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Anko turned to the window now, the present once again catching up to her thoughts. Her hand gently brushed against the windowpane as she stared out over the forest below, where shadows danced beneath thick foliage.
Her voice was low, thoughtful.
"…And now Team 7 is here too. The son of the Fourth Hokage… and that Gaara monster. In the same round."
Her lips quirked into a slow, almost dangerous smile. "This exam's going to get bloody."
She stepped away from the window, her thoughts whirling.
'The Kazekage must have known. He wouldn't send someone like that otherwise… and to still call him a Genin? That's not carelessness... that's intentional.'
She pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders, her expression sobering.
"Two unpredictable variables. Naruto… and Gaara…"
She walked over to the table, looking at the map of the arena and the tower layout.
"This year is different," She whispered. "This year, the exam won't just test skill… It's going to reveal monsters hiding in the skin of children."
She exhaled, then smirked again. "And I can't wait to see which monster stands tallest."
------
Two days later...
The flickering light from the monitor faded to black.
A heavy silence lingered in the room like smoke. The stillness in the chamber atop the central tower of the Forest of Death wasn't just physical; it was steeped in anticipation, in the weight of what was to come.
Anko crossed her arms, watching the blank screen as the chunin who had delivered the report stood quietly, head bowed. His last words echoed still.
"Twenty-one have finished the second exam… It's been confirmed."
The number clung to her ears. That was higher than expected.
And not just any teams. Some monsters had made it.
Anko closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to ease the tension from her shoulders. So it's really happening… She thought. The preliminaries are coming back... for the first time in five years.
Behind her, the aged yet commanding voice of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, rumbled out calmly.
"For the time being, continue the exam as is."
He turned, taking slow steps toward the large wooden doors. "But keep an eye on his movements."
His foot tapped firmly on the stone floor as he exited, leaving his final words hanging thick in the air.
Anko didn't need to ask who he meant.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," She replied softly, her voice tight with unspoken concern.
She didn't like the feeling she had about all this.
There was something wild moving under the surface now. Something deeper than even she had expected from him. And that was saying something.
...
An Hour Later...
The heavy doors creaked open, letting in a faint breeze of stale, earthy air as all twenty-one remaining Genin entered the large circular room.
The ceiling soared high above, carved with ancient chakra seals. The most dominant feature was the enormous stone sculpture of two hands locked in the Tiger Hand Seal, symbolizing the unity and challenge of the Chuunin Exams.
Naruto stepped forward into the room, his golden hair glowing faintly in the ethereal torchlight. Beside him, Sakura walked confidently, her eyes forward but slightly tilted toward her master.
Sasuke was quieter than usual. A subtle edge crept along his jawline.
The pressure in the air… something about it put him on edge.
They weren't the first to arrive, as across the room, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro already stood silently.
Gaara's arms were crossed, his head tilted slightly as he watched Naruto like a hawk that had found an equal. Their earlier meeting hadn't left his mind.
Other teams slowly filtered into the hall.
Team 8 arrived next with Kiba muttering about the stench in the forest, Shino remained unreadable as always, and Hinata stood tall and sharp-eyed. Her chakra felt controlled and precise. She glanced once toward Naruto, her eyes softening subtly before she quickly straightened herself.
Team 10 followed soon after with Shikamaru in the lead. His hands were in his pockets as he sighed long and low.
"What a drag. A huge chamber just to make us wait more…"
Ino smirked beside him, catching Naruto's presence right away. She waved playfully but said nothing. Her usual bubbly air hid something deeper now. She wore a mask of normalcy like a second skin.
Chouji, stomach already growling, clutched a chip bag that had been empty since halfway through the second day.
"I'm starving… When's the food part of the exam?"
Sakura, hearing him, chuckled softly. "You could've eaten that weird frog yesterday…"
Chouji shuddered. "No way! That thing blinked at me!"
Laughter rippled through a few genin nearby. It was a rare sound after such intense survival.
But the moment was brief because the room's atmosphere shifted.
The heavy platform at the far end lifted slightly as Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared, now standing beside the examiners and flanked by the seven Jounin squad leaders.
All Genin straightened up.
This was it.
Anko Mitarashi stepped forward from the Hokage's left, her voice firm and resonating.
"First off… congratulations on surviving the Forest of Death."
Her words weren't flowery. They weren't kind. They were direct because they had to be.
"You should be proud. But don't think for a second that this is where the test ends."
She scanned the faces before her. Some were exhausted, some were cocky while a few of them were unreadable.
"We had over sixty teams enter. Only twenty-one made it this far. That's still too many."
A lot of gasps rose across the room.
Chouji groaned louder. "Don't tell me we have to go back out there…"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I told you this was gonna happen."
Anko smirked. "That's right. You're not done yet. The preliminaries are coming."
The words hit like thunder.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he already knew about it. The chakra levels in the room alone told him many were too strong to simply be passed forward.
Sasuke, with arms crossed, nodded slowly. Good. Let me fight…
Sakura stayed calm, though inside her chest beat with excitement as this was just another chance for her to show her training to Naruto-sama.
Across the room, Neji let a breath out through his nose.
Rock Lee, on the other hand, clenched his fists so tightly his arms shook.
"Yosh! This is my moment to shine!"
Gai, standing behind the Hokage, wept silent tears of joy. "My youthful student… is blooming…"
He turned to Kakashi dramatically. "Your team may have passed… BUT MINE—!"
Kakashi raised a lazy hand. "Huh? You say something, Gai?"
Gai's face twitched, and he shouted. "KAKASHIIIIIIIIIII!!!"
Anko cleared her throat loudly.
"Anyway! Now that that's out of the way—"
Her voice sharpened again.
"Because of how many passed, we'll be conducting a preliminary elimination. One-on-one matches. Rules will be simple. You win, you move on. You lose… you're done."
The silence grew heavier.
"Matches will begin shortly after this meeting. There will be no breaks in between."
Sakura felt her stomach flip slightly. But she held her stance.
I've come too far. I won't lose now… I'll show Naruto-sama how strong I've become.
Ino's eyes lingered on her. A tiny smile tugged at her lips.
Let's see who he watches closer.
Naruto tilted his head slightly as if reading their emotions.
Oh boy…
Back by the Jounin
As the Genin stewed in tension, the atmosphere behind the Hokage was something else entirely.
Gai leaned close to Kakashi again, arms crossed.
"Your students may be strong, but youth shines brightest in flames of determination!"
Kakashi didn't look up from his book. "I believe in my team. You should worry more about Rock Lee. He gets too excited."
"Too excited?! Nonsense!" Gai bellowed. "Excitement is the oil in the machine of life!"
Kurenai smiled faintly. "It's nice seeing this many talented teams for once…"
Asuma leaned in. "You've got two girls pining after one blond jinchuuriki. I don't envy you."
Kurenai gave him a look. "Are you talking about Ino and Hinata?"
Asuma grinned. "Who else? That kid's got the charisma of a Hokage already."
Behind them, the Hokage heard all, but he said nothing.
But his eyes, they focused on Naruto with a strange softness.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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