Although both the lottery box and the wooden balls used for drawing lots had been personally crafted by Tenzo, which made it a breeze for him to do some sleight of hand if necessary, Tenzo—completely unaware of the sour vinegar jar bubbling in Naruto's heart—was a little baffled when Naruto suddenly made such an odd request.
"Have me in the same group as Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata?"
Tenzo had been about to ask Naruto what he meant, his face filled with confusion, when he caught sight of Naruto's unusually serious expression. That caused him to pause and reevaluate, mistakenly assuming that Naruto was making this strange request to help with the smooth execution of a secret plan. Convinced by his own assumptions and driven by instinctive obedience, Tenzo nodded slightly and lowered his voice to reply with a quiet promise.
"I didn't expect you to not only go through the trouble of preparing the exam questions, but to also think so deeply about your subordinates even during the exam itself... Understood. I've received the request loud and clear. Please rest assured—everything will proceed just as you wish."
"Huh...? Oh! Yes, yes, exactly! Hearing you say that puts me at ease. I knew I could count on you! Haha, hahahaha…"
Caught in the gaze of Tenzo's earnest admiration, Naruto could only respond with a slightly awkward laugh. Feeling guilty under Tenzo's warm gaze, Naruto turned around quickly after pulling out a wooden ball from the box with a random swipe of his hand. The corner of his mouth twitched as he mumbled to himself internally.
'Thinking of him? Was I? Why don't I even know what part of that request was supposed to be considerate to him... Tenzo must've misunderstood something again, right???'
"Hm? Is something wrong? Do you have any other instructions? If so, please give them. I'll do everything in my power—"
"Ah—ah, no no! I was just thinking about what to do next, that's all! Haha…"
Flustered by Tenzo's well-meaning question, Naruto hurriedly turned back around, waving it off with forced laughter.
'I really need to find time to teach him some basic common sense... With that straightforward personality, one day someone's going to sell him out, and he'll help count the money while smiling.'
After a brief pause, to prevent Tenzo from getting the wrong idea again, Naruto turned back toward the platform, where the examinees were anxiously waiting. Glancing at the number written on the wooden ball in his hand, he smoothed out the awkwardness on his face and replaced it with a smug grin. Then, gripping the wooden ball in his right hand, he raised it high above his head and leapt in place with excitement.
"Yah-hooo! Awesome! Not only am I the first one, I even pulled number one! Hmph! I, the great Naruto Uzumaki, am truly unbeatable!"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Naruto's flashy celebration served two purposes: First, to convince the crowd that the lottery was straightforward and fair, without any hidden tricks. Second, it was a signal—openly displaying the number ball—to help coordinate with whoever was behind the scenes so he could be placed in the same group as Hinata and Sasuke.
And the effect of the herd mentality soon followed.
"Huh? You guys saw that, right? It really was… just a normal draw?"
"No way… Were we overthinking it this whole time?"
"Could be. That kid ran up there all casual, drew a ball, and nothing happened to him."
"Besides, I remember the Examiner said they'd explain the third exam after the drawing, right?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he said that... So, if we just go draw lots like that kid did, we should be fine, right?"
"Then what are you standing around mumbling for, you blockhead? Get up there and draw already! The earlier you go, the stronger the people you get teamed with might be! Maybe we'll breeze through this next round!"
"Right, right! Makes sense. I'm going— Hey hey hey! Why are you all pushing? I was here first!"
"Haha! You were standing there frozen forever! Looks like I'll have to take your turn, buddy~"
"Geez, these people flip faster than a book page… Hurry, hurry! We can't fall behind—let's go grab a good spot in line!"
With someone taking the lead, others naturally followed. The crowd, who had been suppressing their curiosity and standing on the edge of action, now rushed to the stairs below the platform to form a long queue. If it weren't for Tenzo's earlier offhand comment about lining up in an orderly fashion to draw lots—words that these people mistakenly interpreted as a hidden requirement for the third round—they probably would've turned the platform into total chaos.
Of course, since everyone's attention was focused entirely on the third exam, not even Naruto himself noticed it… But thanks to the two times he'd selflessly stepped into danger for them, the audience's initial impression—deeply influenced by Danzo's indoctrination—that Naruto was a dangerous and terrifying monster, had begun to subtly shift.
The most obvious sign of that shift was how, during their murmured conversations, the crowd had subconsciously started referring to Naruto as "that kid" instead of calling him a "monster." While the term still carried a tinge of contempt, it was clearly a step up from their original disgust.
Because of this, these villagers—whose children had passed the three chaotic entrance exams at the Ninja Academy—would later become the first true supporters of Naruto within the Hidden Leaf Village, second only to the Hokage faction who already knew the truth. It was an unexpected reward that Naruto had never even considered.
'The genuine care I've shown Sasuke over these past days... and this unseen charisma that draws people in and inspires trust...'
At the same time, watching Naruto closely from a distance, Itachi's eyes grew more and more uncertain. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as a complicated expression—one beyond words—took over his face.
'The Naruto I know… could he really have done something like that...?'