Time passed.
With half a day remaining before the second Forest of Death exam ended, the three of them—Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin—finally reached the area around the Central Tower.
But it was hard to go any farther. Two teams were blocking the way into the Central Tower.
One team was Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari from Sunagakure.
The other was Hozuki Suigetsu, Haku, and a background Genin from Kirigakure.
"What do they mean by blocking the entrance?" Naruto grumbled from his hiding place. He tried to charge in several times, but Sasuke held him back by force.
"Sasuke, what's your problem?" Naruto snapped.
"It's not time yet." Sasuke stood in front of Naruto with his hands in his pockets, giving off the impression of a cool Male God who had his wits about him and was ready to deal the cards.
That look made Naruto see red!
Putting on airs!
I can do that too!
Naruto put his hands in his pockets and gave Sasuke a sidelong look. He was just about to say something cool when Karin smacked him on the head. "Idiot, don't imitate Sasuke!"
"Damn it!!" Naruto was angry and aggrieved.
Seeing how pitiful he looked, Sasuke took the initiative to explain. "There are two possible reasons they're blocking the entrance. The first is that they haven't gathered the scrolls they need, so they're lying in wait here. But given their strength, that's unlikely!"
Naruto refused to be convinced. "I know that, you don't need to explain!"
All talk and no bite... Sasuke rolled his eyes.
He'd been teamed up with Naruto for months. How could he not know what he was like?
So he ignored Naruto and continued, slowly building up his cool persona. "That leaves only the second possibility: they don't want us to enter the