As for Uchiha Sogetsu, after seeing Erii off, he went to the special viewing room where the elite shinobi from each country had gathered to watch the exam.
The exam proceeded just like in the original story.
The head examiner, Morino Ibiki, had a naturally "villainous" face. Using interrogation techniques, he pushed the psychological limits of the candidates.
However, because of the large number of participants, the Chūnin examiners were far stricter than in the original story.
Over 1,200 Genin, half were eliminated in the first round!
The faces of the elite shinobi from various countries were quite amusing, as they had to watch their own Genin fail, and even worse, in front of shinobi from other nations, which was utterly embarrassing.
"Heh, next up, is the Forest of Death."
The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, smiling as he spoke: "Please, follow me to the Forest of Death."
Everyone responded in agreement.
Uchiha Sogetsu was, of course, among them. However, Sogetsu could feel that throughout the entire time, the 'Third Hokage's' gaze seemed to be subtly focused on him.
"Strange," Sogetsu thought. "Such an important exam, yet not only is Kakashi absent, even Sarutobi Asuma is missing."
His eyes scanned the crowd, mildly surprised.
Kakashi's absence could be excused; after all, he was known for being late.
But Asuma, the heir of the Sarutobi clan and the son of Third Hokage, not being present was a bit more curious.
"Never mind, he's not an important figure. No need to focus on him."
The Forest of Death.
The rules for the second exam were simple. Each team was randomly given a scroll.
The goal was to collect both the 'Heaven' and 'Earth' scrolls within five days and make it to the center of the Forest of Death to pass the exam.
In a way, it was the Konoha version of a 'battle royale.'
Since Erii was on her own, and her strength was recognized as the greatest, she wasn't given an initial scroll. She needed to acquire two scrolls to pass.
Erii herself didn't mind at all. She was just here for fun. Whether she passed the exam or not was beyond her concern.
The proctor for the second exam was, of course, Mitarashi Anko.
Each team was scheduled to depart in order, every half hour, and soon it was Sasuke's group's turn.
"Erii, we're heading in first!"
Sasuke waved her hand and grinned, "If we meet, remember to go easy on us~"
Soon, all the members stepped into the Forest of Death.
Sasuke's team found themselves positioned in the middle, not too good, but not too bad either.
At this moment, Uchiha Sogetsu cast a meaningful glance at a quietly standing figure, his lips curving into a slight smile: "Here they come. Let me see how much you've improved after all these years."
After entering the Forest of Death, Sasuke immediately led the other two toward the central tower at full speed.
"Wait, Sasuke!" Naruto, slightly confused, asked, "We haven't gathered all the scrolls yet. Even if we reach the central tower, we won't be able to pass the test!"
"Idiot, Naruto."
Sasuke gave a reproachful glance at the blonde, saying, "We get to the central tower first, occupy a strategic position, set up traps, and wait for the other teams to arrive. We'll catch them off guard when they're tired and weak. This way, we conserve our energy and avoid the initial chaos of the battle."
"I see now."
Naruto, after hearing the whole plan, showed a look of realization. But soon, he got flustered and angry again. "I've told you a hundred times, don't call me an idiot!"
"Then should I call you the 'bottom of the class'?"
Sasuke smirked slightly, saying it with an amused tone.
"No! Don't call me that either!"
Naruto was so mad he was nearly boiling over, and if Sasuke wasn't a girl, he would've already jumped to give her a good beating.
Oh, of course, there was another reason: simply because he couldn't win.
Since childhood, Sasuke's 'dominance' was undeniable. No one could defeat her, which was why she earned the title of a 'genius'.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Sasuke stopped, her gaze becoming alert as she stared ahead.
"What's wrong?"
The others quickly hit the brakes, and before Naruto could react, he crashed right into them.
A refreshing fragrance spread through his nose.
The soft, feminine body of the girl made Naruto's face flush like a steaming basket, his skin red as if he had been roasted.
"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" Naruto awkwardly pulled back, trying to explain.
But the two streams of blood coming from his nose made Sakura, standing beside him, look at him in shock, her face full of 'Are you insane?'
"Stop fooling around!"
Sasuke's voice suddenly rose several notches.
In an instant, Naruto and Sakura both realized that a highly troublesome problem had likely appeared!
Otherwise, Sasuke would never have spoken in such a tone.
"Hehehe... Did you find out?"
At this moment, a hoarse and cold voice came from the depths of the dark, dense forest.
It was like a snake's tongue brushing against the skin—damp and chilling, filled with a terrifying killing intent that made the three of them shiver involuntarily!
"As expected of the last bloodline of the Uchiha clan."
A figure suddenly appeared on the branches deep in the forest.
Black hair hung naturally, and the unnaturally pale face with snake-like, eerie eyes was enough to make anyone tremble in fear.
The moment Sasuke saw the figure, she realized this was not an enemy they could possibly match at their current level!
The sheer, naked killing intent was like a mountain pressing down on him, with a crushing pressure coming from all directions.
It felt like being in an ocean ten thousand meters deep, the skin and even hair trembling, the soul crushed to dust, letting out a wailing cry of pain.
Every cell in his body was sending fear signals to his brain.
"We are willing to hand over the scroll."
Cold sweat dripped from Sasuke's forehead as she carefully took out the scroll symbolizing 'Earth' and placed it down: "Please let us go."
Sakura was completely stunned, the killing intent far more terrifying than Zabuza's by countless times!
No, to be precise, Zabuza's killing intent, in comparison to this person, seemed like the innocence of a baby.
"S-Sasuke?!"
Naruto stared at the scroll, stunned. He had never seen the proud Sasuke lower his head and beg an enemy for mercy.
Immediately, a wave of anger surged to his head, and he broke through the killing intent's pressure:
"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing? Bowing to the enemy and begging for mercy?! Is this really the Sasuke I know?!"
"Shut up!"
Sasuke gritted her teeth, her face pale.
Did she truly abandon her pride and dignity to bow down to an enemy?
The reason was simple.
That person's strength was too terrifying. Just their killing intent alone was enough to intimidate them. This was definitely not the kind of 'person' that should appear in a Chunin Exam!
"Giving up the scroll in exchange for survival is a smart choice."
The man licked his lips, but his eyes gleamed with a terrifying light as he grinned. "But what if... I want to kill you and take the scroll anyway?"
Staring into those eerie, murderous eyes, Sasuke's inner anticipation began to freeze little by little.
She knew... the other party was serious!
"Then... we'll have no choice but to fight!"
Since 'surrendering' was out of the question, it was time to completely discard any illusions.
Sasuke's eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and two symmetrical Sharingan began to rotate slowly. Her voice was cold as ice.
"Naruto, take Sakura and get away immediately. Find the proctor and report that there are intruders in the Forest of Death... likely Jonin... no, Elite Jonin!"
"What about you?"
Naruto asked, stunned.
"I'll hold him off!"
Sasuke resolutely pulled out a kunai and stood in front of the two of them.
Yes, among the three, only she had a chance of escaping from the enemy's hands, so it was her responsibility to handle the rear guard!
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