Time passed minute by minute. Many examinees were expelled from the exam hall for failing the cheating standards.
In the final ten minutes, Ibiki presented his interrogation-style tenth question.
Naruto delivered his declaration of Ninja Way, which coincidentally aligned with the answer to the final question, allowing him to pass the first exam safely, albeit with some suspense.
Then, a figure suddenly smashed through the glass. Accompanied by the figure, two kunai instantly embedded themselves on either side of the exam hall.
A huge banner with red characters on a white background unfurled before all the examinees.
Mitarashi Anko!
"You guys, this is no time to be celebrating!"
"I am your second exam's Proctor… Mitarashi Anko!"
"Next up, let's go! The next exam, follow me!"
The purple-haired woman introduced herself in front of everyone, energetically raising her right fist.
'This Proctor might surprisingly get along well with Naruto!'
Like the other examinees, Sakura stood up and followed Anko's lead.
The group of Ninjas moved extremely fast, swiftly arriving at the outskirts of the Forest of Death.
Anko landed steadily outside the iron fence and began explaining the rules of the second exam.
Five days duration, collect Heaven and Earth Scrolls, reach the central tower.
After the explanation, Anko began arranging personnel to assign the Genin to their entry gates.
Naruto, who received the Heaven Scroll from the staff, didn't hesitate to raise his hand and shout at Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, look! It's a...!"
"Idiot! Do you want to be targeted by every examinee who needs that scroll?!"
Sasuke interrupted Naruto's words with a punch, snatching the scroll from this number one most unpredictable Ninja and putting it on his own person.
"It's fine. Whether Naruto says it or not, I exposed my strength in the exam hall earlier and will be targeted by others anyway."
"So, are you scared? Do you want to give up here?"
Sakura bypassed the exam staff, personally opened the gate leading into the Forest of Death, and tilted her head at the two.
"As if that's possible! I'm the Ninja who's going to become Hokage! I won't lose to those guys!"
The blond boy tossed his messy hair, his spirits instantly lifting.
"Just some foreign elites? They can't defeat the mission I carry!"
Sasuke snorted coolly, hands in pockets, trying to act cool.
After saying this, the two followed Sakura into the Forest of Death.
…
They advanced all the way towards the central tower. In less than a day, enemies had already formed an alliance to surround them.
"Tch, Sakura!"
Sasuke clicked his tongue, pulling a kunai from the pouch at his waist.
"Ah, what's wrong?"
The clueless Naruto walked forward with large strides, hands behind his head.
"Stop, Naruto!"
Sakura's loud shout made Naruto instinctively halt his steps.
The next instant, the ground in front of Naruto was pierced by dozens of kunai, senbon, and shuriken.
"Waaah!"
Naruto's eyes turned into spirals as he fell onto his backside in fright.
The tall trees surrounding the Forest of Death were now filled with the participating Genin who had come to besiege them.
"Hahaha, what a grand scene."
Sakura stood amidst the numerous hostile gazes, letting out a mocking laugh.
"Attack, everyone! With so many of us, are we really afraid of just her?"
Someone among the besieging Ninjas shouted, trying to boost the morale of those around.
However... not a single person actually listened to him and attacked Sakura and her team.
After all, those selected by their countries to travel far and participate in the Chunin Exams had decent judgment of situations.
The one who spoke earlier merely hoped others would go die in their place. Seeing no reckless chargers, he also quietly concealed his own presence.
"Haruno Sakura, your power is too great. If you hand over the scrolls and withdraw from the exam, we won't make things difficult for you!"
Another malicious voice hidden within the crowd provoked. The prolonged standoff made his words slightly effective; the crowd began to grow restless.
"Oh~? You want to make an enemy of me?"
Sakura crossed her arms and took a step forward.
The Ninjas in the trees flinched like startled birds, raising their weapons defensively.
"Is that all?"
The girl's domineering voice, laced with mockery, echoed through the forest.
"Don't get cocky! If we all attack together, you might not be able to kill us all! Your companions will be finished then!"
Unwilling to be mocked by the girl, the Ninjas issued threats, their ferocity belying their inner fear.
"Heh? You guys are just not up to it..."
Sakura took a deep breath, her Chakra surging like flames.
Amidst the flowing blaze, dark lightning erupted, roaring and raging in the void.
Many Ninjas who had wanted to flee felt their bodies freeze for an instant upon meeting Sakura's gaze, and then they could no longer escape.
"If you want to be my enemy, show some courage! With such cowardly postures, you think you can defeat me? Don't make me laugh!"
Releasing Chakra mixed with her ability, frost began to spread rapidly, expanding and eroding, destroying and annihilating everything.
The girl's ninja sandals crushed the ice crystals underfoot with each step. The attacking Ninjas were frozen into ice sculptures one by one, and the entire forest transformed into a snowy plain.
"S-Sakura-chan..."
A trembling voice came from behind, and Sakura turned around.
She found Naruto and Sasuke behind her, hugging each other and shivering, their small faces covered in frost.
"Sorry, sorry~"
Scratching her head, Sakura quickly ran over to thaw them out.
Far from this patch of forest, on a treetop, three elite Kumogakure's Ninjas were observing.
"Hey, hey, a Jutsu of this level is already in the S-Rank category, right? How are we supposed to defeat a monster like that?"
Omoi unwrapped a new lollipop and stuffed it into his mouth.
"We don't need to defeat her. This is a survival mission. Just get the scrolls and reach the tower!"
Samui, the leader of the three, set the tone. Karui beside her also agreed to avoid conflict with Sakura.
Directly above the forest, on a platform of sand floating in the sky-
"Gaara, calm down! Now is not the time to fight her to the death!"
Kankuro was sweating cold bullets, and Temari was equally pale.
But the two mustered their courage, holding onto Gaara's hands and continuously dissuading him.
"…"
Gaara gasped with his mouth open, drool dripping from between his teeth.
In fact, he wasn't in a state of boiling bloodlust. Instead, the moment the world was frozen, he clearly felt the fear of the monster inside him.
'Could these things made of Chakra also have things they feared...?'
"Hmph, let's go!"
After taking a deep look at Sakura below, he manipulated the sand to carry Kankuro and Temari away.
Beneath the frozen ground.
Kurotsuchi, who was observing the situation on the surface with her hidden Jutsu, rubbed her arms and exhaled a white breath.
"That monster woman... she's definitely targeting us!"
Taking the thick clothes handed to her by her senior brother, Akatsuchi, Kurotsuchi cursed through chattering teeth.
"It shouldn't be. Our Earth Release should be perfect?"
Akatsuchi, maintaining his Sensory Jutsu, withdrew one hand to scratch his head.
"No, with her level of strength, our Jutsu can't be hidden from her!"
Kurotsuchi glared hatefully at Sakura, trying to stab her to death with her eyes.
She wondered if this Ninja World just be okay. Although the Five Great Ninja Nations send Ninjas with strength exceeding Genin to the exams to increase exposure and seize mission shares...
But that pink-haired girl above, whether in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, or other techniques, is all flawless. Even among Jonin, she'd probably be an all-around, stat-crushing monster.
She felt that for Konoha to throw such a person into the exam to fight Genin who aren't even Chunin-level is just too shameless.
'In the end, Konoha is too ruthless. No wonder they managed to occupy the Land of Fire!'
Kurotsuchi pulled Akatsuchi into forming hand seals, expending a large amount of Earth Attribute Chakra to slowly dig through the frozen ground.
'Damn Konoha, damn Haruno Sakura.'
'When I get out, I'll definitely report your smurfing behavior to all the sponsors.'