Chunin Exams (5)

Outside the Forest of Death, the second stage of the Chunin Exams.

"Before the second exam begins, I need to give each of you something..." Anko pulled out a stack of consent forms from inside her trench coat and smiled eerily. "These are liability waivers for the second exam. If you want to take this exam, you'll need to sign your name on one..."

"After all, people will die in this exam. Konoha has no intention of taking responsibility for fools who don't know their own limits..."

Listening to the chief examiner openly threaten them, the candidates looked at one another before ultimately stepping forward one after another to collect their waivers.

After Naruto's group of three had collected their forms, Anko began explaining the rules. "Now then, let me tell you... what this 'scroll-grabbing battle' is all about..."

From a concealed location outside the Forest of Death, two pairs of eyes watched the group of candidates in the distance.

"Well?" The Third Hokage, clad in combat gear, asked the person beside him.

"Yes... He has already replaced one of the Kusagakure ninja." In Sage Mode, Naruto could clearly sense the unsettling, cold aura emanating from the Kusagakure ninja wearing a straw hat, as well as his icy and powerful Chakra... There was no mistake.

That was Lord Orochimaru.

The Chakra-sensing ability of Sage Mode was so powerful, and its range so broad, that it could cover most of Konoha.

He had come for Sasuke after all.

"..." The Third Hokage was in no mood to smoke his pipe now. His slightly clouded gaze remained fixed on Orochimaru, disguised among the candidates—his former prized disciple. In a low voice, he said, "We only have one chance to use Sasuke as bait, Naruto... Are the Barrier Squad and Fuinjutsu Squad ready?"

"Yes. The other clones have more or less arrived as well..." Naruto hooked a kunai around his finger and smiled faintly, though his gaze was calm and cold. "We won't let that man get away... nor will we let him place a Curse Mark on Sasuke."

A black foxfire formula had been drawn onto the black kunai.

"Hm?" Sage Mode Naruto noticed something.

"What is it?" the Third asked, thinking that something unexpected had happened.

"Grandpa Hokage, look at that... red-haired girl. Isn't she..." Naruto lightly pointed at the female ninja standing beside the two Kusagakure ninja.

"Yes, she is Karin Uzumaki, the Uzumaki survivor from Sasuke's 'Hawk' squad... I noticed her in the candidate files and looked into her a little. Naruto, if your original body gets the chance later, bring her over from those two Kusagakure ninja. Given the ties between the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha, we cannot allow mere Kusagakure ninja to mistreat an Uzumaki orphan."

What was more, this young female ninja had awakened many of the Uzumaki Clan's special abilities. Even back in Uzushio Village, she would have been considered an exceptionally gifted clanswoman.

Naturally, the Third had recognized the female ninja named Karin.

The intelligence reports showed that Karin and her mother had been taken in by Kusagakure, but their circumstances had been far from good. Those Kusagakure ninja had treated her mother as nothing more than a special medical tool, until the woman exhausted her life and died.

Karin had then been used as her mother's replacement, treated in Kusagakure like a medical ninja tool.

She had lived humbly and painfully.

"Yes... I think that was what the original body intended as well." Naruto nodded lightly.

"Before you reach the central tower, you are absolutely forbidden from looking at the contents of your scrolls!" Anko warned.

"And what happens if we do?" someone asked unwillingly.

"Why don't you try it and find out..." Anko gave an ominous smile.

The man froze, clicked his tongue, and looked thoroughly displeased.

Anko delivered her final remarks. "Once you become Chunin, you may have access to classified documents. We need to assess your ability to keep secrets... All right, those are the rules for the second exam. We will exchange the three consent forms from each team for one scroll. Then, each team will choose an entrance. Once the time comes, all teams will enter the training ground at the same time!"

"One final piece of advice... Don't die in there!"

Another examiner beside her announced, "Begin collecting your scrolls!"

The candidates began entering the small pavilion to collect their scrolls one after another. The pavilion was covered by black cloth, so no one would know which scroll the other teams had received...

So everyone was our enemy?

Sasuke had realized that. After reading the consent form, he signed his name.

Sasuke Uchiha.

"Let's go." Naruto had finished writing long ago and was standing beside Hinata. Seeing that both Hinata and Sasuke were done, he took the lead toward the small pavilion to collect their scroll.

The Book of Heaven scroll.

"Ahh... What a pain..." Shikamaru looked at the Book of Earth scroll in his hand with utter distaste. He really wanted to forfeit immediately... But when he thought of the old man at home, forget it. He would keep going for now.

"Heh... It's the Book of Heaven!" Kiba put the scroll into the ninja tool pouch on his back and called his teammates toward the entrance. Sakura was a little nervous. She knew that aside from having some strength, she was far inferior to these two teammates who came from ninja clans... Thinking of Teacher Kurenai's trust, and... Sakura's gaze grew firm. Sasuke, I'll definitely make you see me in a new light!

"Let's go." Neji could not be bothered with the scroll. He stood there with his arms folded, waiting for Tenten and the fired-up Rock Lee to return with the Book of Heaven scroll. In truth, the people he most wanted to face in this exam were not the strongest pair among the rookie genin, Naruto and Sasuke, but...

The Main Family's eldest daughter. I'll show you that even the Main Family is nothing before these eyes of mine!

At the thought of his father's death, a scorching fire burned beneath Neji's expressionless exterior.

Meanwhile, within another special Konoha genin team, Kabuto Yakushi pushed up his round glasses. A white gleam flashed across the lenses.

Naruto, Sasuke, the Nine-Tails and Uchiha... Let me test your strength a little. This is a task personally entrusted by Lord Orochimaru.

Whether in disguise or actual strength, Kabuto had not taken these two fledgling brats seriously.

"Hinata, we'll be relying on you for reconnaissance!" Naruto put the scroll into his ninja tool pouch, patted Hinata on the shoulder, and smiled. He noticed that she still seemed somewhat nervous and wanted to give her more confidence.

"When it comes to scouting, my Sharingan can't compare to the Byakugan..." Sasuke added.

Hinata was deeply moved. She nodded firmly. "I won't let you down!"

The three chose an entrance at random and took their positions—Entrance 12.

Anko glanced at her wristwatch. The time had reached 2:30 p.m... She loudly announced, "The second stage of the Chunin Exams... begins now!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The Genin teams at every entrance instantly leapt into the Forest of Death. From this moment on, for the next five days, they would all be enemies fighting one another—a battle in which they wagered their lives for the scrolls in their hands!

"Those three, right?" Three Grass Ninja in conical hats moved through the woods, one of them revealing a sinister grin. The cold, sinister Grass Ninja who was Orochimaru's stand-in pressed down the brim of his hat and said quietly, "Hurry and find those brats!"

The other three Grass Ninja said to the red-haired female ninja traveling with them, "Remember, your job is to heal us in time! Got it?!"

Karin silently gritted her teeth, enduring the torment of humiliation and fury in her heart... She answered dully in a low voice, "Yes..." Mom said that Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan had been friends for generations. Would someone come save me?

Someone, please save me... This place really is hell...

Save me...