Forest of Death

"Hello, I'm the proctor for the first stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams."

"My name is Morino Ibiki."

A fierce-looking burly man stood at the podium, expressionlessly surveying the room.

Anyone he looked at felt uneasy.

Ibiki was pleased with the expressions on these fledglings' faces.

Then he began explaining the rules and contents of the exam.

They were much the same as in the original story.

The exam papers were handed out.

Naruto glanced at the questions. Sure enough, they were all a jumble of nonsense.

The other examinees looked just as constipated.

But it didn't take long for some of them to realize the purpose of this exam was to gather intelligence.

Everyone used whatever tricks they had.

All kinds of cheating methods began to emerge.

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

For example, one person activated the Byakugan, while another activated the Sharingan.

Those methods were all allowed.

Naruto glanced around and immediately singled out two people.

They were the ones Konoha had planted among the examinees to facilitate cheating.

With a thought, a wisp of chakra appeared.

The two were still writing furiously when they suddenly felt their bodies stiffen.

"What's going on? What kind of technique is this?"

They were shocked, but their bodies could no longer move.

Morino Ibiki on the podium was still watching the examinees' methods of cheating.

He sighed inwardly. This year's crop didn't have any new tricks, either.

Then he sensed something strange. His eyes fell on the two examinees, and his pupils contracted.

The names on their papers had changed to Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata.

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

Surprised, he looked at Hinata and Naruto, then fixed his gaze on Naruto.

The Hyuga Clan's techniques were no secret. There was no way that little girl had done it.

That left the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He'd heard rumors, but seeing it for himself still shocked him.

"What a bizarre ability."

Even he, a jonin, couldn't help feeling a little wary.

Naruto didn't notice the others' gazes. He lay there on his desk, looking drowsy.

Hinata wasn't worried at all. Naruto had already explained everything to her before they came.

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

"All right, now we'll begin the tenth question."

His gaze swept across the room as Ibiki began explaining the rules for the tenth question.

Without Naruto's rousing words this time, and with the intimidation tactic earlier, many people had lost their nerve. In the end, fewer people dropped out than in the original story.

The sound of shattering glass rang out.

A beautiful woman in fishnet stockings flew in.

"Yo, Morino Ibiki. Nice work."

Seeing how many people were in the classroom, Mitaraishi Anko couldn't help praising him. There were even fewer than she'd expected.

Ibiki's expression darkened.

"I'm your proctor for the second exam, Mitaraishi Anko. Now head to the Forest of Death and gather there."

After introducing herself, Anko used the Body Flicker Technique and left.

"Let's go."

Naruto stood up.

Everyone gathered outside the Forest of Death, and Mitaraishi Anko began explaining the rules for the second exam.

They had to collect the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and take them to the center of the Forest of Death to pass.

Naruto didn't listen closely. Instead, he looked around at the people nearby.

"No Orochimaru? Looks like the plot has changed."

He didn't sense that familiar, chilling chakra. Naruto wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

Then he suddenly noticed someone.

The person wore a raincoat and carried an umbrella on his back. From his clothes, he appeared to be from the Land of Rain.

That wasn't what caught Naruto's attention, though. It was the person's unusual chakra.

"Mangekyō Sharingan."

Naruto's pupils contracted. He'd done so many experiments that he was all too familiar with the Mangekyō.

The person had hidden it well, but Naruto had still sensed it faintly.

There was no mistake. That person had the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Who is it?"

He was shocked.

"Hey, kid. Pay attention."

Standing at the front, Mitaraishi Anko saw Naruto looking around as if he didn't care about her at all.

She immediately felt annoyed. This was her first time acting as a proctor.

Her background was complicated. Because her teacher was Orochimaru, she'd been sidelined for quite some time, only returning to service after Tsunade took over.

So she wanted to make a good impression.

Seeing Naruto act like this, she immediately decided to make an example of him.

A kunai shot out in an instant.

It moved so fast that hardly anyone managed to react.

Naruto was still wondering who the Mangekyō wielder might be.

When the kunai came flying at him, his body reacted instinctively. He raised his left hand and caught it securely.

"You've got some skill, kid, but that doesn't give you the right to act arrogant."

A kunai pressed against Naruto's neck, and warm breath brushed his ear.

All the examinees instinctively stepped back. Uzumaki Naruto, who'd been standing in the middle, had come to his senses.

Anko was behind him, holding a kunai to his neck.

"Don't make jokes like that, sensei."

No one liked having somebody stand behind them. It was the same as putting their life in someone else's hands.

If he hadn't come to his senses just now, who knew what the woman behind him might have done?

Anko didn't realize she'd just come within a hair's breadth of death.

Seeing how stubborn the kid was, Anko snorted.

She'd made her example. She withdrew the kunai and returned to the front.

"I've explained the rules. The exam starts now."

With that, she snorted again.

Hinata hurried over.

"Naruto, are you all right?"

She knew how strong Naruto was, but she was still a little worried.

"I'm fine."

When Naruto looked for that person again, he found they'd disappeared.

"Could it be Danzo?"

Naruto wondered.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. He'd already taken control of more than half of Root, so Danzo couldn't still have a Mangekyō.

"Could it be the Uchiha Clan?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke.

He thought it over, then let it go. As long as they weren't after him, it didn't matter.

He led the other two to an entrance and strode right in.

Everyone had already seen Naruto's strength. Unless they were stupid, no one would dare pick a fight with him.

Once they entered the Forest of Death, everything grew eerily quiet.

As for the venomous insects and wild beasts inside, they weren't much of a problem for shinobi as long as they were careful.

"Hey, Naruto. What should we do now?"

Sasuke spoke up.

"Don't waste time. We'll just take the scrolls and pass the exam."

Naruto couldn't be bothered to explain.

The three agreed and headed toward the center.

That night, Naruto and the others were grilling food when Naruto suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked in one direction.