The Chunin Exams were underway in full force.
The first written exam ended quickly. Thanks to Naruto's antics, Ibiki Morino—a strict examiner known for intimidating candidates—was forced to end his carefully designed test early.
The second exam would take place the next day.
Hinata found Shindai at the Scientific Research Department. Since Orochimaru was also present, Hinata kept her head bowed throughout the entire conversation, too afraid to even glance at Orochimaru, not even daring to sneak a peek from the corner of her eye.
"Um… Teacher, I passed the first exam. The examiner told us to ask our team leader about the location of tomorrow's second exam."
Shindai thought for a moment. "Oh right, Kakashi mentioned something about it. It's in the Forest of Death—the Training Grounds 44. Just meet up there tomorrow morning. Congrats on passing the first exam, Hinata! Honestly, I expected nothing less. Even if that creepy Ibiki made the questions impossible, you could always peek using your Byakugan."
Hinata lowered her head even further. "Th-thank you for the compliment, teacher."
Shindai asked suspiciously, "There's nothing on the ground, so why are you staring at it?"
Her voice dropped even quieter. "N-nothing."
Kabuto stole a glance at Orochimaru, whose face remained completely expressionless. He understood perfectly what was going on.
Many people feared Orochimaru and avoided looking at him altogether.
Shindai shot a glance at Orochimaru and said dryly, "Orochimaru-sama, your face is as pale as death. Maybe wear some makeup once in a while—you scared my student half to death."
Kabuto's eyes twitched slightly. Only Shindai dared speak like that to Orochimaru. He himself would never dare.
Orochimaru replied coldly, "As a ninja, if one doesn't even have the courage to look at me, then they're an unworthy ninja."
Shindai retorted, "Come on! Sometimes when I catch sight of your face out of nowhere at night, I still get the creeps. Does that mean I'm not a worthy ninja either?"
A hint of mockery flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. "Are you?"
Shindai stared, disbelief spreading across his face. "You've got to be kidding me? Haven't I been a ninja long enough? Orochimaru-sama, are you seriously questioning whether I qualify as a ninja?"
Orochimaru's sarcasm peaked as he said, "To quote your own words about Asuma… You're just a useless nobody."
A vein popped visibly on Shindai's forehead. "That's going too far!"
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Shindai turned back to Hinata. "Hinata, normally tomorrow's exam requires teams of three to participate, but you're special—you can take it alone. Best of luck for tomorrow."
Hinata stood straight and resolute. "Yes, teacher! I'll give it my all!"
After Hinata left, Orochimaru said to Shindai, "As for Naruto, we currently have very little data on him. If you want to produce useful research on him before the official matches begin, we must collect as much data as possible. This exam in the Forest of Death is a great opportunity."
Shindai rubbed his chin and said, "So Orochimaru-sama plans to target the weaker teams then?"
Shindai didn't expect that Orochimaru would still be focusing on Naruto and Sasuke.
Orochimaru replied bluntly, "No, I'm not interested. You're going."
Shindai stared at Orochimaru. "Huh? Me?"
"That's right." Orochimaru tossed a device toward Shindai. "Make Naruto tap into Nine-Tails' power. This device will record everything."
Shindai caught the device and hesitated, "I'm not really into picking on weaker opponents either… How about—"
Shindai's gaze shifted toward Kabuto.
Kabuto quickly waved his hands, "Brother Shindai, you know I'm not exactly good at fighting."
Shindai sighed, "Tsk, fine. If it has to be me, I'll do it tomorrow. Orochimaru-sama, how's your research coming along? Maybe I should just play the role of a mysterious grandfatherly benefactor handing out cheat abilities."
Orochimaru responded with surprise, "The Cursed Seal? Are you planning to implant it on Naruto?"
Shindai nodded, "Not on Naruto, but on Sasuke. Orochimaru-sama, previously weren't you researching snakes with Sage Chakra from Ryuchi Cave? It's been a while since I last saw you working on that—does that mean the Cursed Seal has succeeded?"
Originally, Orochimaru's Cursed Seal technique was developed by extracting bodily fluids from Jugo.
However, since Orochimaru hadn't met Jugo yet, he had no access to Jugo's unique bodily fluids required for further research.
Previously, Orochimaru had attempted to learn Sage Art in Ryuchi Cave but failed, so he decided instead to summon snakes possessing Sage Chakra for further study on natural energy and Sage Chakra.
Orochimaru paused for a moment, "You're quite informed. Indeed, it has succeeded—but there are risks involved. Those who can't withstand its power will turn into lifeless stone statues."
Shindai grinned mischievously, "I have faith in Sasuke—and in Orochimaru-sama too. If turning into stone is a possibility, then surely Orochimaru-sama has prepared a backup plan?"
All of Orochimaru's current research was conducted under the condition that no lives were lost. Therefore, if petrification were a risk, Orochimaru would definitely have found a way to counteract it.
Orochimaru summoned a snake, explaining, "This snake contains my Cursed Seal within it. The seal can be injected into someone through a bite. And this mask here—if the person turns into a statue, it can extract the chakra from their body, drawing out the cursed seal along with it."
Orochimaru handed the mask over to Shindai, and the snake crawled into Shindai's clothing.
"Eww, eww, eww! Stop crawling around like that! Where the heck do you think you're going?! You want to wind up in a soup pot?!"
Shindai yanked the snake from between his legs and glared at it menacingly.
Orochimaru and Kabuto both rolled their eyes. If Shindai hadn't been squirming around so much, why would it have slithered into his pants?
Holding the snake in one hand and a mask in the other, Shindai chuckled ominously. "Hehehe, you two little darlings, your older brother Shindai is here to bestow upon you a little divine advantage~"
Kabuto pressed his lips into a thin line, hoping Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't end up being toyed with too much by Shindai.
The next day.
Hinata had already arrived at the gates of the Forest of Death and reunited with everyone.
Anko Mitarashi was already explaining the exam rules.
This test would be a survival challenge deep within the Forest of Death, where teams must collect scrolls to complete their mission.
Each team needed to obtain either a Heaven or Earth Scroll. Then they had to acquire the missing scroll and reach the tower deep inside the Forest of Death with all three members intact — all within five days.
Everyone signed the consent forms, which essentially stated that Konoha held no responsibility even in the event of death.
Naruto noticed someone leaning against a tree — Hinata. He called out to her. "Hinata, what are you doing over there?"
When she saw it was Naruto, Hinata's face turned bright red. "Ah, Naruto, I'm just reading the consent form — I'll sign it and exchange it for the scroll soon."
Naruto asked, "Are you alone? Want to join us instead?"
Hinata hesitated but shook her head. "Ah, no thank you. I'd like to take this exam on my own."
She wanted to honor the trust Shindai, Pakura, and Hikaku Uchiha had placed in her — and prove to Hiashi Hyuga that she wasn't entirely useless.
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