Chapter 58: The Second Exam Begins
"Time's up." The lead Anbu proctor announced the end of the first written exam.
After handing in his paper, Kyosuke turned and exchanged a look with his two teammates.
Looks like there were no problems, he thought with a satisfied smile.
It made sense. Since these two had been chosen by the Third Hokage to work with him, no matter how bad they were, they wouldn't be eliminated in the written test.
Just as the many Genin in the room were exchanging glances, an Anbu suddenly appeared in the center of the room.
"Now, everyone, follow me to the venue for the second exam," he said, then turned and walked away.
Seeing this, everyone got up and followed him.
On the way to the "Forest of Death," as Kyosuke was lost in thought, a figure quietly approached him.
"Hey, Konoha," the figure said, suddenly jumping in front of Kyosuke and calling out in a low voice.
"Calm down," Kyosuke said coolly, looking at her.
"Huh? Calm down about what?" the figure asked, puzzled.
"Calm down, Torune," Kyosuke said, not to her, but to his teammate.
It turned out that as soon as the figure had approached Kyosuke, Torune Aburame had secretly placed his poisonous insects around her. If she had made any suspicious moves, the insects would have instantly taken her life.
"Ah!" It was only after Kyosuke's reminder that the figure belatedly noticed the insects.
However, aside from a slight look of disgust, her face showed no signs of panic. It was as if she didn't care about the insects at all.
Of course, Kyosuke wasn't surprised by this.
The owner of this figure was the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī.
If it was her, she indeed had the qualifications to ignore Torune's poisonous insects.
After calming Torune down, Kyosuke looked at Mei and asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh, it's nothing major," the still-young Mei said, her eyes darting around for a moment. She then looked at Kyosuke. "I just wanted to know the format of the next test."
"Hey, don't tell me you don't know," she added quickly, seeing that Kyosuke was about to speak without hesitation.
As she spoke, her large eyes were fixed on Kyosuke's face.
The rumors say that the men of the Uchiha clan are very handsome. It seems they weren't wrong, Mei thought to herself, silently agreeing with the rumors she had heard from her best friend.
Kyosuke looked at the young Mei and smiled to himself. He then quietly told her what he knew about the upcoming test.
Even if he didn't tell her, the proctor would explain it later anyway. He might as well just tell her now and earn a small favor.
And so, Kyosuke and Mei chatted on their way to the exam venue.
Their interaction was also noticed by other observant people.
Has Konoha teamed up with the Mist? This could be troublesome, Maki thought with a frown. At the same time, his gaze began to scan the area, looking to see if he could form a temporary alliance of his own.
The Cloud's trio directly ignored this scene. They had enough confidence in their own strength.
The three from the Stone exchanged a look, and then Mahiru stepped forward and began a conversation with Maki.
In this slightly strange atmosphere, the group arrived at the venue for the second exam: the Forest of Death.
"Now, I will explain the content of the second exam," the head proctor said to the crowd.
Seeing that the second exam was about to begin, a reluctant Mei was pulled back to her own group by Ao.
It couldn't be helped. Ao was afraid that if she chatted any longer, she would end up putting on a Konoha forehead protector.
Soon, the explanation of the second exam was complete.
Just as Kyosuke had learned, Konoha was once again using the "Heaven" and "Earth" scroll system for this test.
As long as a team collected both scrolls and safely reached the destination, they would pass the second exam.
And this time, Kyosuke's team had received the scroll with the "Earth" mark.
After properly securing the scroll, Kyosuke gave a signal to Hyuga Yōmyō.
The latter nodded slightly and then inconspicuously moved to the back of the crowd.
While carefully blocking the view of others, he circulated his chakra and activated his Byakugan.
Instantly, the markings on the scrolls held by each team came into his view.
Although there were many powerful individuals present with various abilities, only a member of the Hyuga clan could do this.
This showed that while the Byakugan might be inferior to the Sharingan in terms of combat power, when it came to reconnaissance, the Sharingan was a step behind.
Soon, the scrolls had been distributed.
All the participating teams began to enter the Forest of Death through different routes.
The second exam, the Forest of Death survival battle, had officially begun!
Inside the Hokage Tower.
"Hokage-sama, an urgent report has arrived from the Sand."
"Hokage-sama, the latest intelligence has come from the Cloud."
"Hokage-sama, our informant has obtained the latest information on the Mist."
In his office, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, looked at the three intelligence reports before him with a headache and couldn't help but sigh.
The fact that the Sand would target Konoha ninja in this Chunin Exam was something they had already anticipated, so the Third and the others were not surprised.
What was truly giving him a headache was the intelligence from the Cloud Village informant.
A suspected jinchuriki is participating in the Chunin Exam.
This alone was enough to put all of Konoha on high alert.
In comparison, the intelligence that the Mist might also be targeting Konoha for some unknown reason seemed insignificant.
"Hiruzen, a jinchuriki from another village appearing in Konoha is no small matter," said Utatane Koharu, a member of the Konoha Elder Council.
The other elder, Mitokado Homura, also nodded slightly in agreement.
"Regardless, we must first inform Minato of this intelligence. Have him remind Kyosuke to be extra careful of the potential jinchuriki from the Cloud," the Third said, waving over an Anbu and handing him the intelligence scroll.
"Hiruzen, then how should we handle this matter?" Koharu asked again after the Anbu had left.
"It's alright. We shouldn't have to worry too much," the Third said, tapping the ash from his pipe. He looked at her. "After all, the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning is also attending the Chunin Exam. I believe they won't act recklessly."
"But what if the Tailed Beast goes on a rampage?" Homura interjected.
"Hmm... that is indeed something we must guard against." The Third thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "Then, I'll have to ask Kushina to take the trouble."
"Mm, that's a good way to handle it." The two elders exchanged a look and both nodded in agreement.
"Sigh, it seems that it will be difficult for Kyosuke to win now," Koharu suddenly sighed.
"Although it will be difficult, that child, Kyosuke... is not without hope of winning. I believe in him," the Third said with a faint smile, his gaze distant as he looked toward the Forest of Death.
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