Naruto, feeling like a king after another satisfying bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, walked Hinata back to the Hyuga Clan compound.
Of course, he did it as slowly as possible.
If he could stretch this walk into a two-hour event, he would.
But alas, the Hyuga compound was too close, and soon enough, he had to say goodbye to his beloved.
Not before squeezing her soft hands a little longer than necessary.
Not before making sure she turned three shades redder than a tomato.
And definitely not before watching her almost trip over thin air while running inside out of embarrassment.
Truly, life was good.
For the next few days, Naruto continued living his best life.
Training with Hinata. Holding hands while shopping. Watching movies.
Basically, being a smug boyfriend and enjoying every second of it.
Then came the morning of the Chunin Exam.
The moment of truth.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the second floor of the exam venue.
By the time they reached the entrance of Room 301, the place was already packed.
Foreign ninjas everywhere.
Different villages. Different headbands. Different fashion choices—some of them very questionable.
'Seriously, what was up with those weird spandex guys? And why did one guy look like he wrapped himself in toilet paper?'
Among the familiar faces, Naruto spotted:
Team Asuma: Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino.
Team Kurenai: Kiba, Shino, and Hinata 'his beloved~'.
Team Guy: Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten.
Naruto smirked.
Everything was happening just like in the original timeline.
Which meant one thing.
It was time to stir up trouble.
Before he could start, a soft voice called out.
"Naruto-kun, over here!"
Hinata walked up to him, her cheeks lightly flushed.
Naruto grinned and casually reached out—pinching her cheeks.
"Aww, why so red, Hinata? You're not getting sick, are you?"
"Naruto-kun… s-stop…"
Cue another level of redness.
Mission: Fluster Hinata success.
Of course, the moment of cuteness was rudely interrupted by Kiba.
"Yo, Naruto, you bastard! How the hell did you bag the only girl in our class?"
Akamaru barked twice in agreement.
Naruto smirked. "What can I say? Some guys are just born with talent."
Before Kiba could punch him, Shino finally spoke.
"Actually, Kiba, even if Hinata wasn't with Naruto… you still wouldn't have had a chance."
Kiba blinked. "What?"
Shino adjusted his collar dramatically. "Because you reek of dog."
Naruto choked back laughter.
Kiba exploded. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU FREAKING BUG MAN?!"
"You heard me," Shino replied smoothly. "Girls don't want to date someone who smells like a wet mutt 24/7."
"BAKA!!" Kiba clenched his fists. "As if your bugs are any better!"
Shino pushed up his glasses. "My kikaichu are actually very clean."
Kiba looked seconds away from starting a dog vs. bug battle.
Shikamaru, looking like he regretted showing up, casually strolled forward.
"Man… what a drag. Haven't seen you in months, Naruto, and you're still causing trouble."
Choji, munching on a bag of chips, nodded. "But yeah, heard you got stronger."
Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Tch, 'stronger' is an understatement."
Right on cue, Ino rushed past them.
Not towards Naruto.
Not towards Kiba.
But straight to Sasuke, latching onto his arm.
"Sasuke-kun! It's been too long! Have you missed me?"
Sakura's forehead veins instantly popped out.
"INO-PIG! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HIM!"
And just like that, Catfight No. 475 between Ino and Sakura began.
Enter the Glasses Gu
Just as things were getting fun, a certain glasses-wearing, fake-smiling, suspicious-as-hell ninja walked up to them.
"You're the nine rookies from Konoha, aren't you?"
His tone was just the right amount of condescending to be annoying.
Naruto immediately didn't like him.
"Wow, you guys look so… happy. Like this is a school field trip."
Everyone frowned.
Ino crossed her arms. "Who the hell are you?"
The man adjusted his glasses. Glint.
"Me? I'm Kabuto Yakushi."
Naruto rolled his eyes. Great. This guy.
'Oh yeah, totally just a normal guy and not a snake-loving double agent working for Orochimaru.'
Sure.
Totally believable.
Kabuto continued his helpful explanation, gesturing towards the gathered foreign ninjas.
"You see, you might wanna tone it down. A lot of these guys don't like happy little rookies like you."
Naruto scoffed.
"Eh, let them come."
Kabuto blinked. "…What?"
"I said, let them come."
Naruto dramatically cracked his knuckles.
"I dare them."
Several nearby foreign ninja turned their heads.
Some narrowed their eyes.
Some gritted their teeth.
Some looked like they were this close to throwing hands.
[ Tosaka anger value +56 ]
[ Zaku Abumi anger value +49 ]
[ Kin Tsuchi anger value +52 ]
Naruto smirked. Bingo.
'Damn. Publicly showing off is actually a great way to farm anger points.'
He immediately decided to push harder.
"What? None of you have the guts?" Naruto grinned wider. "I get it. You're all from tiny little villages, right? Must be scary seeing a real ninja up close."
Several people cracked their knuckles.
[ Kankuro anger value +99 ]
[ Gaara anger value +67 ]
[ Misumi Tsurugi anger value +36 ]
"KNOCK IT OFF, NARUTO!" Ino smacked him on the arm.
"Yeah!" Sakura nodded furiously. "You wanna die before the exam even starts?!"
Naruto coughed.
Okay, maybe he did go a little overboard.
But the points, though.
Still worth it.
Bad Vibes Incoming
On cue, a trio of very angry-looking ninjas approached.
They looked like they had just crawled out of a trash can.
The leader was wrapped in bandages like a discount mummy.
His teammates looked like they hadn't showered in a week.
Naruto smirked. "Oh? What's this? A bunch of background characters looking for attention?"
The mummy-man's one visible eye twitched.
"Oh, we're about to give you plenty of attention, brat."
And just like that—things were about to get real.
(End of Chapter 38)