In the evening, Mokgetsu finished his studies with Tsunade and headed towards his home in the main city.
"Are you still buying? If not, I'm packing up and going home. You've been standing here for almost an hour," the shopkeeper said, looking troubled at the red-haired girl standing in front of the small cart with a contemplative expression.
Terumi Mei didn't answer the shopkeeper. She was seriously pondering which ice cream to buy: strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate.
Chocolate ice cream held a special place in Terumi Mei's heart because it was the first flavor she tasted when she first tried ice cream, making her realize the existence of such deliciousness in the world.
Although vanilla ice cream came later, its fresh taste quickly took the top spot in Terumi Mei's ice cream flavor rankings.
As for strawberry ice cream, it was a flavor Terumi Mei hadn't tried, as she hadn't even eaten strawberries, let alone strawberry ice cream.
One was the chocolate ice cream that opened the door to the world of ice cream for her, one was her current favorite vanilla ice cream, and lastly, the new untried flavor of strawberry ice cream. This made it very difficult for Terumi Mei to choose, feeling like there was enough reason to pick any of them.
"If you can't decide, why not buy one of each?" Mokgetsu coincidentally suggested as he walked down a street.
He could somewhat understand this choice paralysis because in his past life, he could spend over an hour choosing from takeout options, sometimes ending up picking the first shop he opened.
However, he thought he was better off than Terumi Mei, because he was choosing from a bunch of take-out options, while she only had to pick one out of three.
"You can actually do that!" Terumi Mei's eyes widened as she looked at Mokgetsu, shocked. Could he be a genius?
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed reasonable. After all, she was already a ninja now, and didn't need to ask adults for money to buy ice cream. She could buy as many as she wanted, and it was as if a new world door had opened for Terumi Mei.
"Please give me two of each." Terumi Mei directly doubled her order to six.
The ice cream vendor quickly packed six ice creams for Terumi Mei and handed them over.
Actually, if it weren't for the fact that he needed to go home for dinner, he wouldn't mind Terumi Mei standing there, since a patronized stall always felt better, but in the end, he had to pack up.
Mokgetsu continued heading towards home.
He just happened to help on his way home since it only required a few words. He didn't intend to engage much with Terumi Mei because she was a Hidden Mist Ninja.
Although he felt no sense of belonging to Konoha, he still maintained his superficial identity.
"That guy who looks really hot, please stop." Terumi Mei called out to Mokgetsu.
Since Mokgetsu was walking fast, Terumi Mei hurriedly blurted out her impression of him.
Mokgetsu turned to look at Terumi Mei. He wasn't sure if she was being polite or not. She casually gives nicknames, yet uses honorifics.
"Here's for you, as payment for just now." Terumi Mei reluctantly handed Mokgetsu the strawberry ice cream.
Although Mokgetsu was a Konoha Ninja, he was the benefactor who opened a new world door for her.
Moreover, Terumi Mei assumed an adult like Mokgetsu wouldn't want a gift from a child of another ninja village, thus repaying Mokgetsu's kindness while keeping the ice cream for herself, assuming that Mokgetsu wouldn't accept it anyway.
"Well, thank you very much." Mokgetsu accepted with a smile.
He was very familiar with such plots. If he refused, who knew what other scenarios might unfold. By accepting and leaving, nothing else would happen.
After speaking, Mokgetsu turned and continued walking towards home again.
Terumi Mei watched in shock as Mokgetsu decisively turned and left. This wasn't the scene she imagined at all. Why didn't this person play by the rules? What adult takes ice cream from a nine-year-old like this?
Terumi Mei's right hand instinctively reached forward, but she was too embarrassed to call out to Mokgetsu again to take back the ice cream, since she had handed it out herself.
"I'm really foolish, truly!" Terumi Mei's eyes gradually lost their sparkle. The ice cream that was almost hers had flown away.
"Maybe this strawberry ice cream isn't even any good," Terumi Mei comforted herself.
That way, her loss was minimized, since she didn't give away her favorite vanilla ice cream or her nostalgic chocolate ice cream.
Terumi Mei found a park, sat on a bench, and started eating. She started with the vanilla ice cream, her favorite. When she stuffed a big spoonful of vanilla ice cream into her mouth, she revealed a genuine smile.
Originally, Terumi Mei intended to eat the chocolate ice cream second, but decided to try the untried strawberry ice cream instead.
As she put the strawberry-flavored ice cream with bits of strawberry into her mouth, Terumi Mei's face showed a delighted expression. She found it even more delicious than the vanilla flavor. But when she thought of something, her face quickly turned gloomy.
The good news was that the new flavor ice cream was delicious. The bad news was she had given away a portion.
Even when lying in bed at night, Terumi Mei couldn't stop thinking about the blond man's smile and the strawberry ice cream he handed out. There were once two delicious strawberry ice creams placed before her that she didn't cherish. If she had a chance to start over...
...
On the morning of July 1st, the Chunin Examination officially began.
Because of this, a lot of ninjas would come to the Ninja Academy to take the exam, including many from outside villages. So, the school simply gave the students a day off to prevent any unnecessary incidents.
"The Chunin Examination, huh? I didn't expect to participate so soon. A few months ago, it seemed so distant from us," Shiranui Genma sighed as he looked at the entrance of the Ninja Academy.
A few months ago, he wasn't even a Genin, and back then, the Chunin level seemed very reliable to him.
"Just because you can participate doesn't mean you'll become a Chunin, and we're able to join the Chunin exam thanks to Guy," Ebisu reasoned.
Their team's situation was somewhat similar to that of Obito's team. Might Guy's track record and strength made Teacher Chen believe that passing the Chunin exam would not be a problem, so he recommended them for the exam.
However, to prevent Shiranui Genma and Ebisu from getting disappointed, Teacher Chen told them in advance that while they were strong among their peers, becoming a Chunin was very challenging and not to expect to be promoted, because without expectations, there would be no disappointment.
"Hehe." Shiranui Genma wrapped his arm around Ebisu and chuckled, "Everyone needs some dreams, right? Kakashi became a Chunin at six, and we're already nine. Maybe we'll make it too."
"Just give the exam your all, so even if you fail, you won't have any regrets," Might Guy encouraged as he flashed a bright smile and gave them a thumbs up.
Ebisu nodded. Though he voiced pessimism, having come to the exam, how could he not have any ambitions at all?
"Guy, you're taking the Chunin exam too?" Obito waved and greeted Might Guy's group as soon as he saw them.
"Yeah, and you guys too, right?" Shiranui Genma replied with a smile.
"Of course, we're not only participating but also planning to pass on the first try and become Chunin," Obito answered with a laugh.
Might Guy, seeing Kakashi approaching, felt the fire of competition burn within him and challenged Kakashi:
"My dear friend, let's have a contest full of youth and fervor. Let's see who scores better in the Chunin exam."
"Sure, let's compare our scores in the first round," Kakashi nodded calmly and agreed immediately.
"My youth is ablaze!" Might Guy, thrilled at Kakashi's swift agreement, felt his blood boil with excitement, eager for the exam to start immediately.
Ebisu found the scene harmonious, but then something strange dawned on him, as Kakashi, already a Chunin, also seemed to be participating in this Chunin exam.
Only then did Ebisu notice that Kakashi wasn't wearing his Chunin waistcoat that day.
Curious, Ebisu approached Kakashi and inquired, "Kakashi, are you also taking the Chunin exam with Obito's team?"
Kakashi's expression was a bit subtle, and after a moment, he replied, "Yes, due to various reasons, I'll be participating in this Chunin exam."
Ebisu's face turned slightly grave, realizing that his hope of becoming a Chunin shrank a bit, given that Chunin themselves were participating in the Chunin exam.
"Hope Kakashi is the only exception," Ebisu sighed internally.
Shiranui Genma and Might Guy didn't sense anything amiss, believing it was quite normal for their teammate Kakashi to take the Chunin exam with Obito's team.
As the time for the exam approached, more and more ninjas gathered at the Ninja Academy. Ebisu keenly observed other ninjas from different villages.
"Rain Village, Waterfall Village, Grass Village, Hidden Mist Village." Ebisu identified their villages by their headbands.
"You're taking the Chunin exam so soon, huh?" Asuma, seeing Obito and others, walked up to greet them.
He had graduated last year and was taking the Chunin exam for the first time this year.
"Why wouldn't we?" Obito scratched his head, looking puzzled as he responded to Asuma.
Obito's question momentarily stunned Asuma since he, too, was a first-timer and didn't know much.
"It doesn't matter anyway. Ever since finishing my special training, my strength has improved a lot. If we meet in battle later, you'll definitely be surprised." Asuma stated confidently.
"I've improved a lot too." Like Asuma, Obito was confident in himself, except for the first theoretical exam.
The nine of them chatted while heading to the designated building for the exam, entered the exam hall, and took their pre-assigned seats.
With ten minutes left before the exam time, the proctors entered the classroom to announce the rules for the first round of the Chunin exam.