Naruto: The new beginning

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Today is the day when the third round of the joint Chunin Exam officially began.

As Hokage, Minato had to oversee everything, including receiving important guests, such as the Fourth Kazekage, though Minato suspected he might be an imposter, possibly Orochimaru in disguise. 

Despite both Minato and Kushina having sensory ninjutsu, they couldn't confirm whether it was truly Orochimaru. 

The rogue ninja may have altered his chakra over time due to frequent body changes.

Kushina needed to visit the barrier team to ensure all security measures were in place, and then she would head to the arena to watch the matches.

After two days of rest, Kimimaro had nearly recovered from his training. Following the patrol route laid out by Minato, he teamed up with his three comrades from the Guren squad to patrol the village. 

The team guren was well-known, regularly passing through various parts of Konoha. They blended in with the daily bustle, making them one of the least conspicuous patrols.

Meanwhile, Haku and Karin stayed at home. Though both planned to continue their careers as shinobi, Haku had yet to officially join Konoha's ninja forces, and Karin still needed to work on her fundamentals, with the possibility of conflict in Konoha, it was safer for them to remain at home. 

Besides, once the seals around their house were activated, it offered protection equivalent to the village's shelters.

Of course, Naruto is set to compete in the exams. He created four shadow clones to spread out across Konoha, planning to handle communication duties. 

Though Minato may have arranged for the Yamanaka clan to manage communication, Naruto wanted to be prepared. After all, wasting a bit of chakra wasn't a big deal.

The Land of Wind, a nominal ally of the Land of Fire, had also sent important dignitaries to observe the exams.

Since Naruto arrived early at the stadium, the audience stands were still mostly empty. 

The arena resembled the kind of battlegrounds seen in competitive mobile games, where only the strongest survived. 

In the waiting area, only Genma Shiranui was present, chewing on his ever-present senbon, looking as calm as usual.

"Genma-san, are you the head proctor today?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, you're early and yes, I'm the proctor today. Don't expect me to go easy on you," Genma replied, the senbon in his mouth twitching slightly as he spoke, almost as if it might fall.

"That's fine. But tell me, do you really not have a sister named Mai Shiranui?"

Genma Shiranui, one of the Hokage's personal guards, was someone Naruto had grown familiar with over time. 

Along with Raido and Iwashi, they were part of the elite squad capable of using the Flying Thunder God Formation—an adaptation of Minato's Flying Thunder God Jutsu, albeit one that required a team effort.

"You've asked me that a hundred times, and no, I don't have a sister, let alone someone named Mai Shiranui," Genma replied, though he made a mental note that it wasn't a bad name if he ever had a daughter in the future. Compared to Naruto's name, it seemed more grounded.

(The day before yesterday, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had failed his attempt to wield Frostmourne, said, "You're too naive.")

"Where's Hayate? I didn't get a chance to settle things with him after our last encounter," Naruto asked, recalling the coughing proctor from previous exams.

"He's been assigned another task," Genma explained. "Can't have someone coughing through the whole exam—it wouldn't look good for Konoha's reputation."

After some light banter with Genma, Naruto finally spotted his first teammate arriving.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing here so early? Where's Choji?"

"Choji ate so much last night that he ended up with a stomach ache. He's in the hospital now," Shikamaru sighed.

Shikamaru had calculated his timing perfectly that morning, planning to laze around at home. 

But after a scolding from his mother and some complaints about the Nara clan's laid-back attitude, he figured it was better to leave the house early to avoid further nagging.

"Typical Choji," Naruto chuckled. He could already imagine how Kiba would react upon hearing that Choji missed the finals because of overeating.

One by one, the other participants and spectators arrived. In the stands, Hinata sat with Hiashi, Hizashi, and Hanabi. 

The rest of their friends who didn't make it to the finals were also scattered throughout the audience.

At this point, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in a ceremonial robe picked out by his wife, stood behind Minato. 

Though he had passed the title of Hokage to Minato, Hiruzen still made public appearances during important events.

As the Fourth Kazekage took his seat, Minato greeted him, "It's an honour to have you here, Kazekage-sama. I hope your journey went well."

The Kazekage briefly glanced at Minato, then shifted his gaze to the Third Hokage. "It's been a long time, Lord Fourth, and I see the Third is still in good health."

"Though I've aged, it brings me joy to see Konoha's future generations flourish," Hiruzen replied, thinking the Kazekage's words were just polite formalities. 

He glanced down at the arena, where the Konoha candidates dominated the roster, reassured that his decision to entrust the village to Minato was the right one.

As the crowd settled, Minato stepped forward and announced in a clear voice, "Thank you all for attending the joint Chunin Exams. The third round of the exam will now officially begin!"

A roar of cheers erupted from the stands.

Genma stood before the eight remaining participants, reading from a sheet of paper. "dosu and Zaku from the Sound Village are disqualified for not showing up. Choji Akimichi from Konoha is absent due to illness, so the matchups have been adjusted. Please confirm your opponents."

Naruto glanced at the updated list: Sasuke vs Rock Lee in the first match, Neji vs Kankuro in the second, Naruto vs Gaara in the third, and Shikamaru vs Shino in the fourth.

After the participants had taken note of the changes, Genma announced, "Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee, please remain on the field. The rest of you, head to the waiting area."

As Naruto made his way off the field, he glanced up at the sky—it was a clear, sunny day. 

He looked over at Sasuke, who wore his usual serious expression. Naruto couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke would be able to handle Lee's speed and power.

"Don't underestimate your opponent, Sasuke. Be careful," Naruto called out, offering a friendly reminder.

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