Outside the alley.
Temari and the other two stood in the sunlight, but they were completely stunned. Even Gaara retracted his killing intentand looked at Naruto in the shadows with fear.
"Let's go!" Temari whispered urgently, no longer caring about anything else at the moment.
She quickly grabbed the hands of her two rebellious brothers, not looking back as she hurriedly led them out of the alley. It wasn't until they had gone a considerable distance that she released them, gasping for breath.
"What was that?" Kankuro, whose face was painted with purple striped camouflage, asked, his eyes vacant and his hand trembling as it supported him against the wall.
Kankuro, still rational, knew that Gaara standing beside him was also a monster and that the term 'monster' was taboo, so he didn't say anything harmful or unnecessary.
"The Kyubi." Temari, with her entire body trembling, said. Her legs were so tense that they were still spasming.
"How could there be such a terrifying thing in Konoha?" Kankuro recalled the scene moments ago, his purple lips quivering incessantly.
"Kyubi?" At this moment, the Jonin leading the Sunagakure Team had already stood beside them. He frowned and glanced at the three, "How is it possible? You must have been tricked by that brat."
"Tricked?" Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances, but Gaara didn't react at all and still stood there indifferently.
"Baki-sensei, what do you mean?" Temari asked anxiously, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Baki, the Jonin referred to by Temari, wore a stern expression, dressed in black tight-fitting clothes with a brown Sunagakure's Jonin vest over it.
He had a piece of white cloth draped over half of his head, covering the left side of his face. His tone was serious and somewhat authoritative.
"You don't need to worry too much." Baki said, "Kyubi reappeared in Konoha more than a decade ago. It is believed that the mature Jinchuriki is already dead."
"The current Konoha's Jinchuriki is just an ordinary kid who can't control the power of the Biju at all."
Having said this, Baki paused, looked at his three students and continued, "What you described was a Biju Transformation. That is something that only a Perfect Jinchuriki can do. If Konoha really had such a Jinchuriki, how could we have continued the Konoha Crush Plan?"
"Sensei, are you saying that kid can't really control the Kyubi and just pretended to use Biju Transformation to scare us?" Temari asked in surprise.
"Of course, otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that the village's most important Jinchuriki just happened to pass by you?" Baki nodded.
His eyes seemed to see through Konoha's conspiracy, and he showed a stiff smile as if he had comprehended everything.
"The Chunin Exams are a competition to showcase the new generation's strength from various villages. How could Konoha miss this great opportunity to intimidate our Sunagakure?"
"I see." Kankuro nodded. Although he still felt something was wrong, he felt it was unimportant.
Since a Jonin like Baki said so, and their ally for this cooperation had very reliable intelligence, there is naturally no reason to doubt it.
Temari also breathed a sigh of relief, then gritted her teeth and said viciously, "That guy actually dared to trick us. He better not fall into my hands in the future!"
Gaara, who had remained indifferent, merely glanced at them coldly, but did not speak to correct them.
The moment he lowered his head, his eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
Gaara knew best whether that was the pressure from a Biju, and there was no doubt about it, it was the Kyubi.
…
The next day, a heavy rain poured down in Konoha.
Led by Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke headed to the Hokage Tower to submit their Chunin Exam application forms. The three of them walked in the rain holding umbrellas.
Under the pink umbrella, Sakura broke the silence and mustered up the courage to ask Kakashi, whose back was ahead of them, "Kakashi-sensei, why can't Naruto take the Chunin Exam with us?"
Kakashi stopped upon hearing her question and turned to look at Sakura.
"It's Hokage-sama's order, there's nothing we can do about it."
"But…" Sakura swallowed, her fingers gripping the umbrella handle turning white in the downpour, "we're a team, aren't we?"
The sound of the rain drowned out most external noises, forcing Sakura to shout so that Kakashi could hear her.
Raindrops soaked the tips of her pink hair. Her voice trembled slightly with hesitation, "You taught us, Kakashi-sensei, that we are a team. So... so we shouldn't just leave Naruto behind!"
Sasuke also stopped and frowned slightly. Although he didn't say anything, his gaze toward Kakashi conveyed his agreement.
"Even if this is the order of Hokage-sama? Are you going to disobey it?" Kakashi asked, looking down at Sakura without emotion.
"Perhaps your and Sasuke's qualification for the exam will also be affected. Even so, will you still insist?"
"I…" Sakura hesitated upon hearing Sasuke might be affected too.
Kakashi ignored Sakura's hesitation. He single eye swept over Sasuke and Sakura, and he asked them in a serious tone, "The Chunin Exams is the only way for a Genin to become a Chunin. It is also the fastest way for you to become a Chunin. After becoming a Chunin, both the mission rewards and the resources you'll receive are many times those of a Genin."
"You all have your goals, don't you? Isn't it better to achieve them sooner? The Chunin Exams this time is in Konoha, our home ground. It's a rare opportunity."
"If you wanted to wait for another chance like this, it might be a while. By then, your peers from the Academy might already be Jonin."
"Even so, will you still insist?"
Boom!
Lightning flashed through the rain, and the sound of the downpour grew louder, the raindrops hitting the umbrella seemed to be questioning their consciences.
Sakura and Sasuke both fell into silence, allowing the sound of rain to be infinitely amplified.
"It's okay." Kakashi spoke again, "The order not to participate in this Chunin Exam was personally given by Sandaime Hokage-sama. It is not something you can change."
"Let's go, or we'll be late."
As he said that, Kakashi had already turned around and was walking forward with his tactical boots splashing in the puddles.
"I…" Sakura couldn't help but cry. She remembered the first time the three of them shared information, and Naruto's words of comfort to her.
"There's nothing wrong with being an ordinary person..."
"Sakura, your strength isn't in combat. You don't need to overextend yourself. Sasuke and I handle the fighting."
Sakura couldn't hold back any longer, and tears welled up in her eyes as she lowered her head and sobbed. She regretted her moment of hesitation, knowing Naruto had never wavered in such moments.
"Kakashi-sensei! I… I still want to take the Chunin Exams with Naruto!" Sakura raised her head and shouted out.
Tears blurred her vision, and she wasn't sure if Kakashi had already walked far away or if the heavy rain had drowned out her words.
The sound of footsteps splashing through water approached, and Sakura felt a warm hand rest on her head. When she looked up, she saw Kakashi's smiling eye, and he said gently, "I agreed."
"You are indeed exceptional. Sasuke has already told me, and Sakura, you've done very well."