c10 Chunin Examination
After some trouble in the hallway mainly the fake "302" illusion meant to weed out unqualified candidates Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura went to submit their applications. Naruto didn't bother mentioning how easily Sasuke saw through the low-level genjutsu, and Sakura identified it immediately after remembering Kakashi's earlier lessons about deceptive chakra fluctuations. When they approached the real third-floor entrance, Rock Lee greeted Naruto with a brief nod. Although Lee had tried to act cool, his focus shifted immediately to Sasuke, whom he wanted to challenge right away, believing that anyone who could be Naruto's teammate must possess considerable strength.
Even though it was their first meeting, Lee also became instantly infatuated with Sakura just as in the original manga declaring her his "goddess of youth." Unfortunately for him, Sakura had zero interest in thick eyebrows and green spandex.
Sasuke, being naturally competitive and having recovered greatly since Wave, accepted the challenge. After a short exchange of words, the fight began. Sasuke activated his Sharingan to read Lee's movements, successfully analyzing the angles and patterns of Lee's taijutsu. However, Lee was a pure physical specialist trained under Might Guy, someone capable of opening multiple Eight Gates. Because of this, Sasuke found that even if he could see Lee's movements, his body simply couldn't match the speed. After several exchanges, Sasuke was forced purely onto the defensive, blocking Lee's rapid-fire punches and spinning kicks with both arms. But Lee's raw strength made blocking nearly useless; Sasuke was pushed back repeatedly.
Naruto watched without interfering. In his opinion, Sasuke needed to experience defeat firsthand to grow stronger. Protecting him now would only slow his progress.
Just when Lee prepared to use the Front Lotus a forbidden move for genin Guy appeared dramatically with a flying kick, complete with a sunset pose, stopping Lee instantly. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura broke into cold sweats at the over-the-top antics of the eccentric mentor and his equally strange student.
Despite Guy's theatrics, Naruto respected his strength deeply. Guy had the power to open all Eight Gates, something that could temporarily surpass even the Hokage. Of course, the final gate was lethal, but the power it granted was undeniable. Still, Naruto knew this extreme training style wasn't suitable for him, especially when he was developing a technique that required chakra finesse rather than self-destruction.
Guy's arrival left a deep impact on Sasuke, driving his desire to become stronger. After this brief interruption, the group finally headed to the official Chunin Exam venue.
Inside the hall, they found that most candidates were older many in their late teens. Naruto, barely thirteen, looked like a kid among adults. Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention, he pulled Sasuke and Sakura to the edge of the room. Despite this, Kabuto Yakushi, the polite silver-haired upperclassman, approached them with his information cards, just like in the manga. He explained the exam structure and demonstrated his intel cards, which listed statistics on well-known candidates like Gaara, Kankuro, and even Sasuke. While Kabuto acted friendly, Naruto after months of developing his senses felt something off about him but couldn't pinpoint it.
Moments later, the first exam began. Ibiki Morino introduced harsh rules: no cheating, penalties for team errors, and questions so difficult that even many chūnin would struggle. But Naruto, having reviewed academic basics during his earlier training, didn't face the same hopelessness as before. He still couldn't solve everything, but he didn't score zero, and he observed numerous creative "intelligence-gathering" methods mirror reflections, puppet cameras, byakugan signals, and more. The real challenge came with Ibiki's final question, but Naruto shouted his original manga-style declaration not to give up, which inspired the other candidates and secured Team 7's pass.
However, Naruto's mind was already on the second exam: the Forest of Death. He knew he would face Orochimaru the most dangerous foe yet. Right after the written exam ended, Mitarashi Anko dramatically burst into the room, surprising everyone with her sudden appearance. She noted there were still 26 teams left and assured them that half would be eliminated soon enough.
The candidates followed her to the Forest of Death. True to its ominous name, every participant had to sign a death waiver. Anko then explained the rules: each team received either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll. To pass, they needed to obtain the opposite scroll and reach the central tower within five days. This meant only half the groups could logically succeed. Food, survival, and ambushes were all part of the challenge. Once each team handed in their forms and received a scroll, they selected an entrance. All gates opened simultaneously so that no team could predict who held which scroll or where they had entered.
And with that, the true test began.
Soon, every team submitted their consent forms, exchanged their scrolls, selected separate entrances, and entered the Forest of Death simultaneously. For Team 7, the Heaven Scroll was naturally entrusted to Naruto, whose strength and durability made him the most reliable one to carry it. As soon as Anko blew the whistle, the gates opened, and dozens of teams sprang into the forest.
Not long after entering, a distant scream echoed through the trees an unmistakable sign that someone had already been killed. Naruto sensed the presence of someone tailing them, their chakra faint but distinct. Making an excuse about scouting ahead, he leapt away to investigate. Meanwhile, the stalker used the Transformation Jutsu to appear as Naruto and approached Sakura and Sasuke. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke had already awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan during Wave, giving him the ability to see through the illusion instantly. Sasuke attacked without hesitation, and although the enemy fought back, his level was clearly inferior. After several exchanges, he retreated clumsily into the foliage.
Naruto, hidden within the bushes, realized something far more dangerous: multiple sources of killing intent around them. This wasn't just a simple ambush by low-level genin. Something or someone else was watching.
The impostor returned again, still disguised as Naruto, but Sasuke exposed him once more. Knowing the trick was useless, the enemy dropped the transformation and told his teammates to leave him so he could "handle it alone." His tone was too calm for an ordinary genin.
Then came a bizarre move. The man, whose appearance shifted into a tall Grass ninja, casually stated that he knew Team 7 carried the Heaven Scroll. He pulled out his Earth Scroll in full view and dangled it in front of Sasuke as bait. Before anyone could process this, he lifted the scroll and swallowed it whole. Sakura and Sasuke gasped in confusion this was not how normal shinobi behaved. But Naruto's pupils narrowed sharply.
Swallowing a scroll whole was one thing, but the casual confidence, the way he moved, the calmness in his voice, and the overwhelming chakra signature Naruto felt from the shadows this was beyond doubt. This wasn't a Grass genin. This was Orochimaru.
Naruto hadn't expected the legendary Sannin to appear so quickly. Judging from how Orochimaru acted, he either hadn't noticed Naruto's exact location or he had sensed him perfectly but chose not to acknowledge it. For someone with Orochimaru's experience, the absence of one team member was enough to reveal that Naruto was lying in wait. The only reason he acted unconcerned was because he didn't consider Naruto a real threat.
Orochimaru's obsession, just like in the manga, was the Sharingan. He considered Itachi Uchiha far too strong to steal from, so Sasuke, as the last known Uchiha with an undeveloped Sharingan, was the perfect vessel to cultivate. In Orochimaru's eyes, someone without Uchiha blood could never awaken such power. Thus, the only one he saw as worthy was Sasuke.
But Sasuke was still far too young. Even so, the sheer killing intent Orochimaru released paralyzed both Sasuke and Sakura instantly. His murderous aura was so suffocating that Sasuke dropped to his knees, trembling, unable to move. Sakura felt her breath tighten, her limbs frozen, just as depicted in the original Forest of Death arc.
Then, like a serpent sensing hidden prey, Orochimaru turned his head toward the dense bushes nearby. His yellow eyes curved into a smile far too unnatural to be human.
"How long do you plan to hide?" he hissed softly. "Why don't you come out?"