The team pursuing Hinata's squad was none other than Gaara's team.
After stealing Hinata's team's prey, they had initially planned to rush straight to the finish line. However, upon opening their scroll, they saw the Earth Seal imprinted on it and immediately turned their attention to pursuing Naruto's team.
When Gaara emerged from the dense forest and saw the three Konohagakure squads standing side by side, his brow furrowed.
Glancing at the two Earth Scrolls in his hand, his expression shifted slightly as he realized the truth: Konoha had manipulated the distribution of scrolls to unite their own shinobi against outsiders like them.
Under normal circumstances, even fellow shinobi from the same village would scheme against each other during the exam.
With this in mind, Gaara looked at Naruto and spoke slowly, "Shinobi of Konoha, if I'm not mistaken, all of you possess Heaven Scrolls. If you hand over one of them, I will give you one of my Earth Scrolls in return. That way, both of our teams can pass the second exam and advance to the third round."
Upon hearing this, Kankurō and Temari were stunned. They couldn't believe that Gaara, of all people, was backing down in front of his peers, even if one of them was another jinchūriki, Gaara had no reason to fear him.
What they didn't know was that the One-Tail sealed within Gaara had long been itching for a fight with Naruto.
Back in the desert, Shukaku had never been bullied by the Nine-Tails. The millennia-old grudge between the two could only be settled through their respective jinchūriki now that they were both sealed away.
But Gaara had more to consider.
He feared that even after a fierce battle, he might not be able to defeat the Konoha shinobi before him. He also had to remain vigilant against potential attacks from the rogue shinobi, Rasa, meaning he needed to conserve his strength at all times.
Faced with Gaara's proposal, Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged glances before refusing.
"Gaara, your offer is tempting, but unfortunately, we're not the kind of shinobi who abandon our comrades. The only way to settle this is through strength!"
Naruto couldn't abandon Team 10, not just because of his close relationship with Hinata, but also because he needed to maintain the image of a devout believer in the Will of Fire. Acting selfishly now would jeopardize his future plans.
Shikamaru, too, had no intention of accepting Gaara's deal.
Given the number of scrolls both teams held, cooperating with Gaara would allow them to breeze through the Chūnin Exams and advance quickly.
But if they abandoned Hinata's team now, it would set a dangerous precedent, their own squad could just as easily be discarded later.
Though the Chūnin Exams were ostensibly just a test, they were no different from a real battlefield, where betrayal and even killing between participants were permitted.
From a strategic standpoint, Shikamaru couldn't accept Gaara's proposal.
After their refusal, both sides fell into a brief silence, weighing whether to fight or retreat to seek other prey.
Each team held the scroll that the other needed. If they parted ways now, there was no guarantee they'd find another opportunity.
After a moment of hesitation, the battle began.
With Gaara's permission, Kankurō summoned three or four puppets in full view of the Konoha shinobi. The puppets gleamed coldly under the sunlight before lunging forward, locking onto their targets.
Not every shinobi could withstand the sheer force of these puppets. When Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu and Ino's Mind Body Switch Technique failed to control them, Shikamaru's face darkened, and Ino paled in panic.
Neither of their specialties was effective against a puppeteer.
The Shadow Possession Jutsu had its limits, it couldn't control anything beyond a certain weight. And the Mind Body Switch Technique was utterly useless against the steel bodies of puppets.
In the end, it was Chōji who stepped forward, intercepting the puppets and engaging them in close combat.
Seeing this, Kankurō was slightly surprised. A puppeteer's strength depended not just on their skill but also on the quality of their puppets.
Though his puppets were merely defective cast-offs from his teacher, Sasori, they were still masterpieces by ordinary standards, each one possessing the combat ability of a chūnin.
Temari, a long-range wind-style specialist, silently chose Hinata's team as her opponents.
Leaping onto a tree branch to gain distance, she swung her giant iron fan, unleashing razor-sharp wind blades that sliced through the forest. The gusts cut through tree trunks like butter and gouged deep trenches into the ground, a terrifying display of power.
Hinata dodged the first wave of wind blades, only to be met with a follow-up assault of cutting gales. With no room to retreat, she raised her hands and executed a series of Gentle Fist strikes, dispersing the incoming wind techniques with precise chakra disruption.
Seeing her teammates unharmed behind her, Hinata let out a small sigh of relief.
Though she wasn't as strong as her cousin Neji and hadn't mastered the Hyūga's secret Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, she was still capable of deflecting basic ninjutsu.
But defense alone wouldn't win the battle.
Shino took advantage of the opening, releasing swarms of venomous insects that forced Temari to retreat from her high vantage point. The bugs pursued relentlessly, denying her the space to weave hand signs.
Kiba, meanwhile, sent Akamaru to flank her.
Against a long-range fighter like Temari, the key to victory was simple: never let them use their techniques freely.
Meanwhile, Gaara faced off against Team 7, Naruto and Sasuke.
With a mere flick of his wrist, Gaara unleashed a storm of sand from his gourd, forcing the two to dodge. The attack was telegraphed, making it easy to evade, but that was only the beginning.
Naruto suddenly realized something was wrong with the ground beneath them. At some point, the earth had been hollowed out, replaced by quicksand.
Using the Water-Walking Technique, they kept themselves afloat, but the sand itself was alive, shifting, coiling, trying to drag them under.
Understanding the danger, the three turned their attention to Gaara.
With the terrain working against them, their best option was a swift, decisive strike. If they could take down Gaara, this battle would end quickly.
---
Not far away, Orochimaru and Rasa observed the fight alongside a group of Sound ninja.
To them, the battle was still immature, but the potential was undeniable. Given time, these young shinobi would grow into formidable warriors.
After a moment of silence, Orochimaru turned to Rasa with a sly smile. "Aren't you going to greet your children? Now's the perfect chance. Once the exam moves to the third stage, it won't be so easy to meet them."
Rasa frowned. "Too many eyes. If I approach carelessly, I risk exposure. We should focus on completing Byakuya's mission first."
Orochimaru chuckled, his voice dripping with amusement. "Is that so? Then why did you go out of your way to provoke Gaara's team during the first exam? Weren't you worried about being exposed then?"
Rasa glanced at Orochimaru, his tone low and measured. "You're the one who's been eyeing a certain Konoha shinobi, aren't you? That's why you keep pushing me. If you want to go, then go, just don't cause too much trouble. If the Third Hokage finds out we're here, things will get complicated."
Orochimaru smirked, his expression unreadable. "No need to worry about exposure. My dear teacher has likely known of my arrival for some time. After all, I've already sent him... quite a few gifts."
He paused, then continued, "We'll proceed separately for now. Once the third exam begins, we'll regroup."
With a casual wave, Orochimaru and his Sound ninja vanished into the forest.
Just as the battle between Konoha and Sunagakure reached its peak, footsteps echoed through the trees. A third faction appeared on the battlefield, a squad of Sound ninja, their forehead protectors glinting as they charged without warning into the fray.
These were elite shinobi handpicked by Orochimaru from across the nations. Some possessed rare talents that had gone unnoticed. Others had survived brutal experiments, emerging with unnatural abilities. One thing was certain, every Sound ninja in these exams far surpassed the average chūnin. And in critical moments, they could unleash terrifying power.
Caught off guard, both Konoha and Suna shinobi suffered injuries. The Sound ninja snatched scrolls from both sides before melting back into the forest, leaving no opportunity for retaliation.
With their scrolls stolen, the battle between Konoha and Suna lost its purpose. A tense silence fell.
Kankurō's face darkened. "They took one of our scrolls. How many did you lose?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Two. Now both sides only have one left. So, what's the plan? Keep fighting each other, or go after the Sound ninja together?"
At this, the de facto leaders, Naruto and Gaara, exchanged a glance and nodded.
Naruto spoke first. "Truce for now. If we take back the scrolls from those Sound bastards, maybe we won't have to fight at all."
Gaara's response was curt. "Agreed. Then let's move. If they circle around to the tower, we'll all fail."
In moments, the former enemies became temporary allies.
Team 8's strengths quickly came into play. Though their jōnin sensei, Kurenai, specialized in genjutsu, the team itself excelled in tracking and reconnaissance. With the Byakugan's near-omniscient vision and Kiba's keen senses, they soon pinpointed the Sound ninja's location.
Strangely, the enemy wasn't heading for the central tower. Instead, they had hidden deep in the Forest of Death, close to the border where the woods gave way to open wilderness.
Gaara suddenly raised a hand, stopping Naruto.
"Something's wrong. It feels like a trap."
Naruto nodded but didn't hesitate. "Maybe. But this is just an exam. If we can't face this, how are we supposed to handle real missions?"
For the first time, Gaara looked at Naruto differently.
He sensed a kindred spirit in Naruto, a premonition that they could become friends with much to discuss.
As the four teams ventured deeper into the Forest of Death, the vegetation grew noticeably denser. Towering trees blotted out the sunlight, leaving only scattered patches of light on the ground. A faint mist began to drift through the air, further obscuring visibility. Fortunately, with the Byakugan on their side, they could still track their position without losing their way.
However, the insidious miasma in the air made breathing difficult, leaving them lightheaded and sluggish.
After several minutes, they finally caught traces of the Sound ninja, meditating on the ground, recovering their chakra.
Just then, the Sound ninja seemed to sense their presence. A kunoichi among them swiftly formed hand seals.
Her technique wasn't one of the five basic nature transformations, but rather a sound-based ninjutsu, converting chakra into sonic waves that disrupted the enemy's senses.
Naruto and the others immediately fell under its influence but quickly shook it off.
"This genjutsu is transmitted through sound. If we create a louder noise, we can break it!"
Naruto gathered a Rasengan in his palm and hurled it forward. The high-speed rotation produced a deafening roar, carving a path through the forest and leaving a gaping crater in its wake.
The Sound ninja paled at the display of power before scattering once more. This time, they didn't flee together but split in all directions, seemingly willing to sacrifice their own chances of advancing just to hinder the others.
Left with no choice, Naruto's group had to divide their pursuit. It might have been a trap, but they couldn't afford to fail here.
Minutes later, Naruto's team caught up to their target.
As expected, it was an ambush. In addition to the fleeing Sound ninja, an entire squad lay in wait, their smug expressions suggesting the area was rigged with traps. Yet Naruto's team remained unfazed. They were confident they could take on any opponent.
Then, one of the Sound ninja slowly removed his mask, revealing an androgynous face.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Orochimaru, a missing-nin from Konoha. I'll be your opponent today. Do take care."
Meanwhile, Gaara's team found their path blocked by another mysterious figure.
Even before removing his mask, something about his posture and build seemed eerily familiar to Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari, uncannily like their father.
They had often wondered how a reunion might go after he became a rogue ninja.
But now that the moment was here, they froze.
After several tense seconds, Rasa removed his mask.
"Gaara, Kankurō, Temari," he said calmly. "Let's see how much you've improved."