In the evening, Mutsuki headed home to his main city after finishing his studies at Tsunade's place.
"Are you going to buy something or not? If not, I'm closing up and heading home. You've been standing here for almost an hour," the vendor said with a pained expression, looking at the red-haired girl who was deep in thought in front of the cart.
Mei did not respond to the vendor. She was seriously contemplating which ice cream to buy—strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate.
Chocolate ice cream held a significant place in Mei's heart because it was the flavor she first tasted when she had ice cream, making her realize how delicious it could be.
Vanilla ice cream, although introduced later, quickly claimed the top spot on Mei's ice cream flavor ranking due to its refreshing taste.
As for the strawberry ice cream, it's a flavor Mei hasn't tried before, as she's never had strawberries, let alone strawberry ice cream.
With chocolate ice cream opening the door to the world of ice cream for her, and vanilla being her current favorite, the choice between these and the untried strawberry flavor is quite challenging. It feels like any option she picks would have its own strong justification.
Mutsuki, who happened to be on the same street, suggested, "Since you can't decide, why not buy a bit of each?"
He could somewhat understand her indecision because, in his past life, he would spend an hour choosing from takeout menus and often ended up selecting the first place he clicked on. However, he felt his situation was better than Mei's because he was choosing from a large selection of takeout, whereas she was simply choosing between three options.
"Is that really an option?" Mei's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Mutsuki, astonished by the suggestion. Was he a genius?
After considering it, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Since she's now a Ninja and doesn't need to ask someone else for money, she can buy as much as she wants. It felt like she had unlocked a new world of possibilities.
"Please give me two of each," Mei decided to buy six portions in total.
The ice cream vendor quickly prepared and bagged the six servings for Mei and handed them over.
If it weren't for the fact that he needed to go home for dinner, the vendor wouldn't have minded if Mei stood there all day. After all, having customers at the stall always felt better, but he still needed to close up.
Mutsuki continued on his way home.
He had only helped out because he happened to pass by, and it was a simple favor to do. He wasn't looking to have a long conversation with Mei, especially since she was a Mist Ninja.
Even though he felt little sense of belonging to Konoha, he still had to maintain his public identity.
"Excuse me, the person who looks very hot, please stop," Mei called out to Mutsuki.
Since Mutsuki was walking quickly, Mei, in her haste, ended up expressing her thoughts about him.
Mutsuki turned to look at Mei, unsure whether to consider her polite or rude. On one hand, she gave him a nickname casually; on the other hand, she used formal language.
"Here, consider this as payment for earlier," Mei said with a pained expression, handing the strawberry-flavored ice cream to Mutsuki.
Although Mutsuki was a Konoha Ninja, he was the one who had opened the door to a new world for her. Mei thought that Mutsuki, being a gentleman, probably wouldn't accept a gift from a mere Ninja village child. This way, she could repay Mutsuki's kindness and keep the ice cream, as it was something Mutsuki didn't want anyway.
"Thank you then," Mutsuki said with a smile as he accepted the ice cream.
He was very familiar with this kind of scenario. If he refused, there might be another twist to the situation, but if he just accepted and left, nothing else would happen.
After thanking her, Mutsuki turned and walked away, heading in the direction of his home.
Mei watched in astonishment as Mutsuki decisively walked away. This was not how she had imagined it; why wasn't he following the usual script? How could a gentleman accept ice cream from a nine-year-old child?
Mei instinctively reached out her right hand towards Mutsuki, but she was too embarrassed to call him back and ask for the ice cream. After all, she had given it to him herself.
"I'm really silly, really!" Mei's eyes gradually lost their sparkle as the ice cream she had been about to eat flew away.
"Maybe this strawberry ice cream isn't even that good," Mei comforted herself.
That way, her loss would be minimal, as she hadn't given away her favorite vanilla ice cream or the nostalgic chocolate ice cream.
Mei found a park, sat down on a bench, and began eating. She started with the vanilla ice cream, her favorite. As she took a big spoonful of vanilla ice cream, a genuine smile appeared on her face.
Although she originally planned to eat the chocolate ice cream second, she decided to try the strawberry ice cream she had never tasted before.
When she put a spoonful of strawberry ice cream, with bits of strawberry in it, into her mouth, her face lit up with surprise. She found it even more delicious than the vanilla flavor. However, after realizing something, her expression quickly turned to disappointment.
The good news was that the new flavor of ice cream was very tasty. The bad news was that she had given one away.
Even at night, lying in bed, Mei couldn't forget the golden-haired man's smile and the strawberry ice cream she handed over. She regretted not cherishing the two delicious strawberry ice creams when they were in front of her. If she had a chance to do it over again...
...
On the morning of July 1st, the Chunin Exam officially began.
Due to the large number of Ninjas coming to the Academy for the exam, including many from outside villages, the school gave the students a day off to avoid unnecessary incidents.
"Chunin Exam, huh? I didn't expect to participate so soon. A few months ago, Chunin seemed so distant," Genma remarked as he looked at the Academy gate.
A few months ago, he wasn't even a Genin, and Chunin seemed quite a distant and unreliable goal at that time.
"Just because we're participating doesn't mean we'll definitely become Chunin, and the only reason we're able to take the Chunin Exam is because of Guy," Ebisu said rationally.
Their team's situation was somewhat similar to Obito's. Guy's credentials and strength made Chen-sensei believe that passing the Chunin Exam was no problem, so he recommended them for the exam.
To prevent Genma and Ebisu from being disappointed, Chen-sensei had warned them in advance that while they were quite strong compared to their peers, becoming a Chunin would be very challenging. He advised them not to have high hopes for promotion, as having no expectations meant there would be no disappointment.
"Hehe." Genma put his arm around Ebisu and chuckled, "Everyone needs a dream. Kakashi became a Chunin at six; we're both nine now. Who knows, we might make it."
"Just give it your all in the exam. That way, even if you fail, you won't regret it," Guy said with a bright smile, giving the two a thumbs-up for encouragement.
Ebisu nodded. Despite his pessimistic words, since they were already taking the exam, he had to have some thoughts about it.
"Guy, you're taking the Chunin Exam too?" Obito waved and greeted Guy and his team.
"Yes, and you are too, right?" Genma smiled and nodded.
"Of course! Not only are we participating, but we're also aiming to pass on our first try and become Chunin," Obito replied with a big laugh.
Guy, seeing Kakashi approaching, was filled with fighting spirit and challenged him:
"My dear friend, let's have a contest full of youth and passion to see who gets a better score in the Chunin Exam."
"Sure, let's compare our scores in the first round," Kakashi said calmly, agreeing immediately.
"My youth is starting to burn!" Guy felt his blood boil with excitement at Kakashi's decisive agreement, eager for the exam to start.
Ebisu watched this scene with a sense of harmony but soon realized something was off, his expression becoming somewhat strange. He noticed that Kakashi, a Chunin, seemed to be participating in this Chunin Exam as well.
Realizing this, Ebisu noticed that Kakashi wasn't wearing his Chunin vest today.
Confused, Ebisu approached Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi, are you participating in this Chunin Exam with Obito and the others?"
Kakashi's expression was somewhat subtle. After a moment, he replied, "Yes, for various reasons, I will be participating in this Chunin Exam."
Ebisu's expression grew serious. He felt that his chances of becoming a Chunin had diminished even further, considering that a Chunin was participating in the exam.
"Looks like Kakashi is the only exception to the expectations," Ebisu sighed inwardly.
Genma and Guy didn't notice anything unusual and thought it was perfectly fine for Kakashi and Obito, as teammates, to participate in the Chunin Exam together.
As the exam start time approached and more and more Ninjas arrived at the Academy, Ebisu keenly observed that there were also Ninjas from other villages.
"Rain Ninja Village, Waterfall Ninja Village, Grass Ninja Village, and Mist Ninja Village," Ebisu identified their villages based on their headbands.
"You guys are participating in the Chunin Exam so soon?" Asuma greeted Obito and the others as they approached.
He had graduated last year and this was his first time participating in the Chunin Exam.
"Is that not allowed?" Obito scratched his head, puzzled.
Obito's question left Asuma stumped; it was also his first time participating, and he didn't know much about it.
"It doesn't really matter. Since I completed my special training, my strength has increased a lot. If you run into me in the later stages of the exam, you'll definitely be surprised," Asuma said confidently.
"I've also improved a lot," Obito said, sharing the same confidence as Asuma, except for the first theoretical exam.
The nine of them chatted casually as they walked towards the designated exam building. They entered the examination room and took their assigned seats.
With ten minutes remaining before the exam, the proctor senseis entered the classroom and began to announce the rules for the first stage of the Chunin Exam.
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