"Kankuro, stop embarrassing yourself over there."
A voice suddenly came from the side. With it, a powerful gust of wind and sand swept through the area. The sand surged like a torrent, quickly gathering into a massive sand dune that rolled toward Kankuro.
Pushed by the sand, the shuriken that had been firmly nailed to the wall began to loosen and were finally completely pulled out, allowing Kankuro to successfully free himself from the wire trap.
"I... Gaara!" Kankuro exclaimed, his tension instantly doubling as he saw his younger brother. His eyes widened, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, focusing intently on the person who had just arrived—Gaara.
Gaara stood there with his signature thick black circles around his eyes, which looked so dark they could be mistaken for heavy eyeliner.
"Gaara... the One-Tail Jinchūriki of Sunagakure," Sasuke murmured softly. He then glanced at Naruto standing beside him.
Both Naruto and Gaara were Jinchūriki, yet Gaara exuded a dangerous, violent aura that Naruto lacked. Sasuke wondered if the difference could be due to the inferior sealing techniques of Sunagakure compared to Konoha's Uzumaki clan, which excelled in that field.
"Let's go. We're not here to play around," Gaara said calmly as he walked over to Kankuro.
At that moment, Sakura suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!"
She noticed their forehead protectors and spoke up, "You're ninjas from Sunagakure, right? Even though the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies, according to the treaty, ninjas are not allowed to enter each other's territory without permission. What is your purpose here?"
Sasuke interrupted, explaining, "It might be because the Chunin Exams are about to be held. Sunagakure, as an ally of Konoha, could be co-hosting the exams with us this time."
Temari nodded and took out her pass, showing it to the group. "This handsome guy is right. We're Sunagakure's former Genin here to take part in the Chunin Selection Exam."
Hearing this, Naruto asked with a confused look, "Chunin Selection Exam? What's that?"
Sasuke sighed and explained seriously, "The Chunin Selection Exam is simply the exam to promote Genin to Chunin. Do you really not know this?"
Naruto's eyes lit up as he pounded his chest, saying, "Oh~ I get it now!"
But Sasuke smirked and teased, "Idiot Naruto, do you really understand?"
After separating from Gaara and his team, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura continued toward their meeting point with Kakashi.
"Oh, long time no see, everyone. Today I find myself at the crossroads of life, unsure of which path to take," Kakashi said dramatically as he suddenly appeared in front of them like a ghost.
"Stop lying!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison.
"Haha, just kidding," Kakashi chuckled. "But seriously, I have something important to tell you. I've recommended all three of you to the higher-ups for participation in the Chunin Exam. Here are your application forms."
Kakashi pulled out three forms from his pocket. "I have to warn you—the Chunin Exam is no joke. It's full of danger. Whether you decide to participate or not is entirely up to you."
"That's amazing, Kakashi-sensei! You're my savior! I love you so much!" Naruto couldn't contain his excitement and began dancing with joy.
"If any of you want to participate, just sign these forms. Five days from now, at three in the afternoon, report to classroom 301 at the academy," Kakashi instructed.
Meanwhile, Naruto was secretly thinking, *The Chunin Exam? I'll definitely face that person... and Sasuke. Hehe, as long as I pass this exam, my path to becoming Hokage will be clear! Got it!*
He began laughing to himself, lost in his own world.
Sasuke and Sakura, having known Naruto for so long, could easily guess what he was thinking just by looking at him.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and said dryly, "Naruto, it's better to save that thought for tonight when you're asleep. It's still daytime right now."
Naruto looked puzzled, scratching his head. "What do you mean, Sasuke?"
Sakura burst out laughing and explained, "You idiot, Naruto! Sasuke means you should save your dreams for nighttime instead of daydreaming during the day!"
Naruto suddenly understood and glared at Sasuke. "You bastard, Sasuke! Just wait—I'm going to beat you in the Chunin Exam!"
After their conversation ended, the three of them parted ways.
Sasuke headed toward the ninja tool shop, thinking to himself, *I want to learn some blacksmithing techniques so I can forge a suitable ninja sword for myself.*
Upon arriving at Tenten's family's ninja tool shop, Sasuke gently opened the door and walked inside. He immediately noticed a middle-aged man working busily—clearly, this was Tenten's father.
Sasuke approached him politely and asked, "Are you the owner? I'd like to have some ninja tools made."
Tenten's father looked up casually at Sasuke before responding calmly, "You want something custom-made? It won't come cheap."
"That's fine. Money isn't an issue. But I'd like to observe the forging process," Sasuke replied seriously.
"Alright, but it's a dull job. Don't expect it to be too exciting," Tenten's father said with a smile.
The thought that Sasuke might steal his blacksmithing techniques didn't even cross his mind. After all, if someone could master these skills just by watching, Tenten's father would have been out of business long ago.
Without hesitation, Tenten's father picked up his hammer and resumed his work. Hours passed, and the initial shape of the ninja sword began to emerge.
"That's all for today. Come back tomorrow to check on the progress," Tenten's father said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Blacksmithing was a physically demanding job, and it was rare to complete a whole sword in a single day.
Sasuke nodded. "Alright, I'll be back tomorrow."
What Tenten's father didn't realize was that while he was engrossed in his work, Sasuke had been silently observing with his Sharingan activated. The Sharingan's copy ability was an excellent learning tool, and Sasuke wasn't one to waste such a powerful resource.