"Listen up, you lot. This test is not a joke. If you value your life, back off. Then again, if you truly valued your life, you would not have chosen to become a Shinobi. Unless, of course, you suffered some damage to your brains when you were young..." Riichi chuckled at all of them, though Hayama was not smiling.
He calmly collected the signed forms from the participants, and when all 87 had submitted them, he smiled.
"Very well. Now then, the next phase will start at exactly 6 pm. Each team will be handed one of these two scrolls..." Hayama spoke, and Riichi displayed the two scrolls to the Genin. "Your objective, now that you have chosen to accept it, is to arrive at the Central Tower with both the Heaven and the Earth Scrolls."
"The Forest of Death spans a radius of ten kilometres around the Central Tower, and you will get five days to complete this test. In these five days, you must find a team with the scroll that you do not possess, seize it, and then make it to the Tower within the given time."
"Each team only needs one Heaven Scroll and one Earth Scroll to pass. Keep these scrolls safe, and do not open them. There is a riddle awaiting you at the Tower, and you will have to solve it as well. So, do not lose your minds in the Forest."
All the Genin attentively paid attention to the rules and instructions.
"I will say this once, and I hope you will not be foolish enough to forget this rule. You are not allowed to open these scrolls. If you do... then you will be responsible for whatever tragedy may befall you," Riichi said cryptically.
"Now, I will call the names of each team, and they will step forward and take a token from me, which will tell them the number of the gate they will enter the forest from. You will find someone waiting there with the scroll that is meant for you. Come on now, hurry up. Konoha Team 3..."
Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee immediately rushed forward and took the token from Riichi before heading off to their assigned gate.
"Konoha, Team 4..."
"Konoha Team 5..."
Karin rushed forward to collect their token, and then Enma and Shizuka quickly followed her to Gate 33, which was quite a distance from where they were.
They took their time, keeping an eye on everyone who might try to spy on them, but soon realised that would not be easy.
At each gate, a Jonin was present, guarding the scroll. There was very little chance that any team would know which scroll the other team possessed. It was almost impossible. They did not bother about it too much.
At 5:45 pm, they arrived at the 33rd Gate, and the Jonin there asked for their token, verified that it was genuine, and then handed them the Heaven Scroll.
"Good luck," he said to them, then unlocked the gate.
Enma kept a sharp sense on everyone around them, and the closest teams to them were at Gates 36 and 30.
He, however, sensed that both those teams possessed the Heaven Scroll as well, so he targeted the team from Kusagakure entering from Gate 25.
At 6 pm, the Jonin raised his hand, and as soon as the three passed the gate, Karin and Shizuka increased their pace to keep up with Enma, who had turned left.
They encountered a team from Kumo, who were stunned and anxious when they saw them approach, but instantly relaxed when they simply passed by, ignoring them.
Ten minutes later, they intercepted their targets, and the three Genin from Hidden Grass trembled at the sight of them.
"Show us your scroll," the Uzumaki Heir said coldly, and the boy who carried it immediately produced the Earth Scroll.
"It's the Earth Scroll, Nii-san."
"I see. So, make your choice now. Life or death?" Enma said softly, and the boy instantly dropped the scroll on the ground and stepped back.
Karin quickly picked it up and then nodded to the Kusagakure team.
"Since you have been sensible, I suggest you stop searching for scrolls in the forest. Head to the Tower and lay an ambush there for a team who arrives with both scrolls," she advised, before flickering away with her team.
Exactly thirty minutes after the exam began, the three of them reached the Tower and opened the two scrolls after reading the riddle inside one of the entrances.
With a puff of smoke, a Tokubetsu Jonin whom Karin was familiar with appeared before them.
"Aoba-sensei." She smiled at the man she had met once at the Jonin Tower when Anko took her there.
"Oh, Karin-san." He smiled and checked the time on his watch. "Thirty minutes... that's a new record. You three rushed through, didn't you?"
"Just got lucky with the first team we encountered." She smiled brightly, and he nodded in understanding.
"Go on then, you'll be staying at the Tower for the next few days. Here is the key to your suite. You are not allowed to leave the Tower, and if you do before the second test finishes, you will be disqualified." He threw them the key and then disappeared with a puff of smoke to report to the Exams Committee.
Excited that they had managed to complete the test so quickly, the two girls dragged Enma inside the Tower and started exploring.
They had never been to this place before, and were surprised to learn about its history.
This was the place where the Senju and Uchiha clans gathered to make their truce, and where all the founding clans of Konoha had gathered to announce the establishment of the village.
They also learned that the entire Forest of Death was created by Senju Hashirama with his Wood Release.
The Tower was the oldest building in Konoha, and it was quite an interesting place with its own medical care unit, canteen, as well as Jonin and Chunin lounges.
Once they had finished exploring, they came across the Sand Siblings, who had just arrived at the Tower.
The Sand Genin were surprised to find them already there, and Temari was stunned when Karin told her they had finished the test in exactly thirty minutes.
Enma was not in the mood to chat, so he asked his sister and Shizuka to follow him to their suite.
They freshened up, visited the canteen, had their meal, and went straight to sleep.
However, the Uzumaki Heir kept a shadow clone on guard at the door, just as a precaution.
Team 5 remained in their suite for the next two days, resting, as there was not much else to do.
Karin, using the Mind's Eye, kept watch on everything in the Forest of Death, and it was the same for Enma.
At the end of the second day, in the evening, something happened in the forest that alarmed the siblings, and the Uzumaki Heir immediately rushed out of their room.
Karin stayed put with her eyes closed as she watched Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura being attacked by someone who should not have been in the forest.
The enemy possessed a very potent, sinister, and massive chakra. His reserves were comparable to Anko's, which were already much higher than those of the Hokage.
And such an enemy was targeting Sasuke...
She tensed when she saw the person bite Sasuke's neck, leaving a mark flowing with their chakra, and she only relaxed when the enemy left and did not pursue them.
Meanwhile, Enma rushed to the Jonin Lounge, where the Hokage was present, and, upon his entrance, everyone looked his way.
"It's too soon for you to enter this room, Enma-kun," Hiruzen smiled at him.
"I need to speak with you regarding a very urgent matter, Hokage-sama."
"You may speak."
Enma remained silent for a few seconds.
"Team Seven has just been attacked by a powerful enemy. It's not a Genin," he said calmly. "The enemy was targeting Sasuke, and two of the invigilators in the sixteenth sector of the forest are dead."
At his words, Kakashi visibly tensed, and so did everyone else.
Hiruzen frowned.
"Is he still targeting Team 7?" Hiruzen asked calmly, and Enma remained silent for several seconds.
"No, the enemy has used some jutsu to escape the forest, and is already about to leave the village..." he stopped and furrowed his brow. "His signature has suddenly disappeared. He is using some sort of seal to hide his presence..." he frowned.
"Hokage-sama..." Kakashi looked at the old man, worried. "What is going on?"
Hiruzen sighed.
"I came here to inform you that Orochimaru has infiltrated the village. Now we know why he came here. All of you, except for Kakashi, are to search for him. Find him if he is still within the village."
"Yes!" they all replied in unison before rushing out.
"Enma-kun, close the door."
The Uzumaki Heir did as asked, then walked over to the Hokage.
"Did he do something to Sasuke?"
"He left some sort of seal on the left side of Sasuke's neck. The seal has his chakra inside it."
"The Curse Mark..." Hiruzen frowned. "Kakashi, go and find Kushina-san."
"The test..."
"We cannot interfere in the second stage. We will wait for the test to end."
Even though the Copy Ninja seemed unconvinced, he bowed and followed the orders.
"Walk with me, Enma-kun."
The Uzumaki Heir walked outside the lounge with the Hokage, and soon they stood before the massive sculpture of the Seal of Confrontation in the Arena.
"Did the Nine-Tails' chakra leak out?"
"Yes."
Hiruzen glanced his way.
"Why did it suddenly disappear?"
"The enemy sealed it back inside Naruto, and now he cannot access the Bijuu's chakra and will have trouble accessing his own chakra as well."
"I see. Any idea which seal he applied?"
"Five Elements Seal."
"And you are able to tell that even without seeing it?"
"I am sensitive to Fuinjutsu, Hokage-sama. It was easy to guess which seal he used, given its effects and the way he gathered chakra for it."
"Interesting."
Hiruzen fell silent and stared at the Seal of Confrontation.
"He is strong, isn't he?"
"Who?" Enma asked curiously.
"Orochimaru."
"Yes," he nodded.
"Stronger than me?"
Enma nodded again without hesitation, and the old Hokage chuckled.
"Strength isn't everything though, is it?"
"Of course not. However, strength plays a crucial part in deciding the outcome of battles. So does your experience, knowledge, and battle instincts. But if you lack the strength to make use of them, you will find yourself in serious trouble against someone who possesses all those qualities and much greater strength."
"Indeed. And what about willpower?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
Enma smiled.
"Your willpower can help you grow stronger, can help you push beyond your limits, but if you are up against someone with willpower as strong as yours, and strength far greater, the odds are still stacked against you."
"Yes..."
Hiruzen turned silent after this, only speaking again a few minutes later.
"Are the Chunin Exams important to you, Enma-kun?" he asked.
"For the promotion, yes."
"What about to prove yourself as the strongest in the exams?"
"I don't need to prove it to anyone. No one in these exams holds a chance against me," he said simply. "It's not overconfidence, Hokage-sama. It's simply the truth."
"I believe you." The old man smiled. "I have a mission for you, Enma-kun. A special mission for you alone. If you choose to accept it..."