At the center of a massive Giant Crown Tree, the upper half of a body stuck out horizontally. Its neck stretched dozens of meters through the air, and a pair of ghastly pale hands extended from its mouth.
The left palm braced against its upper teeth while the right pushed down its jawbone. Its head swelled until, with its mouth forced wide open, a sinister face with limp, long hair crawled out.
He slipped and slid his way out, even emerging fully dressed, with a coarse purple hemp-rope bow tied around his waist.
But then he reached back into his mouth and pulled out a black ninja outfit and an Otogakure forehead protector engraved with a musical note.
Once dressed, he swaggered back to the center of the forest and entered the target tower for the second trial.
The word "vitality" described Naruto perfectly. Half a day ago, he'd looked like he was on death's door. Now, he was thriving, brimming with life.
His skin had scabbed over, and the scabs had fallen off. A short layer of hair had grown back, too.
After trimming his uneven, unruly blond hair, he once again gave off a bright, spirited air.
It was as if he'd never been injured.
Naruto's windbreaker was completely ruined, so Mitaraishi Anko gave him her brown one. It fit him perfectly.
She then continued her pursuit of Orochimaru.
The three of them had obtained the Heaven and Earth Scrolls long ago. After resting for a day, they didn't waste any more time and pushed open the tower's door.
The tower was deserted. Iron bridges crisscrossed the interior, leading down a corridor to a piece of calligraphy hanging at the far end. The writing was crooked and uneven.
There was even a character missing from the middle.
The answer was clearly in the scrolls.
Haruno Sakura and Sasuke each unfurled one of the scrolls, revealing two enormous characters—"man"—encircled by cursed seals.
The characters bulged and writhed, pouring out white smoke.
Sasuke, who knew a thing or two, said, "Put them together. It's the Scroll Possession Jutsu."
The pair of scrolls fell to the floor. Thick smoke joined into a single cloud, then burst with a bang. A figure with folded arms was just visible within.
Naruto clicked his tongue in wonder. Sealing a person inside a scroll—that was the kind of magic martial arts couldn't achieve.
"Naruto, it's been a long time." A familiar male voice came from the smoke.
Naruto froze.
Iruka stepped out of the smoke with a smile. "Congratulations. You've passed the second exam. I'm here to share Lord Hokage's advice for becoming a Chunin."
Naruto's eyes stung. Iruka Sensei had been quietly watching over him all this time.
He was clever enough to know this couldn't possibly be a coincidence. His teacher must have volunteered to be sealed in the scroll Naruto carried.
Iruka explained the meaning of the calligraphy on the wall. It was all pointless to Naruto, but he kept nodding obediently, showing none of the rebelliousness he displayed in a fight.
When Iruka had finished, he looked at Naruto and said, "I never thought you'd come this far so quickly. You're almost caught up with me. When the exam is over, I'll treat you all to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Yeah!" Naruto jumped up, raising a fist.
Iruka smiled helplessly. "Hurry on up the tower. The next examiner is waiting for you."
Back when Haruno Sakura first saw Naruto act like that, she'd thought he was silly. Now, watching him again felt like seeing him from another lifetime ago. She even found herself missing those antics.
Sasuke envied his carefree energy.
Following the signs, the three climbed the tower and reached a plaza. A giant stone carving stood against the back wall, depicting a hand forming the "Sheep" seal. Staircases rose along both sides to a gallery with railings, clearly meant for spectators.
It was only the second day of the exam. Most candidates were still fighting in the forest and trying to steal scrolls. Besides Naruto's team, only three other teams had arrived.
They were Gaara's team from Sunagakure, Team Eight with Hinata, and a team of older, fully grown Konoha ninja.
Naruto was just about to greet Hinata when a gray-haired man in round glasses came over from the group of older ninja, waving enthusiastically.
"Hello, Naruto. My name is Yakushi Kabuto."
"Hi." Naruto looked puzzled. "Can I help you?"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, his smile warm and gentle. "Like you, I had to take the Ninja Academy graduation exam three times before I passed. But I've taken the Chunin Exam seven times and still haven't passed."
"You passed the second stage on your first try, though, so I wanted to talk with you and learn how you improved so quickly."
Naruto had never had anyone come to him for advice before. A smile crept onto his face. "There's nothing special to it. You just have to work hard—and keep at it."
"You're too modest, Naruto." Kabuto shook his head in admiration, then pulled out a thick stack of cards. He picked one, channeled Chakra into it, and Uzumaki Naruto's portrait appeared.
A five-dimension chart was drawn across the bottom: physical, ninjutsu, genjutsu, strength, and intelligence. The first four extended a little way from the center, but the final one, "intelligence," hadn't moved at all.
Naruto's face darkened.
Kabuto rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "I created these Ninja Information Cards myself. They record information about every ninja I've met. I got some details about you wrong, Naruto, so I wanted to correct them."
Sasuke asked, "Can I see mine?"
Kabuto nodded and closed his eyes. He pressed a finger to the stack, slid his thumb across it, and pulled out Sasuke's card with perfect accuracy.
The five dimensions were balanced, filling three-quarters of the pentagon.
"Thanks." Sasuke wanted to laugh, but he glanced at Naruto and pressed his lips together.
"It'll be dinnertime soon. Can I invite you all to eat with me? You can ask me about anyone's information."
"No need to ask. You're just making things up." Naruto walked around Kabuto and headed toward Hinata.
He liked talking with her.
"Naruto!" Haruno Sakura ran after him and tugged at his clothes. "Where are you going?"
"To see someone." Naruto glanced back. "What's wrong?"
"Hinata?" Haruno Sakura's grip tightened without her realizing it.
"Yeah."
Her eyes flickered. "Could you not go?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me what to do?"
Haruno Sakura was a girl herself, of course, and could tell that Hinata liked Naruto, too. "Then I'll go with you."
"First you tell me not to go, and now you want to come with me?" Naruto removed her hand. "Don't worry. I'm not afraid of that kid Neji. He can't stop me."
"Naruto!"
Hinata hurried over. Veins stood out around her eyes as she activated her Byakugan. She held out a jar of special ointment from the Hyuga Family. "You have so many injuries."
Haruno Sakura screamed inwardly, What! They're already on a first-name basis!
"Thanks." Naruto took it without hesitation, unscrewed the lid, and started smearing it over his face and head. Hinata circled around him, inspecting him as she said, "Here, here, and here, too."
Haruno Sakura felt helpless. This girl had come prepared.
For the next day, Hinata spent nearly all her time with Naruto. She knew that once the exam ended, they would be separated again and return to their lives of training apart, so she treasured every moment.
But Neji came too soon.
She had always thought of Neji as an older brother and never cared about the distinction between the Main Family and the Branch Family.
So when Neji tried to stop Naruto from getting close to her, she urged Naruto not to argue and returned to Team Eight on her own.
By the fifth day, the second exam had ended. Eight teams stood in the plaza.
Konoha had five teams, while Otogakure, Sunagakure, and Kusagakure had one each.
There was no smoke or other sign of movement. More than ten ninja suddenly appeared on the platform before the stone carving of the "Sheep" seal. They stood in various poses, but every one of them exuded a powerful presence.
Kakashi, Mitaraishi Anko, Morino Ibiki, and Konoha's proud Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf, Might Guy, were among them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, stood in the center at the front. "First, I'd like to congratulate you all on passing the second exam."
His face looked fierce even when he wasn't angry. "However, I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news. Far too many of you passed."
The crowd erupted.
Before you continue