Chapter 31: How to Become a Chunin (Damn, I need to revise the previous timeline)
Uzumaki Naruto was still muttering to himself when they gathered the next day.
He was clearly just a tiny bit away from seeing Kakashi-sensei's true face!
After Sakura finished listening, an idea couldn't help but pop into her head, so she quickly had Naruto come closer and told him her thoughts.
"Even though Kakashi-sensei eats very fast, she still has to pull down her mask to eat. So, we can treat Kakashi-sensei to a meal after our mission. You already fell for it once last night, but this time both of us will stare at her together; we'll definitely see her true face."
"Great! Let's do that!" Uzumaki Naruto's eyes instantly lit up.
"Idiots~" Sasuke, who was nearby, also heard the plan, but he shot them down mercilessly. "When we passed the Genin exam last time, we went to eat barbecue together, but can any of you remember the image of Kakashi eating?"
"This..."
Sakura and Naruto looked at each other upon hearing this, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes. Yes, in their memory, Kakashi did eat barbecue, but why couldn't they remember how she ate it back then?
"Yo! Good morning!"
At that moment, Kakashi suddenly appeared, giving the three of them a fright.
"Kakashi-sensei! Can you stop appearing and disappearing like a ghost all the time?"
Sakura snapped out of it, patted her chest, and complained with some lingering fear.
"Well, isn't this training your reaction time? You can't just stand there dazed like an idiot when an enemy suddenly appears," Kakashi explained in a casual tone.
"Um, Kakashi-sensei, why do you always wear a mask?" Uzumaki Naruto remembered what Sasuke just said and realized it wouldn't be easy to see Kakashi's true face, so he might as well just ask for the reason.
Sakura and Sasuke also looked at Naruto with some surprise; they didn't expect Naruto to be so direct!
But clearly, they also wanted to know the answer, so they quickly turned their heads to look at Kakashi.
"Well!" Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then replied jokingly, "Because I, your teacher, am simply too beautiful and cute. If I don't wear a mask, the enemies won't be afraid of me."
"..."
Hearing this answer, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke didn't know how to react for a moment.
Who could be this narcissistic?
Worried that enemies wouldn't be afraid of her? So she put on a mask?
Of all the possibilities they had considered, they never thought the answer would be this ridiculous!
"Sigh! You guys don't understand. Being popular since I was a kid, with both guys and girls being crazy about me and constantly pestering me—you have no idea how annoying that feeling is!"
Kakashi spread her hands and sighed, speaking with some helplessness.
"..."
That's too exaggerated, both boys and girls being crazy about her?
Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other, both feeling it was a bit absurd.
However, Uchiha Sasuke felt a trace of identification; that feeling, he seemed to understand too!
Girls like Sakura and Ino liked him very much, and boys like Naruto were always pestering and provoking him, trying to seek a sense of presence from him.
Thinking about it this way...
Uchiha Sasuke suddenly took a step back and looked at Naruto with a strange expression.
"Huh?" Naruto also noticed Sasuke's movement at this time. The next second, as if he had thought of something, he instantly became furious: "Damn it, you arrogant Sasuke, you don't think I like you, do you?"
"I didn't say that," Sasuke replied coldly, giving him a look of disdain.
"Damn it, I want to duel you!"
It was that look of disdain and contempt again, making Naruto so angry he was about to rush over with flailing arms.
But he was grabbed by the back of his collar by Kakashi. "Well, don't be so impulsive. The mission is more important. Today's mission is weeding, and the workload is quite large."
"Huh? Another D-rank mission!"
Naruto felt like he'd been doused with cold water and instantly calmed down, followed by a rise in his feelings of dissatisfaction.
"Don't forget, you're still Genin. The C-rank mission last time was an exception. If you want to take higher-level missions, then work hard to raise your Ninja rank."
"Then how can I become a Jonin like you, Kakashi-sensei?"
"You have to become a Chunin first."
"Then how do I become a Chunin?"
"Accumulate a lot of mission experience, and then participate in the Chunin Exams. You can only become a Chunin after passing the evaluation."
"When do those Chunin Exams start? I want to participate!"
Uzumaki Naruto finally got his energy back and spoke excitedly.
Sasuke's heart also stirred; it was impossible to become stronger by doing these boring missions all the time.
Sakura's heart was somewhat complicated. To her, as long as the few of them could stay together, it didn't matter even if they remained Genin forever. After all, once everyone became Chunin or Jonin, wouldn't they have to separate?
Kakashi saw all three of their emotions and smiled. "It should be soon, right? One month? Or two or three months? Anyway, it should be around this time. But if you don't complete your missions properly during this period, you won't get the qualification to participate."
Kakashi didn't remember the specific time either, only remembering the sequence: Genin Exam — Land of Waves — Chunin Exam.
However, their Land of Waves mission this time took a long time. After returning, the Chunin Exams should be starting soon; at most, it shouldn't exceed three months.
Now, Uzumaki Naruto's motivation was instantly fully charged!
Even Sasuke became serious.
Only Sakura was somewhat absent-minded.
Over the next few days, Team 7 was constantly doing missions.
Sometimes they would take two or three missions a day.
After separating in the afternoon, they would each go to practice.
During these few days, Sasuke finally completed his training for Chidori.
And Sakura completed her training for Rasengan.
As for Naruto, his Rasengan training was still just one step away from completion.
——
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(PS: I suddenly remembered that the Land of Waves mission in the original work should have lasted for a very long time. Naruto and the others graduated in October, and then after a month of ordinary missions, they started the Land of Waves mission in mid-November. Then after finishing the Land of Waves mission and returning, the Chunin Exams started shortly after.
However, the Chunin Exams were in July of the following year, which means building a bridge in the Land of Waves took six or seven months. But I changed it here because Zabuza and the others were dealt with right at the start, so the people of the Land of Waves worked together to build the bridge from the beginning, making the speed a bit faster. But no matter how fast it is, it can't be that much faster, so the setting here is that Naruto and the others returned to the Village in late May.
But even with the setting of returning in late May, they still stayed in the Land of Waves for nearly half a year. When I was writing earlier, I actually wrote it as if it were only one or two months. It seems I have to modify it slightly, but you don't need to go back and read the modifications. Just know that the plot was changed so that the previous time was spent learning Taijutsu, Body Flicker Technique, and other ordinary Ninjutsu. After their basic qualities improved, I officially taught them Rasengan in mid-March.)