Under Ibiki's cruel, wolf-like grin, the atmosphere in the exam room became heavier and heavier, almost suffocating. The oppressive air of interrogation and punishment gnawed at the hearts of the remaining genin. More and more chose to give up, leaving behind only those with nerves of steel and unshakable determination.
At last, Ibiki stopped wasting words. His gravelly voice cut through the silence.
"Congratulations. You've all passed."
A wave of disbelief and relief swept through the classroom. Only sixty candidates remained, organized into twenty teams.
Before they could catch their breath, a loud, brash female voice rang out, shattering the tense silence. A tall kunoichi entered, dressed in a fishnet bodysuit that did little to hide her muscular figure. Her purple hair was tied up in a spiky ponytail, and her smile carried a mischievous edge.
"I'm Anko Mitarashi, your next examiner!" she announced with a flourish.
Unlike Ibiki's cruel composure, Anko seemed reckless and unpredictable, yet there was no mistaking the dangerous aura beneath her playfulness. Without wasting time, she led the group out of the academy and toward the second exam site.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as the towering gates of the infamous training ground came into view. He knew this place all too well.
The Forest of Death.
The very same jungle had supplied him with food when he was younger, its dangerous wildlife serving as both his training ground and hunting ground. The smell of damp earth, thick vegetation, and predatory eyes watching from the shadows was all too familiar.
Anko explained the rules with a wicked grin. Each team would be given either a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll. To pass, they needed to obtain both types and reach the central tower within the forest. Failure meant elimination. Death, as she reminded them, was always a possibility.
When Team 7 drew their scroll, Naruto peeked at it and smirked. Heaven.
He turned to Hinata and spoke in a low voice.
"Hinata, keep an eye on which team draws Earth. As soon as they enter, track them. No point wasting time."
Hinata nodded softly, her pale eyes flashing as her Byakugan activated without a sound. She swept the field of teams, her gaze piercing through trees and distance with ease. Soon, her focus settled on a squad from the Hidden Waterfall. Their hands clutched the Earth scroll.
"They've got what we need," she whispered.
Naruto grinned. "Perfect."
Every team would enter from different gates, but that hardly mattered. With Hinata's vision marking their targets, the hunt had already begun.
The Waterfall ninja moved cautiously into the dense forest. Their leader's voice was barely a whisper.
"Stick to the plan. We'll ambush others near the tower. Let them come to us."
The other two nodded, blending into the foliage with admirable stealth.
Unfortunately for them, stealth meant little against a tracker like Hinata. Within minutes, three shadows dropped from the canopy, striking with lethal precision. The Waterfall ninjas had no time to scream. Their world went black in an instant.
"They never even noticed us," Sasuke muttered, his Sharingan gleaming faintly as he surveyed the bodies.
Naruto crouched, rifling through their pouches until he pulled out the Earth scroll. He tossed the corpses aside without hesitation, leaving them as fodder for the hungry predators that prowled the Forest of Death.
"Done already," he said, pocketing the scroll. "This test is a joke. If it weren't for the promotion, I'd rather be training."
He thought of the countless hours spent in grueling practice, using shadow clones to multiply his efforts. To him, these exams felt more like a formality than a challenge.
Just as they were preparing to move, Hinata stiffened. Her voice carried an uncharacteristic urgency.
"Three o'clock! Someone's coming, fast!"
Naruto and Sasuke both turned. For Hinata, who could track movement kilometers away, to describe the speed as "fast" meant only one thing: danger.
Moments later, a shinobi in Grass Village attire burst into view, moving at a speed beyond ordinary genin. His hands blurred through seals. A powerful gust of wind roared forth, tearing through the trees and hurling debris at Team 7.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Naruto stomped the ground. A wall of stone erupted before them, shielding the trio from the brunt of the windstorm. The impact shook the earth, scattering leaves and branches like a miniature hurricane.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"That was no ordinary Great Breakthrough. That level of power… it's on par with me and the old man."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun, the three tomoe rotating lazily as his lips curled into a cold smirk.
"Doesn't matter who he is. We kill him."
The crimson glow in his eyes radiated pure malice. Anyone meeting that gaze would feel their blood run cold.
Hinata pressed her lips together, fists clenched at her sides, but said nothing.
Before they could counterattack, the ground beneath them suddenly ruptured. A massive snake's jaws lunged upward, intent on swallowing them whole.
The three genin leapt clear, scattering into the branches. Naruto slammed his palms together midair.
"Earth Style: Piercing Spears!"
The ground convulsed, birthing a forest of sharp stone spikes. The snake was skewered instantly, its thrashing body pinned and bleeding until it went limp.
"Good reaction," the Grass ninja's mocking voice called from above. He stood on a branch, clapping slowly, his smile cruel. "You'll make fine prey."
He dragged a finger across his eyelid, revealing slit pupils that glimmered like a serpent's.
The killing intent that erupted from him was suffocating. Even Sasuke and Hinata paled under its crushing weight. This bloodlust made Zabuza's murderous aura feel like a child's tantrum by comparison.
Naruto's brow furrowed, though his expression remained calm. Compared to the malice he had endured from the Nine-Tails sealed within him, this was nothing.
With a single step forward, his chakra flared violently, surging out like blue flames licking at the air. The suffocating killing intent shattered, crushed beneath his overwhelming aura.
"You two, stay back," he said firmly. "This one's mine."
His body blurred. The Grass ninja barely had time to raise an arm before Naruto's kick smashed into him, launching him through several trees.
Pain radiated down the man's arm. His eyes narrowed. That strength… far too much for a supposed genin.
His instincts screamed danger. Something inside him whispered that retreat might be the wiser option.
Naruto didn't give him the chance. Perching on a branch, he inhaled deeply, chakra igniting within his lungs.
"Fire Style: Flame Arrow Barrage!"
A massive arrow of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, tearing across the forest with a roar. The heat alone singed bark and leaves.
The Grass ninja's pupils contracted. The scale of that technique rivaled jonin-level attacks.
The flaming projectile struck, swallowing him in an inferno. His scream echoed briefly before being consumed by fire.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "He's not dead. Not that easily."
Sure enough, as the flames receded, a new figure stood on a branch, his skin charred and peeling away to reveal fresh layers beneath. His earlier body crumbled into a mound of mud.
Naruto's eyes locked onto him, his expression hard.
"Orochimaru."
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