Chapter 84: Chapter 83: The Forest of Death
The second round of the Chunin Exam was about to begin.
Naruto had arrived early and was looking around for Hinata.
It didn't take long before he spotted her walking over with her teammates.
"Hinata!" Naruto waved and ran toward her.
Hinata lowered her head shyly as Naruto approached. "Naruto-kun..."
Naruto had never paid much attention to Hinata before. In class, her presence wasn't much stronger than that one guy... What was his name again?
"Hinata, come with me for a second. I have a gift for you." Naruto, as carefree as ever, grabbed her hand and led her away.
Hinata's mind went completely blank. She couldn't think at all and just let Naruto pull her along.
Kiba watched as Hinata was taken away. "Hey! Naruto, where are you taking her?"
Akamaru, resting on Kiba's head, barked twice in agreement.
Naruto turned back and called out, "We'll be back soon!"
Once they reached a quiet spot with no one around, Naruto took out a Poké Ball and handed it to Hinata. "Here, this is for you. I hope you like it!"
Hinata absentmindedly accepted the Poké Ball, not even processing what Naruto had said.
Seeing her dazed reaction, Naruto quickly called her name.
"Hinata! Hinata! Are you okay?"
Hearing Naruto's voice snapped her out of it. She looked down at the Poké Ball in her hands.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she whispered.
This was the first gift Naruto had ever given her. She was determined to treasure it.
Noticing that Hinata was treating the Poké Ball like an accessory, Naruto hurried to explain.
"Hinata, this is a Poké Ball. Inside is a Pokémon that can protect you. And it can even evolve to become even stronger!"
Hinata wondered what a Pokémon was as she examined the Poké Ball, but she had no idea how to open it.
Naruto pressed the button in the center of the ball. With a click, the Poké Ball split open, releasing a burst of red light. The light landed on the ground and transformed into Growlithe.
The sudden flash startled Hinata, and she almost dropped the Poké Ball. But she remembered it was a gift from Naruto, so she held on tightly.
"It's so cute..." She wasn't sure if it was really that adorable or if it just seemed that way because Naruto had given it to her.
Hinata stepped forward and hugged Growlithe. This time, the Pokémon didn't dodge and allowed her to hold it.
Pokémon were already quite intelligent, and Growlithe was nearly as smart as a person—it just couldn't talk.
It understood that from now on, Hinata was its new trainer.
Naruto explained Growlithe's abilities and how to take care of it, then handed Hinata some Pokémon food sealed inside scrolls.
"Hinata, if you want to return Growlithe to its Poké Ball, just aim the ball at it," Naruto explained. Then he turned to Growlithe and said, "From now on, it's your job to protect Hinata!"
Growlithe barked twice in response.
Once Hinata had returned Growlithe to its Poké Ball, Naruto walked her back to her team.
Just then, Kiba ran over. "Hey, Naruto! You didn't bully Hinata, did you?" Everyone in the class knew Hinata liked Naruto—except for Naruto himself, the clueless idiot.
Hinata quickly explained, "Kiba, don't say that! Naruto-kun just gave me a gift, that's all."
Kiba sighed in relief. "So you finally figured it out, huh, you idiot?"
Being called an idiot by another idiot annoyed Naruto, but he didn't argue—after all, he really had been clueless before.
By the time this moment passed, all the participants had arrived. Since Naruto hadn't given his usual passionate speech, fewer people had passed the first exam than usual.
Mitarashi Anko, the proctor for the second exam, introduced the next stage with a playful grin. "This is the Forest of Death! You'll be experiencing it soon enough!"
Naruto, feeling like a character in a "tables have turned" story, found Anko especially annoying today. She couldn't even recognize Orochimaru, despite his unmistakable tongue almost licking her face.
He mimicked Anko in an exaggerated voice, "This is the Forest of Death! You'll be experiencing it soon enough!"
Then, with a bold stance, he declared, "No matter how much you try to scare me, I'm not afraid at all!" Yes, Naruto was openly provoking Anko.
Anko watched his antics with an unchanged expression and praised him, "Oh? You've got a lot of energy!"
As she spoke, she suddenly threw a kunai straight at Naruto. He moved just enough to avoid it grazing his cheek.
In an instant, Anko appeared behind him. "Not bad, kid. But brats like you are the ones who die the fastest."
Naruto stood completely still, as if frozen in fear.
Then, out of nowhere, his voice came from behind Anko. "Hey, don't throw ninja tools around! What if you damage the plants? Isn't that right, dear proctor?"
At some point, Naruto had already moved behind her and picked up the kunai. He was just about to slip it back into Anko's weapon pouch.
The Naruto in front of her suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Anko's smile finally vanished. A shadow clone? When did he make it? Since when did Konoha have such a skilled kid?
The other participants watched Naruto with heightened caution, all thinking the same thing—this kid is strong. Better be careful once we're inside.
"Alright, proctor, let's get on with the exam!"
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