This Forest of Death is gradually descending into chaos.
Just as predicted before the assessment began, with Orochimaru stating that the number of teams that passed was limited and that the codes they received could be verified against each other, the battle began immediately from the start.
As for who is the prey and who is the hunter, only God knows.
Meanwhile, hand-to-hand combat was taking place throughout the Forest of Death.
It's located at a secluded entrance outside the forest.
The dozen or so figures that appeared exuded a chilling aura, each with an aura at least at the level Chunin an elite Chunin, while the three leading them even possessed the aura strength of Jonin.
What's really strange is that half of these dozen or so people are wearing Mist Ninja Forehead Protector, and the other half are wearing Cloud Ninja Forehead Protector!
However, this positioning is blatantly a uniform vibration mode.
And it's clear that these dozen or so people know each other.
"Are all the orders clear?"
The slightly slender and tall man standing in the center, with a cold expression on his face, looked at the dozen or so men below who were clearly his subordinates and spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
"Remember, this mission is different from the previous ones. Make sure to leave a trace, and don't forget your current 'identity'!"
"Yes!"
"Very good, then! Let's go!"
With a sudden wave of his right hand from the tall, thin man leading the group, the dozen or so figures shot out one by one.
They headed straight towards the interior of the Forest of Death.
It was after these people left.
High on a nearby tree trunk, the scene seemed to distort slightly, and a tall, slender figure suddenly appeared in the previously empty spot.
That familiar, sickly pale face, the long, thin lines from the corners of his eyes to the bridge of his nose, and those chilling snake eyes—this figure was none other than Orochimaru, the chief examiner of the second round of assessments!
'So you really took this step! Danzo, I hope you won't regret it.'
One of the Third Hokage's direct disciples, watching those departing figures, had a cold glint in his eyes.
After muttering those words in a low voice, Orochimaru leaped into the shadows behind him!
These unexpected special groups were members of Danzo's Root organization. Their ability to avoid other proctors around the Forest of Death was thanks to Orochimaru's deployment, and their purpose was self-evident.
As for why Orochimaru did this, it can only be said that everyone has their own purpose.
At this point, Orochimaru was quite different from when he appeared later in the original work, but he had already begun to embark on his own unique path. On this path he had chosen, there were some things that only Danzo could help him with. This is one of the biggest reasons why Orochimaru, despite being a disciple of the Third Hokage in the original work, joined Root. He needed Danzo, and Danzo needed Orochimaru!
As for Danzo's intentions...
Feel sorry.
Orochimaru didn't really care, let alone the other Genin candidates from other ninja villages in the Forest of Death.
A chess piece should have the awareness of being a chess piece, shouldn't it?
Inside the Forest of Death, Qi and the others were completely unaware that a dangerous cloud was quietly approaching, and remained focused on their assessment task.
Is this the whole area?
In a low-lying area in the southern part of the Forest of Death, Qi and his companions arrived at the area designated after a preliminary analysis of the cipher, after spending more than an hour.
"Yes, even if the error is large, it won't extend beyond this area."
Mei Terumi nodded confidently and said.
"Okay, let's split up and search as we agreed beforehand!"
Qi nodded.
"Swoosh"
"Swoosh"
"Whoosh!"
The three of them then dispersed and began a thorough search of the area. After more than half an hour of effort, Kisame Hoshigaki found the special box containing their team's code in a somewhat hidden tree hollow!
"Hehe, looks like we're in pretty good luck; it's even faster than we expected!"
The two who had joined forces.
Mei Terumi said with a smile.
"Yes, let's see what's recorded inside. Let's finish the task quickly. At the very least, we need to make it to the final round of assessment."
Qi continued.
Team 7, confident in their strength as the strongest team among the participating Mist Ninja, didn't necessarily need to win the final victory, but at least they had to make it to the final round of the exams. Don't underestimate the importance of this; in Chunin Ninja Exams, the performance of the Genin is directly linked to the reputation of the ninja village!
People from all walks of life will also view the ninja villages to which these Genin belong based on this point, which directly affects the number of missions the ninja villages receive to a certain extent!
Mei Terumi and Kisame, who were sitting to the side, nodded in agreement.
"Click"
The box was opened directly, and a right hand gently reached inside.
Then a dark-colored scroll was pulled out.
With a gentle shake, Qi opened the app, and the contents that greeted their eyes were seen simultaneously by all three of them.
They all showed a slight look of surprise.
Because what's recorded above is—the capture of Forehead Protector from six non-local ninja villages!
"This is really bad timing. If I had known it was this mission, I would have taken off those three guys' Forehead Protector earlier."
Qi felt a little bit amused and bewildered.
"That means I missed half of the task. I don't know if it's too late to go back now."
Mei Terumi also said with a look of regret.
"Hmph, it's just six Forehead Protector? That's a piece of cake!"
Kisame lightly, speaking with an indifferent expression.
In this Chunin Exam, there are only a few people that Kisame can take seriously. There are as many as thirty teams that have entered the second round of the exam. In Kisame's opinion, obtaining the Forehead Protector of two teams is not difficult at all!
"Yes, let's get started!"
Time waits for no one. Who knows if other teams will be able to decipher the code faster or if the matched tasks will be easier? The number of teams that can pass the assessment is very limited, with only six teams!
There's no time to lose!
Qi and the other two immediately sprang into action.
Using their current location as the central point, they will launch a large-scale search. With their strength, obtaining six Forehead Protector is not difficult. The challenge lies in accurately locating other ninja village teams in the shortest amount of time!
This special training ground, known as the Forest of Death, is the largest training ground in Konohagakure!
Thirty teams, 90 people—placing them in such a training ground is like a drop in the ocean.
However, this is also one of the basic abilities and skills that a ninja must possess: the ability to search!