Encounter

The second round of the Chunin Exams lasted five days. Only by reaching the Central Tower with the Heaven-and-Earth Scrolls could one pass. This time, Team 7 had it the worst. They had been brutalized by Orochimaru at the start, then provoked by the three Sound Ninja.

They had escaped danger for now, but aside from an Earth Scroll, they had nothing else.

By a small river, the three who had been unconscious for two days finally woke up. When Naruto Uzumaki heard that Tianming and Sasuke had fought Dosu Kinuta, he regretted that no one had woken him and started chattering noisily. In the end, Naruto received Sakura Haruno's hammer of justice.

"It's already the third day. Every team must have gotten their scrolls by now, right?" Sakura Haruno looked dejectedly at the Earth Scroll in her hand. "If we can't get the Heaven Scroll, we'll be eliminated."

"Cheer up, Sakura," Naruto Uzumaki comforted her.

"How am I supposed to cheer up? Time is running out, but we still can't find a Heaven Scroll." Sakura Haruno shook her head. "Forget it! You wouldn't understand."

While the two happy enemies bickered, Tianming and Sasuke Uchiha beside them remained silent.

"Qingchuan Tianming, I need to talk to you." Sasuke Uchiha abruptly stood up.

"Go ahead," Tianming replied.

"Somewhere private." Sasuke Uchiha glanced at Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno before turning and leaving.

"I'll see what this is about." Though he found it rather baffling, Tianming followed him.

When they reached an isolated spot, Sasuke Uchiha stopped and turned around. "That guy bit you too, didn't he?"

Tianming nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"The mark behind my neck won't go away, and it keeps devouring my chakra. While I was unconscious, I could feel pure chakra entering my body and helping suppress the pain. I know you did it, so..." Sasuke Uchiha fell silent there.

"So what?" This was the first time Tianming had heard Sasuke Uchiha say so much at once.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Sasuke Uchiha's face. In the end, he chose to leave quickly. As he passed Tianming, he said, "Thank you."

This guy actually said thank you?

Tianming smiled, quite pleased. When he turned around, he could see Sasuke Uchiha's back was stiff as a board. It seemed saying thank you was truly unprecedented for him.

Just then, his stomach protested at the worst possible moment.

Tianming was helpless. The second round of the Chunin Exams required them to stay in the Forest of Death for five days, so everyone had prepared food before entering. But Team 7 had started off with a royal flush of disasters. Forget food—they were lucky just to have survived.

"Wait here. I'll go find something to eat," Tianming called out to the other three before heading deeper into the forest.

The three by the river heard Tianming and told him to be careful.

"Ah!" Naruto Uzumaki slapped his fist into his palm as inspiration struck. He felt around in his backpack, and several scrolls fell out.

"These things all look the same. How about we change the writing?" Naruto Uzumaki held the Fire Scroll, looking thoughtful.

"Naruto, that's cheating!" Sakura Haruno was stunned. What exactly was inside Naruto Uzumaki's head?

"Cheating! Exactly, cheating! Cheating takes skill too!" Naruto Uzumaki reached for the Earth Scroll, about to open it.

"Don't!" A large hand suddenly reached over and snatched the Earth Scroll first.

The newcomer was Kabuto Yakushi, whom they had met once before.

Sasuke Uchiha, who had been watching from the side, was about to attack when he saw the scroll taken, but Kabuto Yakushi voluntarily handed it back.

"Don't misunderstand. I got separated from my companions, and I have no intention of taking your scrolls." Kabuto Yakushi explained, "I stopped you because the scrolls can't be opened."

"They can't be opened? Why?" Naruto Uzumaki asked.

"The Heaven-and-Earth Scrolls contain a genjutsu that puts ninja to sleep. If you open one, your entire team will immediately fall asleep until the exam ends," Kabuto Yakushi explained.

"That terrifying?" Naruto Uzumaki nearly threw away the scroll in his hand.

"Thanks, glasses guy."

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi. Just call me Kabuto." Kabuto Yakushi smiled and held out his hand.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. These are my companions, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Qingchuan Tianming went to find food." Naruto Uzumaki had always been carefree and never objected to making friends.

"I see. But why are you looking for food? Didn't you prepare any beforehand?"

"That's a long story." Perhaps because Kabuto Yakushi had helped them several times, or perhaps because he looked friendly, Naruto Uzumaki proceeded to recount every detail of Team 7's experience since entering the Forest of Death.

Though Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were dissatisfied with Naruto Uzumaki revealing so much, neither of them could find anything suspicious about Kabuto Yakushi.

What Naruto Uzumaki failed to notice was that when he mentioned Qingchuan Tianming killing the three Sound Ninja, Kabuto Yakushi's expression shifted slightly.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Forest of Death.

Tianming darted through the woods and gathered quite a few wild fruits that could fill his stomach. Just as he was about to head back the way he came, a bear's roar sounded from the hillside.

"A bear?" Tianming immediately threw the wild fruits to the ground. With meat available, why would he eat fruit?