Amane waited until the final hour before the Chunin Exams deadline to set off from the hotel with her teammates, Zaku and Dosu.
They walked in silence, and there was no surveillance around them.
The three of them arrived at the testing site without any trouble.
The two gatekeepers they had seen yesterday were guarding the area using Transformation Jutsu, with a gate disguised by genjutsu behind them.
Amane looked at her teammates. Well, Zaku's attention was still fixed on her, and the dissatisfaction and defiance in his eyes were plain to see.
While Dosu wasn't like that, he also failed to see through the genjutsu disguise that made Room 201 look like Room 301.
Amane patted them both on the shoulder and told them to just follow her. Thus, under the watchful eyes of the two Konoha gatekeepers, the trio didn't even spare them a glance as they headed up to the real third floor.
They left behind a crowd of candidates with questionable genjutsu skills to continue their standoff with the gatekeeper duo.
This was the theme of this stage's assessment. In fact, in the original work, if Naruto's team hadn't seen through the truth, many other candidates would have missed the deadline and been eliminated by the genjutsu, except perhaps for Neji, who might have passed by chance with his Byakugan.
As they pushed open the door to the real Room 301, their arrival instantly drew countless gazes.
Among them was Yakushi Kabuto, wearing a Konoha Forehead Protector, but he only spared them a glance before looking away with as much lack of interest as most other candidates, focusing instead on the Ninja Cards in his hand.
Then there was Konoha's new generation, the so-called the twelve genin.
The Byakugan, the clothing of the Aburame Clan, and the signature Ninja Dogs of the Inuzuka Clan were all highly recognizable.
As for the new generation's Ino–Shika–Chō, Akimichi Choji was also quite conspicuous. Finding him naturally meant seeing Shikamaru and Ino.
[Eh... so that's Hinata. My future sister-in-law is really cute. Those unique Byakugan eyes don't look out of place at all; instead, they blend in perfectly, becoming a part of her charm.]
Her mood brightened even further as she thought of something fun.
She chose an inconspicuous spot where she wouldn't easily be noticed, closed her eyes to focus, and waited for the main cast to arrive.
About half an hour later, Amane's eyes slowly opened.
She clearly sensed four familiar Chakra signatures outside the door, and one of them also keenly felt a gaze locking onto them from inside.
[They're here... but why hasn't Kakashi come over to say hello yet?]
Though puzzled, Amane decided to set the matter aside for now; after all, given her current position, it would be unreasonable to initiate contact.
A smile curled on her lips as she naturally suppressed her presence.
As per custom, Naruto and his two teammates were stared at by everyone upon arrival. However, after seeing they were just three kids, most people lost interest just as quickly.
But immediately after, the genin from the same year (excluding Rock Lee's class) approached each other to exchange greetings.
Since they were graduates of the same year, even if their relationships weren't exactly close, they were at least well-acquainted.
According to Amane's observations:
Ino and Sakura were best friends having a spat; though they were bickering, there wasn't any sense of real anger.
Choji, Shikamaru, and Naruto were on good terms. Kiba and Sasuke showed signs of rivalry, but their relationship was at least decent.
Then there were Shino and Hinata. One was taciturn and lacked presence, while the other was introverted and didn't express herself.
Now then! It was time to try and greet these nine genin.
Amane silently approached Naruto from behind like a ghost and suddenly leaned in to whisper in his ear:
"Long time no see. Do you still remember me?"
Naruto's body suddenly tensed up. That voice... how could he ever forget it?
He slowly turned his head, and when he saw that the person standing before him was indeed the vivid face of the red-haired girl from that day in his memory, he froze instantly.
For countless nights after their parting, Amane's image had haunted Naruto's dreams. The scene in the Sealing Space where she took his hand and revealed the truth to him replayed frequently in his mind. He never expected to meet her again during these Chunin Exams.
Naruto's eyes widened, and a smile blossomed uncontrollably on his face, as if Amane was the only person left in the entire world. He didn't even notice the prominent Otogakure Forehead Protector on her brow.
He instinctively wanted to call out her former codename.
A slender, delicate finger quickly and gently sealed his lips. "Amane. This is my real name. Remember it."
When the finger was removed, Naruto's cheeks were as ripe as apples, and a faint cloud of steam could even be seen rising from the top of his head.
This was a phenomenon caused by emotional excitement, where a large amount of Chakra concentrated in the head, evaporating surface moisture. Confirmed!
Amane gave Naruto a sweet smile, but her gaze surreptitiously drifted toward where Hinata was.
The princess of the Byakugan was completely stunned. Beside her, Shino kept shaking her with his hand, but her gaze remained fixed on Naruto and Amane with an expression of disbelief and bewildered loss.
[Ah~ this feeling! It's so delightful it makes me want to roll around on the ground and claw at the floor! Jie jie jie...]
Her gaze returned to Naruto, who opened his mouth to try and call out that name, only to have his throat choked by surging emotions.
At this point, the other genin seemed to realize what was happening.
Sakura and Ino looked at Naruto and Amane with gossipy expressions.
Sasuke was deep in thought, his eyes fixed on Amane, likely harboring some suspicions.
Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, then scanned the dazed Hinata over there, muttering a low complaint: "What a drag..."
Choji continued eating his potato chips.
Kiba and Akamaru on his head looked at Hinata with expressions of encouragement and comfort.
Shino gave up on waking Hinata, his gaze behind his lenses scrutinizing Amane thoughtfully.
Yakushi Kabuto, who had witnessed the whole scene, silently adjusted his glasses.
[Is this what a creature called a 'younger sister' is like? Truly wicked.]
He had planned to take the opportunity to talk to Sasuke and make himself known to Lord Orochimaru's target of interest.
But given the current situation... there was clearly no room for him to step in.
Forcing his way in would only make him an awkwardly helpful upperclassman.
"Ama...ne..." Naruto felt his voice trembling; his heart was beating faster and louder than when he had confessed to Sakura.
This low, clumsy call made even him feel embarrassed.
The smile on Amane's face grew even sweeter and more brilliant, her azure eyes seemingly overflowing with a joyful radiance.
Even if her future brother were to activate Six Paths Mode and beat her up after learning the truth, Amane felt this was worth it.
And what about Hinata now?
Amane's gaze drifted quietly again. Hinata was still in a daze, the highlight in her Byakugan eyes slowly fading away.
"Yes! It's Amane," Amane replied with a smile, her voice so soft it could practically drip with sweetness. "Remember the owner of this name; she will become one of the most important people in your future life~"
With that, Amane even went so far as to cast a meaningful smile toward Hinata, who was not far away.
Now even Sasuke could no longer continue his calm contemplation!
He was just about to step forward and say something when a voice suddenly interrupted all of Sasuke's movements.
"Shut up, all of you! You bunch of trash!"
A coarse and extremely oppressive roar echoed throughout the hall.
Ibiki Morino's appearance officially announced the start of the Chunin Exams.
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