The intensity of Moonlight Gai's reaction left Naruto momentarily speechless.
Wait, wait...
I was just joking around.
Don't tell me there's an actual dark secret behind this?
Naruto had only meant to give Moonlight Gai a reason to lay low for a few days...
But...
Judging from Gai's reaction, it really did look like there was something going on.
Could it be that Gai's girlfriend Yugao found him lacking… and ended up cheating on him?
Hiss—
Naruto leaned back, sucking in a breath at the thought.
Moonlight Gai covered his face, tears streaming down while his constant coughing added to the pitiful scene.
"Sniff... Cough, cough!"
Seeing him like this, Naruto couldn't help but feel sorry. He quickly reached out to pat Gai on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. But, as usual, Naruto's mouth worked faster than his brain.
"Gai-sensei... even flowers that have withered can bloom again. If you—well, maybe it's for the best... she was going to leave eventually."
"Wahhh—!!"
"Bwaaaaahh!!"
Naruto's words hit a nerve. The mention of that only made Gai cry louder.
"Uh... maybe it's all just a misunderstanding?"
Realizing he'd touched a sensitive subject, Naruto didn't dare continue. He feared that the poor man with tuberculosis might keel over from heartbreak even before the illness took him.
"Naruto... why? Why is this happening to me?"
"I... I..."
In his grief, Moonlight Gai rambled on, pouring out his heart. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't know how to respond. He was just a clueless blonde—what advice could he give to a man's love troubles?
Eventually, after wiping away his tears, Gai ran off to talk to the Third Hokage. Soon after, he quickly left the Chunin Exams arena.
Naruto was left with mixed feelings.
Well, Gai-sensei probably wouldn't die anytime soon...
But why did it feel like he was suffering more than if he had died?
Hmm...
Hopefully, Yugao wasn't actually cheating on him.
An hour later, the third match of the day was set to begin.
This time, the match was between Gaara and Rock Lee.
Since the proctor, Moonlight Gai, had left—likely to catch his cheating girlfriend—the proctor for this match had been replaced by a scar-faced Jonin from the village.
Naruto, however, wasn't too interested in the fight.
He had already seen this match before. It wasn't exciting anymore. The only notable part was Rock Lee's brief moment of glory. After that, well... Lee would be benched for a while.
As the battle raged on in the arena below, Naruto, feeling bored, let his mind drift into the seal space to mess with the fox demon residing within him.
"Ah—"
"So many memories..."
Jiraiya walked through the streets of Konoha with a nostalgic look on his face. Every corner of the village brought back memories of his time with Orochimaru and Tsunade.
"It's Lord Jiraiya!"
"Lord Jiraiya has returned!"
"Thank heavens!"
"Hahaha, this is amazing!"
The older villagers who recognized his signature white hair began to cheer loudly, excitement filling the air.
There was a rumor that circulated through Konoha: as long as Lord Jiraiya was around, he could keep that blonde brat in check.
No exaggeration, before Jiraiya's return, because of that blonde's antics, the village's metaphorical sky had been dark for far too long.
But now that Lord Jiraiya had returned...
The skies over Konoha had brightened once more!
As he walked by, even the ninjas in the street began to line up, bowing in respect.
"Lord Jiraiya, thank you for your hard work!"
Seeing this, the villagers rushed out of their homes with gifts—eggs, fish, meat—all being shoved into Jiraiya's arms.
Of course, not a single person mentioned the name of a certain blonde troublemaker.
Faced with such an outpouring of enthusiasm, even the thick-skinned Jiraiya felt overwhelmed.
Wait a minute...
It's not like I've been gone that long...
Why does it feel like the villagers are acting way too enthusiastic?
"Enough, enough!"
"I can't carry all this. You guys should really head home."
While trying to return the gifts, Jiraiya was forced to accept many of them anyway. As he continued through the streets, he couldn't help but feel like he was more popular than even the Hokage.
The ninjas around him had clearly done their homework.
"Lord Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin! What an honor to meet you!"
"Yes! I've heard about your feats ever since I was a kid!"
"And not to forget, your books! I'm a huge fan."
They surrounded Jiraiya, showering him with praise, each word inflating his already bloated ego.
"Ha ha ha!"
"I didn't realize I was this famous in the village!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Jiraiya laughed, scratching his head in a display of exaggerated humility, though it was clear he was enjoying the attention.
However, what he didn't yet realize was just how deep the issue ran.
After about ten minutes of relentless flattery, Jiraiya finally waved everyone away, telling them to go about their day so as not to block the street. Then, with a grin, he quietly slipped toward a certain bathhouse.
"Mmm... I haven't done research in ages."
"But, come to think of it..."
"It's been years since I've been back to the village, and yet the people of Konoha are still as warm and welcoming as ever!"
Jiraiya chuckled to himself, pulling a miniature telescope from his pocket as he approached the bathhouse, a mischievous gleam in his eye.
Originally, he had planned to meet with the old man Hokage first, but after hearing that the Hokage was in the Forest of Death, he figured he could pay him a visit later.
After all, he was already back in the village. A little detour wouldn't hurt...
"The seventh match, Hyuga Hinata, wins!"
Naruto nearly popped his eyes out of his head as he watched Hinata from the stands.
The individual matches of the second exam were almost over, and as expected, his future wife had gone up against her cousin.
Neji, true to the original storyline, had glared daggers at Naruto before the fight, then launched into a long-winded speech before the match began.
But once the fight started...
Neji found himself pounded into the ground, utterly defeated by Hinata's Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Naruto wasn't too surprised by this outcome.
After all, while Hinata might not have the same overpowered abilities that he and Sasuke had, her strength was still the best among her peers thanks to his training.
However...
As Hinata mercilessly pummeled her cousin, Naruto couldn't help but notice a faint blue glow flickering in her left eye.
That blue light reminded him a bit of Boruto's Jougan.
Naruto was already beginning to worry about whether his future wife might end up beating him senseless once they were married.
Watching Hinata catch her breath in the arena, the glow in her eye faded. To the untrained eye, it would seem like nothing more than a reflection from the arena lights.
Naruto watched her for a while, realizing that she hadn't fully awakened whatever power was stirring within her. But at this rate, it wouldn't be long before she did.
At that moment, Sasuke walked up beside Naruto and quietly asked, "Hinata's eyes...?"
While others hadn't noticed, Sasuke had activated his Sharingan and spotted the anomaly right away.
"It's something like your Mangekyo."
"Don't mention it to anyone."
"Got it."
The two of them whispered conspiratorially, their shoulders nearly touching, completely unaware that Sakura and Hinata had walked up behind them...