Chapter 107: The Insurmountable Chasm

"Naruto!"

The moment Hinata stepped into the examination room, her eyes were drawn to him as if pulled by a magnet. A bright smile instantly blossomed on her face, and she walked toward him, filled with joy, greeting him warmly.

Only after greeting Naruto did she notice the other two members of Team Seven. Nodding slightly, she said softly, "Sasuke, and Sakura."

Hearing Hinata's words, Sakura pursed her lips and said sourly, "Hinata, how can you be like this? You just nod at us and that's it?"

"It's not just you. Hinata is the same way with the two of us, her own teammates," Kiba Inuzuka muttered with a frown and a resentful expression, following close behind Hinata.

Standing beside Kiba was Shino Aburame, his face expressionless. However, when Naruto activated his Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he could sense that Shino's emotions were perfectly stable. Perhaps because he was always so quiet and had such a low presence, he had grown accustomed to being ignored.

At another table, Ino Yamanaka stared intently at the warm and friendly interaction, a hint of envy showing in her expression.

She looked like a child longing for candy, watching others enjoy their sweets. She seemed to want to step forward and join the pleasant conversation, but her feet felt bound by some invisible force, refusing to budge. She simply could not find a proper excuse to walk over.

Slumped over the table, Shikamaru Nara lazily raised his eyelids and said, "If you want to go say hello, just go. We're all classmates, and there's no unbridgeable chasm between us. Right, Choji?"

Choji, who was focusing entirely on eating potato chips, looked up blankly at Shikamaru's words. Scratching his head, he said, "Huh? What? Shikamaru, do you want some chips?" As he spoke, he offered the bag of chips.

Shikamaru waved his hand helplessly. "Sigh, never mind. Just keep eating."

Over there, Ino bit her lip slightly, her expression somber and dejected. She shook her head slowly and whispered, "No, I think I'll stay here."

In Ino's memory, during their childhood, she and Sakura had been inseparable friends, playing together and sharing their joys and worries. Later on, however, because they both fell for the same boy, their relationship grew strained. A tiny crack opened between them, eventually leading to a minor falling out.

Now, looking at Sakura, Ino was filled with complex emotions. She felt she was still just an insignificant Genin who could only babysit and pick up trash in the village, while Sakura was already a powerful shinobi who had completed two A-rank missions. Despondency filled Ino's heart. She felt the gap between them widening, believing she no longer had the right to covet Sasuke, nor the standing to stand proudly by Sakura's side as she once had.

Shikamaru could guess the complicated thoughts and emotions swirling in Ino's mind, but scratching his head, he had no idea how to help his teammate. Sighing helplessly, he slumped back onto the table and muttered listlessly, "Sigh... what a drag."

In another corner of the examination room, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle. The candidates sent by the Ryuzou Association stood quietly, their gazes converging like spotlights onto a single person.

A shinobi with messy hair like a bird's nest narrowed his eyes and whispered, "So that is Uzumaki Naruto, whom Lord Orochimaru spoke so highly of."

A hint of doubt flickered in his eyes as he pondered to himself, "I wonder what kind of extraordinary abilities he has to earn such high regard from Lord Orochimaru?" As he spoke, he unconsciously flexed his two steam-powered prosthetic hands. The gears on the prosthetics began to spin slowly, like a bow being drawn, as if using the movement to ease the curiosity and tension in his heart.

Another Ryuzou Association shinobi, almost entirely wrapped in bandages, was carefully inspecting a steam-powered device in his hands as he spoke: "Lord Orochimaru did say that Lord Naruto's expertise in steam-powered machinery and spiritual-mechanical energy exceeds that of any of us, and his strength is formidable. The Lord also specifically warned us that even putting aside his abilities in this field, we are absolutely forbidden from disturbing him."

As the shinobi spoke, he frowned slightly. Lord Orochimaru's stern expression flashed in his mind, deepening his awe of Naruto.

Just then, the third Ryuzou Association Genin, a young girl with long, straight black hair flowing like a waterfall, spoke up. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she said, "I actually quite like him. He has more masculinity than Haku of the Yuki Clan, the kind of charisma that radiates from his very bones. Yet, at the same time, he possesses a gentleness not typically found in the Uzumaki clan. This perfect blend of strength and softness makes him a truly rare, fine man."

As she spoke, a faint blush crept onto her face, as if she were talking about the boy of her dreams.

The whispers among the Ryuzou Association shinobi were not unique.

Throughout the examination room, all the candidates stared at Naruto with wide eyes. Their burning gazes were so intense they seemed capable of burning holes in him. They leaned in close, whispering and murmuring to one another.

Unabashed curiosity and scrutiny were clearly visible in their eyes.

Their Jonin leaders had repeatedly and earnestly explained to them just how difficult A-rank missions were, describing the dangers as a path strewn with thorns. The Jonin had specifically warned them that if they ever encountered formidable figures like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—who had successfully completed A-rank missions as mere Genin—they should stay as far away as possible and never provoke them.

Yet, these young candidates were like newborn calves who did not fear tigers. Having never personally experienced the cruelty of an A-rank mission, the Jonin's warnings went in one ear and out the other. They still could not truly grasp the sheer power and trouble that Naruto's trio represented.

Rather than harboring deep dread for Naruto, their hearts were filled with eagerness. They could not wait to test the true strength of this famous boy. Some even harbored selfish calculations, thinking how grand it would be to use Naruto as a stepping stone to make a name for themselves.

As for Naruto and his teammates, they were completely undisturbed by the covert stares. Naruto's curious gaze swept back and forth across the examination room like a bright searchlight.

His gaze swept over the faces of the candidates like a gentle breeze.

Yet, this seemingly gentle gaze made every candidate it touched incredibly tense. Each one felt an invisible pressure radiating from it.

Some turned pale, shaking like reeds in the wind as beads of sweat broke out on their foreheads, feeling as though they were being targeted by a wild beast. Others tried hard to maintain a facade of composure, but their trembling fingers betrayed their inner panic.

Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, relaxed and leisurely, looking like a detached bystander.

Narrowing his eyes, his gaze became as sharp as a sword, seemingly capable of piercing a person's soul. He quietly observed the other candidates for a moment, his eyes scanning them as if appraising mere objects.

After a moment, he averted his eyes in disappointment, thinking to himself: *They are nothing but utter garbage, far too weak to be worth any attention.* However, among the crowd of candidates, a Sand shinobi carrying a large gourd caught his eye. From within that Sand shinobi, Sasuke seemed to detect the aura of a Tailed Beast.

This Sand shinobi barely managed to register in Sasuke's field of vision, but that was all. Although both were Jinchuriki, this Sand Jinchuriki was far inferior compared to Naruto.

As for Sakura, she paid no attention to the gazes of the other candidates, keeping her eyes closed.

Her mind worked like a precise machine, analyzing all the possible scenarios that might unfold during the exam and silently formulating contingency plans. She had no intention of letting any unexpected incidents catch her off guard.