Naruto:The avenger of the uzumaki clan

Chapter

75 & 76: The Situation in the Ninja Academy

Three days passed quickly. Before

the last day of registration, contestants from the farthest ninja villages

successfully arrived at Konoha Hidden Village. Each village had at least three

or four participating teams. With the arrival of these teams, even the most

insensitive people in Konoha knew the Chunin Exam was imminent.

Some shop owners, sensing business

opportunities, began preparing more products. They knew that the final stage of

the Chunin Exam would attract high-level aristocrats and dignitaries from the

Land of Fire and surrounding countries—huge consumer groups.

Konoha Hidden Village bustled with

activity, entering its most prosperous and noisy season in a long time. Menma,

returning to the Ninja Academy  after a

long absence, observed various ninjas wearing different forehead protectors.

Konoha's Genin participants still accounted for the largest proportion,

followed by those from Sunagakure Village and other small to medium-sized

villages like Kusanagi, Takigakure, and Otogakure.

Menma's eyes scanned the crowd.

'Yakushi Kabuto? Not here. He must have gone in first,' he thought. Finding

Orochimaru directly would be ideal, but approaching him in front of teammates

wasn't feasible. Menma needed an opportunity to speak with Orochimaru alone,

and Kabuto could serve as a bridge.

'Let's get to the second round first

and see what opportunities arise,' Menma decided internally.

A few minutes later, Sasuke and

Naruto arrived one after another. Sakura, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Menma and the others waited, wondering if she had chosen not to take the Chunin

Exam. Just as they thought she wouldn't show up, Haruno Sakura appeared.

"Oh! Sakura, I knew you would

definitely come to participate," Naruto shouted, smiling and waving

energetically.

"Well, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun,

and Menma-kun, since all three of you are participating, I definitely can't

back down. I will try not to hold you back in this Chunin Exam," Sakura

said, taking a deep breath and looking at her teammates with determination.

"Oh, you just need this kind of

momentum, Sakura. What else is holding you back? We are all companions, we just

have to help each other," Naruto said, giving a thumbs up and smiling.

Sasuke and Menma remained calm. To

them, Sakura's participation was indifferent.

"Okay, now that everyone is

here, let's go in. There is only a little time left," Menma said, leading

the way.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura followed

closely.

Walking through the Academy , it was

clear that the ninjas from various countries were divided into distinct groups.

Each scrutinized the others, with some not hiding their hostility. This was a

common scene in the ninja world. Decades of wars and conflicts had bred strong

hatred among the major ninja villages, easily passed down to future

generations.

Menma thought about the idea of a

world where people understood each other, as mentioned by Senju Hashirama,

Jiraiya, and Naruto. He found it naive and impossible. The attitudes of the

Genin taking the Chunin Exam were the best proof.

Human beings are creatures prone to

harboring hatred, especially in a world where conflicts over interests are

constant. Unless all countries disappeared and the world had only one

collective, the link of hatred might never be cut off.

Menma focused on the most realistic

problem he faced: living freely. His freedom and life weren't entirely in his

own hands, leaving no room for luxury considerations.

"There are so many people. It

seems that many ninja villages have come to participate," Naruto said,

excitement on his face.

Sasuke, walking on the left,

revealed a fighting spirit in his eyes. With so many participants, there had to

be opponents worth fighting.

"Yeah, it looks like there will

be hundreds of people participating," Sakura said, lightly biting her

lower lip. Her heart clenched, but seeing Menma, Naruto, and Sasuke's calm

demeanor, she felt inexplicably reassured.

They walked through the corridor

towards Classroom 301. However, a crowded group blocked the way. Noise and

scolding filled the air. Menma's eyebrows raised as he recognized two familiar

figures at the center.

 'Kamizuki Izumo' and

'Hagane Kotetsu'—these two Konoha gatekeepers had significant roles in the

original series. In terms of strength, they were among the best Chunin. They

could fight against Kakuzu and not be killed instantly, which was a testament

to their abilities. Kakuzu, a Kage-level existence, was not someone every

Chunin could challenge.

Menma easily saw through their not-so-sophisticated

transformation techniques and the low-level illusions they set up. To put it

bluntly, the Chunin Exam had already begun from here. Izumo and Kotetsu set up

the first test for the Genin from various countries. If a Genin couldn't see

through this simple illusion, there was no point in taking the Chunin Exam.

Menma's gaze then shifted to the figure of the 'green

beast' lying on the ground. The moment he saw this figure, Menma's eyes

condensed slightly. 'Rock Lee!' A young man who could also be called a genius.

The Eight Gates of the Ninja were not techniques anyone could master. Lee's

ability to open the five gates at his age was a testament to his efforts and

talents. Menma decided to pay more attention to him.

"Is this an illusion? Are these two people deliberately

blocking here?" Menma thought, seeing through the inferior illusion at a

glance. Sasuke and Sakura noticed it too. Familiar with the layout of the Ninja

Academy , they knew this place couldn't be classroom 301.

"Eh? What? Is it an illusion? I was wondering why it

felt strange. It seems classroom 301 is on another floor," Naruto said

with sudden realization.

"Naruto-kun, I think we should have seen through this

earlier..." Sakura said, a little helplessly.

"Ahaha, my bad, I was just careless," Naruto

scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly.

Sasuke showed a look of disgust.

"Well, this should be the appetizer before the formal

assessment. There's no need to waste time here. Let's go directly," Menma

said, smiling and nodding.

Menma, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura walked straight through

the crowd to the front. Izumo and Kotetsu's pupils shrank slightly upon seeing

them. Menma, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage;

and Sasuke, the sole orphan of the Uchiha family in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Such a combination easily attracted attention. Additionally, the number and

quality of tasks performed by Team 7 were far beyond average. Izumo and Kotetsu

naturally paid more attention.

"Excuse me, can you please move aside? You're blocking

our way upstairs, and we still have to go to classroom 301," Menma said

softly, his tone peaceful.

The gentle and plain words shocked the supporting Genin,

who watched in surprise.

"Wow? Finally, a reliable guy has come," Izumo

untied the illusion, pretending to be surprised.

Accompanied by the disappearance of the '301' house number

and the reappearance of the stairs, Kotetsu looked at Menma and the others with

an arrogant expression. "However, seeing through the illusion is one

thing. If you want to pass through here, you have to defeat us!" he said

provocatively.

Before Menma could respond, Sasuke couldn't stand the

provocation. "Boom!" With an explosion of chakra under his feet,

Sasuke quickly approached Kotetsu, swinging his arm like a whip.

At the angle of the heavy blow, Kotetsu still looked

leisurely, blocking in time.

Just at that moment, a green shadow flashed.

"Bang!" It stood between Sasuke and Kotetsu, easily blocking both

attacks.

"Huh?" "Hmm!?"

It was Rock Lee, who had just pretended to be knocked to

the ground. His incredible speed shocked Sasuke and Kotetsu. 'This boy? Can he

really be this fast?'

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked coldly, looking at

Lee.

"I'm a Konoha Genin just like you, Sasuke-kun. I

graduated a year earlier. My name is Rock Lee!" Lee's eyes were full of

fighting spirit.

Lee's transformation from timid to determined made Sasuke

frown.

"Lee, didn't you agree to keep a low profile? Why did

you rush out?" asked Neji Hyuga, who walked out with Tenten. Neji's eyes

moved between Menma, Sasuke, and Naruto, paying close attention to all three.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Neji. I couldn't control myself. After

all, these are Sasuke-kun, Menma-kun, and Master Naruto," Lee said

apologetically, turning to face the trio with a fighting spirit.

"Lee, you… I'm really sorry, Sasuke-kun, Menma-kun,

and Master Naruto. This companion of mine is a little impulsive. As he said, we

are last year's graduates. I am very interested in you three. Oh, I forgot to

introduce myself. I'm from the Hyuga clan, Neji Hyuga. Please give me your

advice."

Neji looked at Menma and Sasuke with a dull expression,

showing a hint of respect when his gaze shifted to Naruto. This respect was

likely ingrained in Neji's genes.