Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

"Who are you?"

Rock Lee blinked in surprise as he faced the boy who had kicked open the door so arrogantly. There was something commanding about his presence, an intensity that caught Lee off guard. Instinctively, Lee clenched his fists, ready to fight. But the newcomer didn't even glance at him—his eyes were fixed solely on Uzumaki Naruto, the one Lee had just challenged.

Hearing Lee's question, the corner of the boy's mouth twitched with a smirk. This was his moment—the first step in restoring the honor of the Uchiha clan. He pointed to his eyes with a thumb and announced:

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

The bustling classroom fell eerily silent.

A moment ago, it had been filled with noise—idle chatter, bickering, and introductions from all over the ninja world. Now, the silence was so complete, one could hear the breeze rustling the leaves outside the window.

Sasuke slipped his hands back into his pockets, his face cold, the pride on it practically radiating off him.

So these are the elite genin Kakashi-sensei mentioned? he thought with disdain. They look terrified just from hearing my name. Pathetic. But I suppose it makes sense—not everyone has the courage to face an Uchiha.

Except for Naruto…

His eyes found Naruto Uzumaki, burning with expectation.

After weeks of brutal training under Kakashi, Sasuke had grown dramatically stronger. Compared to the last time they fought, he had experienced a complete transformation. He wasn't just stronger—he was sharper, faster, smarter.

This time, he felt confident. He wouldn't lose.

As he stood locked in thought, he noticed something odd: Naruto was being pulled back by both Sakura and Ino, who had stepped in front of him protectively, like bodyguards shielding a target.

Huh? Sasuke frowned. Is Naruto injured? But who could possibly hurt him?

Scanning the classroom, Sasuke's Sharingan-like gaze picked out several potential threats:

Rock Lee—who had been so eager to challenge Naruto—was now cowering behind a desk.

Next to him was a Hyuga boy—Neji, if Sasuke remembered correctly. When Sasuke met his eyes, Neji immediately looked away.

Tch. A proud Hyuga, afraid of a stare? Coward.

In the middle of the room stood a red-haired boy from Sunagakure, a large gourd strapped to his back. He was staring at Naruto with intense focus.

Sasuke met his gaze—and the boy, despite the dark circles under his eyes, blinked and looked away.

So much for the Sand's rising star.

Behind him was a wrapped-up figure, swathed in bandages like a mummy. He had some latent power, but when Sasuke locked eyes with him, the man immediately looked down.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Weaklings. All of them. These tiny, irrelevant countries aren't worth my attention.

Naruto… you're the only one worth fighting.

As for the rest of the rookie genin? Sasuke didn't even register them.

Walking up to Naruto, Sasuke said clearly, "Naruto, I hope we get the chance to fight during this Chunin Exam."

Brushing past the protective Sakura and Ino, Naruto answered casually, "Sure. I'm looking forward to seeing how much stronger you've gotten."

Realizing Sasuke only wanted to fight, Hinata, who had quietly stepped beside Naruto, breathed a small sigh of relief.

As Naruto and Sasuke exchanged words, the room buzzed again with whispers:

Lee: "Is that… the Uchiha Sasuke everyone's been talking about?"

Neji: "Look at the emblem on his back. Yeah, that's definitely him."

Tenten: "Neji, you be careful. And as for Lee's goofiness, just try not to stand too close."

Lee: "???"

Tenten glanced toward Naruto, watching as the classroom light cast a warm hue over his features. A part of her wished she could warn that blond boy to be cautious around these other prodigies.

In another corner, Kabuto Yakushi pushed up his glasses with a glint. "So that's the eye Lord Orochimaru wants…"

Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake, having just escorted Sasuke back to the village, was strolling casually through the streets. As he passed by a group of foreign ninja, he overheard an odd conversation.

"Hey, did you hear what happened to the last Uchiha?"

"Yeah, something shady involving the Hokage's son, right?"

"They're saying the Third Hokage's son forced himself on the Uchiha kid."

"The whole Uchiha clan is gone, and now this happens to their last surviving member? What a tragedy."

Kakashi froze.

Wait… the Hokage's son? That's Asuma! When did Asuma and Sasuke even have contact? And why don't I, Sasuke's jōnin leader, know anything about this?

He frowned under his mask.

This doesn't make sense. If something that serious happened, I would've heard about it immediately.

Determined to get answers, Kakashi stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, mind telling me what exactly you're talking about?"

The foreign ninja gave him a suspicious look and turned away, refusing to speak. As expected—outsiders wouldn't want to talk about village gossip in front of a Leaf ninja.

Looks like I'll have to speak with Asuma directly.

As Kakashi went off to find Asuma, the first round of the Chunin Exam officially began.

It was a written test—designed not to measure intelligence alone, but rather each ninja's ability to gather information discreetly.

A handful of high-performing genin had been planted to serve as answer sources. The rest were expected to "cheat" without being caught by the examiners.

The only exception was Sakura, whose book smarts made her capable of acing the test without cheating.

Naruto's seat was beside Hinata.

Fully aware of the test's true purpose, Naruto made no effort to answer. He leaned back, arms crossed, letting the moment pass. He already knew how this scenario played out.

Across the table, Hinata grew increasingly anxious. Watching Naruto sit there without writing a single answer, she feared he might actually fail.

She hesitated—then carefully slid her test paper toward him.

Her message was clear: Copy from me.

But Naruto didn't move. He simply yawned, utterly uninterested.

Hinata's anxiety deepened. Part of her wanted to reach over and fill in his answers for him, but the risk of being caught was too great. She settled for whispering softly, "Naruto-kun… you can use mine."

"Nope," Naruto replied lazily, stretching again.

Further back, Ino was having her own crisis. After using her Mind Body Switch Technique to possess Sakura and copy down her answers, she'd passed them along to Shikamaru and Choji.

Feeling confident… until she looked over and saw Naruto still staring at the ceiling.

That idiot! she thought. Doesn't he get what this test is about?!

In a snap decision, Ino formed the seal to use her Mind Transfer Jutsu again—this time aiming for Naruto.

Her body slumped onto her desk as her spirit entered Naruto's mind…

Only to come face-to-face with something she never expected.

A monstrous, mountain-sized beast loomed before her—its red eyes glowing with hate. It radiated bloodlust and rage, its breath alone shaking the spiritual world around it.

The Nine-Tailed Fox.

"INSECT!" the beast snarled, its voice shaking the very foundation of her soul.