Asuma, Make Your Decision!

The first written exam was almost exactly the same as in the original work, with examiners mixed among the candidates, who would write down the answers they already knew.

As for how others copy it, that depends entirely on their individual abilities.

Apart from having a slightly larger number of people, they were all pretty much the same, each displaying their unique talents.

However, this time, the pressure from the seemingly Yamato was considerable for the examinees. Despite his calm demeanor, they had heard plenty about the legend of Wood Release over the years.

However, unlike in the original story, this exam did not have the most difficult tenth question; the difficulty of the first written test was directly reduced by Uchiha Yoru.

That's all for the later stages.

"Alright, I now announce that all the remaining Genin have passed the first test."

"What!"

Seeing the shocked expressions of the test takers, Kabuto Yakushi, with a gentle smile, pushed up his glasses and began to explain.

"The first written test, to put it simply, assesses your intelligence gathering abilities, as well as your teamwork skills."

"A team may have combat roles and support roles, but in various complex missions, intelligence gathering is essential. This is the most important question: once your team obtains intelligence, is that intelligence true or false?"

"Also, how did you help your teammates who were poor at gathering intelligence...?"

With a gentle smile, Kabuto Yakushi explained the content of the exam to everyone, then squinted at them and said, "Many of our people were hidden in your exam, but there was also some deliberately misleading information."

"As for those who were just expelled from the exam room, I can only say their skill level was too low. The requirements for this assessment were very simple: just the ability of an ordinary Genin."

"This time, we won't collect your test papers. They're for you to see. Each of you can see who has gathered the real information. In a mission, false information can not only kill yourself, but also your teammates..."

Just then, a cold light flashed outside the window, followed by a dark figure flashing in. Many Genin showed solemn expressions.

Boom!

"This is not the time to be happy! I am the examiner for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko!"

The black cloth was pulled back, revealing the words "Second Exam" in large characters. This high-profile and exciting scene left countless Genin below completely dumbfounded.

And for the ninjas of Konoha, this was an extremely awkward situation.

"Hey, hey, what about me, Lady Guren?"

"Good heavens!" another female ninja shouted excitedly, showing no sign of embarrassment.

"Juzo Biwa." The third figure remained silent for a long while before finally lowering his voice to announce his name, feeling quite embarrassed.

"Fellow Genin, let's begin our second test in the Forest of Death!"

Although countless Konoha and Mist Ninja already knew about it, everyone still felt incredibly awkward every time they saw the carefree Mitarashi Anko.

Kabuto Yakushi, looking at Guren, broke out in a cold sweat, muttering to himself, "She's only just arrived in Konoha and she's already found companions. That's really outrageous."

The Forest of Death.

When nearly six hundred examinees arrived at the entrance to the Forest of Death, they were all shocked by the sight of the towering trees.

The trees and animals in the ninja world are already outrageous enough, but the forest before us is even more outrageous.

"I heard that the Forest of Death underwent a dramatic transformation after the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, used Wood Release."

When someone revealed the information, countless people showed expressions of shock.

Before me lies a terrifyingly vast forest, where humans are like ants, and the area is so immense—how much Chakra must that require?

"Alright, everyone, sign the contract now..."

Mitarashi Anko explained the rules of the second exam with an innocent smile, but countless Genin were shocked.

This test is basically a battle of wits between them in the forest.

The examiner's indifferent demeanor made it seem as if this were a perfectly normal thing.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, this is only the first half of the second exam."

"The first half?"

Countless people stared in shock at their examiner, while Mitarashi Anko wore a broad smile.

"That's right. You have 24 hours in the Forest of Death to compete for the scrolls. Only the team that collects both the Heaven and Earth scrolls can advance. Of course, even if you collect them all, you still need to be careful before the time runs out."

"Half an hour break for consideration. The timer starts now."

Half an hour passed quickly; no one withdrew, everyone signed the consent form, and then the drawing of lots and distribution of scrolls began.

No one knew what kind of scroll the other was holding, and each of the Genin squads looked at the slips of paper in their hands with some suspicion.

According to the lottery, ten teams were divided into groups, but the groups were randomly assigned. Many Genin secretly wondered if the group battles would be determined by drawing lots.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt, Guren smiled, formed a hand seal, and suddenly slammed her hand on the ground.

Summoning Jutsu

The massive Summoning Jutsu spell dissipated, revealing a series of strong and enormous eagles.

"Listen up, everyone. You will be assigned to the spirit eagles according to the draw. You will be randomly dropped from the sky, so your positions are all random."

Amidst everyone's bewilderment, some even turned green with shock as they were thrown from the sky. Although there was a forest below, some of the weaker Genin still somewhat apprehensive.

Some calm Genin had already come up with a solution.

A dense cacophony of eagle cries suddenly echoed across the sky above Konoha. In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred eagles appeared simultaneously, each carrying a dense swarm of ninjas on its back.

Soaring through the sky, Mitarashi Anko patted the eagle at her feet with a broad smile, "Guren, you're not leaving this time, are you?"

"Okay, I'm not leaving." Guren, who had also changed into Symbol Headband" on it, nodded heavily with a happy and satisfied smile.

Most of the Genin above the Forest of Death appeared tense.

"What are we going to do, Sasuke? Are we really going to be thrown off the plane?"

At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki's face turned green as he stared at the ground in horror. He had never experienced such a height before.

Not to mention Naruto, even Sakura Haruno showed signs of tension, while Sasuke Uchiha.

"Think more about what the Ninja Academy instructors taught about how to slow down a fall from a great height."

Sasuke Uchiha snorted coldly, and at the same time took off his vest, making a simple parachute to avoid the speed of descent.

Seeing this, Sakura understood immediately and showed excitement. "I know! Sensei once said that a brief burst of Chakra, filling the clothing, can create a temporary barrier..."

However, none of the examinees knew that the image of a giant water sphere appearing inside a huge, enclosed arena in Konoha was none other than the Forest of Death.

Almost all those who came here were dignitaries and envoys from various countries, Leading Jonin, Chunin, and others, all staring intently at the scene of the water sphere.

Amidst gasps of alarm, the sky full of eagles vanished in an instant, turning into white smoke, while at the same time, black dots descended from the sky.

In an instant, hundreds of ninjas began to display their unique abilities, but the vast majority used their clothes as parachutes to cushion their fall.

Meanwhile, the dense forest below also serves as a perfect buffer zone.

Puff~ Puff~

One by one, black dots landed and disappeared into the vast forest, while some unlucky ones landed in the wrong places, immediately emitting screams and sounds of fighting.

As the black dots disappeared one by one, the water sphere rippled and instantly transformed into countless water spheres, almost all of which recorded the images of each squad.

In this open space, the Barrier Department and the Sensory Ninjas worked together to create this scene.

This unimaginable battle in the forest immediately aroused these high-ranking officials and nobles, while countless ninjas were also secretly shocked.

With this method, it's really impossible to accuse someone of cheating.

Regardless of the numbers or the various assessment rules, Konoha, Mist Ninja, and Sound Ninja were at a complete disadvantage in terms of numbers, and this was all on full display before everyone's eyes; there was absolutely no cheating involved.

This event caused the Leading Jonin from various ninja villages to frown secretly, as everyone's information had been leaked.

However, looking at the Jonin of Konoha, Jōnin seemed completely unconcerned, their expressions quite calm.

The Hokage's Office Building.

"Will they really be fair this time?"

Princess Tsunade looked suspicious. The so-called fairness was just a way to fool outsiders. Not taking advantage of their own home turf? Wasn't that just plain stupid?

Mei Terumi also looked suspicious, while Uchiha Yoru shrugged and smiled.

"To ensure the competition gets heated up later on, teams with potential were naturally separated."

He's not stupid. If the strongest teams all end up in the same area, he'll be in trouble.

By using the rules appropriately and separating teams with potential, the subsequent matches will be more exciting and worth watching.

Upon hearing this, Tsunade and Mei Terumi showed expressions of "I knew it," while Uchiha Yoru simply shrugged casually.

"The best part will naturally be saved for last, and the second half of the second exam will only begin then."

Uchiha Yoru's casual smile revealed no concern for the chaotic battle involving hundreds of people; the powerful teams had already dispersed.

If he were to actually encounter them in the Forest of Death, then he could only say he was unlucky.

On the other end.

The Chunin Ninja Exams are currently underway in the village, but deep in the woods, where no one is around, two figures are having a secret conversation.

"Lord Jiraiya, why are you in such a hurry?"

Sarutobi Asuma looked suspicious, while Jiraiya let out a cold snort.

"Asuma, I've received intelligence that the militant faction of the Sarutobi Clan is plotting a coup, and their momentum is growing stronger lately."

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Asuma's expression froze, revealing a hint of disappointment.

"I didn't expect that you already knew, Lord Jiraiya."

A cigarette was slowly lit, and Sarutobi Asuma, his face weathered and powerless, leaned against a large tree, exhaling smoke with a somewhat empty and lifeless look in his eyes.

After a long while, Asuma finally sighed.

"Lord Jiraiya, am I really that useless? As the head of the Sarutobi Clan, how could I not be able to stop all of this from happening?"

Jiraiya's expression also turned somewhat grim. He lowered his voice and said in a deep voice, "Asuma, since I am in full charge of this matter, the village cannot be allowed to experience any turmoil."

Now that the village is peaceful and prosperous, although he is reluctant, that's Jiraiya nature, and he would never allow anyone to destroy the hard-won peace.

"Lord Jiraiya, this is information on the Sarutobi Clan's martial arts faction, along with a map of the clan's territory."

In the end Sarutobi Asuma silently handed over a document and a map. With these two items, the defeat of his clan was almost certain.

"So, Asuma, when will the coup take place?"

Faced with Jiraiya's question, Sarutobi Asuma gave a wry smile and sighed.

"Lord Jiraiya, this group forms its own faction. If it weren't for my father's remaining influence, I would have already lost my position as head of the family."

Asuma, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a full beard, didn't look like a young man in his twenties at all; anyone who didn't know him would think he was a middle-aged man around forty.

At this moment, Sarutobi Asuma gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I used to look down on the Uchiha Fugaku clan leader Fugaku, thinking he couldn't even control his own clan. Now I realize how remarkable Fugaku was to be able to restrain his entire clan."

After reviewing all the information, Jiraiya's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Asuma, how did so many people get involved? We've recently eased the surveillance on your Sarutobi Clan, shouldn't things be moving in a positive direction?"

Jiraiya was equally puzzled, while Sarutobi Asuma sighed, "Lord Jiraiya, so what if we give up surveillance? Look how powerful the Sarutobi Clan is now."

"Look at how much of the Sarutobi Clan's assets are left. The clan's resources are no longer enough to support such a large population. So when the surveillance was relaxed, I thought it was a good start, but then someone instigated it!"

At this point, Sarutobi Asuma glanced at Jiraiya face immediately darkened. He realized that it was because of him.

The Sarutobi Clan believed that Jiraiya a disciple of the Third Hokage, and that he could be persuaded to stay at this crucial moment.

"So, Asuma, what other moves does the Sarutobi Clan have in store?"

Pretending to be nonchalant, Jiraiya calmly asked a question, and Sarutobi Asuma frowned and shook his head.

"They simply wanted a coup to regain their former power; they hadn't developed a detailed plan."

However, upon hearing this, Jiraiya's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he stared intently at his opponent, preventing him from breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Asuma, I have received definite intelligence that the Sarutobi Clan has betrayed the village."

"How is that possible!"

"The Sarutobi Clan, using their clan's power, have joined forces with the Sunagakure in an attempt to carry out a coup!"

Boom!

When Jiraiya said these words, Sarutobi Asuma's pupils shrank, and he showed an expression of disbelief.

Jiraiya, however, remained completely indifferent. Since he dared to tell Asuma about this, he was confident that the news would not be leaked.

"I will now place a restriction in your brain. If you have any thought that wants to leak information, the restriction will be activated."

"Also! You need to make a decision regarding the Sarutobi Clan."

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