บท 155: Chapter 155 Gone

As the heavy rain approached, Naruto suddenly realized he couldn't find the tent.

"You didn't bring it?" Konohamaru clutched his head, his face full of shock, "Naruto-niichan, what are you doing!"

"Where's the tent? Where's my tent?"

"What? Your tent?" Naruto casually picked up the approaching Konohamaru and said lazily, "Maybe I remembered it wrong and didn't bring it at all."

"Then we're going to get wet in the rain." Udon said earnestly.

"Are we really going to get wet in the rain?" Moegi's face showed concern, "It was still sunny when we were in the village during the day. If I had known, I would have brought a tent with me when we went out in the morning."

Konohamaru continued to struggle, while Naruto squinted at the sky and said, "The forest is prone to rain, it's not something you can always predict."

"Anyway, let's find a place to shelter from the rain first."

Another clap of thunder echoed, and Moegi screamed, squatting on the ground in fear.

"Moegi, get up! We need to find a place to shelter from the rain!" Konohamaru, still dangling in the air, kicked his legs and urged her.

"No! Thunder is so scary!"

Udon, who was standing nearby, walked up to Moegi and advised, "Moegi, don't be willful. A rainstorm is coming."

Naruto looked calm and unhurried, scuffing his sandals on the ground before casually putting Konohamaru down. He glanced at the three kids, who were in complete disarray, and calmly said, "If you guys keep making a fuss like this, I'll just clock out early."

Inside the tent.

The six Academy kids huddled together in the innermost part, while Ino and Hinata sat silently on the outer edge in tacit understanding, one on the left and one on the right, with their heads lowered. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"Um…" Ino spoke first, breaking the silence, "This is kind of like an exam too, isn't it? "

"Huh…? What?" Hinata, lost in thought, was startled by Ino's sudden voice and became a little flustered.

"Sorry, I was distracted just now." Hinata apologized softly.

"No need to apologize for that, it's okay." Ino felt a bit embarrassed for scaring her, but couldn't help her thoughts from wandering.

'Hinata was probably worried about that guy, which is why she was distracted.'

'Damn it… Why do I feel a little jealous?'

'Why does that guy deserve to be thought of like this? Anyway, I'm definitely not worried about him. A scum like that deserves to be caught in the rain. He might as well be struck to death by lightning. Serves him right for always taking advantage of girls and being so shameless.'

"What do you mean by an exam, Ino?" Hinata asked gently, smiling slightly as she looked up. "Are you referring to the outcome of this exercise?"

"Yeah, I don't think this is just about leading these kids in an exercise." Ino glanced at the dark sky outside and analyzed seriously, "Hinata, you also encountered traps and Academy's teachers disguised as bandits on the way, right?"

"Mm, we ran into them, but we got through smoothly." Hinata nodded, pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "It wasn't too difficult."

"It's indeed not difficult, but if we weren't prepared, we probably would have been thrown into chaos. And that kind of unexpected situation can better demonstrate the leadership ability of a Genin."

"So, I think this should be linked to our regular Genin assessments, and used as an assessment indicator for promotion to Chunin." Ino said methodically.

"If that's the case, arriving on time will count as passing, right?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, so once the rain stops, we'll need to start moving again." Ino said without reservation, "Rain in the forest is sudden and quick, so it won't last long."

"Thank you, Ino." Hinata said sincerely.

"You don't have to be so polite." Ino smiled, then glanced outside the tent, "And you don't have to worry about that guy, he can get there safely if he follows us."

"No, I'm not worried about Naruto-kun." Hinata blushed.

Ino: "…"

"But that bastard doesn't seem to care about the Chunin Exams at all. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't take it seriously even if he knew about it. He just wants to get it over with and go home to sleep."

"Naruto-kun wasn't always like this." Hinata raised her head, her face slightly red. "He used to be really enthusiastic, but I don't know what happened and he suddenly became like this now."

"I didn't pay much attention to it before." Ino frowned, "Anyway, that guy has become particularly annoying since the days before graduation. But Hinata, you should have known that guy for a long time, right?"

"Mm."

"Hinata." Ino suddenly called out to her.

"What's wrong?"

Hinata looked at Ino, her eyes reflecting a calm light, but the next moment, her composure was shaken by Ino's words.

"Do you think his previous personality was better, or do you prefer his current lazy attitude?" Ino asked casually, though she wasn't just asking about personality.

She glanced at Hinata and then paused.

Everyone faces questions like these… whether they like a person for their personality or something else. People change. It's like when a celebrity's reputation collapses and the halo that was originally surrounding them disappears. When a celebrity becomes a completely different person, it's understandable that people quickly stop being their fans.

Because when the personality changes, it's almost like becoming another person. Only the physical appearance and memories remain unchanged.

Hinata stayed silent for a while, then lowered her gaze, curling up and hugging her legs as she muttered vaguely, "I guess…"

The tent was unusually quiet, and the six Academy kids huddled inside, holding their breath as they listened to the conversation between the two older girls at the entrance. Thunder rumbled, and mountain winds rustled through the forest.

A little girl lowered her voice and whispered, "I think our big sister seems to like that big brother with golden hair."

"No, it's the other big sister."

"But they're both talking about him. Could it be..."

"How is that possible? That kind of thing can't happen. Adults wouldn't do something like that!"

With a loud sound, the rain began to pour, making the tent rustle. The six kids gasped in unison, amazed by the sound, their ears perking up to listen intently, finding everything fascinating.

Hinata's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden downpour, and she momentarily didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps outside the tent. Hinata and Ino looked outside and saw a blurry figure approaching the tent quickly.

"What is that?"

"… It looks like a person."

Ino was also a little unsure. Although it was still afternoon, the visibility in the forest was already low, and with the approaching rain, the area outside the tent was a grey blur.

The shadowy figure was soaking wet. Before the person even stopped, a voice called out, "There is no tent, so take her in."

As the figure bent down and pushed someone into the tent, Ino recognized Moegi by the light. Without time for questions, she and Hinata quickly pulled Moegi inside.

The tent, which was originally not too crowded, suddenly became a bit cramped with Moegi's arrival. Naruto, crouching and holding the tent from outside, was completely soaked.

"Where are the other two?" Ino asked, referring to Konohamaru and Udon.

"Naruto-kun, let those two come over as well," Hinata said.

"No need." Naruto flatly rejected the idea, his blue eyes staring at the still sobbing Moegi, "The two of them will come with me to find a cave to shelter from the rain."

Moegi flinched when she heard this.

"How can that be? If they get drenched…" Hinata began to express her concern.

"It can be." Naruto said coldly, which surprised Hinata slightly. She looked up at Naruto, but found that his eyes never left Moegi.

"Moegi." His eyes were cold and his voice was calm, "It's useless for a Shinobi to just cry. I'll take Konohamaru and Udon with me."

"It doesn't matter if it rains. I won't bring them here. They have to clean up the mess for you. Just follow these two sisters. We'll talk after the exercise."

Through the tent, Ino looked up at Naruto, who was drenched. In his emotionless eyes, she saw the tent, Moegi, herself, and Hinata reflected.

After saying that, Naruto left without another word.

Moegi couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.

Hinata and Ino exchanged glances before quickly looking away. Hinata suddenly felt that Ino's question was sharp, sharp enough that she could no longer numb or ignore her true feelings.

Is it the person or the character that she likes? After that look outside the tent, she was certain that Naruto would never return to the way he was before… The person who was always warm and bright was gone.

She realized that she couldn't avoid this question, even if she could slyly give a vague answer, pretending not to understand.

But when the night grew quiet and there was no one around, those thoughts would creep up to the edge of her bed, mercilessly questioning her, leaving her with no escape.