Chapter 54: Chunin Exam Part 2  

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Konoha had designated a large forest as the venue for the Chunin Exam.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata were still grouped together.

Anko Mitarashi handed Sasuke a "Scroll of Heaven" and whispered to him, "Sunagakure and Kusagakure both have Scrolls of Earth."

Anko was also a disciple of Orochimaru, so Sasuke technically should have addressed her as "senpai." However, almost no one knew that Anko had been Orochimaru's disciple.

Anko had great confidence in Sasuke's abilities. She merely informed him about who had the Scrolls of Earth, without directly giving him one, because she believed that Sasuke could easily take a Scroll of Earth from anyone.

Sasuke's team entered the Forest of Death. To prevent immediate clashes between teams, Konoha had implemented a ten-minute interval before the next team could enter the forest.

Sasuke's team was formidable. In combat, they had both Sasuke and Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. For reconnaissance, they had Hinata with her Byakugan.

Naruto exclaimed joyfully, "We're going to become Chunin soon! By the way, Sasuke, which scroll do we have?"

Sasuke replied, "Scroll of Heaven."

Naruto nodded, "Alright! We need to find the Scroll of Earth quickly!"

Sasuke said calmly, "We still have five days left, Naruto. What's the rush?"

Along the path to the Forest of Death, there were "obstacles" set by Konoha and other villages—ninjas who would try to hinder the participants.

To truly pass through the Forest of Death, one had to overcome these ninjas, whose challenges were tailored to test one's abilities.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata were moving quickly through the dense forest. Suddenly, Hinata halted and whispered, "Sasuke, Naruto, there's a chakra fluctuation behind that big tree up ahead!"

Sasuke drew his Kusanagi sword, its blade crackling with lightning, and dashed behind the tree. There, he found a ninja from Konoha, a member of the Aburame clan.

He had been stationed in the Forest of Death to create minor challenges for the Chunin Exam participants.

However, upon realizing it was Team 7, Aburame Touki decided to hide, knowing full well the extent of Sasuke's power.

When Touki peeked out and saw Sasuke charging at him with a lightning-infused sword, he felt his scalp tingle in fear. He quickly raised his hands in surrender, "Wait! Wait! Sasuke! Don't be hasty!"

Sasuke halted, eyeing him suspiciously. "Aburame, what are you doing here?"

Touki stammered, "Sasuke-kun, I'm... just taking a walk."

Sasuke's sword sparked menacingly. "You'd better tell the truth, or I'll have to assume you're planning to attack me."

Touki was on the verge of tears. He was just a lowly Jonin, no match for an Uchiha. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you! The Third Hokage placed me here to create some minor trouble for the participants. But when I saw it was you, I knew better than to challenge you. I didn't expect you'd find me so quickly. The Hyuga clan's Byakugan is truly impressive!"

Sasuke sheathed his sword and continued forward.

As night fell, Sasuke leaned against a tree trunk, gazing at the stars while tending to the campfire.

Hinata, ever so gentle, nestled beside him and murmured, "Sasuke-kun, my father said that when I turn 16, he'll marry me to you."

Sasuke quickly responded, "No, you should wait until you're 18!"

Hinata, confused, asked, "Why?"

Sasuke sighed, "Because otherwise, you might end up in a dark room too early."

Hinata didn't quite understand what Sasuke meant, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless.

Naruto watched them with a mixture of helplessness and envy. Really, they were showing off their affection right in front of a third wheel...

Seeing them together made Naruto long for Sakura even more. Even though they weren't on the same team, Naruto had liked Sakura since their time at the Ninja Academy.

He imagined a future where he and Sakura were happily together, with Naruto as the Hokage, respected and loved by everyone...

Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but smile to himself, a little "hehe" escaping his lips.

Suddenly, a shuriken sliced through the air, hitting Naruto's skin with a sharp sting. "Ouch! NO~!" Naruto yelped in pain, falling from the tree. "Who attacked me?"

Sasuke and Hinata immediately noticed Naruto had been attacked. Hinata activated her Byakugan, scanning the surroundings, while Sasuke unsheathed his Kusanagi sword, ready to fight.

In the bushes, three ninja were hiding. They were from Kusagakure, part of one of the two teams from the village.

The group consisted of Shigeru, Kusa-nin, and Karin. Shigeru and Kusa-nin were ordinary Genin, but Karin was different.

Though she wore a Kusagakure forehead protector, she hadn't undergone the usual training of the village. Karin possessed a special bloodline, granting her a powerful healing ability.

A sip of her blood could instantly heal minor wounds, and even severe injuries would heal much faster.

Shigeru and Kusa-nin noticed the bonfire ahead and saw Naruto in the tree. Shigeru asked, "Brother, there's someone in the tree ahead. He looks like a Konoha ninja. Should we take their scroll?"

Kusa-nin grinned, "Why not?"

With that, Shigeru threw a shuriken, hitting Naruto's rear with precision.

Hinata's Byakugan identified three chakra signatures, one of which was exceptionally strong—clearly a formidable opponent.

Hinata alerted Sasuke, "Sasuke, there are three of them in the bushes at four o'clock!"

Just as Sasuke was about to advance, Naruto intervened, "Sasuke, leave them to me!"

Scarlet chakra began to seep from Naruto's body, a sign that the Nine-Tails was starting to stir, reflecting Naruto's growing anger.

Naruto charged toward the bushes. "How dare you hurt my butt! I'm not going to let this slide!"

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Naruto quickly formed the hand seals, summoning dozens of clones that charged toward the bushes.

Realizing they had been discovered, Shigeru and Kusa-nin emerged from hiding. Shigeru shouted to Karin, "Don't move! Heal us first!"

Hearing the word "heal," Karin shuddered, her eyes filled with fear. Kusa-nin snapped at her, "Don't look at me like that, you! It's not my fault your mother was bitten to death!"

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