"Who are you?" Kabuto asked, regaining his composure as he looked at the red-haired man.
Before the man could answer, Naruto ran up to him, shouting, "Brother!"
Menma had shown up for a reason—he knew Kabuto's intentions all too well. He didn't want Naruto and the others getting too close to Kabuto. While Menma had the strength to eliminate him instantly, doing so would risk alerting a certain snake—and that would be a problem.
"Who are you…? Brother?" Kabuto looked back and forth between Naruto and Menma. Aside from the hair, they looked identical. Twins?
But Menma didn't respond. Instead, he placed a hand on Naruto's head and turned to Shikamaru and the others.
"Shikamaru, after the Chunin Selection Exam, I'm coming for that rematch in shogi."
Shikamaru: (ω)! Can I pretend I didn't hear that?!
"Brother… seriously?"
Teacher Asuma, why'd you sign us up?! If Shikamaru had known Menma was participating, nothing short of being beaten to death would've gotten him to join.
Another shogi match? Shikamaru was already sick of losing to him.
Menma turned to Choji. "Still eating potato chips?"
Choji quickly shoved the chips into his mouth and held the bag with both hands. "Brother, do you want some?"
Menma smiled. "No thanks. But I'll take you out for barbecue after the exam."
Choji nearly drooled at the word "barbecue" and nodded eagerly.
"I'm coming too!" Naruto said immediately.
"Of course. Everyone's invited," Menma replied, looking around at the group.
"Yes, Brother Menma!"
"Awesome! Thanks, Brother!"
Everyone responded enthusiastically. Although they had been a bit tense around Menma at first, the mention of food made them feel much more relaxed.
Kabuto watched the exchange from the side. So he's their leader? But who is he? Are there any red-haired clans in Konoha?
Menma Uzumaki…!
From the way everyone treated him—with the utmost respect—it was clear Menma wasn't just strong, but also a figure of influence. Kabuto took special note: the group included heirs from Konoha's most powerful clans—Uchiha, Hyuga, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka, and Aburame.
It was unbelievable.
Then Menma looked around and declared, "By the way, I forgot to mention the real reason for this Chunin Selection Exam: to show the strength of Konoha—and wipe out the trash. Got it?"
Shikamaru: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a
Sakura: (ω)!
Kiba: ￣□￣｜｜
"Got it, Brother!" Naruto responded with enthusiasm. He suddenly stepped forward, pointed toward the other exam candidates, and shouted, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I won't lose to any of you—understand?!"
Without waiting for a response, Naruto turned back to look at his brother with a big grin, clearly asking, How was that? Cool, right?
Menma smiled and ruffled his head. As expected of Naruto—the social king of secondhand embarrassment.
"Well said, Naruto."
"Hehe!" Naruto laughed proudly.
Ino leaned toward Sakura and whispered, "What's with your teammate? Why is he provoking everyone?"
Sakura just shrugged. "If you've got a problem, tell him yourself. I'm not stopping him—Brother Menma's here. What's there to be afraid of?"
"If I don't, then who will?"
"What was that?!"
The two girls started bickering again. Sasuke quietly walked away, stepped next to Naruto, and poked his arm.
"Why didn't you help me back there? And how come you got to act all cool just now without calling me over?" Sasuke grumbled.
"Haha, next time, next time!" Naruto said, scratching his head.
"You better remember."
"Yeah, I got it," Naruto nodded quickly.
Behind them, Shikamaru looked absolutely drained. These guys really have nerves of steel. It's fine for Brother Menma to provoke everyone, but Naruto? Now everyone's targeting us!
Sure enough, the other candidates were all glaring at them fiercely.
Still… with Brother Menma here, maybe things would be fine.
"That guy's way too arrogant," muttered a bandaged puppet-wielding shinobi with face markings.
"The weaker the dog, the louder the bark," sneered the blonde-haired girl next to him.
Both wore headbands from the Village Hidden in the Sand.
The bandaged man made a move to attack, but was stopped by a shorter red-haired boy with the word "love" etched into his forehead.
But just because they held back didn't mean others would.
A group of candidates suddenly charged at Naruto, trying to "teach him a lesson."
Two kunai flew toward them. Sasuke reacted instantly, blocking both with a kunai of his own. The attackers halted. Naruto and Sasuke faced off against them without fear.
Shikamaru and the others were about to help, but Menma raised his hand to stop them.
"They've got this."
"Naruto, I get one. You take the other two," Sasuke said.
"Why? I want the two!"
"Because I'm stronger."
"No way!"
The three attackers in front of them looked outraged. You're arguing about us like we're not even here?!
Just as things were about to erupt, a voice bellowed from the front of the classroom:
"Quiet down, you brats!"
Smoke filled the area, and everyone turned to the front.
As the smoke cleared, a group of shinobi appeared. Leading them was a man with two scars across his face—his forehead protector marked with the Konoha symbol.
"My name is Ibiki Morino. I'll be the first examiner of the Chunin Selection Exam."
Ibiki pointed at the three in front of Naruto.
"You from the Hidden Sound—don't cause trouble before the exam even starts. Want to be disqualified right now?"
The three looked from Naruto to Ibiki, then bowed slightly. "Apologies. We got excited since it's our first time. It won't happen again."
Ibiki used the opportunity to reinforce his authority. "Let me make this clear: no fighting unless I permit it. And even then, no killing. Break the rules and you're out. Understood?"
Naruto and Sasuke were still grumbling.
"This is your fault, Sasuke. You said I get one, and you get two!" Naruto muttered.
"No, you get one, I get two," Sasuke shot back.
The three from the Sound Village: "."
We're still standing here, you know!
"Enough. Quiet," Menma said calmly.
Instant silence.
Then Ibiki continued, "Now, the first round of the Chunin Selection Exam officially begins. Submit your registration forms and take your number badges. Sit according to your assigned numbers. The written test will begin shortly."
The Written Test?!
"Pfft. Easy." Naruto grinned with confidence.
(End Of Chapter)
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