The following day, at 9:00 AM.
Konoha Training Grounds, in front of the Forest of Death.
Sasuke's face was gloomy, and the expression he gave Naruto was even stranger.
"What kind of work are you doing? I asked you to gather intelligence beforehand, and this is what you get?"
"Stop nagging. No matter how I ask, Sister Anko just won't tell me. She even said that with the combined strength of all of you, there shouldn't be any problem."
Naruto looked helpless. He had promised to provide red bean soup and Anko for half a year, but the Anko remained unmoved.
The attempt to gather intelligence largely failed. The only useful information obtained was that at least half of the people would be eliminated, but Anko refused to reveal any of the rest.
"It doesn't matter. Let's just do our best to eliminate the other half. In this Forest of Death, no one is our match."
At this point, Sasuke's expression softened slightly. He unwrapped the bandages from his wrists, exposing the two sealing seals to the air.
"That's true. There aren't many guys who can threaten us in this exam. As long as the three of us pass smoothly, we just need to protect ourselves, Sakura."
Sakura, unable to get a word in edgewise, nodded slightly, wanting to say something but unsure how to begin.
Compared to Naruto and Sasuke's strength, he seemed to have made no progress in the past few months. He had mostly relied on their help to get to where he was today.
"It's okay, I'll definitely protect myself, Sasuke-kun. Actually..."
"Hey hey hey! Teams participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams, gather here, collect your scrolls, and then officially enter the arena. Only teams that collect all the Heaven and Earth Scrolls can advance to the next stage."
Instantly, the corners of their mouths twitched, and they murmured softly.
"I see. At least half of them will be eliminated, and it's very likely that more than half will be eliminated. No one knows whether their opponent holds the sky or the earth."
"In addition, you also need to judge the difference in strength between your opponent and yourself. If you waste too much time and don't make it to the rendezvous point in time, you will be eliminated even if you collect all the buildings."
The two looked into each other's eyes and both could see what the other was thinking.
"A swift and decisive victory!"
"Complete it within one day!"
One ninja team after another lined up to receive the scrolls. When Naruto and the others entered together, Anko chuckled and handed the Earth Scroll to the three of them.
"Don't forget, I've been feeding him Anko and dumplings for the past six months. After you pass the exam, remember to tell that guy, 'Good luck!'"
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. This adult, who had tricked him out of half of his mission reward with just one sentence, was indeed as cunning as a snake.
"No way."
"Hey! Wait a minute, you jerk Naruto, how can you be so rude to your elders? Hey..."
Ignoring the incessant chatter of Anko, Naruto and the others stopped in the Forest of Death. With a command, hundreds of examinees entered the examination hall together.
"Seriously, that damn Naruto, what kind of traitor did he learn from that guy to turn his back on people? I told him in advance that half of them would be eliminated, and he still wouldn't listen. Tch..."
Half an hour into the exam, Anko couldn't help but complain under her breath and downed the Anko in one gulp.
At that moment, the Konoha proctor on patrol suddenly arrived, his tone anxious.
"Lord Anko, something has happened here..."
The smile on her face gradually disappeared. When Anko followed the proctoring team to a corner near Konoha, several corpses were found lying there.
"Lord Anko, these examinees from Kusagakure... they've been dead for about 12 hours, and besides that, even their faces were..."
"Dissolving? Dissolving the face and peeling off the skin to create a flawless disguise mask... Orochimaru!"
Her eyes turned cold. She couldn't believe Orochimaru dared to show up in Konoha. Anko waved her hand and scolded him sharply.
"You lot! Go and inform the Third Hokage that Orochimaru has been spotted near the Forest of Death during the Chunin Ninja Exams. I'll deal with him myself."
An inexplicable surge of anger welled up within her. Back then, he had carried out inhuman experiments, and even before leaving, he had deliberately injected the unfinished Curse Mark into her body.
If Huayue hadn't discovered me back then, and if I hadn't survived, I would have been a skeleton in a tomb by now.
'You despicable Orochimaru, I'll kill you with my own hands, you bastard!'
Ignoring the invigilators' attempts to stop her, Anko stormed into the Forest of Death. Before she had gone far, the fresh scent of grass and trees wafted towards her.
"Where are you going, Anko?"
"You've come at the perfect time. Of course, it's Orochimaru's turn to settle accounts. It's your duty too. Since our teacher has become missing-nin, it's natural for your disciple to take the fall!"
Seeing that Anko wouldn't listen to a word and was about to pass by, Huayue smiled without saying a word, and within the azure barrier, strands of silk froze her figure.
"Even now, you are no match for Orochimaru. As long as you continue to use his techniques, no matter how much time passes, the result will be the same: futile efforts."
Huayue lifted Anko up by the waist and lowered her head, speaking softly.
"Besides, when it comes to understanding Orochimaru, do you think you know more than I do?"
"Then what do you want me to do! Just stand by and do nothing? Are you kidding me? I'm prepared to die together with Orochimaru..."
Before he could finish speaking, Huayue interrupted him.
"If we die together, it will definitely be you who dies, not Orochimaru. His affairs should be decided by his teacher, not by your disciples and me. Let's go."
"That guy's purpose in infiltrating is probably Naruto and Sasuke. Don't worry too much. Even if they use their full strength now, you can't beat them."
Upon hearing Huayue's reply, Anko paused for a moment, and the anger on her face subsided considerably.
"Even I was no match for those two brats, could it be that..."
Seemingly realizing something, Anko quickly pressed for an answer, but all she got in return was a cryptic smile.
Meanwhile, in the outer areas of the Forest of Death.
The three-person team, which was rushing towards the center, stopped. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and both noticed something strange.
" Sasuke."
"Ah..."
With his hands Hand Seals, a sudden wave of scorching heat swept over, burning a path in the direction Naruto was pointing.
" Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique ".
The giant python hidden in the mountains and forests was roasted by the flames, releasing a delicious aroma of meat. The faint threat lingering in the hearts of the two men showed no signs of abating.
"Come out, I've found you."
Several shurikens were thrown in quick succession, and in the blink of an eye, they were embedded in the back of a tree hundreds of meters away.
"Such keen perception, excellent Shurikenjutsu, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto... is your scroll heaven or earth?"
A pale purple tongue licked around the chapped lips, and a slender figure wearing a straw hat and with long hair reaching the waist slowly appeared.
The golden-black vertical pupils moved over the three people as if staring at prey, and finally, when they looked at Uchiha Sasuke, their eyes were filled with desire and greed.