RADG: Chapter 269: Seeing Old Friends Again, Two Worlds

In the end, Kakashi recommended a teammate for Sasuke and Naruto.

"...Sakura."

Seeing the pink-haired girl brought by Kakashi, Naruto blurted out her name in a trance.

At that moment, Naruto fully understood the meaning of the phrase "as if in another world."

It felt like the days of chasing after Sakura were just yesterday, yet at the same time so far away.

Thinking back now, Naruto’s face turned pale.

He had been so naive back then. No wonder he had been beaten up by Yami every day.

Sasuke’s reaction was much more indifferent. He did not even remember who she was until Naruto spoke her name. He nodded casually toward Sakura.

"Sasuke, Naruto."

Sakura forced a smile, but only she knew how bitter it was.

"Alright, I’ve solved your teammate problem."

Kakashi seemed unaware of the strange atmosphere and said briskly, "Then I wish you good luck in passing the exam and becoming Chūnin."

"Kakashi-sensei, can I become an Elite Jōnin directly and challenge a Kage?" Naruto asked loudly. Kakashi had taught him for a while, so he still called him Sensei.

"No." Kakashi shook his finger. "If you want to challenge a Kage, you must first become an Elite Jōnin. That’s the rule set by Yami, and no one can change it."

Now, Kage was a respectful title for those who had reached Kage-level strength, but the uniqueness of Hokage was preserved.

Naruto’s eyes dimmed and he nodded listlessly.

Before leaving, Kakashi suddenly remembered something and reminded them seriously. "Yami asked me to tell you that if you fail to advance to Chūnin this time, your lives won’t be easy in the future."

Naruto and Sasuke both shuddered and nodded repeatedly, not daring to ignore Yami’s warning.

Even if they became the pinnacle of the ninja world, the strongest beneath the Sage of Six Paths, in front of Yami they were no different from the boys who had just graduated.

In fact, the stronger they became, the longer he would torment them.

"Remember, Naruto, you cannot use Sage Mode. And Sasuke, you are not allowed to use the Mangekyō Sharingan’s eye techniques or the Rinnegan’s abilities."

After this final warning, Kakashi hurried away, leaving the three of them space.

He was not having an easy time himself. The Elite Jōnin selection was the first to be held, and only after the high-level ranks were confirmed could he better arrange duties and ensure the Chūnin Exam, which involved the largest number of participants, would proceed smoothly.

Still, Kakashi felt Yami was overthinking it.

This was only the Chūnin Exam, not the Elite Jōnin Challenge. Using Sage Mode or Mangekyō techniques here would be absurd.

Naruto and Sasuke weren’t that foolish.

But since these were Yami’s orders, he could only pass them on truthfully, or else he would be the one in trouble.

After Kakashi left, Sakura began talking about her experiences over the past few years.

During the Konoha Crush, Sakura and her two teammates had encountered a Sound shinobi. After paying the price of one teammate’s life, they managed to defeat the enemy.

After the war, her other teammate chose to quit the shinobi ranks. Left alone, Sakura entered Konoha Hospital with her excellent chakra control and became one of the ten medical support shinobi.

Even during the Fourth Ninja World War, when medical shinobi were needed on the front lines, Sakura had remained in the village due to her lack of strength.

This was the normal fate of most ordinary ninjas.

Apart from chakra control and solid theoretical knowledge, she lacked innate chakra reserves, a powerful teacher, motivated teammates, or a strong family lineage. Without those, there was no chance to change her destiny.

Still, Sakura felt unwilling.

Naruto, who once revolved around her, and Sasuke, whom she had revolved around, had both become top figures of the ninja world and disciples of Yami.

That enormous psychological gap left her depressed every day. So when Kakashi asked her to fill the vacant spot, Sakura agreed without hesitation.

Even though she knew it would not change anything, she still wanted to stay close to them. Otherwise, she would never get another chance in this life.

"Don’t worry, Sakura."

Seeing her expression fall again after telling her story, Naruto grinned, showing his bright teeth. "With Sasuke and me here, you’ll never face danger."

Then his face, so much like Minato’s, fell again, and he added pitifully, "But you’ll have to help me with the first round of exams. I’ll leave the Academy knowledge to Iruka-sensei."

"Idiot, when did you ever learn what Iruka taught you?"

"Sasuke, you bastard! Don’t forget I passed the first round of the exam!"

"Do you need me to remind you how you passed?"

The two bickered as they walked forward. Sakura just stood there staring at them, watching as they stepped out of the shadows into the sunlight. She wanted to follow, but her legs would not move.

It was not until they had walked a long way that Naruto remembered Sakura was still behind. He turned and waved energetically.

"Sakura, see you on exam day. Don’t be nervous. With me, Uzumaki Naruto, here, you’ll definitely become a Chūnin!"

Sakura nodded unconsciously, watching the two of them walk away, standing still for a long time.

(To be continued.)