Team Six

A sudden change erupted!

The surrounding trees and vines, which had seemed ordinary, came to life.

Thick roots, like giant pythons, instantly coiled around the three's ankles, binding them tightly.

These wooden vines had astonishing binding power and were extremely tough.

No matter how the three struggled, even slashing with kunai, they couldn't budge—instead, they only tightened further.

"What's going on?"

"Let me go!"

The three screamed in terror, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"A perfect chance!"

A cold glint flashed in Sasuke's eyes. Gripping his bloodstained kunai, his figure flickered like a ghost.

Shink! Shink! Shink!

Three icy flashes of light swiftly cut across the three's throats.

Chii!

Blood sprayed.

The terror and unwillingness in Zaku, Dosu, and Kin's eyes froze.

Their struggling movements ceased, and the aura of life rapidly dissipated.

Sasuke flicked the blood droplets off his kunai, his expression stern, panting heavily—clearly exhausted from the effort.

"It's over!"

Naruto plopped down on the ground, his whole body trembling like a sieve.

Yo led Karin out from the grass, glanced at the two, and praised, "Good work!"

Sasuke snorted coldly, dissatisfied with his own performance.

If Yo hadn't stepped in, the Otogakure three would have definitely escaped.

He wanted to stand on his own, not be constantly protected by Yo.

Seeing the wounds on Sasuke and Naruto, Karin quickly trotted over.

"P-Please don't move..."

A soft green glow of Chakra appeared in Karin's palm, hovering over Naruto's most severely injured area.

The gash on Naruto's shoulder from a senbon and the bruises on his body healed at a visible rate.

Moments later.

Completely healed!

"All done!"

Karin let out a breath, withdrew her Chakra, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and began healing Sasuke.

"Wow! That's amazing! It doesn't hurt at all anymore!"

Naruto stood up in surprise, moved his arm, and hopped a couple of times, feeling completely light.

"This is the Mystical Palm Technique, a high-level medical ninjutsu!" Yo said to Naruto. "Aren't you going to thank her?"

"Oh, right! Thank you, Karin! You're incredible!" Naruto immediately bowed to Karin in thanks.

"N-No need to thank me... It's what I should do!" Karin quickly waved her hands, her face flushing slightly.

Being praised so bluntly by Naruto made her a bit shy.

Karin could feel that Naruto's gratitude was genuine, which warmed her heart.

The ninja of Kusagakure had never thanked her—they only treated her as a blood pack for healing.

"Karin, you're a sensory-type ninja. How did you learn such amazing medical ninjutsu?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I... I have strong perception. Medical ninjutsu is just... something I studied a bit!" Karin answered quietly.

She didn't want to reveal her special constitution, afraid of being treated as a blood pack to bite.

Yo smiled and said, "Karin is probably a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan!"

"The Uzumaki Clan is famous for their powerful life force, immense Chakra, and outstanding sealing technique talent."

"Speaking of which, Naruto, your mother was also from the Uzumaki Clan!"

"The blood flowing through you is also Uzumaki blood!"

"Huh?!!"

Naruto's eyes went wide. He pointed at himself, then at Karin, his mouth opening wide enough to fit an egg:

"I... I'm also from the Uzumaki Clan? Just like Karin?"

This was the first time he'd learned information about his mother's family!

Uzumaki Clan?

Mom was from the Uzumaki Clan?

"Of course!"

Yao smiled. "Otherwise, why do you think your surname is Uzumaki?"

"The 'Uzumaki' in Uzumaki Naruto—that's the surname of the Uzumaki Clan!"

Naruto was stunned. "Uzumaki... the Uzumaki Clan..."

Karin gasped and covered her mouth.

No wonder... no wonder she'd vaguely felt that Naruto's chakra had a strange familiarity, a warmth.

So Naruto, like her, was also a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.

Sasuke listened from the side, raising an eyebrow slightly. The Uzumaki Clan?

He remembered learning about that clan in school—distant relatives of the Senju Clan, but they'd gone extinct.

"Yao, do you know my mom? What was her name? What kind of person was she? How did she die?"

Naruto's emotions surged as he grabbed Yao's arm, pressing urgently.

"This..."

Yao felt a headache coming on. "I only know your mom was from the Uzumaki Clan. As for the rest... I don't know much!"

"After all, we're the same age. I don't have any more info than you do!"

"Fine!"

Naruto looked a little disappointed.

"Alright! Let's keep moving!"

Yao changed the subject. "We've already gathered both scrolls. Let's head straight for the tower in the center of the forest!"

As for Naruto's background, he could dig that up on his own. No need for Yao to spill it now.

"Yeah!"

"Good!"

Without further delay, the four of them sprinted in a straight line toward the central tower.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered other teams peeking or testing them.

Yao showed just a hint of his strength, and most chose to back off.

Just like that.

In only half a day, Team 7 arrived at the central tower.

They were the first ninja team to reach it. The proctor on duty looked surprised when he saw them.

"Konoha Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Yao, and..."

The chūnin in charge of registration glanced at Karin, hesitating.

"She's Karin, a surviving examinee from Kusagakure. She got separated from her teammates in the forest!" Yao explained.

The chūnin proctor nodded and made a note on the record.

Inside the tower, the spacious hall was empty except for them.

Following the instructions on the wall, they displayed the Heaven and Earth scrolls, fulfilling the core requirement of the second exam.

What followed was a long wait—five days to be spent in the relatively safe but boring tower.

During that time, other teams that passed the exam arrived one after another.

Aside from the Suna trio, all the other teams looked pretty battered.

Five days later, the second exam, the Forest of Death, officially ended.

All the ninja teams were gathered in a hall inside the tower.

The atmosphere was heavy. Many examinees still had bandages wrapped around them.

A faint smell of blood and medicine hung in the air.

One of the main proctors of this Chūnin Exam, Gekko Hayate, read out the list of those who passed the second exam:

"After review, the teams and members who successfully passed the second 'Forest of Death' exam are as follows!"

"A total of six teams!"

"Team 1: Konohagakure—Uchiha Yao, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Team 2: Konohagakure—Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura."

"Team 3: Konohagakure—Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino."

"Team 4: Konohagakure—Rock Lee, Tenten, Hyuga Neji."

"Team 5: Konohagakure—Yakushi Kabuto, Akado Yoroi, Tsurugi Misumi."

"Group Six: Sunagakure, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro."

The list was finished.

The hall fell into silence. On the surface, aside from the Suna trio, everyone else was a Konoha ninja.

But in truth.

Yakushi Kabuto, Akado Yoroi, and Tsurugi Mizuki were spies from Otogakure.

Gekko Hayate coughed a few times. "The above... are all the examinees who passed the second test!"

"The content and rules of the third exam of the Chūnin Exams will be explained to you personally by the Hokage."

"Now..."

"Please take a short rest and prepare for the upcoming preliminaries!"