Scroll Snatch Battle

After Morino Ibiki finished his announcement, the students in the examination room all looked hesitant. Some who were wavering and lacked confidence chose to pick up their number tags, hand them to the proctors, and leave dejectedly.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watched the people leaving the examination room with relaxed expressions, feeling incredibly satisfied. Sure enough, A Liang was the biggest cheat. He had actually guessed it right. Though it had only been one of many guesses, that was still impressive.

Once someone took the lead in leaving, it sent out a signal. This was generally called the bandwagon effect. When someone left, more people with weak resolve followed suit. In the end, only around a hundred people remained in the examination room.

Morino Ibiki looked at the examinees who had mostly left and said, "I'll ask one last time. Is anyone else withdrawing? If not, I'll announce the test question. This is a choice that stakes your lives. If you want to give up, now is the time. If you withdraw now, no one will blame you."

Ibiki looked over the examinees again. Once he confirmed that no one else was withdrawing, he finally smiled. "Your resolve is admirable. Therefore, I declare that everyone who chose to remain and continue the exam has passed the first test."

The room fell silent. The remaining examinees were stunned by the sudden announcement that they had passed. Then someone shouted, "Wait! What's going on? What does passing all of a sudden have to do with the tenth question?"

However, in response to that examinee's question, the stern-faced Morino Ibiki suddenly grinned like a husky and burst out laughing. "There was never any such thing from the beginning. If we're being precise, that earlier choice between two options was the tenth question."

Temari spoke up as well. "Then what about all the questions before that? Were they completely pointless?"

Morino Ibiki's established persona collapsed. Looking a little embarrassed, he said, "They weren't completely pointless. The first nine questions had already fulfilled the purpose of the exam. They tested each of your information-gathering abilities and your actual strength. First, the key point of this exam was hinted at from the very beginning. Deciding whether you passed in teams of three placed unimaginable psychological pressure on you, because you could drag down your teammates. However, aside from the first question, these were naturally not questions that Genin like you could answer. That meant you had to rely on your own abilities to cheat and gather information. Moreover, the only people here capable of answering every question were the Chunin I planted among you. You could only use them as targets to test your information-gathering abilities. Ah, of course, it also eliminated plenty of poor students.

"As for why we test this, information can sometimes be more valuable than your own life. It can produce remarkable results on the battlefield and during missions. It is something worth fighting for with your life.

"And sometimes, the information acquired by enemies or third parties may not necessarily be correct. I hope you remember this: possessing incorrect information can also cause immeasurable losses and fatal blows to your comrades and village. In that sense, we let you acquire information by cheating, then eliminated those with poor abilities. That is all."

"However, the tenth question was the true purpose of the first test. Let me explain. The tenth question was whether to accept or refuse. I don't need to tell you that this was a choice meant to torment you. Those who refused would cause their teammates to be eliminated along with them, while those who chose to answer but got it wrong would permanently lose the right to participate in the Chunin Exams. It was actually a very dishonest question.

"So what about this choice between two options? Suppose we become Chunin, and the mission is to seize secret documents. We know nothing about the number of enemy ninja, their abilities, whether they have weapons, or anything else. The enemy may even have set traps. Would you accept such a mission or refuse it?

"If you value your own life, you will expose your comrades to danger. Can you keep avoiding such dangerous missions forever?

"My answer is no. No matter how dangerous a mission is, there will be missions you cannot refuse. At such times, being able to show courage to your comrades and possessing the ability to break through difficult situations are qualities a Chunin needs as the leader of a unit. If someone does not even dare to gamble with their own life, places their hopes on next year or an uncertain future, wavers in their heart, and gives up opportunities, then I believe such weak-willed trash has no right to become Chunin.

"And those of you who chose to answer can be said to have found the correct answer to the difficult tenth question. You will surely face future hardships head-on as well. You have already passed through the entrance. The first test of the Chunin selection exams is over. I wish you all success in the coming tests."

"Woohoo! Yeah!"

When Ibiki announced the end of the first test, the examinees erupted in cheers.

However, just as everyone happily began talking among themselves, someone suddenly crashed through the window. With an entrance effect at maximum, Mitarashi Anko looked at the cheering examinees below and struck them down with, "Don't celebrate too early. That was only the first test. Next, I will be your proctor for the second test, Mitarashi Anko. Now then, let's go. Follow me for the second test."

Naturally, the audience did not quite know how to react to such a ridiculous entrance, and the room immediately fell into an awkward silence.

Morino Ibiki could only helplessly remind Mitarashi Anko, who was still immersed in her own cool entrance, "Could you at least read the room?"

After calming down, Mitarashi Anko looked awkwardly at the silent examinees and said, "Seventy-eight people, Ibiki. There are actually still twenty-six teams left. You went too easy on them in this year's first test."

Morino Ibiki did not care, though, and replied with a grin, "Can't be helped. There are a lot of outstanding ones this year."

Mitarashi Anko put her hands on her hips, looked at the examinees below, and said, "Fine. I'll eliminate more than half of them in the second test. Now that's exciting."

Then, facing the stunned examinees below, she said, "We'll discuss the details tomorrow after changing locations. Ask your Jonin instructors about the meeting place and time. That's all. Dismissed."

Everyone immediately felt a headache coming on because of this unreliable second-test proctor. She had even declared that she would eliminate more than half of those remaining. Just thinking about it was painful.

Everyone left the examination room in an orderly fashion. Before long, Wu Liang met up with Sasuke and the other twelve rookies, then said, "Let's go. Congratulations on passing the exam."

However, Inuzuka Kiba said, "Why don't you have to take the exam? That's unfair! Or did you not participate in the Chunin Exams at all?"

Wu Liang did not care about Inuzuka Kiba's question and said, "You'll find out later. Go back and get some rest for now. You still have the second test tomorrow."

That night, Wu Liang asked Sasuke to meet him at the training ground. According to the rules, he did not need to take tomorrow's test and could not participate in it either. After all, the old Third Hokage knew exactly how strong Wu Liang was. But if he could not enter, then the bond between Orochimaru and Sasuke would definitely unfold just as it had in the original story. Even though Sasuke was much stronger than in the original story, he was still no match for Orochimaru. Being branded with the Curse Mark was inevitable.

Wu Liang could have reported Orochimaru in advance, but Sasuke's Curse Mark was an opportunity. He did not particularly want to ruin it. Even if he could not enter later, he did not want Sasuke's development to be affected. After living together for so many years, even a dog would develop feelings.

Looking at Sasuke sitting in the tree, Wu Liang deliberated for a long time before deciding to let Sasuke make the choice himself. "Sasuke, regarding tomorrow's exam, you may be targeted by a certain disgusting guy. With your current strength, you won't be able to defeat him. However, you will gain a certain opportunity and power from him, which can help you seek revenge against that person. What I want to ask is, do you want to rely on your own strength for revenge, or accept that disgusting person's help and gain power that does not belong to you to rapidly increase your strength?"

Hearing Wu Liang say this, Sasuke asked in confusion, "How do you know so much? Forget it, that's not important. But if that person can really help me, then I think I'll accept it."

"So your obsession with that person has really reached a terrifying level," Wu Liang said.

Sasuke's face twisted as he stared at his own hand. "You don't understand. Although your training and guidance have made me much stronger than before, whenever I dream of that scene, I still feel it isn't enough. Far from enough. Even if I became dozens of times stronger, I still wouldn't compare to one of his fingers. I need power."

Seeing Sasuke's twisted expression, Wu Liang sighed and did not try to persuade him further. He only told him that if he encountered that person, he should protect Naruto and Sakura if possible. Naruto's strength was too unstable. Over the past five years, he could sense that the Nine-Tails' Chakra had grown more violent. Although its outbreak came later than in the original story, it had indeed begun.

The next day, outside Training Ground 44—the famous Forest of Death—Anko and the other proctors waited for everyone at the entrance.

Once everyone had arrived, she introduced the place. "This is the examination site for the second test, Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death."

"Forest of Death?" Everyone looked at the enormous training ground and was shocked. When they heard Anko introduce Training Ground 44 by its other name, they all subconsciously swallowed.

Anko continued, "Why is this place called the Forest of Death? You'll soon experience it for yourselves."

Naruto, however, was not afraid at all. "Tch, what Forest of Death? I'm not scared at all! Hahaha!"

Seeing Naruto act like that, Anko praised him. "Hehe, you've got spirit. I hope you can keep that same spirit after you enter."

She then took out a document and said, "Now, I'll explain the second test. Simply put, you will be undertaking an extreme wilderness survival challenge here."

Anko took out a map of Training Ground 44 and showed it to everyone. "First, I'll introduce the terrain. Training Ground 44 is a circular area surrounded by forty-four locked entrances. There are rivers and forests inside, with a tower at the center. The distance from the tower to the gates is roughly ten kilometers. Within this restricted area, you will undergo a wilderness survival exercise, the contents of which are a scroll snatch battle where anything can happen."

Anko put away the map and took out two scrolls, one marked Heaven and the other Earth. "These are the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll. The battle will be fought over these two scrolls. There are twenty-six teams that passed the first test. Half of the thirteen teams will take Heaven Scrolls, while the other half will take Earth Scrolls. I will give each team one of these Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Simply put, you will fight each other for them. The condition for passing is for all three team members to reach the central tower carrying both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll."