Forest of Death

The Chunin Ninja Exams had begun...

The first exam was a written test, just like answering questions at school.

Since Uchiha Shunichi had already spoken with his two teammates before the exam, he was not too worried about having his qualification revoked.

In fact, having his qualification revoked would have been best for Uchiha Shunichi. But because of Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders, that was basically impossible.

As for the troublesome Sound Shinobi around him, a single glance from Uchiha Shunichi had intimidated them into silence. He was not in a good mood right now.

For some reason, Orochimaru, hidden among the Sound Shinobi, pretended to be an ordinary ninja like the others. However, the way he looked at Uchiha Shunichi was filled with profound meaning.

"I am the chief examiner for this test, Ibiki Morino. The rules of this exam are as follows..." Ibiki Morino stepped onto the platform, ignoring the chaos below as he began explaining.

During his time in the Anbu, Uchiha Shunichi had crossed paths with Ibiki Morino once. They had never spoken, but Ibiki Morino still knew of this prodigious young member of the Uchiha Clan.

To become an Anbu member at such a young age at this point in time, his strength could not be underestimated.

After Ibiki Morino finished explaining the rules, the ninjas participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams entered the examination room, and the test papers were handed out.

Interestingly enough, Naruto was seated beside Uchiha Shunichi. Having just received his paper, Naruto was sweating profusely, his expression extremely tense.

It was quite an amusing sight, but Uchiha Shunichi was not in the mood to watch the show. He casually flipped through the paper, wrote a few things on it, then closed his eyes to rest.

Among the examiners were quite a few people who had met Uchiha Shunichi in the Anbu before, but only a small number of them could recognize him.

After a long wait, the ninjas in the examination room had all completed their various methods of cheating, though this test was actually meant to assess their intelligence-gathering abilities.

But weren't these guys' cheating methods a little too obvious?

If they really gathered intelligence that way, they would probably have been discovered long ago. Then again, they were only Chunin. It was normal enough.

Uchiha Shunichi opened his eyes, and at that moment, Ibiki Morino began announcing the final question.

When some Genin believed that failing this test meant they would remain Genin for the rest of their lives, many ninjas could not stop themselves from raising their hands to withdraw.

But Naruto, beside Uchiha Shunichi, stood up and passionately voiced his thoughts. This was the first time he could tell others about his dream, the feelings in his heart.

After becoming a ninja, it was as though all the cold treatment he had suffered before had vanished. His companions cared about him, and he could finally speak his mind.

Listening to Naruto's voice beside him, Uchiha Shunichi could not help but smile. At the same time, he looked toward Sakura Haruno behind him.

Just now... Sakura Haruno seemed to have wanted to raise her hand and withdraw. Whether she had been timid herself or was considering the others, someone like that... was not really suited to becoming a ninja.

Naruto's words stirred up everyone's fighting spirit, and Ibiki Morino understood that continuing would have no further effect, so he directly revealed the true purpose of the question.

After the first exam ended, Mitaraishi Anko made her grand entrance.

Although she believed she had made a dazzling appearance, the atmosphere was actually rather awkward.

"Huh? So many people are left after the first exam? But it doesn't matter. We'll eliminate two-thirds of them in the second exam!" Mitaraishi Anko said after glancing at Ibiki Morino.

The second exam was what could be called the real test. The participating ninjas had to survive in the Forest of Death for five days and seize scrolls from other teams to assemble the Heaven and Earth Scrolls.

Only then would they pass the second exam.

Before entering the Forest of Death, the participating Genin were signing liability waivers. The mortality rate in the Chunin Ninja Exams was not low, so it was a trial for every participant.

In truth, the smaller ninja villages did not want to participate. But if their ninjas did not gain recognition, then even if they were strong enough, they would not receive missions.

For the sake of survival, some small ninja villages had no choice but to send out a few elites.

Just as Uchiha Shunichi was signing his name, a Sound Shinobi came into conflict with Anko Mitarashi. Though no one present noticed, Uchiha Shunichi knew very clearly that the Sound Shinobi was Orochimaru.

He just did not know whether it was the real body or a clone.

"Once we enter the Forest of Death, stay close to me. If you can't keep up, find your own way to the finish line." Uchiha Shunichi watched Orochimaru as he spoke to his two teammates.

Even now, Uchiha Shunichi did not know their names, nor did he need to.

"Hey, we... this is a team battle. If..." one teammate said hesitantly. In his understanding...

"If you don't want to leave, then stay close." Uchiha Shunichi coldly interrupted him.

After waiting a few minutes, the drawing of lots began. Uchiha Shunichi and his two teammates were assigned to Entrance Nineteen, somewhat far from Naruto's position.

The gate opened, and Uchiha Shunichi slowly walked forward.

Although he had just told his teammates to stay close, Uchiha Shunichi was moving very slowly now. He was sensing Naruto Uzumaki's location. Sarutobi Hiruzen was not dead yet, so he still had to carry out the task he had given him.

Letting a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki train alone in a place like this—Uchiha Shunichi did not know whether Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident or had arranged for someone else to protect him.

In any case, Uchiha Shunichi did not believe Sarutobi Hiruzen would dare place complete trust in his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Um..." After walking along at such a leisurely pace, one of his teammates soon grew uneasy.

After all, they were being far too conspicuous. Not only were they making no effort to hide their tracks, but they were also moving slowly. To other teams, they were a perfect target.

"Shut up!" Uchiha Shunichi rebuked him without hesitation.

Then Uchiha Shunichi sensed Naruto Uzumaki's position and immediately increased his speed.

His two teammates were startled by Uchiha Shunichi's sudden reaction. They hurriedly followed, completely unable to care about concealing their tracks. Merely keeping up with Uchiha Shunichi's speed took every ounce of their strength.

More than ten minutes later, Uchiha Shunichi stopped. Naruto Uzumaki's current location was several dozen meters ahead. If they got any closer, they would easily be discovered.

"Phew... phew..." Uchiha Shunichi's two teammates were gasping for breath, completely exhausted.