Ninja Academy classroom 301 was packed with genin participating in the Chūnin Selection Exams.
Naruto Uzumaki exchanged glances with Uzumaki Sōnagi and Neji Hyuga.
Neji and Naruto weren't especially close—they hadn't interacted much before. He only knew that Chinya had always looked after Naruto, due to the close friendship between Naruto's mother and both Chinya and Kushina Uzumaki.
So during their time at the Ninja Academy, Neji had taken notice of Naruto, though they'd never actually spoken directly.
This was partly because Naruto's identity was complicated—and Neji's wasn't simple either.
Gaara also kept his gaze locked on Naruto. From him, Gaara sensed something familiar—a fellow jinchūriki.
The room buzzed with chatter as everyone talked amongst themselves, but an air of tension still hung heavy.
After all, the first exam would be a brutal survival showdown deep within the Forest of Death.
Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared at the front of the classroom as Morino Ibiki and Anko Mitarashi made their entrance, followed closely by several chunin and tokubetsu jonin.
"Sorry for the wait. I'm Morino Ibiki, one of the proctors for the first phase of the Chūnin Selection Exams."
"I'm Mitarashi Anko, the other proctor."
Anko scanned the room filled with genin hopefuls, grinning wickedly. "Wow, there's a lot of you this year! No worries though—at least four out of five won't survive past the first test!"
Her words sent a chill through nearly everyone present.
There were about 150 candidates here. If they eliminated four-fifths of them, only roughly thirty genin would advance to the second round?
Ibiki spoke once the murmurs had died down. "The gathering point is the gate of Konoha's Forest of Death. Please report there by 8 a.m. two days from now. Before officially taking part in the first exam, you'll also need to sign a consent form."
Ino Yamanaka frowned, confused. "A consent form? Didn't we already turn in our applications?"
"The application form grants eligibility for the exams," Ibiki answered. "The consent form, however, is necessary because fatalities are possible during the first phase. We must obtain your prior consent—Konoha takes no responsibility for any deaths or injuries sustained during the exam."
Ino and many others involuntarily swallowed hard.
They hadn't even started yet, and nerves were already setting in.
Anko continued explaining the rules. "The concept is simple: this will be a deadly survival challenge in the wild. The location—the 44th Training Ground, known as the Forest of Death—is surrounded by 44 locked entry gates arranged in a perfect circle. There are rivers, forests, and in the center lies a tower. The straight-line distance from the central tower to any entry gate is about ten kilometers.
Within this enclosed area, you'll participate in an intense survival mission where anything goes—it's a ruthless battle to seize the scrolls.
There are two types of scrolls—the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll. Teams must compete fiercely to seize these scrolls from one another.
Once a team has obtained one Heaven Scroll and one Earth Scroll, they must head to the central tower together as a full three-member squad—that's how you pass."
However, there is a time limit. The first exam will last 120 hours—you'll have five days to fight for survival. During these five days, you must support yourselves entirely.
Furthermore, the rules strictly prohibit withdrawal midway. This is an essential principle of being a ninja—you must never abandon your mission. Therefore, all of you will have to spend these five days inside this forest.
Naturally, there are conditions for elimination. Teams that fail to reach the tower with both Heaven and Earth Scrolls within the designated time frame, teams who lose members or whose members become incapacitated, and finally, teams that look inside their scrolls before reaching the tower will be instantly disqualified!
Two days from now at 8:00 AM, after signing the consent form and submitting it to us, we will give you the scrolls. Then, finally, you will enter the Forest of Death to begin the exam.
Alright, that's all regarding the rules. You're now dismissed—go back and prepare accordingly."
Sarutobi Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, and the Chunin and Tokubetsu Jonin behind them once again transformed into clouds of smoke and disappeared.
As Uzumaki Sōnagi passed by Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuga, and others,
Uzumaki Sōnagi said mockingly, "Pray you don't end up facing us. Those two Leaf ninjas from the hallway earlier really annoyed us. I'd love to eliminate every single one of you Konoha ninjas!"
Naruto Uzumaki snorted, replying, "Is that so? Then we'll see who eliminates who."
Neji Hyuga also coldly retorted, "Actually, that sentence should go to you guys. It's you who should pray not to run into us Konoha shinobi."
"Hah! I'm looking forward to it. Tch!" With a flick of his head, Uzumaki Sōnagi left the classroom with his group.
Tenten said with an annoyed expression, "That guy was so arrogant."
Shikamaru Nara sighed, saying, "This feels troublesome. I'm already tempted to quit."
Neji Hyuga turned toward Naruto Uzumaki, gave him a slight nod, then said to Tenten and Rock Lee, "Let's go."
Sakura Haruno curiously asked Naruto, "Naruto, do you know that person?"
Naruto answered, "I've met them a few times. You guys probably met them too—they're one year ahead of us."
Sakura thought about it for a moment and realized that indeed, as Naruto said, she vaguely remembered seeing them while attending the Ninja Academy.
Everyone in the classroom gradually left to prepare for the first round exam in two days.
...
Inside a hotel room.
Chinya was sitting in a chair and asked, "You've seen them all, right?"
Uzumaki Sōnagi replied excitedly, "I did! I saw them all—Naruto, Neji-niisan, and many other familiar faces."
Looking at the excited Uzumaki Sōnagi, Chinya reminded him, "I need to remind you one more time, in case you forget—you're not allowed to use [Thunder Breathing Sword Techniques], Sharingan, those Water Release Ninjutsu techniques, nor any Uchiha Fire Release jutsu. Sealing Technique is also forbidden. Got it?"
Uzumaki Sōnagi patted his chest confidently, replying, "Got it—I remember. I promise I won't use any of them! I'm fully confident; even without those, my other elemental techniques alone can dominate this Chūnin Selection Exam!"
Chinya gave a faint, knowing smile and said, "Is that so? Then best of luck to you."
Chinya then turned to Orochimaru beside him and asked, "Sensei, aren't you going to play around a bit?"
Orochimaru gave Chinya a strange look. "What would I go play with? Do you actually think I'd follow them to participate in the exam? I'm not that free, am I?"
"Uh..."
Chinya recalled that Orochimaru did seem to cause some trouble during exams. Had he remembered wrong?
Uzumaki Sōnagi mocked, "Lord Aranori, you really do have an overactive imagination. If Uncle Yagidatsu participates in the exam, what business would we even have here?"
"Hmph, making snide remarks to my face? Be careful, or I'll beat you up!"
Chinya raised his fist in a threatening gesture toward Uzumaki Sōnagi.
Sōnagi scoffed and muttered under his breath, "You can't even argue, so you just threaten me. Pathetic."
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