The second exam began. Mitarashi Anko stood before the crowd and declared with a sharp grin,
"This round, I'll eliminate at least half of you!"
The atmosphere turned grim. All participants headed toward the Forest of Death.
Seeing the location name flash across the giant screen, Shigeo's lips curved upward.
He turned slightly toward the Third Hokage, whose face had gone pale and stiff.
Sensing Shigeo's gaze, the old man forced himself to meet it—his eyes flashing briefly with murderous intent before he smiled and gave a polite nod.
The monitors switched to the candidates.
More than a hundred genin had arrived at the forest gates.
Before the test, Konohamaru's trio appeared, performing interviews for the crowd—
and what came next made the entire arena erupt.
"Beating the Third Hokage? Easy!" shouted Uzumaki Naruto, his grin wide.
He formed a hand seal—Poof!—and in a puff of smoke, the giant screen was filled with a glamorous blonde woman… entirely naked.
His infamous Sexy no Jutsu (Sexy Technique).
Laughter exploded through the stands.
Shigeo burst out laughing; Hiruzen's nose gushed blood.
The other Kage stared, speechless, while parents hastily covered their children's eyes.
The farce ended quickly. The second stage of the Chūnin Exam resumed.
The Fourth Raikage, amused, barked a laugh. "That brat—Naruto Uzumaki, right? Hah! Now that's entertainment!"
Outside the Forest of Death, the rules were read aloud:
There were seventeen Heaven Scrolls and seventeen Earth Scrolls.
Teams must gather both scrolls and reach the central tower within five days to pass.
Failure—or death—would mean disqualification.
Before the start, every team was required to sign a consent form acknowledging the risk of death.
When Mitarashi Anko held out the forms, most of the genin froze.
They had known the exam would be hard, but not deadly.
Even the nine Moenin Village genin were stunned—Shigeo had deliberately not told them this detail.
As for Hongyan and Mukō, though they were jōnin, Moenin had never held an official Chūnin Exam;
their ranks had been personally granted by Shigeo himself.
He silently nodded to himself.
So this is the true scale of Konoha's exams… comprehensive, harsh, direct. Something worth studying.
"Ha! Looks like your subordinates are terrified," mocked the Fourth Raikage, smirking.
"See that girl? She's about to cry."
Shigeo turned toward the screen.
Hōzuki Tsukiya, the smallest of his group, stood stiff, her mouth slightly open, eyes wide with panic.
Timid by nature, she looked fragile—but her appearance didn't reflect her strength.
Unbothered, Shigeo leaned back, grabbed a handful of edamame from the table, and began to snack lazily.
Propping his cheek with one hand, he muttered through a yawn,
"So far, only Uzumaki Naruto's transformation was worth seeing. Maybe Raikage-dono should try that Sexy no Jutsu himself—
who knows, it might actually beat the Third Hokage."
The jab drew gasps.
Every Kage had been subtly mocking him, so he returned the favor.
"You—!" The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists, veins bulging.
But under so many watching eyes, he couldn't lash out.
Shigeo popped another bean into his mouth, smiling faintly.
He was enjoying himself.
The Iwagakure elder, never missing a chance to sneer, muttered,
"How shameful. So this is the so-called Moekage? No composure at all. Look at the Fourth Kazekage—that's how a Kage should act."
All eyes turned toward the silent figure of "Rasa,"
whose face was hidden by cloth and hat, unmoving and tense.
The air around him was cold, oppressive—
because Shigeo alone knew the truth.
That wasn't Rasa. It was Orochimaru.
Back at the exam site, the students began signing waivers and receiving their scrolls.
Each team got one, but only they knew whether it was Heaven or Earth.
The forest gates opened.
Chains clanked, and the doors swung wide—
a hundred genin rushed into the shadows.
At first, excitement surged.
But soon, calculation replaced it.
To pass, they had to hunt.
Ambushes began.
The Inuzuka–Hyūga–Aburame team quickly eliminated one squad using lures and traps.
Elsewhere, clashes erupted.
One Moenin team—Ao, Hatsufuyu, and Tsukiya—ran into another group.
The other two Moenin teams soon found themselves facing opponents from Iwagakure.
Watching from above, Shigeo narrowed his eyes.
"Deliberate targeting. Dōnoki's still holding a grudge."
"Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall)!" one Iwa-nin shouted.
"Fūton: Kaze Shuriken (Wind Release: Wind Shuriken)!" came the counterattack.
"Kujaku Myōhō: I–Retsu–Shū (Peacock Technique: Will, Split, Strike)!" shouted Ao, forming seals.
A technique taught to him by Natsusei, it combined clones, rapid strikes, and surprise assaults.
"Doton: Doengai (Earth Concealment)!" another Moenin ninja responded,
as the air filled with clashing steel and crackling chakra.
Ao's coordination quickly dominated the skirmish, his technique more refined than his teammates'.
Realizing his advantage, the Iwa-nin changed formation—three against one, focusing all attacks on Ao.
His teammates exchanged glances.
The earth-user raised a cover wall, while the wind-user flicked his wrist.
"Fūton: Kazeshuriken!"
The spinning shuriken whirled through the air—then split into three midflight.
Before the Iwa-nin could react, all three struck home.
Steel pierced flesh.
The enemy fell, bleeding from three fatal wounds.
The first kill of the Forest of Death belonged to Moenin Village.
(End of Chapter)
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