Naruto: Konoha’s Kanpu

Outside the Academy.

Three figures strolled by the entrance, chatting and laughing. Suddenly, the person walking on the left paused.

She turned her head and looked towards the Academy’s teaching building. She couldn’t help holding her heart in her hands, and her eyes were complicated, ‘Sasuke-kun, Naruto…They should be taking the Chunin Exams now.’

“Sakura, what’s wrong?” Her teammate, Yaichiro turned his head and looked at her strangely.

Hayuki sighed and said, “Sakura should be thinking about the Chunin Exams.”

“It's all our fault.”

Yaichiro lowered his head in shame, “With Sakura’s grades, she could have participated in this Chunin Exams. We are the one who drags you down.”

Hearing this, Sakura smiled with a strong face and shook her head: “No, it's not. I may be better in theoretical scores, but I'm completely useless in practical combat, and I'm not good at anything else either…”

The more Sakura spoke, the more uncomfortable she felt. Obviously, when she was in the Academy, she was still a prominent figure in her class. Every time there was an exam, except for Sasuke, those boys who only knew how to mess around would all eagerly ask her for a bit of help, but after graduating, she realized that theoretical knowledge was the least valuable for being a Shinobi!

‘Even though Iruka-sensei valued theoretical scores so much and emphasized them countless times, the result… the result…’

Sakura's expression was complicated. At this time, she remembered Naruto, the lowest ranking, whose theoretical scores were the lowest in the entire year, even in the history of the Academy.

‘Low theoretical scores?’

‘So what?’

‘In less than half a year after graduating, Naruto participated in the Chunin Exam. With his talent in combat, even if he didn't make it this time, it wouldn't take long for him to advance to Chunin. Moreover, he was the son of the Fourth Hokage. No matter if it's Ninjutsu, Ninja Tools, or training resources, he could get as much as he wanted. Given time, Naruto would definitely become a pillar of the village!’

‘And then there's Sasuke-kun. His theoretical scores were already good, plus his excellent talent, the Kekkei Genkai Sharingan, and the identity of the Advisor's son, his path as a Shinobi would also go very far!’

‘Even their teammate, Karin, is a member of the Uzumaki Clan, born with a vast amount of Chakra, and her talent in sensing is so outstanding. Iruka-sensei even praised her as a genius.’

Finally, Sakura thought of Ino.

They are childhood best friend, but because of Sasuke, she became rival in love.

At the Academy, Sakura was confident in facing Ino, because her grades can crush the other party. Her ladylike demeanor was even more overwhelming than Ino's. So she believed she was more suitable for Sasuke than Ino!

‘But…Ino, even Ino, is also the daughter of Yamanaka Clan’s Clan Head, has the precious Clan Secret Ninjutsu, has countless training resources, and has two excellent teammates who could form the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.’

‘Only me, only me has nothing!’

‘No Shinobi Clan, no Secret Ninjutsu, no Kekkei Genkai, no training resources, even teammates…’

‘What should I do?’

‘What should I do?!’

‘If this continues, I'll really be lost among the masses, becoming a mere Genin without even the qualification to participate in the Chunin Exams!’

‘In a few years, I can only look up at Sasuke-kun, and even Naruto, who follows me all day long…’

‘I can't accept this!!’

Sakura gritted her teeth, her fists clenched, and tears welling up in her eyes.

“Sakura…” Yaichiro and Hayuki exchanged a glance, and could only show a bitter smile.

…

Forest of Death.

Under a big tree, Naruto, Sasuke and Karin are sitting cross-legged and having a meeting.

The first thing is who would carry the scroll.

“For such an important scroll, it should naturally be carried by me!”

Naruto was unwilling to pass on one’s responsibilities to others, patted his muscle arrogantly and recommended himself without hesitation, “After all, I am the strongest among the three of us, hahaha.”

“Lower your voice!”

Sasuke frowned and said, “What if you attract an enemy?”

Naruto curled his lips at this.

“Sasuke-kun, what do you think?” Karin asked with a smile.

“I don’t agree with putting it on Naruto. This guy's personality is too flamboyant. I'd rather forfeit than leave the scroll with him.” Sasuke insisted.

“What? Are you questioning my strength, you bastard?” Naruto was furious.

“I’m questioning your character, idiot!” Sasuke retorted.

The two glared at each other, their faces inches apart, noses almost touching. Sparks seemed to fly between their eyes, but then they abruptly backed off, while their angry expressions turned into constipated ones.

Karin seemed to recall something unpleasant and hurriedly said: “Naruto, Sasuke-kun, why don't you let me carry the scroll?”

Naruto and Sasuke nodded at the same time, inexplicably relieved.

“Then, onto the second matter.”

Karin quickly changed the subject and said, “Since we got is the Earth Scroll, shall we go search for Heaven Scroll, or hurry to the center first?”

“Of course, we go search for the scroll!” Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke disagreed, and immediately started an argument: “We should head to the center first!”

“Why not grab the Heaven Scroll first and then head to the center?” Naruto said.

“Isn't it the same to reach the finish line first and then snatch the scroll there?” Sasuke retorted with no trace of politeness.

The two glared at the other side, staring at each other and approaching each other, with a faint tendency to colliding faces.

“You two…” Karin couldn't help but feel helpless. Just as she was about to intervene, she heard rustling noises nearby.

……

About twenty kilometers away from Team 7, Haku, Suigetsu, and a nameless Kirigakure’s Shinobi were on the move.

As they walked, Suigetsu's suspicion resurfaced: “Haku, I still think there's a problem with that scroll!”

“Suigetsu-san, you are too suspicious.”

Bai sighed helplessly, then took out the scroll and tossed it to him directly, “Since you're not at ease, you should keep this scroll.”

“That's better!” Suigetsu smiled and opened the scroll, but as soon as he looked, he was dumbfounded.

“What’s wrong?” Haku was startled.

“The scroll…the word ‘Heaven’ on scroll is gone!!” Suigetsu exclaimed strangely.

“How is it possible?” Haku and the other nameless Kirigakure’s Shinobi came over to take a look. Sure enough, there was nothing on the scroll.

“The word ‘Heaven’ disappeared?”

Haku blinked his watery eyes in disbelief, “That head examiner really…”

“Damn it!!!”

Suigetsu angrily slammed the scroll on the ground and stomped on it fiercely, “I knew it! Konoha’s Shinobi are really despicable!!!”

“In this case, we have to collect both the Earth and Heaven Scrolls at the same time, doubling the difficulty of the task.” The nameless Kirigakure’s Shinobi said.

“It's probably more than double!”

Haku’s gentle face showed a hint of bitterness, “Because it is not impossible for us to snatch the Heaven or Earth Scroll twice. If we needed to find them repeatedly, or encounter tricky enemies…”

The nameless Kirigakure’s Shinobi fell silent and then looked towards Suigetsu with a bitter look in his eyes.

Although the scroll was definitely manipulated by Anko, ultimately, the main culprit was still Suigetsu.

“Bastard, why are you looking at me like that? Believe it or not, I'll chop you with a single strike!” Suigetsu flies into a rage out of humiliation.

“Alright, stop arguing.”

Haku said with a bitter smile, “Since it's come to this, we can only grit our teeth and proceed. Let's hope everything goes smoothly from now on.”