The Uchiha Lone Wolf!

Thud...

In the Forest of Death, a figure fell from a high tree with a scream.

He was a ninja from Yugakure. After hitting the ground hard, he looked up in terror.

Just then...

Whoosh!

A ninja wearing the Uchiha Clan's short-sleeved attire leaped down from above.

"Hand over the scroll, or die!"

Mu Feng stared coldly at the Yugakure ninja, his crimson Sharingan radiating indifference and murderous intent.

"Here, take it! Don't kill me!" The Yugakure ninja sat sprawled on the ground, scrambling backward as he threw out the Earth Scroll he carried.

Smack!

Mu Feng caught the scroll. After verifying that it was genuine, he left without looking back.

Only after watching Mu Feng disappear into the distance did the Yugakure ninja breathe a sigh of relief.

Just moments ago, his squad had run into Mu Feng.

With the exam deadline fast approaching, the Yugakure ninja had set their sights on Mu Feng. But once they fought him, they realized that this lone ninja, who looked younger than they were, possessed formidable strength.

In less than five minutes, two members of the Yugakure squad had been taken down. He had fought desperately to escape with the scroll, but in the end, he still hadn't escaped Mu Feng's clutches.

"Phew..." The Yugakure ninja let out a long sigh. "Where did that monster come from?"

What he didn't know was that, by this stage of the exam, Mu Feng's fearsome reputation had already spread throughout the Forest of Death.

When some squads encountered one another and confirmed that they carried the same scroll, they chose to exchange information rather than fight.

Among all the examinees in the Forest of Death, there were now three powerful squads and two teams that absolutely could not be provoked.

Of the three powerful squads, two were from Konoha, and one was from Kumogakure.

The two teams that absolutely could not be provoked were the Uchiha lone wolf and the shark of Kirigakure.

The shark of Kirigakure referred to Kisame Hoshigaki, while the Uchiha lone wolf referred to Mu Feng himself.

Half the squads in the Forest of Death had already been eliminated, and half of those eliminated squads had been severely battered by one of those two.

After exchanging information, almost everyone had begun deliberately avoiding Mu Feng and Kisame Hoshigaki. The Yugakure squad clearly hadn't known this, however, and had practically offered themselves up after encountering Mu Feng.

Another squad taken out. Not bad. This should count as going above and beyond the mission!

After taking the Yugakure squad's scroll, Mu Feng felt a flicker of satisfaction.

He calculated the time and realized that the second exam was nearly over. Rather than continue hunting, he headed straight for the rendezvous point at the center of the Forest of Death.

Meanwhile, in the exam monitoring room...

Namiashi Raidō stared at Mu Feng on the screen in astonishment.

"This kid is actually that strong?"

As a Konoha Jonin, Namiashi Raidō took his responsibilities for this exam very seriously.

At such a critical time, with tensions running high among the major shinobi villages, any mishap during the Chunin Ninja Exams could easily lead to fighting between them.

Of course, some villages hoping for war might also try to sabotage these Chunin Ninja Exams.

That was why these Chunin Ninja Exams were subject to stricter oversight than previous exams. Hiruzen Sarutobi had even directly ordered Namiashi Raidō to ensure that the exams proceeded smoothly while also keeping the Konoha ninja safe.

These Chunin Ninja Exams weren't merely about selecting outstanding ninja from each village. They were also a show of strength.

If Konoha performed terribly in these Chunin Ninja Exams, despite being the village that had benefited most from the Second Shinobi World War and the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it was easy to imagine how the other nations would view Konoha, and what measures they would take against it afterward.

Under all that pressure, Namiashi Raidō didn't dare relax. He had even prepared to intervene at a moment's notice.

Despite the immense pressure, the entire exam had proceeded relatively smoothly-in fact, exceptionally smoothly.

In the Forest of Death, Namiashi Raidō hadn't discovered any ninja posing as Chunin exam candidates. Such a thing was entirely possible. In the original story, Orochimaru had disguised himself as an examinee to approach Sasuke, while Kabuto Yakushi's abilities had clearly surpassed those of an ordinary Chunin.

In truth, Namiashi Raidō didn't know that Kirigakure had planned to do just that before the exam.

But after Hozuki Mangetsu had unexpectedly been killed by Mu Feng, Kirigakure had lost a formidable fighter. It had also put them on their guard, making them believe that Konoha had already taken precautions.

Thus, Kirigakure had canceled its plan to sow chaos during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Besides that scheme, however, Kirigakure had another plan for these exams: Kisame Hoshigaki.

They intended to use Kisame Hoshigaki's extraordinary chakra and abilities to give Konoha and the other villages a wake-up call during the Chunin Ninja Exams. This wasn't a conspiracy, but an open demonstration of strength.

Namiashi Raidō had noticed Kisame Hoshigaki as well. Frankly, in his eyes, Kisame Hoshigaki had already far surpassed an ordinary Chunin. Despite still being a Genin, he could cast several B-rank ninjutsu in succession. Namiashi Raidō even suspected that Kisame Hoshigaki could use Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, a genuine A-rank ninjutsu.

In the original Naruto story, Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique had practically been Zabuza Momochi's trump card. Yet Kakashi had copied it with his Sharingan and defeated Zabuza in one stroke.

Zabuza was a genuine elite Jonin from Kirigakure. An elite Jonin's trump card was absolutely not something a bunch of kids taking the Chunin Ninja Exams could withstand.

If Kisame Hoshigaki really knew that technique, then with his decent Taijutsu, he might even be able to take on ten opponents alone.

After watching Kisame Hoshigaki take on an entire squad by himself, Namiashi Raidō hadn't held much hope for Konoha's squads. He had only hoped that fewer of them would be eliminated.

But then Mu Feng's appearance had left Namiashi Raidō utterly stunned.

The Uchiha Clan's name carried far more weight in Konoha than in other villages. The moment Mu Feng revealed his crimson Sharingan, Namiashi Raidō knew that he was stronger than an ordinary examinee.

Then Mu Feng's use of Taijutsu and ninjutsu had plunged Namiashi Raidō deep into thought.

"Is he really just a Genin?"

Namiashi Raidō even felt that Mu Feng was no different from the Jonin he had fought in the past. Against the examinees, Mu Feng could finish his opponents in an instant.

And precisely because of Mu Feng's presence, the Forest of Death exam hadn't become a one-man show, but a contest between two standouts.

At the same time, this had made the other squads more cautious. Especially when encountering a Konoha squad, they had to consider whether attacking it would invite retaliation from Mu Feng.

Under these circumstances, although some Konoha squads had been eliminated, the results weren't far off Namiashi Raidō's expectations.

He looked up at the clock on the wall. Seeing that it was nearly time, Namiashi Raidō rose and headed toward the rendezvous point.

"I wonder how the third round will play out?"

"Pitting Mu Feng Uchiha against Kisame Hoshigaki would probably make the perfect finale for these Chunin Ninja Exams!"

Namiashi Raidō muttered to himself as he walked out of the room.