Deep within the Forest of Death.
The exams for the Konoha Twelve were not yet fully concluded.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio executed their teamwork flawlessly. Shikamaru, the high-IQ representative, was responsible for formulating tactics and controlling opponents with his Shadow Imitation Technique. Yamanaka Ino, skilled in sensory perception and mental control, handled target acquisition and linking the minds of the three, allowing Akimichi Choji, with his powerful destructive force, to deliver the final blow.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was the most cooperative and well-rounded team in the entire Chunin Exams. Their success was practically guaranteed.
Next up was Rock Lee's team.
Tenten's versatile ranged support with thrown weapons was enough to harass and assist. If Rock Lee or Hyuga Neji managed to close in, their opponents were basically done for.
Along their path, they encountered ninja from Sunagakure. Among the many smaller hidden villages, Sunagakure's shinobi were definitely considered formidable.
"It's not that Gaara, huh." Rock Lee's tone actually carried a hint of disappointment. Earlier, they had gathered information on many opponents from Konoha's perpetual genin, Kabuto Yakushi. Among them, Gaara's information was undoubtedly the most terrifying. Though only a genin, he had even undertaken A-rank missions. He was unquestionably the most troublesome opponent.
And the one who made Rock Lee's blood boil with excitement the most.
"Don't even think about fighting that monster," Tenten sighed, rubbing her forehead. The thought of Gaara's overwhelming killing intent made her heart clench with fear. He was the ninja with the densest killing intent she had ever seen. It was hard to imagine just how many people that Gaara fellow had killed.
"What's there to be afraid of? I won't lose until I've caught up to Naruto," Rock Lee declared confidently. Facing three Sand-nin, he didn't even remove his weights before defeating them with pure Taijutsu. The entire process was as smooth as flowing water.
Hyuga Hinata's team also put on a commendable performance. The usually silent Aburame Shino barely had to make a move; Hinata and Kiba handled everything.
During their advance, a few arrogant ninja from a minor village leaped out, intending to snatch their Heaven and Earth scrolls. Judging by their headbands, they were genin from Kusagakure.
Shino remained silent off to the side, while Kiba yawned, looking thoroughly bored.
"So boring. I don't feel like fighting." Kiba, having previously engaged in intense, adrenaline-fueled battles with other genin, was now somewhat fatigued. Many genin from the smaller villages couldn't even use the three basic academy jutsu smoothly; participating in the exams was truly asking a lot of them.
Facing the three overconfident genin, Hinata didn't hesitate. She closed the distance instantly, and with a flurry of Gentle Fist techniques, tormented them to the point they wished for death. Throughout the entire exchange, her expression remained calm.
Only when the three genin's tenketsu were sealed, rendering them powerless, did Hinata speak, her words as precious as gold: "Hand them over. Or die."
The three genin groaned in pain, blood even trickling from the corners of their mouths, as they tremblingly handed over the scrolls clutched in their grasp. Hinata took them, tossed one to Kiba, and then turned to leave.
Kiba caught the scroll, beaming. "Well, well, well, with this, we've got our set too! Having Hinata around makes things easy. Too bad we didn't run into Naruto. Hinata versus Naruto, now that would be an interesting scene."
Hearing Kiba's teasing, Hinata's form stiffened abruptly, a blush spreading across her cheeks. She spun around, glaring at Kiba with dissatisfaction. "Shut up."
Though her tone was meant to be threatening, it carried more shyness than anything else.
Kiba, who had evidently figured out Hinata's personality, paid it no mind. He nudged Shino's shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Hey, hey, Shino, aren't you curious? Our Hinata likes Naruto so much, acting all demure and gentle like a prim young lady in front of him. Sooo sweet~~~"
"If Naruto knew Hinata was—" Before Kiba could finish, Hinata sent him flying with a single punch, her face flushed red with indignation.
While Naruto was en route to rendezvous with Sasuke, he had also casually dispatched a few ninja, taking their scrolls. He moved rapidly through the Forest of Death. For him, this forest was still within his comfort zone.
Suddenly, he sensed a burst of chakra fluctuations in the distance; genin were clearly fighting. Curious, he sought out the source and found three ninja with Kusagakure headbands battling Sand-nin in a clearing. Two of the Grass-nin were already dead, and the remaining red-haired Grass-nin was struggling to hold on, her body covered in wounds.
"That hair color…" Minato, within Naruto, murmured to himself. Upon seeing that familiar shade of red, he was reminded of his wife, Uzumaki Kushina. Red hair was the signature trait of the Uzumaki clan. "Could that girl be from the Uzumaki clan?"
After the Uzumaki clan's destruction, a few survivors had scattered, so it seemed plausible for one to appear in a minor village.
"That girl shares a similar bloodline with me." Unlike Minato, Naruto's perception was even more profound. He could feel the kindred Uzumaki blood within the girl.
So, he acted without hesitation.
A glint of cold light flashed. The three Sand-nin, kunai raised, suddenly froze. A thin red line appeared on each of their necks, and they collapsed to the ground.
Uzumaki Karin, who was being hunted, had nearly exhausted her chakra. She ran with a look of utter despair. The cruelty of the Chunin Exams surpassed her imagination. Other ninja wouldn't hold back because of your identity or gender. Death was the norm. Although she had anticipated such a situation, when it truly befell her, an uncontrollable fear still gripped her heart.
The three Sand-nin quickly caught up to Karin, a cruel sneer on their faces as they prepared to kill the weak opponent before them. Karin resignedly closed her eyes, but the anticipated pain never came.
She opened her eyes in confusion, only to see leaves fluttering down from the sky as an elegant boy with black-framed glasses descended.
"You're safe now." The boy's voice was gentle, full of a magnetic charm. He wore clean, neat white robes, and his face bore a warm, gentle smile.
In Kusagakure, all the ninja treated Karin like a human battery; whenever they were out of chakra, they would take a bite. They had brought her nothing but malice, almost never any kindness.
In Karin's memory, ever since she was little, the faces of the Kusagakure ninja had been ugly. How could she have ever encountered a ninja as gentle and confident as Naruto?
"Am I dreaming?" Karin murmured, looking at the beautiful scene, an unexpected sense of inferiority welling up within her.
"Don't be afraid." Naruto extended his hand.
Karin's face instantly turned crimson. She placed her small hand in Naruto's larger one; his touch was warm, like a mother's embrace.
Naruto noticed the dense bite marks on Karin's arm, his brow furrowing. He asked in a low voice, "These are…"
"Ah." Karin hastily withdrew her hand, whispering with shame, "They… they bit me."
Meeting Naruto's questioning gaze, Karin began to explain, "If they bite me, their chakra will recover." After speaking, Karin tucked her hands further into her not-so-long sleeves, her sense of inferiority intensifying. Compared to the noble and refined Naruto, she felt as if she had crawled out of a slum.
Naruto, without any trace of disgust, took Karin's right hand. A faint light glowed in his left as he used Kaido from Kido to heal her wounds. Karin felt a warmth, an energy different from chakra, suffusing her body. The wounds on her arm healed rapidly, the bite marks vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Naruto lowered her hand, satisfied. He said softly, "That's much more fitting for your beautiful red hair."
"Red hair… beautiful?" Karin had never heard such praise. She looked at Naruto, her eyes sparkling like stars. In Kusagakure, she had only ever endured malice, never a compliment like this. Instantly, she opened her heart to Naruto, pouring out the treatment she had received in Kusagakure over the years and the pain in her heart.
After the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, her mother had brought her to Kusagakure to live. From a young age, Karin displayed the natural talents of the Uzumaki clan: a terrifying amount of chakra and exceptional sensory abilities. Simply biting Karin's arm would rapidly restore one's chakra and heal injuries. This led to young Karin being fated to become a human battery.
Learning of Uzumaki Karin's experiences, Naruto naturally felt some sympathy. After all, she was practically his only remaining clansman. With a gentle smile, he softly comforted Karin, while also secretly pondering her future.
Returning to Kusagakure was definitely not the best option. But she couldn't stay in Konoha either. The people in Konoha were the type to swallow you whole and not even spit out the bones.
Finally, Naruto thought of Orochimaru. As a mad scientist, Orochimaru was obsessed with research and enjoyed finding all sorts of geniuses. His capacity and tolerance were far beyond those of Konoha's higher-ups. Perhaps with Orochimaru, Karin could achieve decent growth.
After some consideration, Naruto had Minato take Karin to Orochimaru. Since he had left a Reiatsu imprint on Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage could find him easily.
Karin bid Naruto farewell with great reluctance, looking deeply at him as if trying to engrave his face into her mind.
"Let's go, young lady." Minato chuckled softly at the scene, a nostalgic look in his eyes. Seeing Karin, he couldn't help but think of Kushina. He hadn't expected Naruto to meet a red-haired girl just like his mother. Could it be…?
"Good luck, young lady. I have high hopes for you," Minato couldn't help but flash a fond, teasing smile.
Karin immediately blushed.
Minato mused that as Naruto experienced more friendship, kinship, and perhaps even love, his heart would soften. Even if he were to defect in the future, he wouldn't resort to actions like destroying Konoha, would he? Living itself was already tiring enough; if one also had to bear hatred and malice, such a life would be far too painful.
After passing the Forest of Death exam, the subsequent preliminary matches quickly began. All ninja who passed this round would proceed to Konoha's largest arena for the final combat assessment, where they would face the scrutiny of the entire Konoha audience. It was the best moment to showcase their skills.
It was also the moment Naruto had long been planning.
Without Orochimaru's curse mark, Sasuke didn't require Kakashi's temporary sealing. Naruto's Team Seven reunited with the other members of the Konoha Twelve. Aside from Naruto's group, the other teams looked somewhat travel-worn. They didn't possess the overwhelming strength of Team Seven, so they had to expend more effort to pass the exam.
"As expected of Naruto, not a scratch on him," Rock Lee said, his face full of admiration.
"Hmph." Behind him, Neji crossed his arms, looking somewhat unconvinced. Their team had also navigated the exam with considerable ease, suffering almost no injuries. They had even encountered other Konoha teams during the exam and, out of friendship, had briefly helped them.
"I hope we don't face each other too soon. I want to defeat you in the arena." Rock Lee clenched his fists, his expression confident. "I've prepared thoroughly for that day."
"I'm looking forward to that day too, but I'll defeat you easily in front of everyone," Sasuke declared cockily. After rigorous training and developing his Lightning Release, Sasuke was confident his strength had surpassed Rock Lee's; even that terrifying panda-guy from Sunagakure wouldn't be his match.
"Sasuke!!!" Just then, Ino, who had just entered the hall, darted towards Sasuke like a homing pigeon and latched onto him. "Sasuke, you passed too! I missed you so much!" Ino clung to Sasuke, fawning over him relentlessly.
"Idiot and a fangirl. Sigh." Sakura shook her head aside, exasperation etched on her face. She was already at her wit's end.
"By the way, Naruto, did you encounter any strong opponents during this exam?" Rock Lee turned to Naruto, asking curiously.
"Yeah, what happened with Gaara?" Sasuke, as if granted amnesty, quickly broke free and jumped into the conversation.
"Gaara? You fought that monster?" Upon hearing this, all twelve Konoha genin looked astonished.
"No way, you weren't hurt by that terrifying guy, were you?" many asked with concern. Gaara's strength was plain to see.
"I once sensed Gaara killing someone… it was horrifying." Ino looked terrified, as if recalling some dreadful scene, her body even trembling slightly. Sakura gently hugged Ino, comforting her softly.
"Gaara, huh? That guy is indeed pretty good," Sasuke said coolly, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. "Unfortunately, he's still a bit weaker than me."
"Really? Sasuke's that strong? You're bluffing, right?"
Facing everyone's doubtful gazes, Sasuke felt a surge of annoyance.
"It's true, you know," Naruto said gently, a smile on his face. "Sasuke is no weaker than that Gaara." Thinking back to the scene of Sasuke and Gaara fighting, Naruto's heart filled with anticipation for Sasuke. Sasuke, your future is promising!
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Chunin Exams continued. This stage of the exam was highly anticipated; even the Third Hokage was present. Orochimaru, disguised as a participant, was also mixed in, looking forward to seeing Naruto's performance.
"First match: Uzumaki Naruto versus Dosu Kinuta." The match-up order was surprising.
"Naruto's up first? Who's this Dosu?" The Konoha genin were all puzzled.
Soon, a man with a frightening appearance, his face wrapped in bandages that obscured his expression, slowly walked to the center of the battle stage.
"This person seems to be a genin from Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound, in the Land of Rice Fields," Shikamaru said quietly. He had gathered information on most of the participants before the exams. "The Sound Village is just a small hidden village, so there isn't much detailed information. But no matter what, he definitely can't be Naruto's opponent."
The Konoha genin had great confidence in Naruto.