Forest of Death

"Greetings, everyone. I am the proctor for the first stage of the Chunin Exams."

"My name is Morino Ibiki."

A burly man with a ferocious expression stood on the podium, scanning the room with a deadpan gaze.

Those he locked eyes with felt an immediate sense of unease.

Watching the expressions of these fledglings below, Morino Ibiki felt quite satisfied.

He then began to explain the rules and content of this exam.

It was much the same as in the original story.

The test papers were distributed.

Uzumaki Naruto glanced at the content on the paper; as expected, it was all complete nonsense.

The other examinees were the same, all wearing expressions as if they were constipated.

However, some quickly realized that the purpose of this exam was to gather intelligence.

Everyone began to show off their own unique methods.

A wide variety of cheating techniques began to emerge.

As long as it wasn't too obvious, the proctors turned a blind eye.

For instance, someone activating the Byakugan, or another activating the Sharingan.

These were all permitted.

Uzumaki Naruto took a look and instantly locked onto two individuals.

Those two were the targets planted by Konoha for the examinees to cheat off of.

With a flick of his mind, a trace of aura manifested.

The two were still scribbling away when they suddenly felt their bodies stiffen.

"What is happening? What kind of technique is this?"

They were shocked to their cores, but their bodies were already unable to speak.

On the podium, Morino Ibiki was still observing the cheating methods below.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that this year's batch didn't have any new tricks.

Suddenly, he sensed something amiss. His gaze fell upon the two, and his pupils constricted.

He saw that the names on their papers had already changed to Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata.

Is it a genjutsu? No, what kind of ability is this? Even I didn't notice it.

He couldn't help but feel astonished. His gaze shifted toward Hyuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto, finally locking onto Uzumaki Naruto.

The techniques of the Hyuga clan were no secret; it couldn't have been that little girl.

That left only this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Although there had been vague rumors, seeing it for himself truly shocked him.

"What a bizarre ability."

Even as a Jonin, he felt a faint sense of trepidation in his heart.

Uzumaki Naruto didn't notice the gazes of others, simply lying there with a drowsy look on his face.

Hyuga Hinata wasn't worried in the slightest; Uzumaki Naruto had already discussed it with her beforehand.

As for Sasuke, he activated his Sharingan to mimic the movements of others and finished the test quickly.

"Alright, we will now begin the tenth question."

Scanning the room, Morino Ibiki began to explain the rules for the tenth question.

Without Uzumaki Naruto's passionate outburst to drive them, combined with the initial intimidation, many lost their confidence. In fact, even fewer people remained than in the original story.

The sound of shattering glass rang out.

A beautiful woman wearing fishnet stockings flew into the room.

"Yo, Morino Ibiki, nice work."

Seeing the number of people in the classroom, Anko Mitarashi couldn't help but offer a compliment; there were far fewer people left than she had anticipated.

Morino Ibiki had black lines running down his forehead.

"I am your proctor for the second stage of the exam, Anko Mitarashi. Now, head to the Forest of Death to assemble."

After introducing herself, Anko Mitarashi used the Body Flicker Technique to depart.

"Let's go."

Uzumaki Naruto stood up.

Everyone gathered outside the Forest of Death, and Anko Mitarashi began to explain the rules for the second stage of the exam.

Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Collect the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and deliver them to the center of the Forest of Death to pass.

Uzumaki Naruto was not listening carefully, instead, he was sizing up the people around him.

"No Orochimaru? It seems the plot has already changed."

Not sensing that cold, sinister chakra, Uzumaki Naruto did not know whether to feel disappointed or somewhat relieved.

However, Uzumaki Naruto suddenly noticed someone.

Wearing a raincoat with an umbrella strapped to his back, his attire clearly identified him as someone from the Land of Rain.

These were not the reasons Uzumaki Naruto noticed him; what truly caught his attention was that specific, unique chakra.

"Mangekyo Sharingan."

Uzumaki Naruto felt his pupils constrict. Having conducted too many experiments, Uzumaki Naruto was far too familiar with the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Even though the other party hid it well, Uzumaki Naruto still sensed it faintly.

There was no mistake; that person possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Who is it?"

He was shocked in his heart.

"Kid, listen to me properly!"

Anko Mitarashi, standing at the very front, saw Uzumaki Naruto looking around, appearing as if he did not take her seriously at all.

She immediately felt annoyed; this was also her first time serving as an examiner.

Her background was rather complicated; because her teacher was Orochimaru, she had been sidelined for quite some time and was only reinstated after Tsunade took power.

Therefore, she wanted to perform well.

Encountering a situation like Uzumaki Naruto, she instantly wanted to make an example of him to warn the others.

A kunai flew out in an instant.

The speed was incredibly fast; basically, no one had time to react.

At this moment, Uzumaki Naruto was still pondering who this person with the Mangekyo Sharingan could be.

Facing the incoming kunai, his body reacted instinctively to defend, his left hand raising up.

He caught the flying kunai steadily.

"Kid, your strength is quite good, but that is no capital for your arrogance."

A kunai was pressed against Uzumaki Naruto's neck, and warm breath blew against his ear.

All the examinees instinctively backed away. By now, Uzumaki Naruto, who had been standing in the middle, had regained his focus.

Anko Mitarashi was standing behind Uzumaki Naruto, with a kunai held to his throat.

"Teacher, don't play such jokes."

No one likes having someone stand behind them; that is equivalent to handing one's life over to another.

If he hadn't regained his focus just now, he didn't know what might have happened with that person behind him.

Anko Mitarashi did not yet know that she had already circled the gates of hell.

Seeing the kid was so stubborn, Anko Mitarashi let out a cold snort.

Having made an example of him, she withdrew the kunai and returned to the front.

"The rules have been explained clearly. Now, the exam begins."

After saying this, she let out a cold snort.

Hinata hurried over.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

Although she knew Uzumaki Naruto's strength, she was still somewhat worried.

"I'm fine."

When Uzumaki Naruto looked for that person again, he found that the individual had already vanished.

"Could it be Danzo?"

Uzumaki Naruto wondered.

But he quickly dismissed the thought; more than half of Danzo's Root were already under his control, and it was impossible for Danzo to still possess a Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Could it be the Uchiha Clan?"

Uzumaki Naruto glanced at Sasuke casually.

He thought about it and decided to let it go; as long as they weren't coming for him, it didn't matter.

Leading the two, he found an entrance and walked in brazenly.

Everyone had already witnessed Uzumaki Naruto's strength, and he believed that as long as they weren't stupid, no one would dare to look for trouble with him.

After entering the Forest of Death, everything became unusually quiet.

As for the venomous insects and fierce beasts within the Forest of Death, they were not much of a problem for a ninja as long as one remained cautious.

"Hey, Naruto Uzumaki, what should we do next?"

Sasuke asked.

"Don't waste time; let's just seize the scroll and pass the exam."

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't be bothered with small talk.

The three reached a consensus and began heading toward the center.

At night, while the three were grilling food, Naruto Uzumaki's eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked in a certain direction.