Before anyone could truly celebrate passing the first exam, a sudden crashing sound echoed through the hall. One of the high windows shattered, and a figure jumped dramatically inside, landing firmly as pieces of glass continued to fall behind her.
As she moved forward, she made an exaggerated comment about the second exam, then suddenly stopped in the middle of the hall and turned to look sharply at everyone.
She was in her early twenties, with a bold appearance and revealing clothes compared to the usual standards. Her loud and energetic presence immediately dominated the room.
She raised her voice and said,
"I am the examiner of the second test… Mitarashi Anko!"
She paused for a moment, then added excitedly,
"And now, let's move on to the next stage immediately! Follow me!"
A strange silence filled the room. Many of the genin exchanged looks, as if they were thinking that she was… a little foolish.
Anko noticed this. She cleared her throat and tried to regain some authority by exchanging a few short words with Ibiki. Then she turned back to the examinees and said in a more serious tone,
"I will give you the instructions tomorrow. We will change the test location, so prepare yourselves well… because more than half of you will fail."
More than half?
The question echoed in everyone's minds, and their expressions changed once again.
"You can get the test location from your supervisors. Now… go."
Anko said, pointing toward the exit.
And so, everyone began to leave.
Ino tried to cling to Louis once again, but Shikamaru pulled her away because of their team's scheduled meeting, making her pout in clear annoyance.
After receiving the test location and some encouraging words from Kurenai, everyone split up and returned to their homes.
Before leaving, Sakura looked at Louis hesitantly, as if she wanted to say something. Then she lowered her head quietly and went back to her house.
As for Louis, he had no intention of returning home that night. From his meeting with the player Kaito, he knew that the second exam would not follow the original scenario, and that he needed to prepare one last time before facing it.
So, since he already knew the location of the second test, he used teleportation to go there and make some preparations, so that neither Sakura nor Hinata would interfere with his plans.
*** ***
Late at night, Sakura sat alone in her room, staring out the window with a frown. Her thoughts were messy, and her emotions were unstable.
Suddenly, she heard a light knock on the glass.
She quickly turned around, her eyes widening when she saw Louis standing there. She almost screamed in surprise, but he quickly signaled for her to stay quiet.
He quietly opened the window and entered the room.
Louis wasn't trying to spend time playing.
He's already decided to ease some of his pent-up feelings tonight.
After making sure that both the door and the window were closed, and that some silence was put on, he and Sakura set off on a hot and intense activity that lasted until the next morning.
As dawn approached, exhaustion overcame Sakura, and she fell asleep.
The next morning, Sakura woke up and did not find Louis in the room. She felt a brief moment of disappointment… but then she stood up, took a quick shower, and happily prepared herself for the second exam.
*** ***
The next morning, all the participants gathered in front of Training Ground No. 44 in Konoha, a vast area surrounded by tall fences and barbed wire, known among ninja by only one name: the Forest of Death.
Many stopped at the gate, surprise and anxiety visible on their faces. Whispered conversations spread among the genin, questions about how dangerous the forest was and why it was chosen as the stage for the second test. Some swallowed nervously, while others tried to act calm, but the tension was clear in their eyes.
Then Mitarashi Anko stepped forward confidently, wearing a wide smile that carried a hint of madness, and began explaining the second test in her usual energetic tone.
But…
Louis was not listening.
While Anko talked about the rules and dangers, Louis calmly and carefully scanned the crowd. He used this moment to observe everyone one by one. During this time, he successfully identified the person whose appearance Orochimaru had stolen for this test. It was not difficult for him, but he deliberately avoided focusing on that person too much, knowing that staring too long could attract unwanted attention.
Then his eyes fell on Kaito.
Kaito was standing not far away, quietly discussing something with five other people. It was clear their conversation was not casual. Even stranger… their gazes occasionally focused on Sasuke and Naruto.
Louis wondered silently,
Are they really planning to target the main protagonists of this world?
The corners of his lips curved slightly into a faint smile.
"This will be interesting…"
he muttered quietly, completely ignoring the greeting from Kaito and his group when they noticed him.
That ignorance was intentional.
A clear and silent refusal to join any group plan with them.
After finishing the basic explanation, Anko asked the participants to come forward and sign a consent form for the second test.
When quiet complaints began to rise, Anko smiled even wider and said in a tone mixed with unsettling cheerfulness,
"The reason is simple… there is a real possibility that several people may die during this test. By signing this, you agree in advance and completely free me from responsibility."
She then let out a light laugh, while the atmosphere grew heavier and more tense.
During this time, Louis noticed something else.
One member of the player group seemed to accidentally bump into Naruto. The collision was light, followed by a quick apology and an immediate retreat.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to!"
the young man said quickly before disappearing into the crowd.
Naruto, being naturally careless, paid no attention to it and simply shrugged.
But Louis… with his trained eyes, sensed something strange about that collision. The movement felt too deliberate, the timing too precise.
But not now…
Louis thought, knowing this was not the right moment to investigate.
After that, Anko began distributing scrolls to all the teams. The scrolls were evenly divided into two types:
Heaven Scrolls
Earth Scrolls
She then clearly announced the objective: each team must collect at least one matching pair of these scrolls and then head to the tower at the center of the forest within 120 hours, five full days.
"If you don't arrive on time… you fail."
Anko said with a smile that held more than one meaning.
Moments later, the gates opened.
The teams entered the depths of the Forest of Death one by one, disappearing behind dense trees and dark shadows.
And so…
The second test officially began.