Forest of Death

The Chūnin Exams had begun...

The first test was a written exam, 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 being disqualified.

In fact, being disqualified 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 look from Uchiha Shunichi intimidated them into silence. He was not in a good mood right now.

For some reason, Orochimaru, hidden among the Sound Shinobi, was pretending to be an ordinary ninja like the others. However, the look he gave Uchiha Shunichi was full of earnest gravity.

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

Back when he was in the Anbu, Uchiha Shunichi had met Ibiki Morino once. They had never spoken, but Ibiki Morino still knew of this genius youth from the Uchiha Clan.

To become a member of the Anbu 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 Chūnin Exams entered the examination room and were handed their papers.

Interestingly enough, Naruto was seated beside Uchiha Shunichi. Having just received his test paper, Naruto was drenched in sweat and looked extremely nervous.

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 answers, then closed his eyes to rest.

Among the examiners were quite a few people who had met Uchiha Shunichi in the Anbu, though only a small number recognized him.

After a long wait, the ninjas in the examination room had all finished using their various cheating methods. Though this test was truly meant to assess intelligence-gathering ability...

Weren't their cheating methods a little too obvious?

If they gathered intelligence this way in a real mission, they would probably have been discovered long ago. But they were only Chunin, so it was normal enough.

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

When some Genin believed that failing this test would leave them Genin for the rest of their lives, many ninjas could not help but raise their hands and give up.

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

After becoming a ninja, it was as though all the cold treatment he had suffered before had disappeared. His companions cared about him, and he could finally express what he wanted to say.

Listening to Naruto's voice beside him, Uchiha Shunichi smiled unconsciously. At the same time, his gaze shifted toward Sakura Haruno behind him.

Just now... Sakura Haruno had seemed about to raise her hand and give up. Whether she was simply timid or thinking of others, someone like her... was not really suited to becoming a ninja.

Naruto's words stirred the fighting spirit of everyone in the room, and Ibiki Morino knew there would be no point in continuing. He directly revealed the true purpose of the question.

After the first test ended, Mitaraishi Anko made a dazzling entrance.

Though she thought she was incredibly radiant, the atmosphere was actually rather awkward.

"Huh? So many people remained after the first test? No matter. We'll eliminate two-thirds of them in the second test!" Mitaraishi Anko said after glancing at Ibiki Morino.

The second test could also 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 form the Heaven and Earth Scrolls.

Only then would they pass the second test.

Before entering the Forest of Death, the participating Genin were signing liability waivers. The death rate in the Chūnin Exams was not low, so this was a trial for every participant.

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

To survive, 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 clashed 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 his 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." 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... we're in a team battle this time. If..." one teammate said hesitantly. In his mind...

"If you don't want to leave, just keep up." Uchiha Shunichi cut him off coldly.

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

The gate opened, and Uchiha Shunichi slowly walked forward.

Though 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 been given.

Letting a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki train alone in a place like this... Uchiha Shunichi did not know whether Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident or whether someone else was secretly protecting him.

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

"Um..." After walking at such a leisurely pace for a while, one of his teammates soon became uneasy.

After all, they were being far too conspicuous. Not only were they not concealing their tracks, but they were moving slowly. To other teams, they were a perfect target.

"Shut up!" Uchiha Shunichi snapped without hesitation.

Then, Uchiha Shunichi sensed Naruto Uzumaki's location and immediately picked up speed.

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

More than ten minutes later, Uchiha Shunichi stopped. Naruto Uzumaki was currently several dozen meters ahead. If they got any closer, they could easily be discovered.

"Huff... huff..." Uchiha Shunichi's two teammates were panting heavily, utterly exhausted.