Strike First, Strike Hard

"You've got such a lazy attitude, don't you think?" Ino commented.

"I just became a Genin, I didn't expect to become a Chunin so quickly," Naruto replied honestly. "Chunin missions are more troublesome, right?"

Ino facepalmed, speechless.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, agreed with Naruto, nodding.

"I really hate troublesome things."

....

The exam started with the first written test.

Naruto sat beside Hinata, yawning as he glanced over the paper in front of him. The main question was a free-fall physics problem, and the multiple-choice questions were just general knowledge.

If he were to attempt it, he'd mostly be guessing, but Naruto didn't even touch his pen.

He rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes. Anyway, it didn't matter what was on the paper. The proctor, that pervert, would surely set up some sort of "Will of Fire" test to evaluate the candidates' trust in their teammates.

So boring. Who would be moved to tears by the so-called "Will of Fire"?

The test ended, and sure enough, Naruto breezed through the first round of the Chunin exam with a blank paper. The principle behind the written test was simple—six words: never give up, never abandon.

Naruto did nothing and easily passed into the second round.

Amai Akane burst into the exam room, wearing a fishnet-lined coat with no sign of gaining weight, still youthful with plenty of collagen in her face.

"You guys, it's just the first round of the exam! What are you so happy about?"

"You don't have time for me to prepare. The second round of the exam starts in twenty minutes, at training ground 44!"

With a loud bang, she disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

A few scattered sighs could be heard. The candidates were confused and helpless, standing up and heading toward training ground 44.

"Hinata, let's go," Kiba called from a distance, with a dog on his head.

"Okay," Hinata replied, blushing as she turned to Naruto and quietly said, "Naruto-kun, I'm going ahead."

"Okay, Hinata, see you later," Naruto waved.

"Naruto! Over here, you'll be left behind!" Sakura called from the door.

"Coming."

....

Outside the Forest of Death, Naruto noticed that Kabuto, far off in the distance, seemed to be staring at him, or more accurately, his gaze was fixed on Sasuke.

"That guy with glasses seems a little strange. He could be a rogue ninja from Konoha," Naruto said, not hiding his annoyance as he pointed directly at Kabuto.

"Why doesn't the Anbu check the candidates properly?"

His loud comment caused everyone around to glance over, making Team 7 the center of attention.

"Naruto, what are you saying?"

Sakura lowered her head, too embarrassed to look around, and asked quietly.

"I'm not saying anything wrong," Naruto whispered, pulling the other two closer so only they could hear. "Be careful of those Sound ninjas."

He meant it casually, just a word of warning.

Noticing the commotion, proctor Amai Akane walked over to Naruto.

"Candidates, no disturbing the exam!"

She looked around at everyone and continued.

"Anyone who hasn't collected their scroll yet, come get them. The rules for this exam are simple—teams with the Heaven and Earth scrolls must reach the central tower of the Forest of Death within five days to pass. If a team member dies or becomes unable to fight, the team fails. Also, you are not allowed to open the scrolls."

"Those who understand, come collect your scrolls quickly!"

With her urging, the tension eased, and no one seemed to care about Naruto's earlier words.

Naruto scoffed and glanced at Kabuto's direction before heading to get his scroll.

With a squeaky sound, the rusty iron gate of training ground 44 creaked open. The candidates who had collected their scrolls entered in order, picking different directions to go, with some joining teams they had been eyeing.

Team 7 randomly chose a direction and walked for a while, eventually hiding in a bush to discuss the most important issue at hand:

Who should carry the scroll?

The exam rules were simple—of the 26 teams, half would carry the Heaven scroll, the other half the Earth scroll. The winning team had to gather both the Heaven and Earth scrolls and survive without any serious injuries by day five.

Thus, who carried the scroll became very important.

"Sakura, you should take it," Naruto said.

"Me?" Sakura was clearly flustered. "But what if I lose it?"

"It's fine. If it really comes to that, just hand it over," Naruto said. "Sasuke and I can protect ourselves, and if you carry the scroll, at least there's some backup. It's just an exam, no need to gamble with your life."

"But..."

"No buts," Naruto waved his hand. "I feel like something's off with this Chunin exam. Be careful, and if we run into enemies, just throw the scroll and run."

Sasuke caught the hidden meaning behind Naruto's words and frowned.

"You're planning to act alone?"

"What?" Sakura was completely confused.

They had just signed a waiver outside the exam venue, meaning even if they died in the Forest of Death, no one would intervene. Now Naruto was saying he was going solo? That meant Team 7 would only have two members left.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, looking seriously at the two of them. "I have something to do. You guys wait for me here."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked. "Isn't it easier to act together than alone?"

"Just leave it," Naruto smiled. "I promise I'll be back before dark. It'll be inconvenient with all three of us."

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances.

"You're going to steal the scroll, right?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes. "Before the exam, you told us to watch out for Sound ninjas. So you had your eye on them from the start?"

"Sound ninjas?"

Sakura was shocked, then immediately worried again.

"I'll explain when I get back," Naruto said, jumping away.

After leaving Team 7 behind, Naruto's expression turned cold, and his eyes were filled with indifference. If he didn't deal with those Sound ninjas now, they would remain a problem, and they'd eventually come after Sasuke.

Rather than wait for them to make a move, it was better to strike first and settle things, so he could safely get through the next few days.

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