Naruto drinking makes me stronger-Chapter 24: The Red Flower Incident

The Konoha candidates stared in disbelief at the items Orochimaru had just handed them. Small red flower stickers—the same ones given to academy students for good behavior. And he expected them to stick them on their foreheads throughout the entire second exam.

For a moment, no one spoke.

"Orochimaru-sama... are you joking?" Inuzuka Ryou finally asked, his face twitching.

Orochimaru's thin lips curled into a knowing smile. "I don't joke. This is an order. Every single one of you must wear this sticker for the duration of the second exam. If it falls off, replace it immediately." His tone left no room for debate.

A heavy silence hung over the group before Aburame Shingo sighed, adjusting his sunglasses before reaching out to take a sticker. His movements were slow, reluctant, but he peeled off the backing and pressed it to his forehead without another word. The bright red flower stood out in the worst possible way.

The others grimaced, their expressions torn between frustration and resignation. "This is humiliating," Ryou muttered.

"Just do it," Hyūga Renji grumbled, slapping his own sticker onto his forehead. The Hyūga had it the worst. Since the branch family members couldn't remove their headbands due to the Caged Bird Seal, they had no choice but to place the sticker right between their eyebrows, making them look utterly ridiculous.

Then came the final insult. Orochimaru's gaze shifted to Inuzuka Ryou's ninken, Kuromaru. "Ninja dogs must wear one as well," he added casually.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ryou whispered in horror as he turned to his loyal companion. Kuromaru's ears drooped in defeat before Ryou hesitantly pressed a red flower sticker onto the dog's head. The once proud and fearsome canine immediately slumped, his entire posture radiating pure shame.

That was all it took for the foreign shinobi to lose it.

Laughter erupted across the training ground as the foreign candidates pointed and jeered. "Are you guys serious?!" one from Kumogakure wheezed. "This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen!"

"Little red flowers? What, is Konoha rebranding itself as Flower Village now?" another choked out between laughs.

"You plan to fight us looking like that?!"

The Kumogakure candidates laughed the loudest, their mocking voices carrying across the field. Konoha's shinobi clenched their fists, their faces burning with humiliation, but none of them dared disobey Orochimaru's orders. One by one, they all placed the stickers on their foreheads, some gritting their teeth, others looking ready to throw themselves into the nearest pit.

Inside a special viewing room, the jōnin leaders of the participating villages observed the scene through a crystal ball, their reactions ranging from amusement to outright disbelief. The Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, leaned forward with a sharp-toothed grin. "Tell me, Konoha," he sneered, "is this some new tradition of yours? Do all your shinobi wear red flowers into battle now?"

The Kumogakure jōnin leader outright laughed, shaking his head. "I thought we were here for a Chūnin Exam, not a kindergarten play."

The Konoha jōnin said nothing, their expressions tight with irritation.

Jiraiya, in charge of security, exhaled slowly and cracked his knuckles before giving the two jōnin a hard look. "Keep running your mouths," he muttered.

The two men immediately tensed. The room fell silent.

The Watermelon Mountain Pufferfish scowled but said nothing, while the Kumogakure jōnin shifted uncomfortably. Neither of them wanted to push their luck with Jiraiya.

"Hmph. We'll see if your shinobi can back up their ridiculous display," the Mist jōnin muttered, turning his gaze back to the crystal ball. His eyes landed on one specific individual.

"You hear that, Kisame? I don't care how ridiculous they look—kill them all."

Kisame's sharp grin widened. "With pleasure."

At the entrance to the Forest of Death, Orochimaru turned to Youyu, a knowing smirk on his face. "There. Everything was handled exactly as you requested. Are you satisfied?"

Youyu, lazily gripping a bottle of sake in one hand and his sword in the other, nodded in approval. "Yeah. This makes things way easier." He took a long swig of sake before flashing a grin. "Anyone without a red flower? I'll just cut 'em down."

A visible shift passed through the foreign candidates. Up until now, they had been laughing at Konoha's ridiculous display. But now, a new thought dawned on them—this wasn't a joke.

They weren't wearing the stickers for fun.

They were wearing them so Youyu wouldn't kill them by accident.

Inuzuka Ryou swallowed hard, whispering, "This... this isn't about making us look stupid, is it?"

Hyūga Renji let out a slow breath, his face paling. "No. It's not."

"You mean the village thinks we're in more danger from him than from the enemy?" Ryou asked.

Renji didn't answer. He didn't need to.

A few feet away, Asuma and Obito arrived, carrying bottles of sake for Youyu.

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"You're late!" Youyu snapped, grabbing the bottles and stuffing them into his backpack. "I almost had to go a whole day without drinking! If you two slow me down again, I'll cut you."

Obito and Asuma froze, their faces pale. "S-Sorry, Youyu!" they stammered.

Several Konoha shinobi turned toward them in silent horror.

"So that's what the stickers are for," someone muttered under their breath.

"They're not a joke."

"They're a lifeline."

Rin smiled as she approached Youyu. "Good luck out there, Youyu!"

"You should be careful," Kurenai added, concern in her voice.

"You worry too much," Youyu scoffed, pulling both girls into a one-armed hug. "Just wait for me to get back. We'll drink together then."

Rin giggled, while Kurenai blushed.

A short distance away, Asuma and Obito clenched their fists.

Orochimaru observed the scene with intrigue.

Not only had Youyu been pushed straight into the second round, but Konoha had done everything possible to ensure he passed without issue. This wasn't favoritism.

It was fear.

Orochimaru's smirk widened.

He had plenty of time to observe.

And he was looking forward to it.

Word Count: 1,029

Author Notes:

Foreign Candidates: "Why are they wearing red flowers?"

Konoha Candidates: "So he doesn't kill us by mistake."

Next Chapter: Chaos in the Forest of Death!