With plenty of time remaining,
Team 7 began a systematic sweep of the area.
Under Menma's quiet guidance, it took less than half a day for them to locate another group from the Hidden Leaf—
a senior team.
With "three strikes, five divided into two"—
in other words, with effortless ease—
Menma, Sasuke, and Naruto defeated them.
By sheer luck, the defeated team carried the exact scroll Team 7 needed:
The Earth Scroll.
With both Heaven and Earth Scrolls in hand, their mission was complete.
Menma, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura wasted no time, immediately heading toward the central tower in the center of the Forest of Death.
Within minutes, the tall structure came into view.
As the only building in the entire forest, its presence was unmistakable.
Konoha truly lived up to its title as the most developed shinobi village—
even this exam tower reflected superior infrastructure.
'So Kabuto really didn't show up here? Was it because of my run-in with Orochimaru?'
Menma narrowed his eyes slightly as the tower drew near.
Kabuto Yakushi's image flashed through his mind.
For all his duplicity, Kabuto was exceptional—
as a shinobi, as a medical-nin, and as Orochimaru's right hand.
Among Orochimaru's forces, Kabuto's status was near the top.
Menma had a strong interest in someone that dangerous and intelligent.
But the opportunity to confront him here wasn't given to him—
at least not yet.
Perhaps in the future.
Inside the Tower
"So this is the end point of the second exam? Huh… why isn't anyone here?"
Sakura blinked at the empty hall.
The huge interior was silent—no examiners in sight.
"If no one's here, it's because of the scrolls," Menma said casually.
He reached into his vest and pulled out the two required scrolls.
Naruto, catching on, fumbled through his gear and pulled out his own.
When the scrolls touched—
Poof!
A burst of white smoke exploded outward.
"!?"
"Huh?"
"What the—?"
When the smoke cleared, a familiar figure stood before them.
"N-No way— Iruka-sensei?!"
Naruto's eyes went wide.
"Haha, that's because I'm the one assigned to greet you," Iruka said warmly.
He looked over the four of them—dirty, exhausted, but undeniably stronger—and his expression softened with pride.
He had once opposed their participation in the Chūnin Exams, believing they weren't ready.
Now… he realized he had underestimated them.
"H-Herald? What's that?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.
Iruka smiled and began explaining, slipping perfectly into teacher mode.
He outlined the exam's structure, the purpose of the scrolls, and the next steps—
all while referencing the guidance written personally by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Listening now, Menma reflected on how, in his previous life, he had skimmed over these parts.
But hearing Iruka explain them clearly, he had to admit—
Hiruzen's philosophy and structure of the exams were well thought out.
It was Hiruzen's actions later in life that contradicted his words—
the youthful Hokage and the old Hokage were almost two different men.
"So, if you want to become proper chūnin,
you still have much to learn," Iruka concluded.
"Don't grow arrogant."
"Iruka-sensei…"
"Yeah, we understand!"
Naruto and Sakura answered in unison.
"You four look exhausted," Iruka said kindly.
"I'll save the rest for later. Go to the designated lounge.
Today is only the second day—results won't be finalized until tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes!"
In this timeline, unlike the original,
Team 7 passed the second exam first—and extremely early—thanks to Menma.
This gave them more rest than usual, which Menma knew mattered.
After all, once the second exam ended, the large number of remaining participants typically forced Konoha to hold a preliminary elimination round before the main tournament.
Not this time, however.
Menma still planned ahead—
thinking of Gaara, and of Rock Lee who could open the Five Gates.
Both could cause real trouble if he wasn't careful.
He couldn't afford to reveal too much Nine-Tails chakra—not before leaving Konoha.
But all this planning turned out to be unnecessary.
A Change in Structure
"Hm? Time's up already? Are we going downstairs to draw lots for the main event?"
Menma asked when a Konoha chūnin arrived at their rest chamber on the afternoon of the third day.
But what the examiner said next stunned him.
"There will be no preliminary matches this time."
He spoke in an official tone.
"Since the second exam just ended, the number of participants who passed is… four.
Or rather, three teams total.
"The main competition—held one month from now—will proceed directly as single combat, knockout format.
We will now determine the match list by drawing lots."
Menma blinked—momentarily speechless.
So the entire dynamic of this timeline had already shifted.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ 35+ CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE OR PURCHASE FOR LIFETIME ACCESS!
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 149 ON PATREON.
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD