Chapter 27
The first time a jinchūriki leaves the village—and just a few days earlier there had been an incident.
The higher-ups in Konoha weren't being careless.
But if Sunagakure dared to let their jinchūriki out, Konoha would look ridiculous if they specifically kept Naruto locked inside.
So, with the number of hidden ANBU around him multiplied several times over, Naruto finally embarked on his first trip outside the village.
However, Naruto wasn't particularly curious about the world beyond the walls.
He wasn't really a little kid—he had his own goals.
Sakyo was surrounded by a swarm of fangirls, so Naruto couldn't squeeze in. He ended up sticking close to his own Hinata instead.
The large group set off grandly. To Konoha, fifth-year and graduating students were like workers about to join the workforce—extremely important.
Several ANBU and a few jōnin escorted them, which fully demonstrated how seriously the village took security.
According to the map, their destination was a dense forest in the northeast corner of the Land of Fire.
With so many people and varying levels of strength among the students, it took a full two days and two nights to arrive.
Along the way, the Land of Fire had plenty of resources, villages, and towns—no worries about supplies.
But for academy students who had never done long-distance marches before, two full days of travel left them exhausted and drained.
This was a vast forest, about half the size of Konoha. The sky was overcast, as if rain could fall at any moment.
Not long after arriving—before they'd even rested a few minutes—the students spotted a dense mass of figures appearing on the horizon.
The sight instantly energized everyone. Even the fangirls clustered around Sakyo fell silent.
Now Naruto finally had a chance to push through and stand beside Sakyo. Looking at the approaching crowd, he nudged her lightly with his elbow and whispered, "Little Sakyo, nervous?"
In the original story, Naruto had no idea this part existed.
Or rather—this was the real world, different from the manga.
Sakyo kept her icy expression, staring straight ahead with seriousness. "This level isn't enough to make me nervous."
Before long, the Sunagakure group arrived.
Compared to Konoha's students, the Suna kids looked much more rugged.
After all, they grew up in a harsh environment—their personalities were naturally different from Konoha's.
Many Konoha students showed signs of nervousness. Meanwhile, Naruto casually slipped his hand into Sakyo's soft one—only for her to shake it off in less than a second.
In the center between the two groups, a white-haired ANBU with a short sword on his back met with Suna's leader.
After some polite mutual praise, they gathered the students and began explaining the rules.
Kakashi and Maki each addressed their own village's academy students:
"The rules are simple: many special kunai are hidden throughout the forest for you to collect. The competition lasts three days. Ranking will be based on the number of special kunai collected."
"There are two rankings: one for each village individually, and one combined ranking for both villages."
"The top-ranked students will qualify for early graduation…"
The moment "early graduation" was mentioned, Sakyo's eyes lit up.
Naruto noticed her reaction and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
Great. Sakyo was definitely going to go all out now. If she got good results, she'd graduate early.
That was really troublesome for Naruto…
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