"Could you at least show some expression?" Iruka noticed that Shiki didn't groan in pain like other students usually did when he flicked their forehead, which ruined most of the fun.
"Waah, it really hurts."
"Forget it. I guess you just don't have any expressions." Iruka couldn't help but feel deeply defeated—again.
Seeing Iruka lowering his head, Shiki couldn't help reminding him, "By the way, aren't you going to try to persuade me to give up on continuing the exams or something?"
The moment Shiki saw Iruka, he knew there was a high chance the teacher would try to convince him to quit. That's just how caring Teacher Iruka was.
"I originally planned to do so before meeting you. But after seeing your annoying look, I realized it was simply impossible."
Sighing heavily, Iruka remembered how, before meeting Shiki, he'd always thought he'd never find a more difficult student than Naruto.
Until this red-haired boy appeared.
Shiki stretched his arm high and patted Iruka's shoulder, saying, "Teacher, actually, you should take it easy. I'm still quite strong."
"Alright then, no more useless talk. Hand over the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll."
"Aren't you going to explain anything about them?"
"No need. You seem to understand the principles behind them well enough already. Although I hate to admit it, you really are a freak." Saying that, Iruka turned his gaze toward Shiki again. "Besides, would you even listen?"
Slightly embarrassed, Shiki replied, "Nope."
Chapter 136 – Selection
Iruka sighed, "Okay then, let me take you all to your respective rooms. There're still two days until the second exam ends."
As he spoke, Iruka turned around and gestured for Shiki and others to follow.
Since the tower actually had vast internal space, during their walk, Team 9 discussed many things with Iruka.
Yuuma asked, "Is the next exam going to be held right here?"
Iruka shook his head. "Not here. The location for the next exam is quite formal."
"If not here, why do we still have to stay here?"
"Because Lord Third needs to announce something to all of you after this second exam concludes. Also, technically speaking, the second exam hasn't ended yet, so we can't say you've passed it."
"But wait, isn't it said that as long as we obtain both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, we pass the exam?" Yuuma felt puzzled.
"That's basically how it goes. However, this year is a bit unusual. So far today, six teams have already passed, meaning eighteen people have qualified—far exceeding previous years' numbers. Not to mention there could still be more teams qualifying in the next two days."
"So what does that mean?"
Before Iruka could answer, Shiki quickly responded, "That means there might be an extra test added for the second exam."
"Precisely! You little brat Shiki does have some insight after all," Iruka nodded approvingly. "But I have to admit, this year's Chunin Exams really have brought together quite a few geniuses."
And someone even broke the fastest completion record of The Forest of Death—a record that had stood unbroken for four years.
As he spoke, Iruka crossed his arms with a smug expression, as if expecting someone to ask him about it.
"Gaara, right?" Shiki Uzumaki said calmly. Not surprising at all.
"Eh? Wait—you two actually know each other?" Iruka was taken aback. After all, Gaara came from Sunagakure, and records showed this was his first visit to Konoha.
Logically speaking, Shiki Uzumaki shouldn't have had any prior connection with him. Yet Shiki's confident tone made it seem like he truly understood that person.
"Yeah, just made friends recently." Shiki Uzumaki narrowed his eyes slightly, as if lost in thought.
In contrast, Yuuma shook her head helplessly and tugged at Shiki Uzumaki's sleeve. "You're really pushing your luck, bro. Do you really think someone like him would consider you a friend?"
Iruka also turned serious while watching Shiki Uzumaki, clearly concerned. "Although I don't agree with giving up on anyone, this time Yuuma has a point. Gaara… that guy is seriously dangerous. Borderline nuts, if you ask me."
Even recalling the scene from yesterday while watching the video footage sent chills down Iruka's spine.
Initially, the Chunin monitoring the exam were greatly surprised when Gaara broke the four-hour completion record of The Forest of Death—a record nobody had broken in four years.
Not only did he break it, but he shortened the time by more than double, passing through the entire Forest in just over an hour.
This already seemed beyond what any ordinary genius could achieve. So they reviewed the surveillance recordings of The Forest of Death to see what had led to such an outcome.
However, it appeared rather dull.
Gaara and his teammates simply walked slowly, showing no sign of urgency to hurry forward.
Considering the distance from the entrance to the Central Tower was around five kilometers, one could say their speed was just normal walking pace.
Of course, within The Forest of Death, one usually needed to take a winding route due to geographical obstacles like rivers and trees.
So essentially, Gaara strolled leisurely all the way through. Truthfully, if he had moved faster, he might have completed it even quicker.
Impossible.
The Chunin present couldn't possibly believe such a thing. Someone casually cracked a joke.
"Maybe the person distributing scrolls mistakenly gave them extra scrolls?"
"Haha, most likely! Otherwise how could someone finish the exam so quickly?"
"So... should we disqualify Gaara?"
"No, that would be too harsh. It's technically our mistake. Anyway, the Chunin Exam's only been running for three hours—why not make them start over from outside the Tower again?"
A group of Chunin discussed how to handle Gaara's case, while the display flickered between different camera angles.
But no one cared anymore because nearly every screen showed the same image: Gaara walking slowly with two people following beside him.
Even during fast-forwarded playback, the scene remained unchanged—the only thing varying was the landscape around them.
Chunin examiners were chatting and laughing, as if witnessing the most outrageous remark in years during the Chunin Exams. They thought that once this exam ended, it'd be the talk of the town for weeks.
But suddenly, someone noticed the image on the monitor had changed.
"Hey, quickly look!"
"Come on, Kentaro, don't be so alarmed. It can't be that kid really ran into some enemy, right?"
Dahui hadn't fully shaken off the cheerful mood from moments ago, and his tone came off as light-hearted and teasing.
However, he still directed his gaze toward the screen, his face, which had been smiling moments ago, suddenly turning to shock.
Somehow, Gaara's team had come across a squad from Amegakure.
Yet what shocked them wasn't just that—because the opposing team had already been completely overwhelmed by Gaara's sand.
Search for the official address of BookHelper at www.kanshuzhushou.com — enjoy millions of popular books forever with no ads!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>