Easy Advancement

Morino Ibiki had just finished speaking.

Feng Yao immediately launched an attack on a Konoha ninja in front of him, reaching out to grab the target.

The so-called intelligence gathering didn't specify that one had to steal; one could simply seize it by force. Once the exam began, everyone outside of one's own squad was an enemy.

This assessment was even more brutal than the previous one, and it could be said that the Konoha ninjas had a much higher chance of advancing than those from other countries.

Because there were so many Konoha ninjas, they wouldn't rob their own people, which would inevitably lead to a massive elimination of participants from other nations.

Hmph, this is truly Danzo's style, Feng Yao thought to himself, though he had no intention of stopping his hands.

The Konoha ninja dodged in a panic, but Feng Yao wouldn't let the duck that had already reached his mouth fly away.

He slapped the table with one hand, vaulted into the air, and delivered a kick that sent the Konoha ninja flying.

The Konoha ninja felt as if he had been struck by a several-hundred-pound iron hammer.

He crashed heavily to the ground, seeing stars, and by the time he regained his senses, he saw Feng Yao standing before him once again.

With another heavy punch, the Konoha ninja was truly knocked unconscious. Feng Yao calmly retrieved the intelligence from the man's person and tucked it into his own clothes.

He didn't bother looking for a place to hide; he simply sat back down in his seat as brazenly as before.

His two companions hadn't even managed to react, and having lost their intelligence, they were destined for elimination.

Zaku and Kin had long since understood Feng Yao's strength, so they weren't surprised to see this.

Still, when the eyes of the entire room focused on them, they couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

The surrounding people also reacted immediately, either scrambling against one another, scattering, or jumping out of windows to find opportunities to steal intelligence.

However, for a moment, no one dared to make a move against Feng Yao, all of them stunned by his decisive and ruthless actions.

Nearby, Gaara used his sand to trap three Konoha ninjas who were trying to leave, obtaining their intelligence with ease.

He then followed Feng Yao's example and sat back down in his own seat.

Morino Ibiki frowned upon seeing this.

These brats this year are quite strong. Logically, even if they managed to seize the intelligence, they shouldn't be sitting here so openly.

As time passed, more and more people seized intelligence from other squads, and the number of participants continued to dwindle.

About half an hour later, several Rain Ninja arrived in the classroom.

"Hmph, there's no helping it, we really couldn't find those guys' hiding spots. Hey, you Sound Ninja over there, hand over the intelligence you have."

One of the leaders, who had a scar on his face, spoke viciously toward Feng Yao.

He had considered his options; the brat using sand might be too difficult to beat, and this Sound Ninja hadn't shown anything outstanding earlier, having only been the first to strike—perhaps he was just a paper tiger.

Kin stepped forward immediately: "Shut your mouth, I'll be your opponent."

Just as this team of Rain Ninja prepared to step forward and seize it by force, Gaara, who was nearby, made his move first.

The sand in his gourd trapped all three of them, lifting them into the air.

He warned them with a cold voice: "If you dare to get any closer to Dosu, I will kill you right here!"

A terrifying killing intent enveloped the three of them.

His heart had finally found a sliver of peace and people who valued him, all thanks to Feng Yao. Now, a few ignorant Rain Ninja dared to lay a hand on someone he cared about.

Just as the three Rain Ninja were about to be crushed to the point of suffocation:

"That's enough. Killing is not permitted in the first round of the assessment, or I will disqualify you."

"Hmph."

Gaara let out a cold snort, stopped, and retracted his sand.

Morino Ibiki's intervention saved the three Rain Ninja; once they dropped to the ground, they were left in a state of relief, grateful to have survived.

Temari and Kankuro couldn't believe their eyes. Gaara had actually stepped in to help someone else, and he seemed to hold that bandaged guy in such high regard.

They even began to doubt what they were seeing. Was this really that same Gaara?

At this moment, the situation outside was also quite tragic.

"Damn Konoha, they're actually surrounding us with multiple teams."

"Shameless, let's join forces too."

"The ninjas from other countries are almost all being eliminated by Konoha."

Amidst these protests, the one-hour mark arrived. Everyone returned to the classroom one after another, and the number of people was significantly lower than before.

The Konoha protagonists had all successfully advanced, and unlike in memory, only twenty squads remained.

And among them, Konoha held the majority.

The number of ninjas from other small countries had suffered a significant blow.

The faces of these people were filled with varying degrees of anger; almost all of them had been ambushed by Konoha ninjas, and some had even been surrounded and robbed by multiple teams—it was an inherently unfair selection.

Morino Ibiki sighed to himself as he saw the expressions of the crowd, but this was the Hokage's order, and he could not defy it.

A figure crashed through the window at this moment, two Kunai embedding themselves into the corners of the classroom as a massive black banner unfurled.

"I am the proctor for the second exam, Anko Mitarashi. Don't get too excited; the next exam is waiting for you! Follow me."

The room fell into a dead silence, and Anko's face flushed slightly, unable to hide her embarrassment.

It wasn't until several Chunin instructors led the way that they finally left the classroom, arriving at a forest enclosed by massive iron fencing.

Anko stopped at the gate of the iron fence, her expression turning somewhat menacing as she spoke.

"This is Konoha's Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death."

Looking at the massive woods before him, Feng Yao fell into deep thought.

Because of his actions leading to Danzo's rise to power, even this examination had undergone such drastic changes. It was clear that Danzo did not want ninjas from other nations to advance, though he wondered what would happen in this second stage; given Danzo's personality, it couldn't be this simple.

Feng Yao scanned his surroundings briefly, vaguely sensing that there were far too many Anbu ninjas nearby. Even for the sake of the examinees' safety, there was no reason to deploy so many Anbu. What exactly was their goal?

"Alright, before we begin, please sign these consent forms. Since some of you might lose your lives, we must obtain your agreement beforehand."

After everyone had signed the consent forms, the second stage was ready to begin.

Feng Yao spotted the team of Orochimaru, who was disguised as a Grass Ninja, chatting with his former student, Anko, while wearing a straw hat.

His signature long tongue was already lolling out; it was truly a wonder that Anko hadn't recognized him immediately.

The rules for the second stage were the same as what Feng Yao understood: teams had to collect both the Scroll of Heaven and the Earth Scroll and reach the High Tower to successfully advance.

"Follow the proctors at each entrance. Examinees, enter your respective gates. The second stage of the exam is about to begin."

Anko's voice rang out in the ears of every examinee.

Everyone rushed into the training grounds in unison. Shortly after they entered, many Anbu members followed them inside. Anko did not stop them, though her eyes turned gloomy at the sight of those Anbu.

"I will hold the scroll. I will find the other one and rendezvous with you later. You two head to the High Tower in the center first."

Once inside, Feng Yao issued orders to Kin and Zaku again. He had things to do and couldn't have these two getting in his way.

"Yes, Dosu-sama."

Feng Yao had been given the Scroll of Heaven; to advance, he had to find the corresponding Earth Scroll.

This forest was vast. To seize a scroll from another team, one didn't necessarily have to resort to a direct raid; one could also ambush the opponent. After advancing for about two hours, Feng Yao encountered the first group to ambush him.

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.

A dozen Kunai suddenly flew toward him, accompanied by traps triggered beneath his feet. Someone was lying in wait here.

Feng Yao stepped back, bit his finger, and quickly formed hand seals before slamming his palms onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Silver Moon Wolf!"

Awoo!

A wolf king, roughly the size of an elephant with pure white fur, appeared beneath Feng Yao.

This was a contract he had signed through the connections of the Katsuyu Sage; the beast was incredibly fast and possessed keen scouting abilities.

"Go, bring those people to me."

Feng Yao said in a flat tone. Aside from a few individuals, everyone participating in this Chunin exam was at the level of an ordinary Genin, so they naturally posed no threat to his summon.

The wolf king let out another howl toward the sky and vanished into the forest.

"Ah! What is this thing?"

"So terrifying! Don't kill me!"

Following a few shrill screams, in less than half a cup of tea's time, the Silver Moon Wolf returned, carrying the corpses of three people in its jaws.

They were three Konoha ninjas. After searching their bodies, he found exactly what his team needed: the Earth Scroll.

Just as he put the scroll away and prepared to leave, the Silver Moon Wolf suddenly sensed a presence, growling toward the space behind Feng Yao.

Without turning his head, Feng Yao asked in a cold, icy tone, "Who ordered you to come and kill me?"