"Sakura!"
Entering the examination hall, accompanied by a girl's cheerful cry and the faint scent of cosmos flowers, Sakura felt a figure pounce towards her.
"Yo, long time no see, Ino!"
Sakura extended her arms and caught the lithe girl.
"Long time no- Eh, so tall!"
The girl with light yellow long hair originally intended to throw herself into Sakura's embrace but ended up only hugging her abdomen.
A look of confusion appeared in her beautiful eyes.
"Waaah, why did you grow so tall? Now I can't even hug you properly!"
Ino pressed her face against Sakura's abdomen, rubbing it vigorously.
"Sigh."
Sakura let out a soft sigh and poured her will into every cell of her body.
Instantly, her tall figure trembled a few times and began to shrink rapidly.
Life Return: Kami-e Body!
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio in front of her, along with Naruto and Sasuke, widened their eyes as they watched Sakura gradually shrink to a height similar to theirs.
"Amazing!"
Ino cheered, wrapping her arms around Sakura from behind and gently inhaling Sakura's unique scent.
"Sakura, you... was that the Partial Multi-Size Technique?"
The straightforward Choji, munching on potato chips, asked the question everyone was most concerned about.
Everyone present, even some Ninjas from other villages, pricked up their ears.
"No, it's an effect achieved after mastering a Taijutsu called the Rokushiki to a high level."
Sakura patted Ino's arm with a smile in her eyes, signaling for her to let go.
She hadn't originally planned to reveal this in front of so many foreign Ninjas, but... well, it was Ino after all~ Her good friend deserved to be spoiled!
"..." Sasuke hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping.
He realized just how precious this Taijutsu he had asked Sakura for during his training was.
She had actually taught it to him so easily, leaving him unsure how to repay this kindness.
"Don't overthink it. Just fight me a few more times after you get stronger from training."
Sakura's Observation Haki picked up on Sasuke's thoughts, so she whispered to him as she passed by.
Sasuke's eyes wavered, but he still gritted his teeth and nodded.
Nearby, Naruto, who had mingled with Kabuto, after hearing the intelligence Kabuto provided, excitedly raised his hands and pointed at the many Genin present.
"Listen up! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I won't lose to any of you! Got it?"
Filled with passion, the boy issued a challenge to the many strong enemies.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the classroom froze. Everyone looking at Naruto emitted a faint killing intent.
Unlike the original Chunin Exams, the hall now gathered elite members of the younger generation from various famous countries worldwide.
Being provoked like this by Naruto was naturally unbearable for them.
In just an instant, Sakura's Observation Haki detected four or five different Chakra Fluctuations.
"So full of energy, Naruto!"
She reached out, grabbed the back of Naruto's neck, and yanked him backward forcefully.
Boom!
Then, an ice wall rose in front of Sakura, blocking the incoming magma, sand, kunai, long sword...
"This year's examinees are quite enthusiastic too. But this is… Konoha!"
Sakura raised her right fist, Armament Haki wrapping around her arm.
The solid ice in front of her melted rapidly from the heat, filling the classroom with a large amount of steam.
The girl assumed a proper fist stance and swung her fist boldly at the crowd before her.
Fish-Man Karate: Arabesque Tile True Punch!
Whoosh!
With a low hum, the air in the entire classroom rippled like layers of water waves.
The examinees present only felt a weak pushing force holding them back, making them shift backward, yet...
They were completely unharmed!
Among the crowd, the gazes of many Genin from the major countries grew dark and obscure.
However, the Ninjas from Otogakure, who had gathered together with arrogant expressions, let out disdainful laughs.
"Is that it? Boasting about us being Ninjas from small countries, but you only know how to bluff yourselves."
One of the Otogakure's Ninjas even rolled up his sleeve, revealing the heavy, multi-holed weapon hidden on his arm beneath.
"Stop it, Otogakure People. Don't embarrass yourselves any further."
A Kumogakure's Ninja a lollipop in his mouth and his hands in his hoodie pockets stood up.
"Hah? You want a piece of this too, Kumogakure?"
Kinuta Dosu, the Sound ninja with a bandaged face, his only visible eye glaring at him.
"We've already lost. From the very beginning."
The Kumogakure's Ninja, Omoi, rotated the lollipop in his mouth and pointed to the fabric on his abdomen.
"Since the other side is stronger, it's best we don't provoke them, lest we get killed and have nowhere to complain."
Everyone followed his finger and saw that on his flak jacket, the tightly woven threads had shattered, forming a clear fist imprint.
Many Genin from smaller villages, upon receiving this reminder, looked down and found identical marks on their own bodies.
A chill ran down everyone's spines. As they trembled, fragments of their clothing continued to fall.
They all looked at the pink-haired girl who had retracted her fist and now stood calmly. A single word appeared into everyone's minds.
'Monster!'
"You've got to be kidding!"
Kurotsuchi, sitting in the innermost area, slammed the table and stood up. She herself was completely unharmed.
However, the fishnet stockings on her straight legs were completely torn.
"You this.... Mmmph!"
Kurotsuchi couldn't finish her sentence, as Akatsuchi behind her had already covered her mouth.
"It's nothing, everyone carry on. She's been in a bit of a bad mood lately."
Smoothly laughing it off, Akatsuchi quickly dragged his junior sister to a corner.
"Sakura, do you have a grudge against that girl?"
Ino, who was holding onto Sakura's arm, curiously looked at the grin spreading across Sakura's face.
"No, I just think bullying her is fun."
Tilting her head, the girl playfully winked her emerald-green eyes at her friend.
"Sakura, you're so mean~"
The whispered conversation with Ino didn't last long. The Proctor on the platform burst into the examination hall.
After announcing the rules of the exam, the Chief Proctor, Morino Ibiki, distributed the test papers. Numerous Chunin Proctors also entered the hall to grade the many examinees.
When the test paper reached Sakura, she looked over the questions.
In terms of difficulty, these were indeed not something ordinary Genin could answer.
After all, they involved topics like interrogation, intelligence decryption, and Ninja Confrontation… things Genin who had only done D-Rank Missions within the village would never have encountered, and naturally wouldn't know the answers to.
But these couldn't stump Sakura.
The girl swiftly finished writing the answers, then narrowed her eyes and began scrutinizing the supervising Chunin Proctors.
Kotetsu and Izumo: "…"
'What's going on? Weren't we here to proctor? Why are we the ones being scrutinized now?'
Relying on speed and skill far surpassing the Chunin Proctors, Sakura sent the answers to Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Choji, Shino, and others.
Even in her spare time, Sakura managed to sneak a peek at the evaluation boards of numerous Chunin Proctors.
Upon seeing that the two gatekeepers, Kotetsu and Izumo, had actually written poor reviews in her intelligence gathering section, an angry Sakura gave each of them a punch, leaving the pained duo bewildered as they looked at each other.
On the platform, the Chief Proctor, Ibiki, who is a Jonin, vaguely detected a bit of Sakura's activity.
'Sigh, a user of Space-Time Ninjutsu, huh...'
Placing his hands behind his back, the tall man let out a helpless sigh for his subordinates who were being toyed with.
Then he looked at Sakura, who was pretending to sleep, somewhat lost in thought.
'Hokage-sama, you've really thrown quite something extraordinary into this exam!'