Outside Konoha.
Training Ground 6.
Chiba stood atop the raised platform, his gaze sweeping over the thousand-plus examinees below.
He slowly raised his right hand and pressed it toward the empty air above the Training Ground.
Rumble—!
The earth trembled as soil churned.
Thick tree roots burst wildly from beneath the ground.
They twisted together, climbed, and fused.
In just a few breaths.
Fifty enormous square wooden platforms rose straight from the earth!
Each platform stood ten meters tall, with a top surface of roughly ten square meters.
The fifty platforms resembled isolated islands, evenly scattered across the center of the Training Ground.
Naruto widened his eyes and stared fixedly at those platforms.
Sasuke's Sharingan activated on its own, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He could not see at all how Chiba had mobilized his Chakra.
Without any warning, he had reshaped the terrain.
This was the power of the Fifth Hokage!
Chiba lowered his right hand. His voice, amplified through Chakra, echoed beside everyone's ears.
"The second exam officially begins."
"The rules are simple."
"There are fifty platforms in the field."
"One hour from now."
"Anyone who can remain standing firmly atop a platform will pass the second round."
"Anyone who fails to secure a spot, or falls from a platform, will be eliminated."
Simple!
Brutal!
There were no fancy puzzles to solve, nor were there any team restrictions.
Fifty spots, fought over by more than a thousand people.
A survival rate of one in twenty.
This was a pure jungle-law battle royale!
The air within the field seemed to ignite in an instant.
The Team Leader Jonin from Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure shouted anxiously from outside the field.
"Form alliances first!"
"Drive Konoha's people out!"
"There are too many people! Don't fight alone!"
"..."
The Genin from the