Because of Zaku, the troublemaker, Sasuke went on a killing spree. Apart from Shikamaru's squad, all other examinees were slaughtered by Sasuke.
Naruto, on the other hand, didn't have Zaku, so after a fake fight with Gaara's group, he retreated directly.
However, he didn't let these examinees off easy either.
He took all the Heaven and Earth Scrolls he had collected yesterday.
If these guys still wanted to pass the exam, they would have to find new examinees to snatch scrolls from.
Among the Ninja who came to deal with Naruto and Sasuke this time, Hinata's Team 8, Neji's Team Guy, and Yakushi Kabuto did not appear.
If these guys encountered these three groups, everyone except the Sunagakure squad would be wiped out.
The Team 7 trio didn't care about what happened next. They entered the Central Tower with a large pile of Heaven and Earth Scrolls and Shikamaru's Team 10.
They arrived in a spacious and brightly lit interior. Above were dazzling incandescent lights, with several thick red pillars that two people could embrace in the middle. The floor was covered with spotless square tiles, and along the walls were shelves with blue drapes, neatly displaying an immense number of huge scrolls.
Sakura couldn't help but exclaim, "So many scrolls! How many days would it take to move them all?"
Their own squad had already collected plenty of scrolls, but only now, upon arriving here, did she understand what truly 'many' meant.
"Where are the proctors? Is anyone here?"
After observing the surroundings for a while, Ino was the first to speak up, unable to hold back.
Ignoring Ino's shouts, the Team 7 trio walked directly to the opposite side.
After ascending the steps, they curiously pulled out a scroll from the shelf and opened it, only to find it was blank. They put it back and pulled out another, which was also blank, so they stopped their futile efforts.
Then they looked at the conspicuous calligraphy beneath the Dragon Head relief.
The handwriting was flowing and powerful, with the signature of Sandaime.
Even though he didn't understand calligraphy, he found it pleasing to the eye and inwardly praised it as good writing.
At this moment, Ino, Shikamaru, and the awakened Choji also came up the steps from the other side, arriving beneath the relief to admire the Third Hokage's authentic work.
"Cough, cough."
Whether Naruto was genuinely coughing or clearing his throat, he recited with dramatic intonation.
"If there is no Heaven, then know wisdom to prepare for opportunity. If there is no Earth, then pursue the origin to seek profit. If the Heaven and Earth Scrolls are opened, the unorthodox path will return to the Righteous Path. This is the ultimate... of leadership, making one a leader."
Sasuke said thoughtfully, "This probably hints for us to open the Heaven and Earth Scrolls."
Hearing Sasuke, Naruto unhesitatingly opened the Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Indeed, both scrolls contained a 'Human' character in the middle, a Summoning Jutsu formula. He then threw the two smoking scrolls onto the ground.
With a 'bang,' Iruka Umino appeared, standing on the Heaven and Earth Scrolls with his arms crossed.
Iruka looked around and said, "It seems you're lucky and have successfully reached your destination."
"We Chunin are here to welcome the examinees of the second exam, and I am responsible for conveying important messages to you. Congratulations, everyone, on passing the second exam."
After he finished speaking, Naruto immediately retorted, "Wouldn't it be better to just wait here and check the scrolls? If you have to summon someone every time a group arrives, that's quite a lot of work, huh?"
Iruka said seriously, "That's not how it works. Being able to summon me out is itself a form of detection, because we can't rule out the possibility of Genin examinees having special Ninjutsu that allows them to peek at the contents without opening the scrolls, or forging them based on past Chunin Exams. If a scroll is forged, I can't be summoned."
At this moment, Sasuke asked, "Since we've passed, do we still have to wait here for two days?"
Iruka said with a smile, "Don't rush. Explaining the meaning of these words is another one of my tasks. This is Hokage-sama's experience notes on the Chunin Exams."
Can it be said that he truly is Iruka-sensei?
Even at this point, he hasn't forgotten his duty as a teacher.
"The 'Heaven' in this article refers to the human mind, and 'Earth' refers to the human body... As long as one possesses both Heaven and Earth, no matter how dangerous the mission, it can be guided to the Righteous Path. In other words, one can turn the tide by oneself..."
"For the missing word in that sentence, just add the 'Human' character from the scroll. The survival training was to test whether examinees possessed the basic abilities of a Chunin, and you have successfully passed."
"Chunin are considered squad leaders and have the duty to lead their teams. The importance of mission-related knowledge and the necessity of physical strength must be kept in mind. I hope you will not forget these Chunin Exam insights and continue to the next stage of the exam. That concludes the orders I am responsible for conveying."
Iruka's explanation was clear and well-organized, truly befitting a'Special Chunin' with teaching abilities.
After Iruka finished speaking, Sasuke asked, "Still the same question: do we have to wait here for two days?"
"It's not mandatory, but I suggest you rest well in the tower for two days to recover your energy."
In Iruka's opinion, they must have gone through a bitter battle to collect both Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
If things had gone smoothly, they wouldn't have arrived at the tower on the third day.
Hmm, it's just that Iruka didn't see the numerous scrolls below, otherwise he would definitely doubt his life.
"If too many people pass the second exam, an additional preliminary round might be held after two days to enhance the viewing experience of the third exam. So, whether for your own recovery or to participate in the preliminary round immediately, I don't recommend leaving here."
In the original work, more teams passed the second exam than the Konoha higher-ups anticipated, which led to a preliminary round.
But now, with Sasuke going on a rampage and Naruto cleverly taking many scrolls, the number of participants in the second exam was already less than in the original work. With their actions, it's hard to say if there will be a preliminary round in two days.
"Oh, I just realized, you're actually the first batch of examinees to enter the tower..."
At this point, Iruka noticed something was off.
Logically, examinees should have been arriving here gradually on the second day, but now it was already the third day, and Team 7 and Team 10 had just arrived.
Could something unexpected have happened in the Forest of Death?
Hearing Iruka's words, Naruto and the others exchanged glances, not telling Iruka what had happened outside.
Shaking his head, Iruka didn't dwell on the matter. Even if something had happened outside, the Anbu would handle it. Why should he, a teaching Chunin, worry about it?
"Follow me, I'll take you upstairs to look around and introduce you to where you'll be staying for the next two days."
Then Iruka led the six to visit the dormitories, kitchen, bathrooms, toilets, and other areas within the tall tower.