Chapter 156

"It's going to take a hell of a lot more than Fūton chakra to protect everyone," Naruto returns all the while thinking how pitifully small that feat is compared to how Naru-nii is trying to protect the entire world. One Fūton user isn't going to be anywhere near enough.

"You have time, Naruto-kun," Kakashi states to which Naruto nearly chuckles. "Don't be in such a rush to be Hokage. You keep going like this and I have no doubt it'll happen before you know it." Naruto doesn't say more as he waves to Team Guy when they walk by and enter the exam room—of the three, Lee was the only one to wave back, putting a small smile on Naruto's face. Sasuke and Sakura eventually join him and though Sasuke looked like he got a good kick to the chin, Naruto only wondered why Sakura wasn't healing him.

Kakashi informs his genin, "I'm glad each one of you decided to take the exams. I know things are strained right now, but you're still Team 7. Remember, those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Stick together and make me proud."

When they finally enter room 301 and the large classroom is full of grungy, older, odorless genin, all stern of eyes and threatening of posture. Even the daylight streaming in the room doesn't dull their drab aura of homicidal intent. Naruto does find it humorous that he can smell the old wood of the large room more than the ninety or a hundred hardened genin filling it.

"What is this?" Sakura asks. "Why are so many applying to be Chūnin?"

Naruto ignores her question in favor of looking for red hair and a sand guard in the large gathering when he hears Ino call, "Sasuke-kun!" before hopping to encircle his neck with her arms. "You're late," she moans. "It feels like forever since I last saw you."

'First Sakura, now Ino…' Naruto didn't think his inside could squirm and wither any worse. The heartbroken blond stays quiet as Kiba calls out exactly what he felt, "get away from Ino-chan, Sasuke-kun. That's my woman you're- …you're letting hang all over ya!" Akamaru barks for added punctuation despite a vexed Sasuke clearly doing nothing to instigate the aggressive hugging.

"Ino…" Sakura says, lacking her usual fervor as she eyes the Yamanaka expectantly. Sakura hates this platinum blond bombshell. She can feel the hate within her every time she looks at a stoic Sasuke and recalls the potential depths of his disgusting darkness. Looking at Sasuke now, Sakura doesn't see her future as his wife and mother of his many Uchiha children. She sees someone who's capable of both incredible good and incredible bad, who needs help, and worse yet, she sees her own emotional disorder, like a recovering alcoholic gazing at his demons in the bottle.

Ino has made Sakura see the lengths of her fixation on a boy who needs psychological treatment more than a girlfriend, and Sakura hates Ino for it. Life has been hard, dark, and colorless without the basket of sunshine that was her eternal love for Sasuke. And to make matters worse, Ino has hurt Naruto. 'No, not completely. I treated him horribly at every turn.' It's hard to imagine how things within Team 7 might've been if she continued to love Sasuke as much as Naruto continued to love her, but she would hate to think the blinders were removed too late.

Though Sakura blames all of this on Ino, it feels like hating her parents for making her eat her vegetables. It's not about the taste, it's about personal growth, and somehow, Sakura feels like one day she'll look back on this time and possibly be grateful for suffering through this bleak, agonizing, and love-calloused existence.

"Forehead," Ino happily calls, stepping away from Sasuke and mildly surprising some by hugging Sakura close and around her neck, purposely pressing the fleshy breasts together. Though she hears Kiba proudly tell Shino, 'did' ya see that? She got off him,' Ino ignores the Inuzuka to happily insult Sakura with no real heat. "Love what you haven't done with your hair."

"Oh, Ino-pig," Sakura returns, clearly faking happiness despite allowing the warm hug. "As usual, if you don't keep your mouth shut, all your stupidity will leak out." Despite all their drama, their 'insults' feel like hello and they both smile softly as Sakura whispers, "I still hate you…"

"As long as I get to see how strong you get, I don't care," Ino whispers back and Sakura smiles a little as Shikamaru, alongside Chōji walk to the gathering rookies.

"We heard you guys were taking the exam as well," Shikamaru states, looking around the gathering of the Rookie Nine with a somewhat reserved Chōji by his side eating from a bag of potato chips. "This is such a drag," Shikamaru huffs.

"I wonder which one of us'll make Chūnin first," Kiba eagerly calls with a confident smirk. 'Shikamaru,' Naruto off-handedly answers in his mind as he continues to look around the room and Kiba adds, "I bet our sensei's been training us harder than yours, Sasuke. This isn't going to be like in the Academy. I'll show you the true strength of a man!" Kiba looks at Ino, blushing a bit at the sight of her. Sasuke returns a simple grunt and arrogant smirk.

"I hope you're not all bark, Kiba," Chōji declares. "Because our team is stronger than ever." 'He's not wrong,' Ino thinks. Chōji's attitude has changed quite a bit and Ino's heard his home life is far more strict on him.

"I think as long as we try our best, we'll be happy with our results," Hinata unexpectedly shares with her former classmates, whom did not know how to respond to the usually quiet girl.

'Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, Yamanaka Ino, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, Aburame Shino, and Hyūga Hinata… They all have their quirks, but they're all good people Naru-nii becomes close friends with,' Naruto thinks as he looks throughout the large room of murderous faces for any redhead at this point. 'Why the hell can't I spot a redhead in this grungy-ass crowd?'

"Are- are you okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata-chan asks from behind him. Naruto recalls how worried about him she's been since their last dinner together.

It was really nice of her, so he nods and gives her a genuine, if not large, smile as he responds, "hey, Hinata-chan. Yeah, I'm doing okay, I guess. Thanks for asking," he answers as he wonders if it would be wrong to ask her to use her Byakugan to find Gaara. Shaking his head at the thought, he returns to his search, looking farther back in the long room.

"What's up with him," Shikamaru asks Sasuke as the Nara ponders the change in the generally loud blond.

"He's probably scared shitless," Kiba laughs, however Sakura and Sasuke know that isn't the case.

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