After receiving clearance from the nurse to return home, Naruto began noticing an increasing number of foreign shinobi roaming the streets of Konoha. Meanwhile, Team 7 was assigned the usual string of mind-numbing D-rank missions. Though their hearts were still shaken by the disastrous events in the Land of Waves, the three young genin had tasted what it meant to be real shinobi—no longer mere errand boys chasing lost pets.
Their team dynamics had changed significantly. Sakura remained largely passive, but Sasuke began to notice something unsettling: Naruto was slowly surpassing him. The orange-haired prankster had become more agile, more reactive. No longer just a one-trick pony relying on shadow clones, Naruto had expanded his jutsu repertoire and transformed into someone much harder to ignore.
Around that time, the Jōnin leaders of Konoha's genin teams were summoned by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. As Chūnin Exams were announced. Kakashi, along with Kurenai and Asuma, nominated their respective teams for participation, and ignored all opposing voices.
Naruto and his teammates were informed just one day before the registration deadline. With no time to prepare, they had no choice but to go. None of them wanted to be stuck doing low-paying D-rank missions for months—especially without knowing when the next opportunity would come.
When they arrived at the designated building, it was packed. A crowd had gathered in front of a doorway. Just as Team 7 stepped in, they saw a girl with twin buns styled hair knocked to the ground by an older ninja armed with an array of weapons. He was trying to intimidate the younger genin into giving up.
"I will pass the exam," said Sasuke Uchiha coolly. "Now drop the illusion. It's not working. This isn't the third floor, I need to get to the real room!"
Murmurs spread through the crowd. The ninja guarding the door looked surprised and, after a brief pause, admitted Sasuke was right—they had used a genjutsu to test potential candidates.
As Sasuke turned to Sakura to confirm his deduction and encourage her—since she looked visibly distracted—the older ninja suddenly launched a surprise attack. Sasuke prepared to counter it, but before the strike could land, another young ninja jumped in. He had a bowl haircut, thick eyebrows, and wore a green jumpsuit. With a calm face, he stopped two kicks barehanded.
Unfortunately, Naruto had already acted. Using Chōjitae, a physical enhancement technique from his Gesso Garu, paired with Ken Chōgeki, its sixth form, he launched forward with speed and precision. Silent and focused, Naruto struck like a missile as the green-clad ninja didn't expect anyone else to move so fast—or so decisively.
With a tremendous boom, Naruto shoulder-slammed the hostile ninja into the wall. The man crumpled, unconscious. Silence fell. The crowd made way for Naruto as he calmly walked back to his team. Sakura and Sasuke stared, stunned, as murmurs of admiration rippled through the hall.
A boy with long black hair and pale, almost white eyes stepped forward and asked for the name of the orange-haired genin, but before Naruto could answer, Sakura grabbed both of her teammates by the wrists and pulled them toward the registration room, eager to avoid any further commotion.
There, Kakashi greeted them with his usual aloof calm. He confirmed that only three genin were required to take the exam, and if Sakura had refused to participate, the entire team would've been disqualified.
Inside the exam room, over sixty genin had already gathered. Some sat chatting, others stood catching up with friends. Ino greeted Sasuke with a surprise hug, while several former classmates approached to talk.
A silver-haired genin named Kabuto introduced himself as an information broker. He offered to sell intel to naive candidates, but before he could peddle his "snake oil," he was attacked—right after Naruto had loudly taunted the room, stirring up tension.
While Kabuto was recovering from the unexpected assault and his upended lunch, the exam proctors arrived.
Leading them was Ibiki Morino, a terrifying presence with a scar-covered face and cold eyes. He wasted no time establishing authority, immediately threatening the genin from the Hidden Sound Village with disqualification.
The entire room went silent. His intimidation worked.
The first test began: a written exam.
For Naruto, it was a nightmare. A cold dread settled over him, desperate, he searched for help from the little fox—but the voice had been silent since the strange events in Uzagi Land. Alone and overwhelmed, Naruto stared at the exam paper as the minutes dragged on.
An hour later, his paper was still blank.