"Thud."
A heavy thud echoed in everyone's ears, and sticky blood dripped from the blade onto the ground, staining the marble tiles.
The Genin around them remained silent, holding their breath as they watched the scene unfold.
In the formerly quiet examination hall, the wooden desks and chairs were shattered into splinters, the tiered concrete floor was riddled with potholes, and the faint smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air.
Even Kakashi stood silently in a corner of the examination hall, watching the large, dark figure standing in the center of the largest crater, his vigilance towards this person rising another notch.
"Bang!"
A thick, pillar-like foot came down, stomping heavily on the head that was still bleeding from all seven orifices, causing the already soft cheek to sink further into the concrete floor with a muffled 'crunch.' The whites of the eyes showed no sign of regaining consciousness.
"Tsk—!"
"Iwagakure, nothing more."
Despite such blatant mockery being uttered on Iwagakure's home turf, none of the Iwagakure Genin present dared to utter a sound. Even the bravest youth merely clenched his fists, wishing his nails would pierce his flesh.
Everyone gazed at Killer Bee in the center of the examination hall.
At this moment, he had several deep, magma-like scratches flowing across his body. Blood slowly flowed from the wounds due to gravity, dripping down his pant legs onto the ground.
Around his feet lay the Chunin Exam proctors, either unconscious or severely injured and unable to move.
The one he was specifically stepping on was the Iwagakure Jonin who had initially suppressed the entire examination hall.
However, all of them had been defeated by his seven blades.
"Hey, you trash!"
"I passed the written exam this time, right?"
A fierce smile appeared on Killer Bee's dark face.
"Hmph!"
Hearing his mocking voice, Han, who had been standing quietly to the side, finally let out a grunt and strode forward towards Killer Bee.
"Iwagakure is not a place for you to run wild!"
Almost simultaneously with his words, a seemingly tangible Tailed Beast Chakra cloak subtly appeared on Han's body. Floating bubbles, like oil droplets, shimmered deep within the dark red Chakra, making his already tall frame exude a strong sense of threat.
This danger, in Killer Bee's eyes, even surpassed that of the Iwagakure Jonin from earlier.
He couldn't help but narrow his eyes, turning his head to look at this Iwagakure bastard, the fighting spirit hidden deep within his smile growing even stronger.
However, as Kakashi watched this tense scene, a hint of anticipation couldn't help but surface in his eyes.
If these two guys were to fight, no matter who won, or if they fought to a draw and were interrupted by others, he would be able to gauge their respective levels.
Kakashi wasn't the only one with this thought; almost everyone around them looked at the two in the center with similar gazes, waiting for their great battle to erupt.
At this moment, Killer Bee and Han, having been pushed to this point, found it difficult to back down.
Just as the battle between them was about to erupt.
"Not bad."
"You passed."
Almost as soon as he heard this voice, even Kakashi couldn't help but take a step back, sharply turning his head towards the source of the sound.
With his level of Ninjutsu perception, he hadn't detected even the slightest hint.
Who was this person?
When he turned his head, his vision caught sight of a tall, bear-like figure with arms as thick as pillars, yet his footsteps were light and silent. His entire presence was condensed to an extremely subtle point, making him as imperceptible as an insect.
This astonishing mastery of stealth was utterly incongruous with his rugged and imposing physique, yet it inexplicably felt natural, as if all techniques had been seamlessly integrated, presenting a sense of effortless mastery.
However, when the Iwagakure man's gaze fell upon Killer Bee, it caused him to suddenly feel a chilling threat, as if a blade had been placed against his neck, ready to slit his artery at any moment. His muscles even trembled slightly.
Yet, Killer Bee did not retreat even half a step because of these premonitions. Instead, he stared directly at this guy, an endless fighting spirit surging within him.
"Then, if I even defeat you…"
"Does that mean I've passed the entire exam?"
His voice remained rough and direct.
Under the pressure of this intense danger, he even forgot his usual B-box habit, his hands secretly pressing on the sword hilts behind him, his body coiled like a taut spring, ready to strike.
Kakashi recognized the identity of the person the moment he saw him.
Iwagakure Jonin, Kitsuchi.
Ōnoki's biological son, one of the strongest contenders for the Fourth Tsuchikage, with extraordinary Earth Release abilities, rumored to be able to suppress a Tailed Beast by himself.
Hearing that this dark-skinned giant dared to challenge such a monster, the surrounding Genin couldn't help but hold their breath, all unconsciously widening their eyes.
Even Han, who had already withdrawn from his Tailed Beast cloak state, couldn't help but look at this guy with a bewildered expression.
He originally thought he was a genius with enough strength to back him up, but it turned out he was a fool who didn't know his place?
Thinking about it, it seemed to make sense.
After all, under normal circumstances, no one would use such extreme methods to pass a mere first Chunin Exam written test.
However, facing this young man's provocation, Kitsuchi merely scoffed dismissively, his gaze coldly fixed on him:
"The second exam is about to begin, and there are no rules to restrict it this time."
"Are you sure you want to be beaten half to death here?"
As for what would happen if he really won against him?
Kitsuchi hadn't even considered that possibility.
If this young man truly possessed such strength, let alone passing the Chunin Exams, what if he was immediately promoted to Jonin?
However, not only would Iwagakure not agree to such an unfair contest, but even Kumogakure, with its many martial artists, didn't have that many fools wandering around.
Who would send their own genius to be slaughtered by an enemy's strong combatant?
"Tsk!"
Hearing his words, Killer Bee immediately sheathed his blades with a 'clash,' no longer continuing his previous remarks.
If he didn't pass the exam, he might even die.
Even if his older brother always said he wasn't very bright, he wouldn't do such a losing business.
Almost at the same moment he sheathed his blades, a chorus of sighs, tinged with a hint of helplessness, immediately filled the examination hall.
Damn it.
This idiot actually knew how to back down?
It would have been great if this monster had been killed on the spot by someone from Iwagakure.
After witnessing that terrifying display of power, even the most confident Genin understood what it meant.
In the upcoming exams, if they encountered this monster, their fate would undoubtedly be a one-sided slaughter.
Even Obito, whose intelligence stat was only two, had this confidence.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, and the news spread that all the examinees had passed the written test due to the defeat of all the proctors, the captured examinees still waiting outside, or those who had withdrawn early, immediately let out cries of lament.
Who knew there would be such a monster in this examination hall?!
If they had known, they would have stayed in the examination hall a little longer, even if they had to cheat!
Unfortunately, there are few chances to know in advance in life.
The examinees who passed this round of tests had already been led by Kitsuchi and a group of Iwagakure Ninja in another direction.
"Damn it, that coward!"
"Why didn't he dare to fight that Iwagakure guy?!"
"If he had been eliminated early, we definitely would have easily taken first place!"
"He actually backed down?!"
Obito followed behind Kakashi, still chattering incessantly about the recent incident, looking as if he had missed a great opportunity.
As Killer Bee's defeated opponent, he was one of the few Genin in this batch who knew that guy's strength best.
In Obito's mind, if he had that guy's ability, he probably would have rushed forward without being able to suppress his fighting spirit.
Who could resist the chance to take down two Iwagakure Jonin at once?
"…"
Kakashi, ahead, glanced sideways, staring at him with a look reserved for fools for a long time.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
Clearly, this guy had absolutely no idea who the last Iwagakure Jonin to appear was.
"Although I've known you were an idiot for a long time, I still couldn't imagine you could be this idiotic."
His tone carried a hint of helpless sigh.
"Huh?"
"Rin, look at him!"
But when Obito cast a pleading glance at Nohara Rin, he saw his own crush covering her face with one hand, as if she couldn't bear to look at him.
"Rin?!"
Obito suddenly felt that he might have overlooked some important information.
For example, whether the other party was some well-known important figure or something similar.
As they were muttering, Kitsuchi had already led everyone to a huge mountain range not far from the written exam hall.
Appearing before the Genin were rows of dark rock caves, leading to unknown destinations.
Above these rock caves were marked numbers.
Kitsuchi stood still in front of everyone, turned around, and pointed to the dark caves behind him, saying loudly:
"Chunin Exams, Second Stage!"
"Abyss Grottoes."
Without waiting for others to begin perceiving, he had already begun to explain the rules:
"As you can see, this mountain range is a unique red earth wall of Iwagakure, formed by complex geological movements. Every rock cave in this mountain range represents a secret passage with numerous diverging paths."
"Some of these secret passages lead to dead ends, some to abysses, and some hide rare beasts that even Iwagakure itself hasn't fully explored. A moment's hesitation could lead to death from various factors—of course, now there's an additional cause of death—your opponents."
"Here, even the Iwagakure proctors cannot guarantee your safety."
"You need to constantly traverse these secret passages, find a sealed talisman with the 'Rock' mark hidden in any of the secret passages, and with the talisman, exit this complex mountain range from the other end."
"You little brats, did you hear that clearly?!"
His booming shout was deafening, making the ground beneath their feet seem to tremble.
Their response was a series of expected replies.
"Of course!"
Who, having come this far, would give up because of a little life-threatening danger?
No matter how young they were, they were still Ninja.
Looking at these guys, Kitsuchi slowly revealed a smile on his face:
"Now, everyone come to me to receive your number tags!"
Hearing his voice, Killer Bee smiled confidently, leading the two people behind him forward with large strides, taking the number tag without hesitation, and rushing straight into the dark, abyss-like cave.
Kakashi, after hearing the rules of this exam, secretly analyzed them in his mind.
Is this stage only testing perception and judgment?
If so, it would be quite advantageous for them.
"Rin, Obito."
"Oh!"
Hearing his voice, the two also responded without hesitation.
Then, they took their number tags and rushed together into the abyss-like mountain.
Behind them, at a time Kakashi didn't even notice.
Kitsuchi, who had already finished distributing the number tags, cast a distant glance towards the Konoha teams, his eyes holding a deeper meaning.
Due to the cooperation with Kumogakure this time, they found it difficult to let go of Killer Bee, one of Kumogakure's significant assets among the examinees, and thus reluctantly allowed him to pass.
As for the method of this exam, it was one of the ways they had devised to delay Sawara's actions to the greatest extent possible.
Of course.
Mere environmental influences would naturally not be enough.
Therefore, they also employed several more influential methods.
Making Sawara run ragged was not such a simple matter.
Upon this thought, Kitsuchi's face gradually took on a calm expression, and even the beating of his heart slowly quieted.
Hopefully, this operation would proceed as smoothly as anticipated.
Just as Kitsuchi was beginning the second stage of the Chunin Exams.
At the summit of a distant mountain, a figure was also quietly gazing towards this side, taking in all the scenery deep within his azure eyes.
In Sawara's hand was a small communication wristband, its surface now flashing with faint blue-green light, clearly linked to a certain location.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Orochimaru-sama."
From the wristband communication device, there were first a few distinct crackling sounds, and then Orochimaru's hoarse, calm voice echoed back:
"I can hear you."
Sawara's tone remained gentle: "The little ones have all gone in. Do you need me to activate those little toys according to the plan now?"
"Wait a little longer."
"Wait?"
Sawara's voice held a hint of confusion.
"Mm."
Orochimaru, however, seemed to have no intention of explaining much, simply stating: "The time isn't right yet."
"That figure in the 'lens' hasn't appeared yet."
"That… figure that blurs the spacetime vision."