Naruto: I Am Uchiha Sasuke!?

"Hey, wait!"

Sakura stepped forward, gripping her kunai tightly as she eyed the three unfamiliar shinobi. "Judging by your forehead protectors, you're not from the Land of Fire... You're from Sunagakure, aren't you?"

Temari smirked. "So what if we are?"

"Even though Konoha and the Sand Village are allies, our treaty states that neither side's shinobi can cross borders without permission. What exactly are you doing in Konoha?" Sakura pressed. "I can't just let you leave until you explain yourselves!"

Temari chuckled and pulled out an official-looking document. "You Konoha shinobi really are out of the loop, huh? We're here for the Chūnin Selection Exams—we were invited."

Sakura blinked in surprise. "The Chūnin Exams?"

Gaara shot her a brief glance before turning his attention back to Sasuke, his tone eerily calm. "By the way, what's your name? You interest me."

Sasuke smirked slightly. "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking for someone else's name?"

Gaara's lips curled ever so slightly. "Sabaku no Gaara."

Sasuke's smirk deepened. "Uchiha Sasuke."

At the mention of his clan name, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro exchanged subtle glances.

"A member of the Sharingan clan, huh?" Gaara murmured. "Sasuke... I'll see you during the exam."

"Me too!" Naruto suddenly cut in. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I love fighting strong guys!"

"Not interested," Gaara replied flatly before turning away.

Naruto's face twitched. "Konohamaru… do I really look that weak?"

Konohamaru nodded without hesitation. "Naruto-nii, you're seriously outclassed!"

Naruto groaned.

Sasuke, however, was unfazed. His eyes gleamed with anticipation. So… the Chūnin Exams have finally begun.

A short while later, Kakashi arrived, looking as carefree as ever.

"Huh? You three are early," he remarked.

"Sensei!" Naruto and Sakura turned toward him.

"Oh, right," Kakashi said as if suddenly remembering. "Hokage-sama wanted me to let you know—Konoha is hosting the Chūnin Selection Exam."

"Damn it, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto complained. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?! I got totally disrespected just now!"

"Oh? Looks like you already heard." Kakashi pulled out three slips of paper. "Well, here—your admission tickets."

"Whoa! We're really in?!" Naruto and Sakura's faces lit up with excitement.

"Yep. The exams start in two days, so be ready."

Sasuke glanced at the tickets and nodded. "The exam requires teams of three... That means these two are coming along as well, right?"

Kakashi chuckled. "That's the plan."

News of the Chūnin Exams spread rapidly throughout Konoha. Every Genin in the village began making preparations.

At a secluded training ground, Team Guy was already hard at work.

"Hey, Lee, did you hear?" Tenten asked while flipping a kunai in her hand.

"Of course!" Lee exclaimed, eyes burning with passion. "This is our chance to prove ourselves!" He turned toward Neji with a determined expression. "Neji, I won't lose to you this time!"

Neji, arms crossed, smirked. "We'll see about that."

Meanwhile, Team 10 also received the news.

"Ah, man… This sounds like a drag," Shikamaru groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

Chōji frowned. "Asuma-sensei, are we really ready for this?"

"You guys are more than ready," Asuma reassured them. "This is your chance to step up."

"Wait, so that means Sasuke and Sakura will be competing too?" Ino suddenly perked up. "And Naruto?"

She slammed her hands on the table. "Listen up, Shikamaru, Chōji—you guys better not lose to that forehead girl!"

Shikamaru sighed. "This is really turning into a hassle…"

Across the village, Team 8 had similar discussions.

"Shino, Hinata, this is our chance to show what we can do!" Kiba declared, Akamaru barking in agreement. "We can't let Sasuke steal all the attention!"

"B-But Sasuke is really strong…" Hinata murmured hesitantly.

Shino adjusted his sunglasses. "My insects tell me there's a significant gap in strength between you and Sasuke."

"Hey! Whose side are you on?!" Kiba huffed. "Doesn't matter—I'm gonna crush this exam!"

From the sidelines, Kurenai watched with a small smile.

That night, Sasuke sat atop a rooftop, bathed in moonlight.

His eyes narrowed in thought.

If I remember correctly, this Chūnin Exam is part of Orochimaru's plan…

The Third Hokage's era is coming to an end…

But destroying Konoha won't be that simple.

His fingers twitched slightly. My first priority is to collect Gaara's One-Tail chakra… and then there's Orochimaru's Cursed Seal.

A rare smirk crossed his face.

I wonder… once I gather all the Tailed Beast chakra, how far can my understanding of power take me?

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The day of the Chūnin Exam had arrived.

"YOSH! This is my chance to become a Chūnin!" Naruto clenched his fists with excitement, dashing toward the designated meeting place.

When he spotted Sasuke, he grinned. "Oi, Sasuke, for once you're on time!"

"Hmph," Sasuke smirked. "This is just a Shadow Clone. My real body is already at the academy."

Naruto blinked. "Wait, what?!"

Sasuke gave him a knowing look. "You still don't get it, do you? Shadow Clones are more than just decoys. They're perfect for training, scouting, and multitasking. Think about it—if you train with multiple Shadow Clones, the experience transfers back to the original."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait… that means… If I make ten Shadow Clones to train, my progress will be ten times faster?!"

Sasuke smirked. Finally, he caught on.

Naruto clenched his fists, his excitement skyrocketing. "This is genius! Why didn't I think of this sooner?!"

Sasuke chuckled internally. Too bad for you, Naruto. No matter how fast you train, my talent and effort will always put me ahead.

As Naruto's excitement grew, the Chūnin Exam officially began.

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(A/N: Advance Chapters Are Available On My Patreon... Please Think Of Joining It)