This little interlude passed quickly.
The examiner for the second stage, Anko Mitarashi, soon appeared before the wire fence ahead.
She gave the candidates a routine warning and intimidation.
Because Naruto was still thinking about that long tongue from earlier, he didn't talk back to Anko as he did in the original story.
Consequently, the scene where Anko held him and licked his face didn't happen either.
Orochimaru, too, was preoccupied with the relationship between Haku and Karin.
He didn't intentionally step forward to greet his former disciple, Anko, as in the original plot.
With no incidents, Anko quickly began explaining the rules of this stage.
This exam would also be conducted in three-person squads.
Before the exam starts, each squad will be given either a Heaven or an Earth Scroll.
To pass, they must fight each other to collect a pair of Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
They must also take this pair of scrolls and reach the tower at the center of the testing ground within five days.
At the same time, all three members of the squad must remain intact; no one can die!
Finally, all three members of the squad must sign a death consent form.
Once signed, they can step forward to receive a scroll.
Then, they will choose one of the twenty-two entrances to enter and begin this survival test.
After explaining all the rules, Anko waved a hand towards the temporary tent set up behind her.
"Now, start exchanging for your scrolls!"
"Three consent forms for one scroll. Choose your own entrance. When the time is up, everyone enters together!"
"By the way, I have a bit of advice for you before we start..."
Anko, who had looked somewhat serious, licked her lips like a chuunibyou girl, a bloodthirsty smile appearing on her face.
"Hehehe... don't you dare die during these five days, or else your corpses will be eaten by wild beasts~"
"Start collecting the scrolls!"
An examiner behind Anko stepped out of the temporary tent, interrupting her chuunibyou speech.
The 'crazy beautiful girl' persona wasn't exactly popular in the Ninja World.
Hearing the examiner's shout, all the candidates immediately abandoned Anko and crowded around him.
Anko frowned and spat on the ground.
Then, she took out a Kunai, fiddling with it as she followed.
Once all the consent forms were signed and everyone had received their scrolls.
Anko stood at the front again, checked her watch, and shouted.
"Everyone, follow the person in charge of your entrance and wait at your respective gates!"
"In thirty minutes, everyone will enter the testing ground in the forest together!"
The battle had already begun from this moment.
Teams 7, Team 8, and Team 10 are all from the same graduating class.
At this moment, they all gathered together by unspoken agreement, occupying one entrance.
Orochimaru, disguised as a Grass Ninja, observed Sasuke and Naruto while occupying the entrance immediately to the right.
Occupying this entrance with him were three Rain Ninjas and three Otogakure Ninjas who also had their eyes on the nine youngsters.
Haku, with Karin and an ordinary Four-Star Village Ninja, occupied the entrance immediately to the left. (Hidan was the Jonin leader and did not participate in the exam; he had other tasks.)
While driving others away with a cold chill and killing intent,
He also waved at Naruto's side with a smile.
Seeing Haku waving and smiling, Naruto's face suddenly turned red again.
He then shook his head vigorously to clear that beautiful face from his mind and turned to say to Sasuke and Sakura.
"It's finally our turn to show our power. After two months of hard training, we're definitely going to knock them all down today!"
Although Sasuke still didn't give Naruto a friendly look,
he was also ready to go, looking towards the Rain Ninjas and Otogakure Ninjas who were staring at them.
"Hmph, it just so happens I'm in a bad mood today. If they mess with me, I'll take them all out!"
Sakura, on the other hand, nervously rubbed the edge of her clothes, constantly encouraging herself.
"I've learned Medical Ninjutsu and genjutsu, and Sasuke and Naruto have mastered A-rank Ninjutsu!"
"We've completed two B-rank missions and over a dozen C-rank missions before; this time, I'll just treat it as a B-rank mission!"
"We'll definitely pass smoothly, no problem!"
"Even if there is a problem, Lock is still here!"
Thinking of the invincible Lock inside Naruto, Sakura's confidence suddenly surged!
Her body involuntarily moved a bit closer to Naruto.
Smelling the youthful fragrance wafting from Sakura as she leaned in,
Naruto was also incredibly excited, patting his chest and agreeing repeatedly.
"TThat'sright! If we encounter a danger we can't handle, Lock can solve it in an instant!"
"There will be absolutely no problem with this exam!"
Regarding Lock killing enemies, Naruto was no longer conflicted or obsessed about it.
Before having enough strength, he could only restrain himself from killing when he acted.
As for the uncontrollable Lock, as long as he didn't kill innocent people or engage in cruel slaughter, it was fine!
Nearby, Team 8 and Team 10 were also gathered in their respective groups to discuss strategy.
Only an absent-minded Hinata kept stealing glances at the widely grinning Naruto.
Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Anko used her walkie-talkie to issue orders to the examiners at each entrance.
"The second stage of the Chunin Exams selection begins now!"
"Let's go!" The moment the gates opened, everyone dashed inside.
As soon as they entered the forest, the three teams tacitly chose three different directions to head off.
However, not long after they left,
Orochimaru, the Otogakure Ninjas, and the Rain Ninjas, who were originally at a different exit, came to this entrance.
The three Rain Ninjas looked at each other.
Then, they arrogantly split up into three directions, chasing after the three groups.
The three Grass Ninjas disguised by Orochimaru gave the three Otogakure Ninjas a look and chased after the direction Naruto had gone... "Ahhh!!!"
A shrill scream pierced through the dark forest, causing the rapidly moving Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to stop.
"Someone's already started fighting!" Naruto looked around curiously.
Sakura pulled out a Kunai from her thigh holster, her nervousness mixed with worry.
"Judging by the sound, it shouldn't be too far. It seems to be coming from the direction Hinata and the others went!"
"Don't worry about them. It's likely a scream from an enemy who fell into a trap."
Sasuke calmly analyzed, "Hinata's Byakugan, Kiba and his Ninja dog's sense of smell, plus the Aburame clan's secret insect techniques."
"They must have noticed the enemies following them and set a poisonous insect trap for them to fall into."
Since he couldn't remember Shino's name, Sasuke just referred to them as the Aburame clan.
"To be able to analyze so clearly just from one scream, Sasuke really is amazing!"
Hearing such a logical analysis, Sakura immediately looked at him with admiration.
"Hmph, it might not be right. Maybe it's Shikamaru and his team who took out an enemy!"
Naruto was unconvinced. He hadn't even started showing off yet; how could he let Sasuke show off first!
"The secret techniques of those three wouldn't make an enemy scream for that long, idiot!"
Sasuke gave Naruto a cold glance.
He didn't understand how Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin could have taken an interest in such a fool.
"You!" Naruto was just about to snap back.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a head quickly ducking back in the distance.
Eager to prove himself, Naruto's eyes darted around, and then he clutched his stomach, pretending he had to go to the bathroom.
"I—I'm going to the bathroom. Wait for me!"
Without waiting for their reply, he ran straight toward the direction of that head.
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