"Judging by the fact that Orochimaru still sent people to attack you, he probably hasn't given up on you yet. Let's travel together from here. Sasuke, have you collected the Heaven and Earth Scrolls?"
To pass the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams, they had to collect the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and reach the Central Tower.
Neji and his teammates had collected both scrolls on the first day. If Neji hadn't seen Sasuke and the others in trouble and gone to help, they would have reached the Tower already.
"We collected the Heaven and Earth Scrolls before we ran into Orochimaru. If it weren't for him, we would have reached the Tower already too."
After confirming that both teams had met the requirements to pass, Neji's Team and Sasuke's Team set off together toward the Central Tower.
"Well done."
Inside the Central Tower in the Forest of Death, Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto met Madara Uchiha, who had been watching them all along, just after they entered.
Madara had seen Sakura find a hiding place and move Sasuke and the others there all by herself, as well as the moment she bravely faced the Three from Otogakure alone.
This was the first time Madara had expressed his approval of Sakura since their team had formed, and his words filled her with a little pride.
After all, this was praise from Madara.
It's still not enough. All I have now is the resolve to protect my teammates. My strength still falls far short!
Sakura looked at Sasuke's and Naruto's backs as they walked ahead of her, silently setting herself a new goal.
After entering the Tower, Sasuke and the others rested for several days. Once the allotted time was up, they moved on to the Third Exam.
"First, congratulations