The First Exam Ends, the Second Exam Begins

57 seconds, 58 seconds, 59 seconds...

The second hand completed a full minute, pulling the minute hand along as the hour hand shifted.

The final five minutes of the first exam had come to an end.

It was now five in the afternoon.

"Then, I'll announce the results of the first exam."

Ibiki's words left everyone confused. What about the final question?

"Wait! Shouldn't you be revealing the tenth question?"

One of the examinees hurriedly spoke up.

"That 'choice' just now was the tenth question," Ibiki answered. "You should have noticed that the purpose of this written exam was not simply answering questions and handing in your papers."

"The true purpose of the first nine questions was to test your 'individual ability'—that is, your intelligence-gathering ability: finding the Chunin I had placed in the examination room and figuring out how to obtain correct information from them."

"And the tenth question tested your 'leadership ability.'"

"As ninja, you all know there are four ranks—Genin, Chunin, Special Jōnin, and Jōnin. Starting from Chunin, a ninja needs the qualifications to lead a team."

"Throughout a ninja's life, you will face all kinds of missions that cannot be refused, are unreasonable, and are practically certain death... These are situations you will inevitably encounter in the future. As the Chunin leading the team, you must find that nonexistent sliver of survival for yourselves and your companions even in such desperate circumstances."

"Just like the choice in the tenth question of this exam, anyone who chooses to give up answering, who refuses to stake everything at the critical moment and instead places their hopes in an uncontrollable future—deserves to remain a Genin for life! No, they do not even deserve to continue living as ninja!"

After briefly clearing up the winners' doubts about the first exam, Ibiki squeezed a smile out of his fierce face. "Everyone here now has the potential to become Chunin."

"The first Chunin Ninja Exam has concluded successfully. Congratulations on passing!"

As Ibiki declared the exam over, a dark shadow suddenly smashed through the window of Room 301.

Shards of glass fell into the examination room, while the black shadow responsible was pinned before the podium by kunai, transforming into a huge banner of black cloth.

Second Chunin Ninja Exam Proctor;

Mitaraishi Anko!

Those words had been painted across the black banner in white.

Ibiki, who had been in charge of the first exam, was now hidden behind the banner. In his place stood a spirited young woman before the crowd.

"I am the proctor of the second exam, Mitaraishi Anko! Those who passed the first exam, prepare immediately for the second exam!"

Mitaraishi Anko's words and manner were remarkably bold.

While everyone else was stunned by Mitaraishi Anko's abrupt appearance,

Naruto was instead fiercely shocked by her outfit.

Her hair was tied in a fluffy braid, and she wore a loose tan coat, beneath which he could see the black fishnet armor she wore.

The fishnet armor wrapped the skin across her entire upper body and around her thighs.

Other than the one-piece fishnet armor, she wore only a short skirt beneath her coat.

As a result, Naruto could easily take in her lush, curvaceous figure at a glance.

Even after mentally preparing myself, that outfit still hit as hard visually as it did the first time I saw it...

Fishnet armor in the ninja world was much like chainmail. It provided decent defense without the cumbersome weight of armor.

Both men and women could wear it, and most ninja treated it as everyday clothing.

Temari, who was sitting beside Naruto, wore fishnet armor beneath her clothes as well.

But people generally wore it as underwear.

The way Mitaraishi Anko wore it was indeed a little... uninhibited.

After all, that was simply her personality.

She was what people called a tomboy—someone who would rather throw herself into a group of boys and call them brothers than play girlish games with other girls.

Mitaraishi Anko naturally had no idea Naruto was muttering such things about her in his heart.

Her gaze swept across the entire Room 301 examination hall, confirming how many examinees had successfully passed the first exam.

Her tone was somewhat dissatisfied. "There are still sixty people? That's not many, but it's not exactly few either... Ibiki, you didn't go easy on them while proctoring, did you?"

"I think it's about the same as the number of passing candidates I expected."

Ibiki raised a hand and pulled aside the banner blocking him, reappearing before everyone with a helpless expression.

"Anko, could you use the front door next time? I'll have to discuss the glass you broke with the Ninja Academy teachers later—but they're yours now."

With that, Ibiki waved his hand, turning Room 301 into Anko's stage.

"You have half an hour to gather at Konoha Training Ground 44! The details of the exam will be explained to you in front of the training ground. Anyone who is late will be considered to have forfeited the exam automatically!"

Anko did not waste time with a lengthy speech. She delivered her instructions simply and swiftly.

"Dismissed!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Anko vanished from Room 301.

The moment Anko disappeared, Naruto rose from his seat.

He first said to Temari, "Then I'll go meet up with my ninja team."

"I need to meet up with Gaara and the others too."

Temari stood and replied as well.

The examinees who had passed the first exam were now gathering with their respective teammates, preparing to head for Training Ground 44 that Anko had mentioned.

While everyone gathered, Naruto briefly took note of who had passed the first exam before making his way to Sasuke and Sakura.

The three greeted one another and walked out of the examination room together.

"At this hour, it'll already be nighttime by the time the second exam starts... But if the exam is being held at a training ground, are they making us conduct a nighttime exercise?"

As they walked down the school building's corridor, Sakura speculated about the contents of the second exam.

"No matter what the exam entails, we should remain vigilant at all times. The elimination rate in the first exam was already this high. Judging by that female proctor's tone, the elimination rate in the second exam will only be higher!"

Sasuke was also considering how to handle the second exam.

Naruto merely followed beside Sasuke and Sakura without joining their conversation.

But he strongly agreed with Sasuke.

They had to remain vigilant at all times.

The second exam was already fraught with danger, and among it were uncontrollable variables like Orochimaru and Gaara.

He had already observed those who passed the first exam. Although six fewer teams had passed than in the original story, the changes were still very limited.

There was no need to mention the ninja teams with the Konoha Twelve; all of them had passed without issue.

Yakushi Kabuto's group, as well as Karin and Orochimaru's six-man Hidden Grass Village team, had also passed the first exam.

Then there were Dosu's Hidden Sound group and Gaara's Sunagakure group.

The two Amegakure teams from the original story, the three Rain Ninja who attacked Team 7, and the three who had the misfortune of encountering Gaara,

had likewise passed the first exam just as they had in the original story.

"Naruto, what do you think the second exam will test?"

Sakura suddenly asked Naruto.

"I heard Training Ground 44 has another name—the 'Forest of Death'..."

Naruto glanced at Sakura, but he had only gotten halfway through his sentence.

An unwelcome visitor interrupted him.

"Please wait!"

A boy about their age blocked Team 7's path.

A watermelon-shaped haircut, thick eyebrows, huge round eyes, and a green skintight outfit that looked almost bizarre—the ninja forehead protector tied around his waist identified him as a Konoha ninja.

Behind him stood a boy with pure white eyes and no visible pupils, along with a girl with two buns in her hair.

"That guy is Rock Lee, the one Kabuto mentioned."

Sasuke recognized Lee, as well as Neji Hyuga and Tenten behind him.

"W-What does he want, suddenly blocking our way?"

After the Sound Ninja had caused them trouble earlier, Team 3's sudden appearance inevitably made Sakura think the worst.

Naruto merely watched quietly as Little Lee blushed because of Sakura.

He had wondered why he had not seen Team 3 on the second floor of the school building earlier. So they had been waiting here...