The next day, very early in the morning.
As the staff blew their whistles, the ninjas began to get up and wash.
After they finished packing their gear, they left the camp area. There were already many instructors waiting outside the camp. As soon as the ninjas came out, they went to their respective instructors.
Because there were several campsites, the scene did not appear chaotic.
"Karin, Karin, over here!"
Seeing Xiao Fu in mid-air, Anko quickly waved her hand to signal. Just then Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, and the others arrived.
"Let's go! We'll talk as we walk!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and rushed off in one direction, with Kimimaro and Haku following behind.
Many teams were also heading in this direction, all with the same destination: the Konoha Forest, also known as the Forest of Death.
"Teacher Anko, we haven't eaten yet!"
Jirobo eats very regularly, said to Anko as they hurried along, "I was hoping to try Konoha's breakfast, but who knew it would be so rushed!"
"You'll have to figure that out yourself; it's part of the assessment!"
The group quickly left the village, leaping and bounding forward, except for Xiao Fu, who was flying in mid-air.
Half an hour later, the three teams successfully arrived at the Konoha Forest.
"Someone actually got here before us!"
From afar, they spotted a team already waiting at their destination. Upon closer inspection, they saw that the leader was a young man with a green bodysuit and a watermelon-shaped haircut—it was Might Guy.
After the group arrived, the teacher in charge went to the staff to register. Soon after, the other groups also arrived one after another.
Once everyone had arrived, the examiner in charge of the assessment stepped forward. In the Original Work, it was Anko who was in charge of this task, but now it was Aoba Yamashiro.
He is Special Jonin of Konoha. He has no students under his command, but his rank is already one level higher than Anko's, since Anko was only Chunin at the time.
"The next assessment will be a battle for the scrolls..."
As he spoke, Aoba Yamashiro took out two scrolls, one for the sky and one for the earth.
Of the 56 ninja teams present, half took the Heaven Scroll and half took the Earth Scroll. The team of three that collects both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and reaches the tower in the center of the forest will win.
This means that the two sides need to compete and fight for the prize, and at most only 28 teams can successfully pass the assessment.
"Can I choose to give up halfway through the exam?"
Shikamaru raised his question, which was also the question of many people present.
"No! Moreover, the assessment will last for five days, and you'll have to take care of your own food, lodging, and accommodation!"
Upon hearing this, many secretly groaned. Entering the forest meant facing not only wild beasts but also enemies that could appear at any moment. Not being able to eat or sleep properly was torture for a ninja.
"You can abstain now. Is there anyone who wants to abstain?"
Aoba Yamashiro glanced around at everyone present, and after finding no one to step forward, continued:
"Only the top 16 teams will be admitted in the end, so it's not enough to just survive, you also need to hurry up!"
The moment the words were spoken, the room erupted in another uproar. No one expected the assessment to be so strict, eliminating 40 teams directly.
Next, head to the registration desk to fill out your application and receive a scroll, then choose the entrance to the forest!
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room headed to the registration desk to line up, while also discussing with their teammates which scrolls and entrances to collect.
The Forest of Death is very large, and you will enter from different entrances depending on the scroll you receive, thus avoiding the situation where you can successfully steal a scroll right away.
"This kind of assessment is quite unique, similar to the trials in our Northern Lands!"
Bai said this to Anko and Kimimaro beside him, and the two nodded in agreement, confirming that there were indeed similarities.
The Heaven and Earth Scrolls was determined by drawing lots, and the team roster was quickly finalized.
Teams carrying the Heavenly Scroll include Naruto and Sasuke's team, Rock Lee's team, Shikamaru's team, Gaara's team, and Dosu's team, among others.
Those carrying the Earth Scroll include Kidomaru's squad, Sakon and Ukon's squad, Hinata's squad, Kabuto's squad, Kurotsuchi's squad, and so on.
After selecting their scrolls, the two sides sized each other up, their opponents including members of the same village and members from other villages.
Generally, if you encounter a team from the same village of the opposing faction in the forest, you will not fight unless absolutely necessary; you will first look for ninjas from other villages.
This lineup is neither good nor bad. Dosu and Naruto, who had a showdown in the original story, won't have a chance this time, and the battle between Sakon and Ukon, and Hinata's team has also been avoided.
Of course, rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If you have extra Heaven Scrolls and the other party has extra Earth Scroll, you can exchange them.
The prerequisite is that you must first target a ninja squad from the same faction, and then the other party must have the same idea and be willing to make an exchange.
Even if someone came up with the idea in a short time, there wouldn't be the time or opportunity to discuss its implementation in detail. Plus, the forest is so large that it's difficult to come up with such a coincidence.
"Follow me, whoever possesses the Scroll of Heaven!"
"Follow me, whoever possesses the Earth Scroll!"
Izumo Kamizuki and Genma Shiranui each led their respective ninjas in different directions. As long as the entrances of the two camps were a little distance apart, they would not run into each other immediately.
Anyway, once inside, everyone rushes towards the central tower, and the most intense clashes occur in the central area.
"Hmm... I didn't expect to be on the same side as that guy. It's really annoying!"
Naruto was walking forward, looked at Gaara and the other two not far ahead and began to complain.
Sasuke and Sakura saw each other, while Gaara, who was ahead, seemed to have heard Naruto's words. He paused slightly, then turned around and looked at him coldly.
"I wouldn't mind having another Heavenly Scroll in my possession!"
As he spoke, he took the lead and walked towards the entrance of the forest. Sasuke and Sakura were speechless at Naruto's Talk no Jutsu. Wasn't he just provoking the enemy for no reason?
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, there are many strong opponents this time, you will definitely have a chance to meet them!"
Rock Lee, the straight-laced guy standing to the side, seemed not to understand Naruto's meaning and added fuel to the fire.
"Naruto-kun... Good luck!"
Hinata said something weakly, then ran forward with a slightly flushed face.
"Hey! Sasuke, good luck! I'll be waiting for you at the Central Tower!"
That was Ino's voice, but instead of Sasuke's response, it elicited a fierce, possessive retaliation from Sakura.
"Our Sasuke doesn't need your concern. You should mind your own business!"
At that moment, Dosu, wearing sunglasses, walked over with his legs turned outwards and looked at Sasuke meaningfully.
"You're lucky, Uchiha brat! I hope you stay this lucky forever! Fufufu..."
Sasuke, caught in the crossfire, frowned as he watched Dosu's departing figure, wondering what he had done to deserve being attacked so quickly.
"Hmph! Only mediocre people aren't envied!"
However, he still said something arrogant, which immediately won Sakura's applause.
Naruto, already annoyed, glanced at Sasuke, then at the departing Dosu and the others.
"You're not much better than me! I guess it's because you're always too arrogant; people have been disliking you for a long time!"
On the other side, Kidomaru and the others were much more at ease. Whether it was him or Sakon and Ukon, they didn't look like they were going to be messed with.
Especially Sakon and Ukon, with two heads on their necks and four razors on their waists, they look very fierce.
"The second Chunin Ninja Exams are now beginning!"
As the two staff members finished speaking, 168 ninjas rushed into the forest in unison...