"Shiki, you're restless again," Tenten asked curiously. Sometimes she noticed that Shiki Uzumaki would inexplicably become uneasy.
Shiki flinched slightly and suddenly realized his reaction had been overly intense.
This time, Orochimaru hadn't come to kill.
He was only there to place the Cursed Seal on Sasuke.
Regarding this matter, Shiki had no intention of interfering.
In fact, even though he followed a lot of principles himself, that didn't mean he expected others to do the same.
For Sasuke, the Cursed Seal was definitely a shortcut to power.
As for what he did afterward, that was completely up to him.
However,
A cold gleam flashed in Shiki's eyes as he looked at his hands. "Those who harm their comrades, those who destroy rules, those who betray principles—those people don't deserve sympathy."
After this little incident, Anko gradually explained the rules.
Once they understood the rules, many teams showed worried expressions.
After witnessing someone like Gaara, many began doubting their own strength.
Especially Team 10,
Choji anxiously asked, "You don't think there'll be man-eating beasts in that forest, right?"
"Frankly, instead of worrying about wild animals, what's more concerning are the ninja around us," Shikamaru kept glancing carefully around.
"Hey, do you think there's anyone here weaker than us?" Ino asked.
The surrounding ninjas looked terrifying—like they'd stepped out of battlefields soaked in blood.
Meanwhile, growls echoed from deep inside the Forest of Death, as if announcing the coming feast.
Chapter 124: Duel
"In this case, I finally feel like I'm starting to become a real ninja," Shiki smirked, looking at the consent form in his hand.
It clearly stated that if any examinee died during the exam, it was considered an individual's voluntary acceptance of risk, bearing no responsibility for Konoha or Anko.
Nonetheless, without hesitation, Shiki grabbed a pen and signed his name at the bottom right corner.
Ninjas gain respect from others, so of course they have to take on the risks that come with it.
When he looked up again, Yuuma had already signed the form.
"You're so slow, Brother," Yuuma leaned close to Shiki's side, then grabbed both Shiki's and Seiji's hands, running excitedly toward where the scrolls were distributed.
This kind of childish behavior naturally drew looks of contempt from the other ninjas.
"Are those people really here for the Chunin Exams?"
"So childish—they say these guys are fresh graduates straight out of the Ninja Academy."
Actually, just earlier, they still held some awe toward Shiki Uzumaki. After all, he stood against Gaara fearlessly.
But now, Shiki seemed more like an ignorant young bull unafraid of tigers.
"They're just too young and inexperienced."
"If I wasn't on a mission, I'd love to have a little fun with them," Sakon's eyes revealed expectation. The musical note on his forehead protector glistened under the sunlight.
Yet for most ninja present, they were also growing increasingly eager.
After all, for the Chunin Exams, fresh meat was everyone's favorite prey.
Compared to others, they lacked way too much experience.
"Oh! So it's a Heaven Scroll." Yuuma blinked her eyes while waving the scroll in her delicate white hand.
The white scroll bore the inscription "Heaven."
"Alright. Now you three follow me," said an examiner to Team 9.
Because the entire Forest of Death was shaped like a perfect circle, and to avoid immediate chaos upon entry where many ninjas might hide, set traps, or fail to demonstrate survival skills,
each team entered from a different location along this circular examination area.
Their ultimate destination was the tower located at the forest's center.
Of course, before that, they needed both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
Shiki just couldn't recall specific details about who had which scrolls in the original storyline.
But it didn't really matter anyway—scrolls were handed out randomly, so even knowing who had what beforehand wouldn't have helped much. With Team 9 altering events, many things would likely unfold differently now.
They walked quite a long distance before the proctor finally led them to their designated entry point.
Shiki counted carefully—it was the fifteenth entrance from the main gate. Considering there were forty-four entrances total around the circle, their current position already leaned significantly toward the opposite side.
Since Anko had mentioned everyone must begin entering after half an hour, Shiki checked his watch—they had already spent about twenty minutes traveling from the main entrance to this sub-entrance.
Only ten minutes were left now.
Seiji Ito leaned against the iron netting, his expression unusually serious. "This entrance is approximately ten kilometers from the central tower, meaning this circular forest has a circumference of around sixty-one kilometers. With forty-four entrances but only twenty-five competing teams, the probability of encountering another team remains pretty low initially. However, as we approach the tower, chances of meeting enemies will increase significantly. Although our team strength isn't weak, multiple fights still pose considerable danger. The best strategy is to seize an Earth Scroll quickly, then head straight to the central tower as fast as possible."
Seiji rarely spoke so clearly unless it was something serious.
So Shiki couldn't help but tease, "I've got no objections. Honestly though, it's been years since I last heard you talk like this—it brings back such sweet memories!"
Seiji hesitated momentarily, but found no words to rebut.
Actually, everything he said made perfect sense. While the exam duration lasted five full days,
in reality, for ninja, covering this ten-kilometer stretch to the central tower should only take about ten minutes.
After all, they'd traveled over twenty kilometers just getting here from the main entrance—and that took less than twenty minutes.
"Ito, can you be serious?" Yuuma grumbled.
"This exam is really dangerous, you know?"
"I *was* being serious! Didn't I just say I agreed with Seiji?"
"Well then, how about wiping that stupid grin off your face for once?" Yuuma snapped, pointing straight at Shiki's nose.
A sliver of sunlight filtered through the giant trees, casting light on Shiki Uzumaki's face. He still had that same mischievous look on his face.
"Fine, fine, I'll shape up once we're inside," Shiki said with a nod.
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