Anko Mitarashi looked at Naruto and the others with admiration.
Actually, that agreement form wasn't just a disclaimer—it was a trap!
The real goal was to weed out mentally weak candidates that Ibiki had missed!
Of course, it was also to save those weaklings who shouldn't die here.
Faced with a life-or-death choice,
even confident fighters would hesitate a little!
Someone like Naruto, who showed no fear at all, either had complete confidence in his strength or unshakable willpower.
That's why Anko started seeing him in a new light.
"Give us the scroll," Naruto said as he placed the three signed forms in front of the Chunin.
The three Chunin checked the signatures. One of them said, "Please wait a moment. We need to pull the red curtain."
The curtain was used to hide the type of scroll a team received and stir up suspicion between teams!
Because no one trusted anyone, all the teams had to fight to figure out what scroll the others had!
If a team had both the Heaven and Earth scrolls, they could head to the central tower and pass!
If a team had two of the same scrolls, they'd need to keep fighting other teams until they got the right set!
This setup made the scroll hunt even more brutal and lowered the number of teams that could pass.
It was a top-tier scheme.
But... Naruto didn't want to waste time on this.
"There's no need. Just give us the scroll," Naruto said casually.
"But…" the Chunin hesitated, clearly unsure—it wasn't how things were supposed to go.
Seeing his hesitation, Naruto added, "Even if you cover it up, I'm going to show it off anyway. So don't waste your energy. Just give it to me."
"This…"
They clearly didn't expect Naruto to go that far.
Wouldn't this just make things harder for himself?
Once everyone knew which scroll you had, anyone with the opposite scroll would come looking for you!
"Give it to him."
Just as they were still hesitating, Anko spoke up. "Since he wants to feel what it's like to be hunted down, let him. Why not?"
"Isn't that right, little Naruto~?"
Anko gave Naruto a playful wink, but Naruto didn't react.
He looked at her with a blank face and ignored her completely.
Anko's words had a hidden message—she didn't really agree with what he was doing. She was just trying to talk him out of it.
But how could she know how terrifying Naruto's power really was?
Forget Genin—even a group of Kage-level shinobi wouldn't scare him!
After taking the scroll from the Chunin, Naruto boldly held it up for everyone to see.
The Heaven Scroll!
"Tch, that guy's full of himself," Kankuro said, clearly annoyed at Naruto's group.
"I actually think he looks kinda cool~" Temari said with a blush, totally forgetting that Naruto had kicked her brother half-dead just a while ago.
Gaara stared at Naruto with no expression at all, like his emotions were completely still.
But if someone looked into Gaara's eyes, they'd feel the killing intent hiding inside them!
"Let's go swap our scroll."
Gaara pulled his gaze away and headed toward the pavilion.
Kankuro and Temari snapped back to attention and followed after him.
At that moment, it wasn't just Gaara's team watching Naruto.
Ninjas from the Rain, Waterfall, Sound, Grass, and even Konoha were all paying close attention to Naruto's group.
"He actually showed the scroll just like that. Seriously! Is Naruto out of his mind?" Ino complained. "What if Sasuke gets hurt because of him?!"
"I know it's hard to believe, but so far, Naruto seems to be the strongest one in their team," said Shikamaru.
"Naruto? The strongest? No way," Ino said with disbelief, but Shikamaru didn't bother explaining.
Once a girl made up her mind about something, trying to reason with her was pointless.
To Shikamaru, it just wasn't worth the effort.
*Crunch crunch~*
Chouji kept eating chips on his own, trying to fill up before the exam started. As for everything else, he couldn't care less.
"That Naruto guy… are you sure this won't be a problem?" Tenten muttered to herself.
"Hmph, arrogant and foolish," Neji scoffed.
"So if we end up getting the Earth scroll, should we go after them?" Rock Lee asked eagerly.
Even though Naruto's actions yesterday had shocked them, Rock Lee still had the urge to challenge him.
Neji thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No need. Too many teams will be targeting them. Too many wolves, not enough meat. It's too risky. But... we still need to pass."
"Why?" Tenten asked, confused.
"Right now, their team is like a prize. Anyone who has the Earth scroll will be going after Naruto's team. And if all the people with the Earth scroll are chasing them, then who do you think the people with the Heaven scroll will go after?" Neji hinted.
"Ohh, I see!" Tenten finally understood, and looked at Neji with a bit of admiration.
"Let others fight it out, then swoop in at the right moment."
Neji said calmly, "Since competition around Naruto's team is so intense, we'll just take on the weaker ones on the outside."
After making their plan, Neji's team also headed to the booth to exchange for their scrolls.
"Hinata, let's go," Inuzuka Kiba said as he lightly tapped Hinata's shoulder. She was still staring at Naruto with a worried look.
"Ah, right!"
Hinata snapped out of it and followed behind Kiba and Aburame Shino, still glancing back at Naruto now and then. The worry in her eyes just wouldn't go away.
"Naruto…"
Soon, all the teams had received their scrolls.
One team from the Hidden Grass Village, holding an Earth scroll, had a strange glint in their eyes.
"Things are about to get interesting~"
Disguised as a Grass ninja, Orochimaru stared at Naruto's team and slowly licked his lips with his long tongue.
And Naruto seemed to feel someone watching him. He turned his head and looked right back at Orochimaru.
"Not bad. Good sense. He's a sharp one~"
Orochimaru whispered to himself in praise, then lowered his hat and walked toward one of the entrances to the Forest of Death with his two teammates.
Naruto watched his back, deep in thought.
Orochimaru, huh?
Actually, Naruto had already noticed him earlier when he returned the kunai to Mitarashi Anko.
He also knew Orochimaru was here for Sasuke… and for the Konoha Village.
If he really wanted to stop everything, killing Orochimaru here would be the easiest way.
But with how strong Orochimaru was, actually killing him was almost impossible.
And Naruto didn't even know if the one here was the real body or just a clone.
"Naruto?"
Sakura noticed Naruto staring at the back of a Grass ninja and asked, "What's with that guy?"
"It's nothing."
Naruto shook his head. "Let's go. Time for us to move too."
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