Feeling the kunai at his throat, Naruto broke into a cold sweat.
"Ahahaha, I was just joking! I can wait as long as you want, Miss Anko," he said with a nervous laugh.
He immediately tried to sweet-talk Anko, feeling the sharp blade so close to his skin.
"Oh? A sweet-talker, are you?" Anko smirked, slowly moving the kunai away from his throat.
Naruto let out a deep breath. These Chūnin Exam proctors are really something else... Each one's scarier than the last.
But before he could relax, Anko pressed the kunai against his cheek and gave a light slide across his skin. A thin line of fresh blood appeared.
Then, moving closer to his shoulder, she leaned in and continued:
"You know, this phase of the Chūnin Exams is nothing like the others.
There's no space for immaturity inside that forest over there. I suggest you get serious the moment you step inside or you might not return at all."
With those chilling words, Anko walked past him and appeared before everyone else, leaving Naruto slightly dazed by her warning.
"Alright, listen up, everyone! It's time for the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, and it's going to take place right here!"
She pointed to the restricted area behind her.
"You see that forest over there? It's called the Forest of Death. And yes, it's called that for a reason."
"But before we begin, you'll all need to sign a waiver," she said with a disturbingly calm smile.
"If any of you die without giving consent, the responsibility falls on me. So, if you wish to participate in the second phase, you must sign the waver first."
"Now, let me explain where you'll be heading first."
Anko then pulled out a map and held it up for everyone to see.
"This is a map of the forest. It has 42 entry gates, and you'll choose one to start from. Your goal is to reach the building at the center."
She pointed to the structure in the middle of the map.
"The distance from any gate to the center is about ten kilometers. But of course, it's not that simple."
"In this phase, each team will receive one scroll either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll.
Your mission is to obtain both one Heaven and one Earth scroll by any means necessary before reaching the center."
Sakura's hand shot up, concern evident on her face.
"So... idealistically, only half the teams can pass this phase?"
"Exactly," Anko confirmed with a smirk. "And realistically? Even fewer.
She continued, her tone more serious.
"You have five days to complete this mission.
If your team doesn't make it to the center with both scrolls within that time... you're disqualified."
"What?! Five days?! Isn't that too much? It's almost a survival camp at this point!" Ino exclaimed, clearly worried about how she'd survive in the forest for five days without food or water.
But the one who looked the most devastated was Choji. The moment he heard the duration of the phase, it felt like his entire world collapsed.
"That's not good! How can I survive in the woods without my precious food?! This is unreasonable!" Choji protested.
"That's up to you to figure out," Anko replied, eyeing the anxious Ino and choji. "If you ask me, there's plenty you can eat in that forest if you know what to look for."
While the others were busy discussing, Anko took out a stack of documents from her pouch and began distributing them to everyone with the help of a few genin.
"Sign this with your own consent. After signing, even if you die in the forest, I won't be held liable.
Just so you know, in every Chuunin Exam, a lot of candidates die at this stage. So if you want to quit now to stay safe, feel free."
"After signing, submit your forms at the station over there," Anko said, pointing toward the stage.
"Once you submit, you'll receive a scroll for your team and then you're free to enter the forest."
"One question," Shikamaru raised his hand lazily. "Can someone quit the exam mid-fight?"
"Well, if you want to try, go ahead," Anko replied with an amused smirk. "But do you really think your opponent will just let you walk away?"
"What a drag…" Shikamaru muttered, sighing heavily.
"Shikamaru, stop acting like a retired uncle! Show some youthfulness—we need to pass this test!" Ino said, trying to motivate him.
But someone else's eyes lit up the moment the word "youth" was mentioned.
Lee's eyes blazed with passion, as if someone had activated a switch. Hearing the word "youth" was like a signal for him to start training.
"Neji! I heard someone mention youth just now, and now I'm fired up! Let's do ten thousand push-ups today!"
(¯―¯٥)
'Why do I have such weird teammates…'
Neji looked at Rock Lee speechlessly, seeing the burning passion in Lee's eyes.
"Lee, in case you've forgotten—we're still in the middle of an exam."
"Oh, you're right," Lee said, nodding. But his fire returned immediately as he clenched his fists with conviction.
"That's fine too! I'll make Guy-sensei proud with my performance in the Chuunin Exams this year!" he said, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
"Lee, fill out the form first before you start dreaming about glory. We still have to head to our location."
"Ahh! You're right, Neji!" Lee said, quickly beginning to fill out his form alongside the others.
Naruto also looked at the form in deep thought. He signed it slowly, lost in his thoughts.
If it had been earlier, he might not have taken the form seriously. But this time, he really paused before filling it out.
It was his own will resisting to sign the paper just now.
He valued his life more than the goals he had set earlier, but he signed it anyway because that's the path of a ninja: to face danger, even when it's life-threatening.
'Am I becoming selfish?' Naruto wondered, as he walked over to Sasuke and Sakura, who had already finished filling theirs.
"Did you fill out the form, Naruto?" Sakura asked, glancing at him.
"Yeah, I did. Let's go," Naruto replied, showing them his completed form.
After confirming that all three had filled out their forms, they walked toward the station where the forms were being collected and scrolls were distributed.
They submitted their forms to the examiner together and received a Heaven Scroll in return.
Sasuke immediately took the Heaven Scroll and slipped it into his pouch.
"I'll hold onto the scroll while we're inside. And Naruto don't tell anyone who has it. Got it?" Sasuke said firmly, looking straight at him.
"Do you think I'm an idiot? Why would I go around telling people that?" Naruto replied, clearly annoyed his intelligence was being questioned like that.
"Okay then. Let's go."
Their team headed toward one of the many entry gates—Gate No. 19. They were the only team there, so they just stood and waited for it to open.
And finally, the gate creaked open. The second phase of the Chūnin Exams had officially begun.
Without wasting a second, Sasuke and Sakura dashed into the forest at high speed.
"Hey guys, what's the rush? Can't we slow down a bit? It's not like we're gonna miss anything. We've got five whole days to get the scrolls!" Naruto shouted, but neither of them responded.
Left with no choice, Naruto picked up his pace to keep up. He really didn't get why they were in such a hurry.
As he moved deeper into the forest, he began to notice more details about the Forest of Death.
The trees were massive, so tall and thick they blocked most of the sunlight, casting the forest in a constant gloomy hue.
The air was heavy, humid perfect environment for insects and other things which grow in environments like these.
Naruto spotted all kinds of creatures most were small, but a few were dangerously large. It was clear this place wasn't safe at all.
He even caught sight of a few snakes slithering through the bushes. He'd have to stay alert while resting; one careless move and he could end up poisoned.
And while he hadn't seen anything too monstrous yet, his instincts told him there were larger predators lurking in the shadows creatures big enough to eat a person whole.
So he had to be extra careful about things like that, while also keeping an eye out for the other genin participating in the Chunin Exams.
The other teams also began moving into the Forest the moment the gates creaked open.
"Shikamaru, which team should we target?" Ino asked, glancing sideways at the team's strategist.
Shikamaru yawned and lazily rubbed his neck. "Let's go after Naruto's team. They'll be easier to handle compared to the others."
Crunch!
A loud, unmistakable sound echoed behind him. Turning around, Shikamaru saw Choji sitting cross-legged on the ground, munching on a fresh bag of chips.
"What? Is something wrong?" Choji asked innocently, cheeks puffed out. He held out the bag. "Want some?"
Ino's eyes twitched. "Choji! This isn't the time to be snacking! We're supposed to be gathering scrolls, not wasting time!"
As Ino and Choji squabbled, Shikamaru suddenly froze. His eyes narrowed, every nerve on edge. He quickly yanked both choji and ino into the bushes, crouching low.
"What the—?!" Ino hissed, startled by Shikamaru's sudden movement.
"Quiet," Shikamaru whispered sharply, gesturing for her to stay still—someone was coming.
And indeed, just seconds later, a group of genin from another village appeared, passing right by where they had been standing.
"Damn it, they left already," one of them muttered, scanning the area before moving off in another direction.
Ino and Choji were about to sigh in relief when another trio approached from a different direction.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. They were from the Hidden Grass Village.
At first, nothing seemed unusual until one of the genin looked directly toward their hiding spot… and smiled.
A slow, chilling smile that made Shikamaru's blood run cold.
"There's no way he could've seen us from there," Shikamaru thought, his heartbeat quickening.
"This spot should be a blind angle without the Byakugan… Then why is he smiling like that?"
Even though the Grass ninja eventually moved on, that smile stuck in Shikamaru's mind like a thorn.
'Who was that guy? I'm sure he saw us...'
"You okay, Shikamaru?" Ino asked, noticing the subtle tension in his eyes.
Shikamaru shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's keep moving. We need to get deeper and start setting traps if we want to collect scrolls without unnecessary fights."
Still unsettled, Shikamaru pushed the strange feeling to the back of his mind and followed his teammates further into the forest.
The Sound Trio were also on the move, darting from one area to another, clearly searching for someone.
"Did you find him?" Dosu asked.
Zaku shook his head. "Not yet. I searched the front area, but I didn't find any trace of him."
"Let's check the southern part next. We have to find him. These are Lord Orochimaru's special orders we can't afford to disappoint him," Dosu said, casting a serious look at his teammates.
"We don't need to stay hidden anymore, so use whatever tricks you've got. Find Sasuke Uchiha.
Kin, you search the eastern part. If you find him, contact us first."
"Dosu, do you really think I can't handle some brat who just graduated from the academy?" Kin scoffed, clearly unhappy with what Dosu had said.
"It's not about that. These are Lord Orochimaru's orders—we can't take any risks," Dosu replied firmly.
"Fine, fine... I'll contact you if I find him," she muttered before disappearing into the bushes once again.