu realized the ambiguity in his own words and growled an explanation.
"Damn it! That's not what I meant!"
After cursing out Izumo, the looks from the surrounding ninjas enraged Kotetsu.
"Hmph. Even we strong ones failed the Chunin Exams three times. With you cowards, you should just go back to sleep."
"The Chunin Exams aren't child's play. Failure or death—things you can't handle!"
Honestly, Kotetsu hadn't intended to be so harsh. But with so many people surrounding him, not a single one could see through his shallow genjutsu! At this level, there was no point in wasting his chance to participate in the exam.
"That's true, but we..."
After being reprimanded so harshly, the surrounding genin didn't dare to utter a word of rebuttal.
In the distance, Menma's team came up the stairs and arrived at the door marked 301. Their leader, Menma, whose attire was different from the others, immediately sparked discussion.
"That blond hair is so arrogant!"
"Yeah, he's not wearing his headband properly, and that cocky hairstyle? He's definitely never been beaten up!"
"He looks like a Konoha ninja, but I've never seen him before. A rookie?"
"A rookie dares to be that arrogant? Don't even remind him—let him go get beaten up by those two blocking the door!"
Whispering amongst themselves, the group of ninjas made way for the three.
Sakura, following behind, wanted to get closer but was also afraid. She couldn't help but speak up.
"Where's the arrogance? You're all just jealous that we have two handsome guys on our team!"
Before the surrounding people could retort, she leaned close to Menma's ear and whispered a reminder.
"It's an illusion. This is actually the second floor!"
"Tch. You actually figured it out..."
A look of superiority appeared on Kotetsu's face. "Looks like not all this year's examinees are useless."
"But, being able to see through illusions... where is he!?"
Just as Kotetsu was about to attack, Menma vanished.
Izumo, standing beside him, was also shocked, pointing behind Kotetsu.
"He's already gone to the back!"
Behind the two, the illusory single door of room 301 shattered, restoring the original double door of room 201. Menma continued walking, waving a hand with his back to them.
"You two hurry up and finish this. Don't waste time."
"Damn it! It's a genjutsu!" Seeing the change in scenery, the surrounding ninjas belatedly realized what was happening.
On the other side, Kotetsu was filled with disbelief.
"What amazing Body Flicker Technique!"
He recognized Menma, of course—the universally disliked Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. But who could tell him how a Jinchuriki who had only graduated from the academy three months ago could be so strong?!
Because their levels weren't high enough, the two had no idea what had happened to Menma.
Seeing Menma showing off, Sasuke didn't want to fall behind. After all, he was the type to be carefree and easygoing. Moreover, his current strength was greater than in the original story, so naturally he was even more arrogant, looking down on these genin taking the exam with him.
"Get out of my way, or I'll kill you."
As he spoke, Sasuke strode between the two, preparing to simply walk through them.
Recovering from his shock, Kotetsu was also angered by the impolite words. He immediately turned, using his waist to whip his right leg forward.
"I'll see if your strength matches your tough talk!"
Sasuke also raised his foot to block without hesitation, simultaneously forming hand seals. But in that instant, a green figure appeared in front of the two, grabbing Sasuke and Kotetsu's ankles in one hand.
Neji, seeing this, frowned. Just as he was about to speak, Sasuke—whose ankles were being held by Lee—vanished with a thud. Sakura beside him also slowly dissipated like a bubble, disappearing from the spot.
Neji then looked toward the door of room 201 behind him and, sure enough, saw Sasuke and Sakura's departing figures.
"Shadow Clones! And that girl next to him—it's genjutsu!"
"These three are really something else. We can't underestimate any of them."
Neji's attention was completely focused on Sasuke, so he didn't notice Sakura's genjutsu. Kotetsu was also slow to realize, scratching the back of his head in frustration.
"There are so many monsters this year. How many are there already?"
Izumo shook his head, ignoring Kotetsu's question. Instead, he stepped aside for the others.
"Alright, you've passed the application submission hurdle. Now, go."
Hearing that they had passed, the examinees were overjoyed. They were immediately grateful to Menma and his companions, completely forgetting their previous ugly behavior.
"Let's go too," Neji and Tenten called to Lee, who was still in a daze.
But Lee turned and glanced at Menma and his companions, then said, "You guys go first. I have some things to do..."
Without waiting for Neji and Tenten's reply, he quickly ran off to catch up with Sakura. Just as Lee ran out of the passage, he found Menma and his companions stopped in the hall below. They seemed to be waiting for someone.
Menma spoke.
"Let Might Guy come out. You're not qualified to fight me."
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