Time flowed on like sand in an hourglass, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the Chunin Exams arrived.
"I hear some rookies are participating this time."
"Yeah, these brats have the gall to take the exam right after graduating. They really don't know their own limits."
"No problem. I'll have to teach them a lesson during the exam and make them understand that the Chunin Exams are no place for wet-behind-the-ears kids!"
At the Konoha Academy, three unnamed Konoha genin were talking big as they strode towards the building, ready to head to the classroom for the first test.
WHOOSH—!
Just then, three figures zipped past them, kicking up a fierce gust of wind.
"Hey, hey~ who were those guys?" Genin A asked, a few drops of cold sweat on his forehead as he stared at the blurry figures, which were already nearly out of sight.
They had been so fast that he hadn't been able to react at all, and a sense of fear crept into his heart.
"I-I don't know. They're probably here for the Chunin Exams, too, right?" Genin B gulped, his voice trembling slightly.
"You know, maybe we should just go home and come back for the next exam?" Genin C, who had been the most boastful just a moment ago, now looked the most terrified and was actually suggesting they give up.
In the next instant, Genin A nodded. "That's a good point. Let's give the rookies a chance this time. We can't have people saying we old-timers don't look out for the next generation."
Genin B immediately agreed. "Right, right! We seniors need to have a spirit of dedication."
With that, the three of them, with perfect unspoken agreement, turned around and began whistling a little tune as they walked out of the academy grounds.
As they were leaving, the three figures who had just zipped past them arrived at the base of the academy building.
"Ha! Taking off the weighted vest makes my body feel so light!" Naruto said with a satisfied smile, feeling the incredible speed he had just displayed.
Half a month ago, he and Sasuke had already adapted to the initial 2,600-jin load of the leg bands and wrist guards.
They had then added the 1,500kg weighted vest to increase the intensity of their training.
However, because they hadn't had much time to adapt to the new weight, they still couldn't perform at their best while wearing it.
The Chunin Exams were a gathering of strong opponents, and they couldn't afford to be careless.
Therefore, on the advice of Goku and Kakashi, they had both taken off the weighted vests, keeping only their original weights.
Firstly, they could both fight effectively with this load. Secondly, compared to the vest, the leg bands and wrist guards were much easier to remove.
If a situation arose during the exam that required them to take them off, it would save them much time.
"Hehe, it really does feel a lot lighter," Sakura chimed in with a smile. Her strength and adaptability were not as high as Naruto's and Sasuke's, so the weights she wore were much lighter than theirs.
The maximum weight she had trained with was 2,000kg, and now, without the vest, she was only carrying 1,200kg.
"Let's go. The exam is about to start; we don't want to be late," Sasuke, who was already a few steps ahead, reminded them.
This time, because all three of them were confident in their own abilities and had clearly stated their desire to participate, the scene from the original story in which Kakashi tricked them into believing they could choose whether to participate did not occur.
They were all well aware that the exam required a three-person team, and no one could be absent.
Before long, the three of them arrived outside the designated classroom for the exam.
Two teenagers were standing there, blocking the doorway, looking down at them with a condescending gaze.
"Well, well, new faces. This must be your first time taking the Chunin Exams," one of them, a boy with spiky hair and two long swords on his back, said to them.
"Yeah!" Naruto replied casually, his hands behind his head.
"Heh, rookies. You should stop here. The Chunin Exam is not a game. Many people die every time!" the spiky-haired boy said with a sinister tone after hearing Naruto's answer.
"That's right. I've taken it a few times, and I've seen a few people die horrible deaths," his companion, a boy wearing a ninja hat, added.
"People die? I'm not afraid! If I don't even have that much resolve, how can I ever become Hokage!"
Hearing their threats, Naruto rubbed his nose. Not only was he not scared, but his fighting spirit was now even higher.
"Hokage? What an interesting thing to say, hahaha," the spiky-haired boy said, chuckling as if he had heard a good joke.
"Hey, you've put up a genjutsu barrier here, haven't you? Dispel it. You're blocking the way!"
Just then, Sasuke, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and spoke coldly to the two boys.
He had sensed something strange about this place as soon as they arrived.
While Naruto was talking to them, he had taken a moment to observe and had concluded that a genjutsu barrier had been cast.
"Hehe, so you noticed," the spiky-haired boy chuckled. He then suddenly moved, appearing in front of Sasuke and throwing a kick.
"But just knowing that isn't enough!"
SMACK!
Faced with this sudden attack, Sasuke remained perfectly calm. He reached out and caught the kick solidly.
He then squeezed his fingers, grabbed the boy's ankle, and violently threw him to the side!
Seeing his companion lose, a sharp glint flashed in the hatted boy's eyes. He suddenly attacked, throwing a punch at Sasuke's back.
But his attack never reached its target. In a flash of light, a figure appeared in front of him, meeting his punch with their own.
BOOM!
He felt an unexpectedly immense force from the other's fist, a force that sent him stumbling backwards, and he nearly fell to the ground.
"If you want to lay a hand on my teammate, you'll have to ask me first!" Naruto said, retracting his fist and looking at him seriously.
Just then, the spiky-haired boy who had been thrown walked back over. He exchanged a look with the boy in the hat and then chuckled.
"Hehe, it seems you're pretty skilled. In that case, we'll let you pass."
As he spoke, the classroom door in front of them suddenly transformed into the entrance to a hallway, the very path that led to the real exam location.
"Hehe, let's go!" Seeing them clear the way, the smile returned to Naruto's face, and he gestured for Sasuke and Sakura to enter with him.
After the three of them had left, the spiky-haired boy and the hatted boy suddenly held up a hand seal.
With a poof, they were enveloped in white smoke. When the smoke cleared, the two teenagers had transformed into two much taller young men.
If Naruto and the others had been there, they would have recognised them as Konoha's gate guards—Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.
"Their skills are a bit beyond what I expected," Kotetsu said with a grave expression.
He had originally intended to see how many moves Sasuke could last against him, but it had turned out to be the other way around.
It wasn't about how many moves his opponent could make, but how many he could!
"That's right. I don't know how Kakashi trained them, but that Naruto Uzumaki's strength is astonishing," Izumo said, a complicated look in his eyes as he recalled being knocked back by Naruto's punch.
Although he hadn't used his full strength, he had still been fighting at the level of an adult. He couldn't believe that Naruto, who was barely a teenager, was so much stronger.
What neither of them knew was that the credit for their current strength didn't belong to Kakashi, but to a certain simple-minded Saiyan named Son Goku.