The Battle for Supremacy Begins

When Naruto's azure-blue eyes met Anko Mitarai's gaze from beneath his dark glasses, an indescribably powerful aura radiated from him—so intense that even Anko was momentarily taken aback, marveling inwardly.

Yet Anko quickly composed herself, a playful smirk curling at her lips as she thought to herself: "Well, well, I never expected to run into such an interesting little brat today."

With that, she stopped teasing Naruto, gracefully withdrew a stack of consent forms from her bosom, and handed them out one by one to everyone present, explaining, "These are consent forms. Anyone who wants to take the exam must sign here."

Sakura's face showed confusion as she asked, "Why do we need to sign this?"

Anko explained patiently, "Because people might die in the upcoming exam. We need your consent on that matter beforehand."

At that, she suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery in her tone: "Otherwise, if something happens, it'd become my responsibility, hahaha."

As Anko's morbid voice echoed through the exam hall, announcing that the second test could claim lives, the entire venue seemed shrouded in an invisible chill, the atmosphere growing tense and heavy.

Everyone froze, tension spreading among them.

Some examinees turned pale, clenching their fists as if to fight the fear surging within them.

Others gritted their teeth, trying to stay calm. Yet their trembling bodies and flickering eyes betrayed their inner anxiety and dread.

They knew full well that this exam would be a life-or-death struggle—one misstep and they could meet their end.

Anko then began explaining the rules of the second test: "Simply put, I'm having you all engage in an extreme survival challenge out here. And it's a scroll-grabbing battle where anything can happen."

Shikamaru wore a resigned expression, sighing, "Survival, huh? What a troublesome exam."

Anko continued, "The scrolls are divided into the Book of Heaven and the Book of Earth. You'll fight over these two scrolls. In short, you steal from each other."

Sasuke frowned, asking doubtfully, "And the pass condition?"

Anko explained, "Bring both the Book of Heaven and the Book of Earth together to the central tower, with all three members of your team, and you pass."

Sakura quickly analyzed, "So that means the thirteen teams whose scrolls are stolen—half of them—will be eliminated without question."

Anko added, "But note: the second test lasts 120 hours, a full five days. You must complete the grab within that time."

The rules were simple: snatch the scrolls within the time limit.

Sunlight filtered through sparse clouds, dappling the faces of the genin, revealing young features etched with worry.

They whispered among themselves, discussing the trial ahead, the air thick with a suffocating tension.

"Will I survive the second exam..." a voice trembled, eyes flickering with unease.

"I hear the death rate is thirty percent," another ninja replied, his voice low, each word heavy as lead. His fingers unconsciously traced the ninja sword at his waist—his only companion to rely on.

"Are we really ready?" a girl's voice softly asked, her eyes holding both hope for the future and fear of the unknown.

Seeing the expressions she wanted, Anko continued, "That's all for the explanation. One last piece of advice: don't die!"

Then Anko slowly walked over to Naruto and whispered in his ear, "And you, blond kid—don't you die in there either."

After signing the consent forms, the second Chunin Selection Exam officially began. The twenty-six genin teams were cleverly dispersed, entering the forest from different points.

Meanwhile, ninjas from Otogakure moved like phantoms in the night, launching their actions silently. The leading man exuded an eerie, mysterious aura as he led his team through the trees at a breathtaking speed.

"Our target is the blond kid's team," he said low and firm, his voice carrying an unshakable resolve.

"Yes!" his teammates followed closely behind.

At the same time, on the other side of the forest, Naruto's team quietly stepped into the woods.

After they had been moving through the forest for a while, a ninja from Otogakure silently approached Naruto.

Using his superb Transformation Jutsu, he perfectly disguised himself as Shikamaru—from the signature hairstyle and eyes to that carefree attitude, he mimicked it all so flawlessly it could almost fool anyone.