The moment Sasuke finished signing, the hesitation in the air vanished.
As if a switch had been flipped, the other teams wasted no time.
One by one, genin stepped forward, scrawling their names onto the waivers with varying expressions—some grim, some excited, some pretending not to care while their hands shook just a little.
Pens scraped against paper.
This wasn't courage anymore. It was momentum.
Once the first few signed, the rest followed.
No one wanted to be the one left behind.
Soon, they began handing out the scrolls—Heaven and Earth—each team receiving one at random. The weight of the parchment felt heavier than it should have, as if it carried the Forest of Death itself inside.
Teams gathered close, checking their assigned scrolls in silence.
Heaven.
Earth.
For some, relief flashed across their faces.
For others, annoyance.
Karin lazily flipped her scroll open, glanced at the symbol, then snapped it shut.
"Heh. Figures," she muttered.
Kimimaro acknowledged it with a nod, already cataloging routes and potential enemy encounters in his head.
Haku said nothing, simply tucking the scroll away carefully, his eyes calm and focused.
Hinata adjusted the strap of her pouch and took a slow breath.
Nearby, Naruto held his scroll up like it was a trophy.
"We got Heaven!" he announced proudly, grinning from ear to ear. "See that? Easy win!"
Sasuke ignored him completely, as if he didn't exist. He tucked the scroll into his pouch and lifted his gaze to the massive forest beyond the gate, his expression cold and focused.
Sakura glanced between the two of them, swallowing nervously before forcing herself to straighten up.
Around them, conversations died down.
The laughter, the trash talk, the complaints—it all faded as the realization settled in.
Once those gates opened, this stopped being an exam you could joke about.
This was survival.
Anko watched them quietly, arms crossed, that same sharp grin on her face.
"Good,"
"Looks like you're all ready."
She turned toward the massive gates leading into Training Ground Forty-Four.
"In a few minutes, those gates will open."
"When they do—run, hide, hunt, betray, kill if you have to."
Her smile widened.
"Just remember one thing."
"The forest doesn't care who you are."
The wind surged again, rustling the treetops like whispers.
Every team tightened their formation.
Hands hovered near kunai pouches.
Chakra stirred.
Beyond the gate, the Forest of Death waited—silent, vast, and hungry for meat.
Standing in front of one of the gates marked with their assigned number was Team Eight—Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Airi.
"Yeah!" Kiba grinned confidently, stroking his chin. "Survival is totally our forte!"
He straightened up and spoke as if he were already the captain.
"Shino, Airi—we've gotta do our best and win this."
Shino and Airi both nodded seriously.
In front of another gate stood Team Ten—Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji.
"Life or death, huh?" Shikamaru muttered, arms crossed, eyebrows raised. "What a pain… but we don't really have a choice."
He glanced toward the other teams calmly.
"When it comes down to it, the weakest teams will probably become targets."
"For snacks…" Choji said dreamily, rummaging through his bag while chewing, "…there's potato chips."
He paused, eyes lighting up.
"Oh! And shortcake!"
"I can't believe you two…" Ino sighed helplessly, one hand on her hip as she shook her head.
At another gate stood Team Seven.
Naruto was shadowboxing the air, throwing punches at imaginary enemies, completely fired up.
"Oooookay! I won't lose!" he shouted. "Anyone who gets in my way—I'll take them down!"
"Yes!" Sakura nodded with a bright smile.
You can do this, she told herself internally. Cha!
"These idiots…" Sasuke shook his head slightly.
They had no idea what was coming.
This Chūnin Exam wasn't going to be that simple.
Something was bound to go wrong.
In front of yet another gate stood the Snow Hidden Village team.
Karin's expression was blank—until suddenly she clasped her hands together and smiled wickedly.
"Hey… I've got an idea."
"Um… what is it, Karin-chan?" Hinata asked curiously.
Haku and Kimimaro turned their attention to her as well.
Karin leaned in and whispered her grand plan.
As she spoke, their expressions gradually changed.
"That's… not good," Haku said after a moment, clearly worried. "It would definitely cause a lot of trouble."
"Y-Yes…" Hinata nodded gently. "I think this might be going a little overboard."
"Ugh!" Karin groaned and turned toward Kimimaro. "What about you, Commander Bones?"
Kimimaro remained silent for a moment.
"…It is an opportunity," he finally spoke calmly after thinking it through. "But without the lord's permission, we can't act on it."
"Tch. You guys are so lame," Karin snorted, shoving her hands into her pockets, clearly annoyed her masterpiece wasn't appreciated.
Haku and Hinata exchanged glances and sighed.
At this point, they were more worried about Karin than the Chūnin Exam itself.
At another gate stood Team Three—Neji Hyūga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
"Guy-sensei! I will do my best!" Rock Lee declared passionately, eyes burning with determination. "I will definitely succeed!"
Despite being wrapped in bandages from Sasuke's earlier beating, his spirit burned brighter than ever.
"…Lee, are you really going to be okay?" Tenten asked worriedly.
"Do not worry!" Lee pumped his fist, bending slightly as he shouted. "This much pain is nothing before the flames of my youth! I will overcome it, surpass my limits, and grow stronger!"
"Ahaha… I see," Tenten managed to utter awkwardly, then glanced toward Neji.
"I hope you don't hold me back, Lee," Neji said coldly, eyes closed and arms crossed.
"Don't worry, Neji!" Lee replied confidently, patting his chest. "I promise!"
The clock ticked closer to the start time.
At each gate, the shinobi assigned to guard them slowly unlocked the restraints.
The tension thickened.
"Now," Anko announced loudly as the time arrived, "we begin the second test of the Chūnin Exam!"
The moment her words fell
The gates swung open.
Whoosh!
Teams exploded forward instantly, bodies leaning low into the iconic ninja sprint as they vanished into the depths of the forest.
One by one, silhouettes disappeared beneath the towering trees of the Forest of Death.
Anko watched them go, hands tucked into her pockets, a crooked grin on her face.
I wonder how many of them will come back alive this time…
The forest swallowed the genin whole.
---
"Arghhh!!!"
An extremely miserable scream echoed through the forest—shrill and agonized, like a living pig being roasted alive.
Team Seven came to an abrupt halt.
All three of them turned back almost at the same time, their reactions noticeably different.
"W–Wasn't that someone screaming just now…?" Sakura asked nervously, her face pale.
"I–I'm kinda getting nervous," she added, clutching a hand to her chest as she glanced at Sasuke.
"It was nothing, Sakura! Believe it!" Naruto said casually placing both hands behind his head with a carefree grin.
Then...
His expression suddenly stiffened.
His body began to wiggle awkwardly, bouncing slightly as he shifted from foot to foot.
"I–I gotta pee," he blurted out, already turning away while fumbling with his belt like he was about to do it right there.
"You bastard!" Sakura shouted, smashing her fist straight into his head. "What do you think you're doing in front of a lady?!"
She pointed sharply toward the trees.
"Go do it in the grass over there!"
Naruto yelped, clutching his head as he stumbled off in the indicated direction.
Sasuke watched the entire exchange in silence.
He glanced briefly to the side, eyes narrowing just a fraction—then deliberately looked away, pretending he hadn't noticed anything at all.
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