Compared to the uncertainty of the outward journey, the road back to Konoha felt much easier.
Sunlight filtered through the lush foliage, casting dappled spots of light on the path.
Konoha's Team 7 and Yusuke's squad from the Land of Stars walked along the main road leading to Konoha Village.
Naruto, hands behind his head, walked briskly at the front, a blade of grass in his mouth, his face beaming with satisfaction and excitement.
He turned his head to look back at Menma, who was being 'escorted' by Hinata and Karin, and said in a booming voice: "Haha! Menma-nii, this mission was more like it! There was a thrilling escort, powerful and terrifying enemies, and all kinds of unexpected situations! Although it was dangerous, we managed to overcome everything in the end! This is the life a Ninja should lead! So much more interesting than those missions in the village!"
He recalled the experiences of this Land of Waves mission: the first encounter with the Demon Brothers, the tension of facing enemy Ninja for the first time, then the appearance of that mysterious enemy with the fishhook, his helpless anxiety when Menma was injured...
This mission had given him a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Ninja, forged important bonds he wanted to protect, and fueled his desire to become stronger and experience more such adventures.
Kakashi, one hand in his pocket and the other still holding his ever-present copy of Icha Icha Paradise, merely lifted his eyelids lazily in response, glanced at the overly energetic Naruto, then helplessly turned his gaze to the slightly 'crowded' area in the middle of the group.
There, Menma looked utterly resigned to his fate, his arms tightly linked left and right by Hinata and Karin.
Hinata kept her head slightly bowed, her small face flushed. Although shy, her hold on Menma's arm was unusually firm, as if afraid that if she let go, the red-haired 'bad woman' next to him would steal Menma away.
Karin, on the other hand, appeared far more 'confident'. She was practically leaning her entire body against Menma.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Menma forcefully freed his two arms from the girls' 'embraces', his tone carrying a hint of obvious annoyance: "Alright, alright! Both of you, enough! I'm fully recovered now. You don't need to hold me up like a critical patient anymore! I can walk on my own!"
He flexed his somewhat numb arms, but a thought involuntarily crossed his mind.
'Come to think of it... Hinata usually eats so much, it's clearly not for nothing... this feel... it is indeed... a bit more... substantial than Karin's.'
The thought passed in a flash, and even he found it somewhat rude, instinctively stealing a glance at Hinata's chest, which, though covered by her pale purple tracksuit jacket, still couldn't hide its curves.
Feeling Menma's gaze, Hinata's face reddened even more, like a ripe apple, but she still pressed close to Menma.
She mustered her courage, her watery pale eyes, filled with obvious jealousy and wariness, glaring at Karin on the other side.
This was the first time she had the chance for such intimate physical contact with Menma!
On the first day of Ninja Academy, 'Big Sis Hinata's' declaration of 'If anyone dares to flirt with Menma, I'll definitely beat them up!' had scared off most of the girls who had a crush on Menma, allowing her to secretly gaze at Menma in peace.
But now, a red-haired woman who wasn't afraid of threats at all, even daring to openly compete with her for Menma, had suddenly appeared. Hinata's sense of crisis instantly shot to its peak!
She secretly resolved: 'No! Menma-kun is mine! Anyway... anyway, 'Big Sis' and I share this body. Later... later, I'll have to... have to give myself to Menma-kun anyway! I absolutely cannot let anyone else take him away!'
Karin, freed from Menma's grip, pouted somewhat dejectedly, but her gaze behind her glasses remained fixed intently on Menma, showing no sign of giving up.
She continued to stay close beside Menma, separated by him from Hinata, continuing their silent eye duel. Invisible electric sparks seemed to crackle in the air.
Kurotsuchi, walking behind them and observing quietly, watched this strange 'triangle' and scratched her head, wondering what had gotten into Karin, the Uzumaki Clan's princess.
'Had she actually fallen for a Konoha's Genin?'
Then, unable to contain her curiosity, Kurotsuchi asked Naruto: "Hey, your name's Naruto, right? What kind of missions do you usually do in Konoha?"
Hearing this, Naruto was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His earlier exuberance vanished, replaced by a face full of frustration.
He frantically scratched his dazzling blonde hair and wailed: "The usual missions are incredibly boring! Either looking for lost pet cats, or helping farmers pull weeds in their fields, or unclogging drains, picking up trash, babysitting... All kinds of D-rank chores! It's so annoying! If Tazuna-san hadn't hidden the mission's real rank this time, we'd probably still be in the village chasing cats!"
Kurotsuchi, upon hearing this, exchanged a glance with Ranmaru beside her, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.
After graduating, Land of Stars' Genin would join departments like the military or the police force for specialized skill training. But because most of them were professional soldiers, tasks like finding pet cats or babysitting were typically the responsibility of auxiliary police officers.
And Naruto's team clearly wasn't weak. How could this be only their first dangerous mission?
Yusuke also heard Naruto's complaint. He looked at Kakashi, somewhat puzzled, and asked: "Kakashi-san, given the strength your three students have demonstrated, they're fully capable of handling B-rank or even higher difficulty missions, right? Why are you still having them do D-rank missions?"
As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze inadvertently swept over the cover of the Icha Icha Paradise in Kakashi's hand. The rather explicit illustration on it made his face flush slightly, and he quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Kakashi took in Yusuke's reaction. His exposed dead fish eye blinked, and he answered in a matter-of-fact, slightly lazy tone: "Why? Because they're still just a bunch of kids who haven't long graduated from the Ninja Academy. According to regulations, rookie Genin are supposed to start from the lowest-ranked missions to gain experience."
He paused, then suddenly, as if discovering something interesting, stopped walking, leaned closer to Yusuke, and looked him up and down with a probing gaze. Noticing his tall stature and his uncharacteristic shy reaction when Icha Icha Paradise was mentioned, a look of sudden realization dawned on his face. He drawled: "Oh… so that's why you blushed all of a sudden... Yusuke-san, could it be... you're not even an adult yet?"
Yusuke, made even more uncomfortable by Kakashi's stare, touched his nose and said somewhat sheepishly, his voice low: "I still... have six months until I turn eighteen."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Kakashi clicked his tongue in admiration, looking at Yusuke with a 'the younger generation is formidable' expression. "Truly a young prodigy. When I was your age, I didn't have the strength to single-handedly take down an S-rank elite Missing-Nin like Momochi Zabuza. The Land of Stars truly has no shortage of talent."
Yusuke quickly waved his hand, his attitude humble: "Kakashi-san, you flatter me! The reputation of the [Copy Ninja] Kakashi resounds throughout the Ninja World. My humble skills are not worth mentioning."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, like a cat that had found a new toy.
He deliberately slowed his pace to walk alongside Yusuke, then gently nudged Yusuke's solid arm with his elbow, lowered his voice, and said in a tempting tone: "Hey, Yusuke-san, don't be so formal. Look, you're almost an adult, practically grown up. How about... taking a look at this?"
He waved the Icha Icha Paradise in his hand. "This is the best-selling literary work in the entire Ninja World, most popular among 'mature men'! Guaranteed to open the door to a whole new world for you!"
Yusuke's face turned even redder. He waved his hands repeatedly, his voice even softer: "No, thank you, Kakashi-san! I... I've certainly heard of the fame of Icha Icha Paradise, but I'll pass... This kind of book... isn't really suitable for me..."
"Oh, what's the harm!" Kakashi persisted, continuing to egg him on. "You're not one of those kids. Consider it a welcome gift from me, personally. I have the whole collection! Guaranteed to be thrilling!"
Yusuke, intrigued, felt a flicker of temptation: "The whole collection?!"
Naruto, walking behind, watched Kakashi and Yusuke huddled together, muttering and occasionally letting out strange laughs. He couldn't help but look over curiously.
But his attention was soon drawn to Ranmaru, who was quietly walking beside Kurotsuchi.
Naruto crouched down to Ranmaru's eye level, flashing what he thought was a friendly smile: "Hey, little guy, are you really a Ninja? You don't look much older than Inari."
Upon hearing this, Kurotsuchi put her hands on her hips, a proud look on her face. "Hmph! Don't underestimate Ranmaru! He may not even be ten yet, but he's already an outstanding graduate of our Land of Stars' Ninja School and a fully qualified Genin!"
Ranmaru looked up, his light-red eyes meeting Naruto's.
But unlike Naruto's bright smile, Ranmaru's eyes held a hint of fear and gravity.
His Akaigan's ability allowed him to see through the human body and clearly perceive the flow of Chakra.
And inside Naruto's body, he 'saw' a vast, sea-like mass of crimson Chakra, brimming with a violent aura!
Its immense quantity and terrifying quality made him instinctively afraid.
"Not even ten?" Naruto's mouth fell open in surprise.
Kakashi also furrowed his brow slightly.
He, too, had graduated from the Ninja Academy at five or six, but that was a special case during the Third Great Ninja War.
Now was a relatively peaceful era. For the Land of Stars to let a child under ten, who still looked somewhat frail, graduate early to become a Genin seemed somewhat unusual.
Seeming to sense Kakashi and Naruto's confusion, Karin pushed up her glasses and explained proactively: "Ranmaru... was born with a Kekkei Genkai Disease. Although it's been controlled with treatment, due to the special circumstances of the Red-Eyed Clan, he was permitted to graduate early."
"The Red-Eyed Clan?" Hinata's white eyes flickered with confusion and recollection at the word.
She remembered that when Shura had attacked the Hyuga compound and taken the elder's Byakugan, the clan's elders had fearfully mentioned that the opponent seemed to use Akaigan's abilities that could counter the Byakugan.
Naruto, utterly confused, asked: "Red-Eyed? Is it another powerful eye ability?"
Kakashi gave Naruto a helpless look and explained: "Idiot, it's a type of Kekkei Genkai, a Dojutsu. It belongs to the same broad category as Hinata's Byakugan, but each has its own special abilities."
"Oh... a Kekkei Genkai..." Naruto nodded, half-understanding. Though he still didn't quite grasp what was so special about it, it sounded cool.
All of them were Ninja, so their pace was fast. Without the burden of an escort mission, they traveled at full speed. In just two days, the familiar gates and walls of Konoha Village came into view.
"Wow! We're finally back!" Naruto dashed forward, stopping at the grand entrance of Konoha Village. He raised both hands high and shouted at the sky and the village with all his might: "I! Uzumaki Naruto! Am back!!!"
His booming voice drew sidelong glances from people queuing to enter the village.
A middle-aged merchant whose path was blocked couldn't help but complain: "Hey, young man, go yell somewhere else. Don't block the road!"
"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" Naruto finally realized, quickly grinning sheepishly as he stepped aside to stand with Menma, Kakashi, and the others.
He scratched his head, looking at the unprecedented bustle at the village gate, and asked curiously: "Huh? Why are there so many people? There was no one when we left."
Before the gates of Konoha Village, the scene was one of heavy traffic and streams of people.
Besides the usual villagers and merchants, there were many elegantly dressed, reserved nobles, and a large number of travelers clearly from different countries, wearing various styles of attire, among which were also Ninja from other villages.
The gatekeeper duo, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, were extremely busy, carefully checking the identities of everyone entering the village.
Kakashi looked into the distance, his gaze sweeping over the nobles and unfamiliar Ninja. He said knowingly, "These people must all be here to watch the upcoming Joint Chunin Exams. This exam is going to be quite large-scale."
"Joint Chunin Exams?" Naruto blinked his blue eyes, looking at Kakashi curiously. "Kakashi-sensei, you've been talking about this for a while. What exactly is it?"
Yusuke also looked somewhat surprised at Kakashi: "Kakashi, you're not planning to have your students participate in this Chunin Exams? Given their abilities, they're more than capable of giving it a try."
Kakashi scratched his silver hair, tucked Icha Icha Paradise back into his ninja tool pouch, then turned to face Menma, Naruto, and Hinata, speaking with a slightly serious tone: "I was planning to explain it in detail after this mission."
"The so-called Joint Chunin Exams, as the name suggests, is a large-scale exam jointly held by multiple Ninja Villages, allowing Genin from each village to participate in order to select and promote Chunin. However, I must warn you in advance—"
He deliberately drew out his tone, creating a mysterious and dangerous atmosphere: "This kind of exam is not as easy as the D-rank missions you're used to. Not only does it gather elite Genin from various countries, making the competition extremely fierce, but it also... allows for casualties. It's very dangerous, you know~"
Just as Kakashi was 'educating' his three students about the cruel nature of the Chunin Exams, in the forest near the gates of Konoha Village, the Anbu squad of Young Sasuke, Sai, and Yugao, wearing animal masks, was lurking quietly, carrying out the final stage of their mission to protect the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Seeing Naruto safely arrive at the village gate, all three breathed a small sigh of relief.
The village was close. Their escort mission was about to end, and they could probably rest for a while.
Yugao, wearing a cat mask, her voice somewhat muffled through the mask, said to Sasuke and Sai beside her: "According to the higher-ups' arrangements for this Joint Chunin Exams, you two also need to participate secretly as ordinary Genin."
Sasuke, wearing an eagle mask, and Sai, wearing a tiger mask, nodded simultaneously, indicating their understanding.
For Anbu's members, although they had their own independent promotion system, when major events like the Chunin Exams were held, especially with the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki participating, they often needed to infiltrate the exam venue in various identities to monitor, protect, and respond to emergencies.
Just then, a considerable commotion arose at the village gate.
The crowd seemed to be parted by an invisible force, automatically making way.
Sasuke keenly looked towards the sound.
A group of Ninja, wearing uniform blue-grey stand-collar uniforms and Land of Stars' pentagram forehead protectors, were striding purposefully towards the registration point at the village gate.
Their number was small, but each one had a vigorous air, sharp eyes, and carried a steadiness and fierce aura tempered by battle, a stark contrast to the curious or fearful onlookers around them.
Wherever they passed, even the air seemed to grow heavier.
Sasuke's gaze swept over these Land of Stars' Ninja. When his eyes fell on the back of the figure leading the group, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his entire body froze as if struck by lightning!
That leader, with a straight posture, wore a dark blue, high-collared, short-sleeved clan outfit. The red-and-white Uchiha Clan's crest on his back was glaringly conspicuous under the sunlight at the Konoha's gate!
Seeming to sense Sasuke's overly shocked and burning gaze, the leader's pace paused slightly. He slowly turned his head and looked towards Sasuke's hiding place.
In an instant, Sasuke met a pair of crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
The owner of those eyes had a handsome, gentle, yet resolute face.
This face was so familiar to Sasuke that it was etched into his bones!
'That's... Shisui-nii?!'
Sasuke's heart felt as if it were being crushed by an invisible giant hand, all the hair on his body standing on end.
Behind his eagle mask, his face was filled with disbelief and bewilderment.