The Forty-Fourth Training Ground
It was a huge, sprawling forest enclosed by a large fence.
The proctors had already set up tents and huts outside, and a sign was posted to mark the gathering point. A large number of participants stood in the open area. Karin, Fuu, and Daiki were among them.
Karin looked at the others. "Everyone looks so nervous."
Daiki, too, seemed to be searching for someone in the crowd. When he finally found them, he quietly moved away from Fuu and Karin and walked toward the target.
Fuu, surprised, said softly, "Zwei…?"
Daiki headed straight for Sasuke Uchiha, who was standing with his teammates. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, exuding a proud, arrogant air.
Daiki walked up to him. "Hey!"
Sasuke turned, giving Daiki a quick glance. He wanted to know why someone was calling him out.
"Don't you dare lose to anyone else! You're my prey! I don't want to see anyone else tear you apart before I do!"
Sasuke was a little surprised. It was a strange feeling; he couldn't understand why a ninja from another village would hold so much anger and hatred toward him. "do You even know me?"
Daiki didn't bother to answer Sasuke's question. He just turned his back and said, "I've said my piece."
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed.
Sakura looked on in confusion at the ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village who had just threatened Sasuke. She turned to him. "Sasuke, what was that all about?"
"I don't know."
At that moment, Mitarashi Anko appeared in front of all the participants.
"This is the site of your second exam. We also have a special name for it here in Konoha: the Forest of Death." She grinned.
Naruto, standing at the front, mocked the proctor, which caused Anko Mitarashi to throw a kunai at him to scare him. Her speed terrified everyone.
Fuu turned to Karin and Daiki, who had just returned to them. "That guy's good!"
Karin adjusted her glasses and was about to reply when a ninja from the Hidden Grass Village appeared behind Anko, surprising her for a moment.
"Looks like we have another strong opponent," Daiki said. "This exam is bigger than I thought."
Anko Mitarashi stepped away from the grass ninja and began her explanation of the exam. "Now, all of you, get in line to sign the death waiver. The second exam is about to begin."
The second stage of the exam was a test of survival.
Before entering the Forest of Death, each team was given either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll, with the scrolls split evenly among the participants. They had 120 hours to find a scroll of the opposing type—through any means necessary, including fighting—and make their way to the center of the forest, the Central Tower.
If they couldn't collect both the Heaven and Earth scrolls within the time limit, they failed. If they opened the scrolls out of curiosity, they were disqualified on the spot. There was no surrender option for the second exam. Once you entered the Forest of Death, there was no backing out for the next five days.
The participants realized that, at best, at least half of them would be eliminated in this round.
After the explanation, one person from each team was to go to the proctors' tent to receive their team's number and scroll.
When it was Team Takigakure's turn, Karin turned to Fuu. "Fuu, you go get the scroll. Once you have it, put it away immediately and don't show it to anyone."
She realized that the second Chunin Exam had officially begun with the act of collecting the scrolls. If someone already knew which teams had either a Heaven or Earth scroll, they could plan their attacks accordingly.
"Zwei, you and I will keep an eye on the people who come here. If anyone doesn't hide their scroll, memorize their face and the type of scroll they have!"
Daiki smirked. "You didn't need to tell me that!"
Fuu received the Earth Scroll, and they were assigned the number 13.
The second stage of the Chunin Selection Exam was officially underway!
When the time for the exam began, Anko Mitarashi's voice immediately reached all the proctors and examiners through a live broadcast.
The examiners guarding the entrance immediately took out their keys to unlock the iron gates. "Go inside," they told the participants.
In an instant, the candidates who had passed the first stage rushed inside, some like afterimages, some with their hands clasped behind them in classic ninja style, and others simply walking in at a slow, steady pace.
The target is 100 POWER STONES for the BONUS CHAPTER!