5 Groups

After a brief discussion, Team 7 ultimately decided to approach Karin.

"Although my Shadow Clone only found Karin alone, we can't let our guard down because of that."

As they set out again, Naruto warned Sasuke and Sakura.

"Because she appeared very close to the tower, I initially guessed she might have been avoiding the beasts in the Forest of Death that wouldn't venture too close to the tower..."

"...but on further thought, if Karin had truly been eliminated, the exam rules state that contestants cannot forfeit and leave the Forest of Death before the exam ends, but they never say that contestants who have already failed cannot enter the tower and wait safely for the exam to end."

"Given how Karin's two teammates treated her, we can't rule out the possibility that they used Karin as bait to lure enemies in."

Sakura recalled the argument between Karin and her teammates at the barbecue restaurant and agreed with Naruto.

Sasuke nodded slightly as well. "It makes the most sense to assume that the Grass Ninja girl is alone as part of an ambush."

Sasuke had already gotten a basic account of what happened at the barbecue restaurant from Naruto and Sakura. "Still, we can't completely rule out the possibility that the Grass Ninja girl really did lose both her teammates, can we?"

Every choice carried both danger and safety.

Team 7 was gambling that approaching Karin was the "safe" choice.

And even if things did not go as hoped, and Karin really was bait—

Even if Team 7 had made the wrong bet, they would not face too great a "danger."

Based on what Karin's two teammates had done at the barbecue restaurant, Team 7 had judged them to be weak contestants.

There was no way they could drag Naruto and Sasuke into a prolonged battle that would be difficult to handle.

"Exactly."

Naruto answered. That was why all three members of Team 7 had ultimately agreed to approach Karin.

Just then, Naruto's gaze sharpened. The familiar figure he had seen several times had appeared in his sight.

Naruto waved for Sasuke and Sakura to stop.

"I can't sense anyone else. Looks like she really is alone for some reason, but isn't the place she chose to rest a little too conspicuous? Is she really a ninja?"

The three members of Team 7 observed Karin from afar, and Sasuke made that remark.

Karin was far too lacking in vigilance. By Konoha's standards for selecting ninja, she probably would not even have been able to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

But Naruto understood Karin.

As Sasuke had suspected, Karin's status in the Hidden Grass Village hardly qualified her as a ninja.

To the Hidden Grass Village, Karin was nothing more than a chakra supply tool that could restore its own chakra if left alone.

The Hidden Grass Village had taught her medical knowledge only so they could use medical ninjutsu to drain her chakra more efficiently.

She would not gain any proper ninja experience until after joining Orochimaru.

Fortunately, Karin's ninja experience was still immature...

Naruto had delayed approaching Karin ever since entering the Forest of Death because he was wary of her powerful sensory ability—the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

In the original story, once Karin of Taka used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, she could sense chakra within a radius of dozens of kilometers—and even precisely locate specific chakra signatures.

Unless she wanted to be found herself, or something unexpected happened... the chances of approaching her through ordinary means were almost zero.

Fortunately, Karin had not yet mastered the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

Though her sensory ability was better than that of others her age, its range was still within the normal scope for a sensory ninja.

To Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto's earlier Shadow Clone had been meant to avoid enemies on the way to the tower.

In truth, Naruto had used the Shadow Clone to test the current limits of Karin's sensory range.

The spot where Naruto had told Sasuke and Sakura to stop was the very edge of Karin's current sensory range that he had calculated.

If they moved even slightly closer, Karin would sense Team 7's presence.

Naruto glanced at Karin and suggested, "She doesn't seem to have noticed us either. Let's avoid her and continue toward the tower."

Sasuke and Sakura had no objections.

"Then let's leave."

Naruto shifted his body, preparing to head toward the tower.

An action that anyone would have considered perfectly ordinary had actually been carefully orchestrated by Naruto.

Karin sensed Naruto's chakra!

"Who's there?!"

Karin turned her gaze toward Team 7's location.

Sasuke and Sakura were both startled when Karin suddenly sensed them.

"Damn it! How did she find us?!"

Naruto also showed shock, unable to believe Karin's sensory ability.

Then Naruto's expression turned stern, and before Karin could fully react, he struck first!

After witnessing Naruto instantly subdue Karin, Sasuke and Sakura also appeared before her.

Looking at the two additional people before her—

Karin, whose neck was gripped by Naruto, narrowed her eyes, unable to hide her fear of the suddenly appearing Team 7.

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura doubted Naruto's decision to attack first.

They had already been sensed by Karin. If there had been many people on the other side, Team 7's first response would naturally have been to leave Karin's sensory range.

Then they would confirm whether the enemy was still pursuing them.

But they already knew that Karin was alone.

With Team 7 holding a three-to-one numerical advantage, subduing Karin in advance would more effectively prevent any unexpected situations.

The choice between fighting and retreating had been taught by Ninja Academy instructors before they even became ninja.

There was nothing wrong with Naruto's handling of the situation.

"Naruto... her teammates really were..."

Sakura glanced at the Heaven Scroll in Karin's hand and trailed off.

Given the way Karin's teammates had bullied her, if they had not encountered some accident, the scroll would never have ended up in Karin's hands.

Naruto had no interest in Karin's teammates.

But he still asked Karin for information about them. "Where are the teammates who were in your group?"

Under Naruto's interrogation, Karin had no idea what Team 7 would do to her, and tears welled in her eyes.

At this point, she did not truly possess the resilience most ninja should have.

Karin answered tremblingly, "They... were killed by people from Sunagakure..."

Upon hearing Karin's words, Team 7 quickly identified the Sunagakure group she meant.

Among the twenty groups participating in the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams, Sunagakure had only one group.

It was Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.

"Then why are you still alive?"

Sasuke joined Naruto's interrogation of Karin.

"I was supposed to be killed too..."

Sasuke's question made Karin recall memories she had desperately tried to forget.

"There was a red-haired ninja from Sunagakure, with no eyebrows and the character for love carved on his forehead... He used nothing but sand to kill my teammates in an instant."

"When he was about to kill me too, one of his teammates, a blond girl, talked him out of it. That was the only reason I survived."

"I was terrified... so I ran all the way to the tower, but I sensed that terrifying guy from Sunagakure inside the tower too... so I hid here..."

Karin quickly summarized what had happened to her.

Sensing Team 7's silence, Karin thought her life was about to end and pleaded mournfully with Naruto, who was gripping her neck.

"Please... please don't kill me. I've already lost my qualification for the exam. As for the scroll... I can give it to you too..."

Karin's glasses had fallen to the ground when Naruto attacked her.

Right now, she could not actually see Naruto's appearance clearly at all.

But in the next moment, Karin suddenly realized that her vision had become clear again.

Naruto released Karin's neck, picked up the glasses she had dropped, and placed them back over her ears.

"Sorry. I scared you."

Only when Naruto's apology reached Karin's ears did she dazedly catch a clear glimpse of his face.

Karin had originally imagined that Naruto, who had attacked her, possessed a vicious and terrifying face.

Who would have thought that Naruto's apologetic smile was so bright and full of youthful vitality?

Then Team 7 used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from Karin's side.

Everything had begun suddenly, then ended just as suddenly.

Karin was left standing there alone, stunned, using both hands to straighten the glasses Naruto had put back on crookedly.

Konoha Training Ground 44, the heart of the Forest of Death, the central tower.

After encountering Karin, Team 7 met no other contestants and entered the tower without obstruction.

After the examiner confirmed that Team 7 possessed both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, he judged that Team 7 had passed the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams.

"Then the second stage of the exam is officially over."

The examiner took back the scrolls and announced it to the three members of Team 7.

"Wait, isn't this only the third day?"

Sakura questioned the examiner.

"All the remaining contestants in the Forest of Death have lost their qualifications. No more groups will pass, so the originally five-day exam has ended early."

"You are the final group to pass the second stage."

After explaining, the examiner added, "Go gather in the hall first. Lord Hokage will explain the remaining exam arrangements to you shortly."

After saying that, the examiner made as if to leave again.

This time, Naruto stopped him. "Excuse me, how many groups passed the second stage of the exam in total?"

The examiner turned back to glance at Naruto and answered, "Five groups. Four from Konoha and one from Sunagakure."

Having answered Team 7's question again, the examiner seemed afraid that Sasuke, who had yet to ask anything, would seize the chance to ask a third question.

This time, he directly used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

Watching the examiner disappear, Naruto could not calm down for a long while.

The groups that passed the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams...

There was actually no Sound Ninja Trio!