Late at night, in a narrow alleyway within Konohagakure, Kabuto and Orochimaru met in secret.
"So, what do you think of Kanon Uchiha's body?" Orochimaru asked with keen interest.
"She is unfathomable, Orochimaru-sama. Sasuke would be the safer choice for a vessel."
"And why is that?"
"Because Sasuke's Sharingan only has two tomoe; it will be far more convenient for your research into the dōjutsu. Furthermore, I have yet to fully gauge the true extent of Kanon Uchiha's strength."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Orochimaru-sama, your time is nearly up. A new vessel is a matter of extreme urgency. In my opinion, Sasuke is the optimal choice."
"Very well, I shall follow your lead. Though I intend to visit the testing grounds to see for myself." Orochimaru let out a light chuckle, noticing Kabuto seemed to have more on his mind. "Is there something else?"
"Regarding this second phase... Orochimaru-sama, pinning down the Uchiha siblings may not be so simple."
Orochimaru caught Kabuto's meaning and smiled faintly. "I will send Kimimaro to keep an eye on Sasuke's sister. Though he may not be able to kill her, restricting her movements should be no problem at all."
"That would be best. Tell Kimimaro to stay wary of Kanon Uchiha."
With their brief exchange concluded, the two vanished into the night without leaving a trace.
…
The following day.
The candidates gathered outside a vast woodland where the examiners were already waiting.
"What is... this place?" Naruto asked, bewildered.
"Don't look at me, I'm just as clueless," Kanon muttered, adjusting her shinobi tool pouch on her left thigh.
At that moment, Anko Mitarashi stepped forward and introduced the forest behind her. "This is the site for the second exam: the 44th Training Ground."
"Otherwise known as the Forest of Death."
The four members of Team 7 stared at the forest. A chilling wind blew out from the trees, sending shivers down Sakura's spine.
Anko smiled at the crowd. "You'll all be experiencing the horrors of the Forest of Death soon enough."
Standing beside Kanon, Naruto began to "clown around," mocking Anko by mimicking her tone before shouting, "Go ahead and try to scare me! I'll be fine! I'm not afraid at all!"
Naruto burst into laughter, causing Anko's lips to curl into a smirk.
"Is that so? You certainly have a lot of spirit."
In the blink of an eye, a kunai flew from her hand toward Naruto's cheek. The crowd gasped. Anko was clearly trying to put Naruto in his place.
Clang!
The kunai struck something and deflected away. Thin trails of blood appeared on both Anko's and Naruto's cheeks.
Anko looked at Kanon in surprise. Kanon was holding a kunai of her own; she had executed a precise counter, expertly avoiding any blind spots.
This unexpected display of skill brought a spark of joy to the bored Anko.
However, no one noticed that in the middle of the crowd, a pale-faced woman was staring at Kanon and Sasuke, her eyes filled with murderous intent and hunger.
Seeing her intimidation tactic had failed, Anko pulled a stack of papers from seemingly nowhere.
"Now, before the second exam begins, I'm handing these out."
"Anyone who wishes to take the next exam must sign this consent form."
"What for?" Naruto asked.
"Because people might actually die. For that, I need your prior consent. Otherwise, it becomes my responsibility."
"Now, for the explanation of the second exam."
"Simply put, this is a test of your ultimate survival skills."
Anko produced a map of the forest and explained the layout. The exam would last 120 hours, exactly five days. Of the 26 teams, thirteen would hold Heaven Scrolls and the other thirteen would hold Earth Scrolls. Essentially, at least half the teams would be eliminated.
To pass, a team had to collect both a Heaven and an Earth scroll and reach the tower located in the center of the Forest of Death. Failure to arrive within the time limit or losing a teammate would result in disqualification.
After finishing the rules, Anko sneered at the candidates.
"One last thing: there are no withdrawals from this test! And under no circumstances are you to look at the contents of the scrolls until you reach the tower!"
"Finally, a word of advice: don't die!"
Anko's roar snapped everyone to attention.
…
After submitting their forms and receiving a Heaven Scroll, Team 7 huddled together.
"What's the plan?" Naruto asked.
"In this fight, everyone except our team is an enemy," Kanon muttered.
"We have thirty minutes. Should we discuss a strategy?" Sakura asked.
Kanon turned to Sasuke and whispered, "Nii-chan, do you have a plan?"
"Not yet... we'll have to take it one step at a time."
Naruto beckoned them forward. "Come on, let's head to Gate 12."
Sasuke, Kanon, and Sakura followed.
"We're not gonna lose!" Naruto pumped his fist, psyching himself up.
Kanon joined him, punching the air to encourage the team.
"You two hot-headed idiots, could you calm down for a second?" Sakura sighed, at a total loss with her two hyperactive teammates.
Sasuke's lips quirked up slightly; he was actually looking forward to the challenge.
Before they knew it, thirty minutes had passed.
"The second phase of the Chunin Selection Exams begins now!"
In that instant, everyone charged into the Forest of Death.
Orochimaru's team moved with a singular purpose.
"Let's find the children!"
The two beside him smirked. "You mean those four, right?"
…
Naruto and his team entered through Gate 12.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Team 8, Team 10, Team 3, and the three shinobi from Sunagakure all set foot into the treacherous woods.
Upon entering, Naruto and his teammates were immediately met with an oppressive silence.
"It's so creepy..." Sakura couldn't help but shiver.
Sasuke remained silent. He knew that in this forest, every opponent was a foe. They needed to defeat a team carrying an Earth Scroll, but they might also encounter teams with the same objective.
The thought made Sasuke a bit anxious. They hadn't ventured far when a blood-curdling scream echoed from the depths of the forest.
"Someone's been taken out already?!" Sasuke gasped.
It hadn't even been half an hour, and a team was already down.
Sakura and the others grew tense, even Naruto. When he got nervous, he tended to need the bathroom.
"It's nothing... I just gotta go pee." Naruto started to unbutton his pants, looking for a tree.
Kanon's cheeks flushed slightly, while Sakura delivered a swift punch to Naruto's head.
"You idiot! You can't be so rude in front of us!"
"Go find some bushes or something!"
Reluctantly, Naruto scurried off into the brush.
When he returned, he scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, man, that was a huge one~"
Kanon and Sasuke both frowned simultaneously. Without warning, Sasuke lunged forward and sent "Naruto" flying with a powerful punch.
Sakura watched in shock as the fake Naruto smashed into a tree. She cried out, "Sasuke! No matter what happened, you can't just hit him like that!"
"Kanon, scout the area! Find where the real Naruto is!"
"On it!" Kanon closed her eyes and began to sense for chakra signatures.
The Uchiha siblings' rapid reaction forced Sakura to snap into combat mode.
Faster than Sakura could react, Sasuke dashed toward the imposter to engage him. The fake Naruto's movements were exceptionally fluid, completely unlike the real one, which finally made Sakura realize the truth.
The person before them wasn't Naruto; it was an enemy using the Transformation Jutsu.