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Several days had passed since the start of the second phase of the Chūnin Exams.
Naruto's team had survived… barely.
Their [Heaven Scroll](Ten no Maki) had been destroyed during the battle with the Sound Trio. All they had now was a single [Earth Scroll](Chi no Maki). They'd been taken as a war prize.
Still, it confirmed what Neji had said; aside from that one incident, the rest of the exam proceeded without further disruptions.
---
In a shallow river, Naruto, shirtless and soaked,, stalked through the water like a jungle predator.
With practiced precision, he pounced, scooping three fat, wriggling fish into his arms.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Three kunai flew from his belt, skewering the fish mid-leap and pinning them neatly to a nearby tree.
"Nailed it!"
Before he could climb out—
"Don't even think about it!" Sasuke's cool voice snapped from the riverbank.
"We only have three fish. That's not enough. Get back in and catch more."
She stood there, arms crossed, expression ice-cold.
An absolute tyrant.
"What?! You trying to work me to death?"
Naruto grumbled while inching deeper into the water again… then noticed her watching.
He immediately crossed his arms over his chest.
Sasuke's eye twitched.
"…What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Her fingers danced three kunai spinning menacingly across her knuckles.
A dangerous aura rolled off her like heat off fire.
"You mocking me?"
"Nope! Totally not! I'm going!"
Naruto gulped and dove back under.
'Why am I even scared of her now?! This is Sasuke, dammit!'
"Fire's ready!" Sakura called from their camp nearby. "Sasuke! Use your Fireball Jutsu to light it!"
"Got it."
Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Forget it. Those three fish will do."
"Ha! See, wait, what?! Make up your mind!"
But Sasuke's glare shut him right back up. He sulked to the trees, retrieved the fish, and stomped back to camp.
"Here. Take your stupid fish."
Classic tsundere delivery.
Sasuke accepted them silently, helping Sakura clean and skewer them.
What they didn't know… was that a mechanical eye, hidden among the trees, was watching.
Transmitting everything.
Neji, elsewhere in the forest, closed his eyes and smiled.
'No way I'm missing the drama of this team.'
---
Crackle. Pop.
Flames danced under their modest campfire.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sat around it, the scent of roasted fish filling the air.
"It's the fourth day already," Naruto muttered. "Only one day left…"
"We entered the forest at 2:30 PM," Sasuke noted, voice calm and serious. "We're running out of time."
"Other teams might've already made it to the tower," Sakura added quietly.
Naruto grumbled. "Is the fish done yet?! I'm starving!"
Sasuke ignored him, flipping the skewers.
He's completely useless…
She stared at the [Earth Scroll] in her hand.
We need a Heaven Scroll. Soon.
"Gimme the biggest one!" Naruto chirped, reaching out.
Sasuke's brow twitched.
She grabbed the fattest fish and shoved it directly into Naruto's open mouth.
"Shut up."
"HOT!! IT'S HOT!!" he yelped, waving his hands.
"What's your problem?!"
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
"…What was that?"
Naruto shrank like a kicked puppy.
"…Nothing."
Sakura watched them quietly.
They were arguing again. Or rather… they weren't. Not like they used to. Something had changed.
Is it just me… or is Naruto looking at Sasuke a lot more these days?
That realization made her stomach twist.
"…Maybe the [Heaven Scroll] was destroyed after all."
Her voice was soft, distracted.
Sasuke's head snapped toward her.
"What makes you think that?"
"Just a feeling…"
---
Elsewhere, miles away, Neji sat cross-legged, receiving data through his surveillance jutsu. The remote mechanical eye flickered, still transmitting images of the trio.
In the background, Kabuto's chakra flickered briefly, hidden in the shadows nearby.
'Let him lurk,' Neji thought. 'No need to interfere yet.'
Back at his own camp, Tenten handed Neji a skewer of roasted meat, smiling.
"I think we should start heading toward the tower soon."
"Agreed," Neji said. "Most of the weak teams have been eliminated. The final round of clashes should be happening now."
Lee nodded quietly. He hadn't eaten much.
Neji noticed. "What's wrong, Lee?"
"…I'm fine."
"Let's move out after lunch."
Tenten brightened. "Finally! I've had enough of forest camping."
She cheerfully tore another piece of meat from the skewer and handed it to Neji, who immediately raised his hands.
"Alright, alright! Don't get too excited. You'll overfeed me."
They laughed. But Neji's tone quickly sobered.
"We still need to stay alert. The remaining teams will be the strongest."
"Right."
---
After lunch, Team Guy made their move.
Navigating past enemy squads with precision, Neji's [Observation Haki] and Byakugan made detection effortless.
While others stumbled into ambushes and traps, they slipped through like ghosts.
Finally, they reached the central tower.
After verifying the scrolls and completing the formal procedure, they were granted access to the interior.
They'd passed.
Inside the rest area, Tenten sighed in relief.
"Finally. No more sneaking around, no more looking over our shoulders."
"Let's just hope the others made it too," Lee said.
"They will," Neji replied confidently. "They're my students, after all."
Tenten chuckled. "Says the guy who terrorized everyone in the Academy."
"Every day, like clockwork," she added. "You'd track them down with that creepy sixth sense of yours and force them to spar."
"Even when they were sick or injured, you'd heal them first just so they had no excuse."
Neji shrugged. "Is that so?"
Tenten smirked. "Ino once told me she had PTSD from your footsteps alone."
A soft smile crossed Neji's lips.
'Looking back… I really might not have been acting human.'
'No wonder half of them still walk the long way around to avoid me.'
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