With plenty of time still on the clock, the four members of Team 7 swept the surrounding area, conducting a grid search for enemies. Under Menma's deliberate guidance, it took less than half a day to track down a team of older Genin, also from the Hidden Leaf.
They made short work of them, taking the veteran team down effortlessly. As luck would have it, the scroll carried by their seniors was exactly the "Earth Scroll" they needed.
With the key mission items now in hand, Menma, Sasuke, and the others didn't waste a second. They immediately sped toward the Central Tower located in the heart of the forest.
In less than an hour, the group arrived outside the tower.
As the only man-made structure in the Forest of Death, the tower was certainly eye-catching. When it came to infrastructure, Konoha really did live up to its reputation as the number one ninja village.
'So, that guy didn't show up? Is it because of my meeting with Orochimaru? That's a pity; I was planning to get a closer look at him,' Menma thought, looking at the looming tower.
His mind flashed to the image of Kabuto Yakushi. Honestly, as a subordinate, Kabuto was exceptional. Whether in terms of combat power, medical ninjutsu, or his utility as a lab assistant, Kabuto was absolutely top-tier in the ninja world.
It was no wonder Orochimaru trusted him the most. You could say that within Orochimaru's organization, Kabuto's status was second to none. Menma was naturally interested in such a capable figure.
Unfortunately, this timeline didn't seem to offer the chance for a meeting. It would have to wait for later.
"Is this the finish line for the second exam? Huh? Why aren't there any proctors waiting for us?"
Stepping through the main gates of the Central Tower, Sakura blinked in confusion as she looked around the massive, empty hall. There wasn't a single soul in sight.
"Well, if there aren't any proctors, it probably has something to do with our scrolls," Menma said, pretending to ponder the situation before pulling two scrolls from his vest.
"Oh! I get it," Naruto realized, pulling out his two scrolls as well.
They simultaneously crossed the scrolls.
Poof!
A burst of white smoke suddenly erupted.
"!?"
"Huh?"
"What the—?"
A second later, as the white smoke cleared, a familiar figure appeared before the four of them.
"Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto's eyes went wide as he stared at the man standing before them.
"Haha, well, I'm your messenger," Iruka said with a smile.
Looking at Naruto, Menma, and the others—who looked a little rough around the edges but had successfully passed the second round—Iruka's face showed a look of relief and pride.
He had originally opposed letting them take the Chunin Exams, feeling they were still too green. But now, it seemed he had underestimated his students.
"Messenger? Huh? What does that mean?" Naruto, Sakura, and the others looked confused.
"It means exactly that..." Iruka chuckled.
Slipping into his teacher persona, he gave a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the exam's key points. More importantly, he explained the "Chunin Motto" hanging on the wall behind him, written by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In his past life, when watching the original series, Menma had glossed over this part. But listening to it carefully now, he had to admit—Hiruzen was very good at this sort of thing. It was why he held such high prestige in the village. It was just a shame that, a lot of the time, his actions didn't quite match his pretty words.
The Hiruzen of his youth and the Hiruzen of his old age were practically two different people.
"So, if you want to become qualified Chunin, you still have a lot to learn. You must never get slack or arrogant, okay?" Iruka concluded with a smile.
"Right, Iruka-sensei."
"Yeah, we get it, Sensei."
Sakura and Naruto responded in turn.
"Alright, you guys look exhausted, so I won't lecture you any longer. Go head to the designated break rooms. Today is only the second day of the exam; the final results won't be in until tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes, sir!"
Unlike in the original story, where they barely crossed the finish line at the last second, in this timeline—thanks to Menma—Team 7 was actually the first squad to clear the second round.
This gave them ample time to rest. Menma knew that usually, immediately after the second round, there would be too many passing teams. This would trigger a preliminary round to cut down the numbers before the formal finals, ensuring a high-quality show for the nobles and dignitaries visiting from other countries.
The village had to control the number of finalists, ideally keeping it under ten, so the main tournament wouldn't drag on too long.
'If I run into Gaara or Rock Lee in the preliminaries, I'll need to be ready...'
While they waited, Menma strategized on how to handle those two tricky opponents.
Although he suspected the so-called "randomized" electronic board was actually rigged by Konoha officials, accidents could always happen. With his plan to defect from the Leaf Village coming up soon, Menma didn't want to reveal too many of his cards.
More importantly, he didn't want to get seriously injured.
Gaara, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, and Rock Lee, who could open the Five Gates—those were threats the current Menma had to be wary of. He couldn't exactly go around exploding with Nine-Tails chakra just yet, right?
Therefore, some preparation and precautionary measures were necessary.
However, it turned out Menma was worrying for nothing.
Because in this timeline, there were no preliminaries.
"Hmm? Is it time? Are we going down to draw lots for the main tournament order?"
On the afternoon of the third day, right after the deadline for the second exam passed, a Chunin proctor entered their break room to give them instructions.
When Menma heard that they were going straight to drawing lots for the main event—skipping the preliminaries entirely—he was stunned.
But a second later, the reason became clear.
"Yes, the deadline for the second round has just passed. The total number of people who passed is four... oh, excuse me, I should say three teams," the proctor replied in a businesslike tone. "As I mentioned, the finals will be a single-elimination tournament held one month from now. We need you to come determine the match bracket."