Thirty minutes later, as the bell rang, the first stage of the Chunin Exams reached its final phase.
After all the candidates set down their pens and papers, Ibiki Morino's gaze swept over each examinee as he announced the last major question of the exam.
The content of this final question was simple, it tested whether a shinobi had the determination to persevere.
During this round, many shinobi doubted themselves and withdrew from the exam. However, all those who remained passed.
Watching this scene unfold from the surveillance room, the Third Hokage and Sasori smiled faintly, as if reminiscing about their own past experiences.
For a shinobi, bloodline limits and innate talent might not be necessary, but unwavering resolve was indispensable. The slightest hesitation during a mission could lead to immediate defeat.
Byakuya also fell into deep thought. He had mostly figured out Konohagakure's talent selection system.
Those who passed the Chunin Exams, the shinobi valued by the higher-ups, were almost all jonin candidates. Even if they didn't become full jonin in the future, they could still secure the rank of tokubetsu jonin.
As for the rest? They would become cannon fodder, Chunin squad leaders and the like. Despite the Chunin Exams being so difficult, many Chunin were actually weaker than Genin and could be instantly defeated by them in battle.
Pulling back his wandering thoughts, Byakuya refocused on the surveillance feed. He was looking forward to Rasa and Orochimaru's upcoming performances, as well as Obito Uchiha's movements.
According to a report from White Zetsu Afu, Obito had already appeared near Konohagakure and joined this chaotic battle.
---
Before long, the second stage of the Chunin Exams began.
The proctor for this round was Anko Mitarashi, a former student of Orochimaru and now a tokubetsu jonin of Konohagakure with considerable combat prowess.
Arriving at the outskirts of the Forest of Death, Anko first intimidated the examinees before explaining the rules.
The second exam's rules were simple, Each three-man squad would be given either a Heaven or Earth Scroll. To pass, they had to obtain the opposite scroll and reach the central tower within the Forest of Death before time ran out.
At the end of her explanation, Anko deliberately added a warning, killing was permitted inside the Forest of Death.
Hearing this, the examinees' expressions darkened. They murmured among themselves, but ultimately steeled their resolve and entered the forest one after another.
Watching these inexperienced juniors, Anko frowned, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
Her fingers brushed against the cursed mark on her neck, and she thought of her former teacher, Orochimaru, the man who had abandoned her when he defected, leaving her alone in Konohagakure.
---
After entering the Forest of Death, Team 7 found a secluded clearing and began discussing their strategy.
After reiterating the second exam's rules, Naruto turned to Sasuke and Sakura and asked, "We have the Heaven Scroll. To pass, we need to defeat another team and take their Earth Scroll. Any ideas?"
Sakura thought for a moment before suggesting, "What if we team up with the others? If we join forces with Hinata and Choji, we could all pass together."
Her reasoning was simple. If they allied with their classmates, they could overwhelm enemies with superior numbers and secure the scrolls they needed.
But Sasuke shook his head. "That plan has too many flaws. Even if we ally with Team 8 and Team 10, what if we can't distribute the scrolls fairly? What if they have the exact same scroll as us?"
He paused, then continued coldly, "This is the Chunin Exams. They're our enemies. I won't place my hopes on them, even if we used to be classmates. Besides, even if we all pass, we'll still face each other in the third round. We'll be enemies eventually, so we'll have to fight sooner or later."
In Sasuke's view, the Chunin Exams were just that, an exam. Bringing outside factors into the test was unacceptable.
Sakura thought it over and realized Sasuke was right. She had been too naive. Everyone needed to pass the exam, why would they just team up so easily?
After a moment of consideration, Sasuke spoke up, "My plan is to take the initiative and hunt down isolated squads. With our team's strength, we can take on any opponent we encounter."
Sakura had no objections to Sasuke's proposal, but Naruto frowned and said, "I don't think we need to actively search for other squads. We should just head straight for the tower and ambush teams near the finish line."
Sasuke was momentarily stunned, then smirked. "Typical of you, Naruto…"
After finalizing their strategy, Team 7 got up and immediately advanced toward the central area. With one member possessing the Sharingan and another being the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, they were confident in defeating any opponent.
---
Meanwhile, Gaara's team had similar thoughts.
Gaara, who had made a bold display of power in the first exam, had already drawn the attention of most squads. Before entering the Forest of Death, many teams deliberately kept their distance, unwilling to provoke such a dangerous group.
After searching several hundred meters without finding any other shinobi, Kankurō returned to the team with his puppet and shot Gaara a resentful look.
If Gaara hadn't acted so recklessly in the first exam, they might have already encountered another squad, taken their scroll, and passed this stage with ease.
Gaara noticed Kankurō's glare but ignored his incompetent brother.
Truthfully, he didn't care much about passing the Chunin Exams. As the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, he knew that even if he failed, he would still become a high-ranking figure in Sunagakure.
What he was concerned about was the mysterious Oto-nin he had encountered during the first exam.
Thinking of this, Gaara asked the other two, "During the first exam, I was interfered with by an Oto-nin. What about you two?"
Kankurō thought for a moment before replying, "Now that you mention it, yeah. When I was transmitting answers outside the exam hall, my puppet control was noticeably weaker. I thought it was because a Konoha jonin caught me cheating and deliberately disrupted me. But from what you're saying… it wasn't Konoha's doing? Someone else interfered?"
Gaara then turned to Temari, who slowly said, "I wasn't affected, but during the exam, that Oto-nin you mentioned did glance at me a few times… I considered reporting it to Sasori-sama, but in the end, I decided against it.
Otogakure is just some no-name village. Even if they sent a jonin disguised as a Genin, they wouldn't be able to cause much trouble. But now that you mention it… it does feel suspicious. Who would be watching us so closely?"
Temari's question plunged the three into silence. Then, a name suddenly came to mind, and their expressions darkened. They looked at each other and spoke in unison,
"That Oto-nin watching us… could it be… Father?"
The three siblings could never forget the man who had once been the Kazekage, before he betrayed the village and the nation, becoming a rogue shinobi.
If not for Sasori's protection, they would have been under surveillance for the rest of their lives.
The thought that Rasa might be watching them from the shadows sent chills down their spines. After all, Rasa had never been particularly kind to them in the past.
Gaara's expression darkened as memories of Rasa surfaced.
Forcing himself to push those thoughts aside, Gaara issued his orders as team leader,
"Enough overthinking. We should focus on how to obtain the scrolls and pass this Chunin Exam."
With that, he strode forward without another word. Kankurō and Temari followed in silence, their eyes fixed on Gaara's back.
If their feelings toward Rasa were complicated, Gaara's were pure hatred. After all, Rasa had repeatedly sent assassins after him, culminating in the final betrayal when he ordered their uncle, Yashamaru, to kill Gaara. That was the moment Gaara's hatred had solidified into something unshakable.
---
A few dozen minutes later, Team 7 encountered their first opponent and halted.
The squad they faced was none other than their classmates, Team 10, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. The moment the two teams spotted each other, tension spiked.
Though they were friends outside the exam, this was a battlefield.
If the other team possessed the scroll they lacked, victory was within reach. That meant even friends had to become enemies now.
Kunai at the ready, Sasuke activated his Sharingan while Naruto formed Shadow Clones.
Facing the elite squad of their class, Chōji Akimichi nervously munched on chips and asked,
"Shikamaru… what do we do? Are we really fighting Naruto and the others?"
Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, then at Ino and Chōji beside him, before replying lazily, "Just toss them our scroll. We're not fighting."
Ino hesitated. "Not fighting? But if we give up our scroll, we fail the exam. We'd have to wait another six months to become Chunin."
Shikamaru sighed. "Surrendering the scroll doesn't mean we're out. We can just take two more from other teams, it's not that hard."
Chōji, unfazed, immediately threw their scroll over.
Naruto caught it, checked inside, then tossed it back. "They've got a Heaven Scroll too. No point fighting."
Both teams exhaled in relief.
If possible, none of them wanted to battle each other. They knew each other's strengths too well, clashing here would only leave them vulnerable to ambushes from other squads.
"Thank goodness we don't have to fight…" Sakura paused, then turned to Shikamaru. "Hey, Shikamaru, what if we team up? Take on other squads together?"
Shikamaru considered it briefly before answering,
"A temporary alliance? Could work. Actually, before running into you guys, I'd already been thinking about this scenario. If Konoha squads cross paths during the exam, will they fight? And how would the village handle it? Seeing your reaction now, I'm pretty sure of one thing."
Sakura tilted her head. "What's that?"
As a member of the Nara clan, Konoha's strategic backbone and longtime advisors to the Hokage, Shikamaru's deductions carried weight.
He smirked faintly. "To prevent us from killing each other, the village rigged the scroll distribution. My guess? All Konoha teams were given Heaven Scrolls."
"The village set it up this way to encourage Konoha squads to team up and overwhelm teams from other villages with sheer numbers."
At this point, Shikamaru turned to Naruto, the other team's leader, and said,
"So, Naruto, are you willing to form a temporary alliance? If we get an Earth Scroll, we'll give the first one to you."
The offer was tempting. After a brief moment of consideration, Naruto agreed.
His team with Sasuke and Sakura was strong enough to ambush squads near the tower, but this exam was clearly full of hidden dangers. Camping at the finish line was too risky, if an enemy team simply rushed past them, everything would fall apart.
"Alright, we'll team up," Naruto said. "But forget about priority, we're all Konoha shinobi. Let's just grab as many Earth Scrolls as we can together."
With their alliance formed, the six of them expanded their search radius and began actively hunting.
Before long, they encountered a Kusagakure squad. After a brief skirmish, the Grass-nin surrendered and handed over their Earth Scroll.
---
Two hours later, Naruto and Shikamaru's group ran into another Konoha team, Team 8, consisting of Hinata, Shino, and Kiba.
Unlike Naruto and Shikamaru's squads, Team 8 looked battered.
They had just survived a fierce battle, barely defeating their opponents, only to be ambushed by another strong team that stole their hard-won scroll.
Outmatched, they had no choice but to flee, until they stumbled upon Naruto and the others.
Spotting Naruto, Hinata immediately called out for help, holding out their scroll.
"Naruto, Shikamaru… this is our scroll…"
Their logic was simple. Better to give it to fellow Konoha shinobi than let the enemy take it. In their exhausted state, they no longer had the chakra to keep fighting.
Naruto and Shikamaru took the scroll, checked it, and, just as expected, it was another Heaven Scroll. They handed it back.
This confirmed it; all Konoha teams had been given Heaven Scrolls. It was the village's way of looking after its own.
But just then-
Rustle.
Another squad emerged from the trees, stepping into view.