Konoha: Starting with a sign-in for Hashirama cells

"What's yours is mine. Don't forget I pay for my meals, so you have to take care of my food." Sakura said, snatching Naruto's chopsticks away and slurping them down.

"I have something to do later and I'm in a hurry, so cook another serving."

Naruto remained silent.

Sakura finished her meal, soup and all, and casually put down her chopsticks, wiping her mouth with a tissue: "Ahem, I'm not coming back tonight. I'll be staying at Ino's house."

"Don't worry, if I say a single word to her about betraying you, I'll make sure I can't catch up with Sasuke and I have to marry you."

Naruto, who was about to say something, immediately shut up upon hearing Sakura's solemn oath and nodded in satisfaction.

After Sakura left, Naruto cooked another bowl of instant noodles. After eating, he felt a little sleepy and wanted to lie down on the tatami mat for a nap.

"What time is it? Still want to take a nap..."

I cannot relax until I become the strongest ninja in the world.

With that thought in mind, Naruto got up, strapped on the weights, and forced his heavy eyelids open to begin his workout.

There's a cooldown period for signing in, so you can't rely on it entirely; you still have to rely on your own efforts.

~~~

"What! He did that on purpose to disgust me, so I'll avoid him from now on?"

Ino was dumbfounded when she heard Sakura vividly imitating Naruto's tone and repeating Naruto's words verbatim.

“I told you Naruto wouldn’t do something like that, and even if he did, there would be a reason,” Sakura said.

“I’ve known him for years, how could I be wrong? See, it’s just as I thought.”

"What?!" Ino rolled her eyes and retorted, "Who is this person who got so angry after hearing what I said that they ran off to find Naruto without saying a word?"

Sakura blushed and muttered softly, "I... I was just thinking it to myself. Actually, I believed him. I didn't beat him up as soon as we met. I gave him time to explain."

"That makes sense then." Ino carefully recalled what had happened back then.

"He pinned me against the wall, pretending to kiss me, but I pushed him away. It was obvious he didn't use much force, and he didn't chase after me or try to explain anything... um..."

"What's wrong with you?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

Why are you suddenly clutching your chest for no reason?

"I don't know either. Just thinking about Naruto makes my heart pound and I can't calm it down," Ino said anxiously. "Do you think I might have a heart condition?"

"I don't think so, your physique is so great," Sakura said hesitantly.

"Forget it, since it's a misunderstanding, then keep trying." Ino shook her head, trying not to think about Naruto, and went to bed.

"I won't get involved; I'll just offer you advice from behind the scenes."

"Originally, in order to prevent him from becoming suspicious, I had to continue to support him for a period of time. Now, I can cut it off directly."

"Ino, thank you for what happened to me," Sakura said.

"No need to thank me. If I were in trouble, you would do your best to help me too, wouldn't you?" Ino said with a smile.

“Of course, my goal is Naruto, and in the process, I can also help you pursue Sasuke,” Sakura said.

"Next time there's a date like today, you should come along too, and I'll help you out from the side."

"Trust Naruto, he'll definitely create an opportunity for me to be alone with Sasuke. Then, I'll transfer everything to you, and then..."

The talking stopped abruptly.

Sakura looked at Ino, who was making a pause gesture, with a puzzled expression.

"Don't mention Naruto, my heart is pounding," Ino sighed.

"That's outrageous! We can't even mention it?" Sakura was dumbfounded.

"What do you think?" Ino said irritably.

"Two scares! Twice! Especially the last one, there was something inside Naruto's body that almost killed me!"

"This feeling is difficult to describe in words. At the time, I was in a spiritual state, which involved the spiritual level. Even I myself did not understand it."

"I told my dad, and he seems to know something, but he won't tell me. He just told me not to use secret techniques on Naruto anymore. Sigh..."

"What impact will this have?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Last time I had nightmares for several days, but I don't know about this time," Ino shook her head.

"I'm sorry, it's all because of me," Sakura whispered.

"It's okay, it's okay. As long as Naruto isn't mentioned, I'm perfectly normal, nothing's changed." Ino smiled and hugged Sakura.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm so tired. I'll take a nap. We can talk about it when I wake up."

Upon hearing this, Sakura hesitated, but ultimately said nothing and instead hugged Ino.

Gradually, I drifted off to sleep.

three days later.

Team 7 headed to the Hokage Building's mission office, where they were to accept a D-rank mission, as usual.

Subordinates can only offer suggestions; the real power of choice and decision-making lies with the Jonin in charge.

"I've done quite a few D-rank missions already, do you have the guts to try a C-rank mission?" Kakashi asked casually.

Since the three of them hadn't mentioned it, and with the Chunin Exams fast approaching, he had no choice but to bring it up himself.

"Not interested." Naruto.

"No time," Sasuke said.

Sakura looked around and whispered, "I want to prepare some more."

"..." Kakashi.

Are kids these days so negative about challenging tasks?

With the Hokage Building in sight, Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "It's like this, the Chunin Exams are about to be held, and this year's venue is our Konoha Village."

"One of the many conditions for participating in the Chunin Exams is that you must have completed at least one mission of rank C or higher."

"This is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, you'll have to wait until the next one, and it will be held in a different location."

Naruto was surprised to learn that the Chunin Exams had this rule.

"How is it?" Kakashi asked, glancing sideways.

"I have no objection." Naruto.

"Yeah." Sasuke.

"..." Sakura.

"Me too, I can too." Sakura.

Upon entering the Hokage Building, specifically the mission area, I found the Third Hokage there as well.

Since it was Kakashi who made the suggestion, he must have had his own considerations, and there was no intention to argue. The Third Hokage nodded in approval.

Tazna walked in, reeking of alcohol and completely drunk.

Naruto, marveling at the incredible twists of fate, listened to Kakashi announce the meeting time and place, and then prepared to go home to pack his things for the long trip.

"What are you doing following me? Aren't you going home to prepare things? Aren't you going to tell your uncle and aunt?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Huh? Yes! Oh!" Sakura realized what was happening, gave an awkward laugh, changed direction, and ran away quickly.

"I feel like she's been acting strange these past few days." Naruto rubbed his chin, unable to put it into words. It was as if she'd become dumber, or as if she was hiding something.

Chapter 44 Naruto: You've taken the wrong path.

Hyuga family.

A training dojo.

I can't count how many times I've been knocked to the ground.

Hinata shook her head and immediately got up.

After quickly adjusting his state and stabilizing his breathing, he gathered the newly refined chakra in his hand and charged towards his father, who was his sparring partner.

Riji remained expressionless.

His eldest daughter's personality, which he had always struggled with and was powerless to change, has now, for some unknown reason, begun to change.

The result, however, greatly satisfied him.

Being a little clumsy doesn't matter; diligence can make up for it. As long as you're willing to put in the effort, you can still stand out from the crowd.

Furthermore, the eldest daughter's unusually high level of eye-rolling is also something to look forward to.

"That's enough, take a break and come back later," Hiashi said.

"No, I can still move." Hinata got up again: "Unless I'm so exhausted that I can't move, I won't stop no matter what happens."

"Take a break from work, and listen to me," Hiashi said.

Hinata assumed the Gentle Fist stance: "Please, Father."

knock knock knock.

knocking.

Then the door was pulled open from the outside.

The maid from the branch family spoke up: "Lady Hinata, a few days ago, a girl named Naruko came to see you."

"Father is right, then I'll rest for a bit." Hinata said, bowing to her father and slowly walking out of the dojo.

"..." Rizu.

Suddenly you understood?

Just a moment ago, they seemed unwilling to give up.

It seems that what my father said still carries a lot of weight.

As soon as she was out of her father's sight, Hinata sped up and ran all the way out.

As she walked down the corridor, she noticed her reflection in the glass window. After a brief silence, she turned around and ran back to her own courtyard.