Once Hinata was gone, the others split up to continue with their own exams.
"Orochimaru marked you with his Cursed Seal," Naruto said, his voice low. He could sense the faint, unnatural chakra coming from Sasuke's shoulder. Three black tomoe rested there like a dark tattoo.
Sasuke nodded grimly. "Yeah."
"It's not just his chakra," he explained. "There's some other power mixed in. It reacts to my emotions and tries to take over, giving me a physical boost but at the cost of overloading my body. It's not worth much compared to the Sharingan, and since I unlocked the Mangekyo, it's been suppressed. It's not a problem for now."
Watching them talk so easily, Sakura felt a familiar pang of frustration. 'I can hear every word they're saying,' she thought, 'but it's like they're speaking another language. It's not fair.' She was a top student, but the Cursed Seal was a complete blind spot for her. Being at the top of the class didn't mean you knew everything.
Naruto shook his head. "That's the wrong way to think about it. The seal is infused with his will. You have to be careful not to fall into his trap. That guy is after your body."
"What? That pervert wants my Sasuke-kun's body?" Sakura's voice jumped, the meaning of that sentence cutting through the haze. 'So that creep with the long tongue is a rival, too? Great. Now I have to worry about guys and girls.'
"Evil Sealing Method," Naruto murmured, touching Sasuke's shoulder. A string of black, tadpole-like runes flowed from his fingertips, spreading out to completely surround the Cursed Seal before vanishing along with it. "This is just a temporary fix. After the second exam is over, I'll help you get rid of it for good."
The mark was gone from sight, but its core remained. Orochimaru had left a piece of his own consciousness inside it, and it would reappear the moment it saw an opportunity.
"Let's go find the other scroll," Sasuke said, rolling his shoulder.
For ninja with real strength, the Forest of Death was no more dangerous than a walk in the park. The poisonous insects and vicious animals were hardly a threat to anyone at the Chunin level.
--**--**
"I hear someone's already got their scrolls and made it to the Tower." In the central High Tower of the Forest of Death, a few Chunin kept an eye on the surveillance feeds in the monitoring room.
"That's Sunagakure's team."
Another Chunin pointed at Gaara's image on the screen. "Four hours... An average Chunin couldn't move that fast, let alone a genin."
"Hey, look closer at the kid with the gourd," a third one added. "He's not just unharmed, his clothes aren't even dirty."
"No way. When did the Sunagakure produce a monster like that?"
"He just broke the record for the fastest time through the forest. Do our Konoha genin even stand a chance this year?"
"They do," a quiet voice said. An Anbu operative stepped forward. "There's one other squad. They were even faster." As this was a joint exam, the Anbu had also assigned personnel to keep watch.
"Who?" the Chunin asked in unison.
"Have none of you noticed?" the Anbu said. "Team 7, Kakashi's squad. They arrived at the tower before the Suna team even got close."
"What?" The proctors scrambled to pull up the tower's surveillance feeds, searching frame by frame. Finally, in footage from two hours ago, they spotted the faint tracks of Naruto's group.
"When did they even get there?"
To have reached the destination so early, right under the noses of every proctor, was a terrifying display of skill.
"Team 7... that's the squad with 'him' and the last Uchiha, right?"
"Hard to believe only ten squads made it."
Out of forty squads, 120 Genin totaling around 40 squads, just 10 squads had snagged both the Heaven and Earth scrolls. That left a 75% elimination rate.
--**--**
Atop the High Tower, the Third Hokage walked slowly onto the platform. A group of Konoha ninja stood to his left, while the jonin leaders from the other villages stood to his right. Orochimaru, representing the Otogakure, was conspicuously among them, obviously disguised.
'Baki is here,' Naruto noted, glancing at the Suna jonin standing near Orochimaru. 'Poor Fourth Kazekage. The most reliable subordinate he has is his own children's teacher.' While Baki wasn't exceptional by Konoha standards, he was one of the few respectable jonin the Sunagakure had.
The jonin from the Yukigakure, Nadare Roga, was also present, though his entire team had been wiped out. The same was true for the jonin from Naekagure, a member of the Fuma clan. On the other hand, the Amegakure and Takigakure had each managed to get one squad through to the third round.
Standing at the front, the Third Hokage began his speech about how the Chunin Exams were a microcosm of war between villages.
Naruto nearly scoffed.
This "microcosm of war" talk was pure nonsense. Konoha was just flexing its muscle on everyone else. Among the Five Great Nations, besides Suna, dragged in as an ally, did Iwa, Kiri, or Kumo care one bit about what Konoha thought?
The old man was right about one thing, though: the exams were a display of national power. Stronger nations were assigned more missions, which meant more funding, while weaker nations received less. The Sunagakure hadn't had a genin reach the finals in years, and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was already considering transferring all of their mission contracts and funding to Konoha. If Rasa hadn't been backed into a corner, he never would have agreed to Orochimaru's plan. If things kept on like this, Sunagakure would be demoted to a second-rate village.
As for the smaller villages, they could never close the gap. Any promising ninja they sent to the exams would almost certainly be assassinated later. What smart village would send its true geniuses to participate in Konoha's games? Only Konoha itself.
"Ahem... Hokage-sama, if you'll excuse me." After the Hokage finished, a sickly-looking man with heavy, dark circles under his eyes approached him.
Hayate Gekko, a Tokubetsu Jonin from Konoha. 'The man whose name means "gale" but who dies before he ever sees a storm,' Naruto thought. The Dance of the Crescent Moon, a favorite opening move for both him and Sasuke, had been Hayate's signature technique.
The Third nodded at him.
Hayate turned to address the genin who had passed. "I will be the proctor for the preliminary matches of the third exam." With ten squads, there were thirty genin in total, far too many for the main event. The third stage was a spectacle where Konoha invited daimyo and nobles from across the nations to watch, showcasing their strength while stimulating the economy. The time of these dignitaries was precious, they wouldn't sit through days of matches. A handful of fights was all they needed to see.
'A spectacle for the nobles,' Naruto mused. 'More like a circus act.' Maybe that's all it was to them. But this time, the show was going to be a little different.
"If you are not feeling well or do not wish to participate, please raise your hand now," Hayate said, his voice raspy. "Otherwise, we will begin the preliminaries... *cough*."
He spoke like he had done this a hundred times before. In his experience, no one who made it this far ever quit.
But this time, someone did.
"I..." Kabuto said, slowly raising his right hand. "I forfeit."
Hayate glanced at the list in his hand. "Kabuto Yakushi. You've failed the Chunin Exams seven times. This is your eighth attempt. Are you sure you wish to forfeit?"
"Yes. I'm covered in injuries," Kabuto said, gesturing to the bloodstains on his bandages. "My body won't allow me to continue fighting. It's better to save my strength for the next exam than be eliminated here."
"A wise choice," Hayate said with a nod, accepting the explanation. He turned back to the others. "Does anyone else wish to withdraw? These preliminaries are individual matches. Please consider carefully if you wish to continue."
"I forfeit as well." Following Kabuto, another hand went up. Then two more. It was Karin's entire temporary squad.
"Karin, Ashi, Sai. Are you certain?" Hayate asked, slightly frowning slightly. What was going on? Genin who reached this stage usually fought to the bitter end. Why were so many forfeiting?
Anko, the proctor for the second exam, frowned as she reviewed the files on Karin's team. "Hokage-sama, the information on these three seems incomplete."
"Don't worry about it," the Third said with a wave of his hand. 'Sending a team just to have them withdraw midway... Danzo, what are you planning?' Lately, he found it harder to understand his old friend's motives.
Kabuto smiled and waved at the Konoha genin before turning to leave. The moment he was gone, Karin's squad followed. After exiting the tower, just as they were about to leave the forest, the three of them blocked Kabuto's path.
"Kabuto-senpai, please wait a moment," Karin said. "A certain lord wishes to meet with you."
"Karin," Kabuto said with a pleasant smile. "As you can see, I'm covered in wounds. I really need to get to the medical office." He took a casual step toward them. Then another.
"Senpai," Karin said, her voice firm, "if you're planning to get close and attack me with the Chakra Scalpel, you should try to hide your killing intent first."
"Oh my, you found me out," Kabuto said, his smile never wavering, though his killing intent was now palpable. "In that case..."
He flashed forward, a chakra scalpel in his hand swiping toward Karin's throat.
*Clang!*
A tachi intercepted his attack. At the same time, several ink-black monsters rose from the ground behind him, cutting off his escape.
"Kabuto-senpai, this is the will of Danzo-sama," Karin stated. "If you continue to resist, I will consider it an act of defiance."
"My, my," Kabuto said, pushing his glasses up his nose. The lenses glinted in the sun. "The new recruits from Root are quite impressive these days."
--**--**
Back in the tower, Hayate continued his explanation. "The matches will be one-on-one. There are no restrictions on weapons or techniques. A match ends when one opponent is dead or surrenders. For your own sakes, I advise you to surrender early if you must."
His words hung in the air. This wasn't a tournament, it was a series of sanctioned deathmatches.
An electronic screen lit up. "Will the contestants whose names are displayed please come forward."
"First Match: Sakura Haruno versus Kin Tsuchi."
"I'm not soft like you Konoha ninja," Kin sneered as she entered the arena. "Your hair is even prettier than mine. I think I'll give you a nice, clean shave." She looked at Sakura with pure malice. Otogakure was a village built on the principle that the strong devour the weak, and Kin saw herself as a predator. She felt a natural superiority over a genin raised in the "greenhouse" of Konoha.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't understand that in this world, talent was everything.
Sakura took a single step and appeared directly in front of Kin. Before the Oto ninja could even react, Sakura drove her fist into her stomach. The sickening thud of the impact made the other genin flinch. Kin crumpled to the ground, out cold before she even had a chance to show what she could do.
"You talk too much," Sakura said, her voice flat. "Shut up."
Even if she was leagues behind Naruto and Sasuke, she was no longer someone a random genin could challenge.
"Second match..."
The genin-level fights were mostly unremarkable. Aside from Gaara, they were all scrubs. An unlucky Taki ninja was matched against him and instantly crushed by a Sand Burial, becoming the first casualty of the day. After finishing him off, Gaara turned and gave Naruto a bloodthirsty smile, as if to say, 'You're next.' It seemed the warning before the exams hadn't restrained him at all, if anything, it had only provoked him.
'Kurama,' Naruto thought, 'it looks like Shukaku doesn't hold you in very high regard.'
'So noisy...' Kurama grumbled, turning over in his mindscape. He'd been dragged into a sparring match with Kid Goku the day before and was still recovering. He was in no mood to talk.
Soon, the final list of participants was confirmed: thirteen in total. All of Team 7 had advanced, as had Neji and Rock Lee. Gaara's entire team also made it through, along with Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino, Dosu, and a single genin from the Amegakure.
With the participants decided, a "fair" lottery was held under the Third Hokage's supervision. When Naruto walked up to the box, he gave it a passing glance, a scornful smirk touching his lips. It was less a random draw and more a fixed arrangement. It didn't matter which slip of paper you drew, the outcome was already decided.
"First Match: Naruto versus Neji."
"Second Match: Sasuke versus Gaara."
"Third Match: Rock Lee versus Shino."
"Fourth Match: Hinata versus Temari."
The first few fights were all pre-arranged main events, designed to give the VIP guests the best possible show. The matches further down the list would get less attention, so the genin from smaller villages like Otogakure and Amegakure landed at the tail end.
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