Chunin Exams II

The Chunin guarding the gate unlocked the chains. Sasuke bent his legs, ready to sprint, and Naruto and Sakura did the same. With a creak, the gates opened. Sasuke vanished from where he stood and charged toward the Grass Ninja. They were not far away. Within minutes, Sasuke had reached Gate 15. Under the Sharingan's observation, he immediately pursued the direction the Grass Ninja had gone. Naruto followed close behind, with Sakura bringing up the rear. If Sasuke had not deliberately left markers, Sakura might not have been able to keep up.

Found them. This had to be a one-hit kill. Sasuke had gone to Gate 15 first because he needed to find their trail. Attacking from the direction they had come from would also catch them completely off guard. They would never expect someone to attack them from behind so soon after the exam began. They had left the gate less than half an hour ago.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique." Sasuke created three clones first, then pulled out Kunai and threw them. The three Sasukes accelerated instantly. As their opponents dodged, the formation spread apart, and the three Sasukes appeared directly before them. The combat style infused with Xing Yi principles gave their enemies no chance to counterattack or flee. In less than two minutes, all of them were knocked to the ground. Sasuke then searched them and found the Earth Scroll.

Sasuke let out a breath of relief and waited for Naruto and Sakura. Then the three of them headed toward the tower.

"Sasuke, why were you in such a hurry to get the Earth Scroll?" Naruto had not gotten to join the battle, so he asked unhappily.

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling, so I want to reach the tower as soon as possible. It should be safe there, and there should be Jonin stationed there." Sasuke blamed it on his intuition. "Sakura, carry both scrolls. If there's danger, don't look back. Keep running toward the tower."

"No. How could I leave you behind and run away alone?" Sakura's heart was entirely focused on Sasuke. Of course she would not abandon them.

"I'm not telling you to run away. I'm telling you to get reinforcements. If Naruto and I can't handle the opponent, then they must be an outside Jonin. I don't think any of the examinees could force me to flee in panic. So if my feeling is right, it should be an outside high-ranking ninja. You have to get help, or none of us will be able to escape."

"Come on, Sasuke, when did you become such a coward? We defeated Zabuza, didn't we? Wasn't he a Jonin?" Naruto said dismissively, curling his lip.

"When did we defeat Zabuza? At most, we gave Kakashi-sensei a little help. Without him, the three of us would have died for sure. Naruto, you'd better not underestimate your enemies. In a ninja battle, that's a huge taboo. No one knows whether the opponent has some powerful ninjutsu."

"Fine. I'd like to see who's making you so nervous." The three fell silent and rushed toward the tower at full speed. If they went all out, they could reach it in less than an hour. Gaara's group had taken an hour and a half while moving leisurely, so they should arrive quickly if they pushed themselves.

"Sakura, are you all right? Can you keep up physically?" Sasuke asked over his shoulder. "No problem. The tower isn't far. We can get there in less than an hour. I can do it." The three said nothing more and simply kept their heads down as they ran. It was unclear how Orochimaru had found Sasuke in the anime; he had merely launched a sudden attack. Now they were taking a different route. Could he still discover and find Sasuke? Everything was unknown. Sasuke also wondered what would be different when his Sharingan evolved next time. Before the Three-Tomoe stage, the Sharingan's abilities were nothing more than copying, dynamic vision, and dispelling ninjutsu. What would a Four-Tomoe Sharingan add? He truly looked forward to it.

Meanwhile, battles erupted throughout the Forest of Death. Everyone used their own methods, fighting one another for scrolls. Some raced ahead at full speed, hoping to set ambushes before reaching the tower. But the dangerous creatures of the Forest of Death would not let them have their way. Sasuke could advance without interference only because the Sharingan let him see through every disguise.

Elsewhere, Orochimaru suddenly sensed something and stopped. His two subordinates looked at him curiously. "One prey that interests me is about to escape. I'm going to take a look. I'll leave the scrolls to you."

"Understood, my lord." Orochimaru began moving at full speed. He was incredibly fast, and the Forest of Death posed no threat to him at all. Unless he encountered Gaara, of course. But he would not fight him; at most, he would avoid him.

"Hmm? Why are they rushing at full speed? Are they planning to set a trap ahead?" Orochimaru began to speculate about Sasuke's group's intentions.

Sasuke seemed to sense danger approaching and unconsciously sped up again. They were getting closer and closer to the tower. Though it was called the Forest of Death, it was only a training ground. The five days were meant for everyone to compete for scrolls, so if they traveled at full speed, it would not take even an hour.

Ten more minutes. Victory is almost in sight—no, that's wrong. Orochimaru is closing in. He's speeding up. He's too fast. Sasuke's spiritual power was strong, and he clearly felt the aura of danger drawing near. He had to stop him. He could not let him get near Sakura.

"Sakura, do you remember what I said earlier?" Sasuke asked.

"I remember." Sakura froze for a moment before answering. "Then do it now. Be careful. Once you arrive, find Kakashi-sensei and report what happened here. The opponent is dangerous. Tell him to bring more people. I'm counting on you." After saying that, Sasuke stopped. Naruto stopped as well. Though he did not know what was happening, he could sense Sasuke's gravity. Sakura continued on without looking back. She clenched her teeth and ran faster. No one would be ahead of them at this time; even the fastest, Gaara and Team 8, had not arrived yet.

"Naruto, prepare for a fight to the death." Sasuke turned around and stood on a tree branch, looking in the direction Orochimaru was coming from. "Don't worry. I'm the man who'll become Hokage."

A thunderous boom rang out as a giant snake charged toward them. Its target was Naruto. So the enemy had been following Naruto. What method had he used? There was no time to think. Sasuke took out a scroll and rapidly formed hand seals. With a puff, a Giant Shuriken appeared. It was from the Sealing Scroll. "Fuma Shuriken, Great Windmill." Sasuke had brought this oversized weapon specifically to deal with large Summoning Animals. Using ninjutsu to destroy one would consume too much Chakra.

With another puff, the snake vanished after being struck in the head. Naruto stared blankly. "Why did it suddenly disappear?"

"That was a ninja's Summoning Animal. It disappears after being killed. Seriously injuring it works too," Sasuke explained. "Whoa, that's awesome. Will we learn that too?"