194. I won’t fail this time

'I must avoid Izuna Nii-san at all cost.'

Sasuke commands Garuda to change the direction through his mental link.

Whoosh…

Garuda flies in the opposite direction to the Hokage's Office.

------------

Inside the Hokage Office,

Tsunade notices Izuna staring at the sky.

"What's the matter? What are you staring at?"

"Oh… Nothing. Just some playful kids with their games." He shakes his head.

"Well… peaceful times sure are great. I have to make sure it stays the same." Tsunade nods her head and continues her work.

Whoosh…

Izuna flickers out of the window.

---------------

Whew…

"I avoided it." Sasuke sighs.

"What's the matter?" Naruto and Sakura notice Sasuke's tense expression.

"Izuna Nii-san almost found us out. Thankfully, I somehow avoided him."

"That's a relief. Otherwise, he would punish us with more hellish training." Naruto sweats heavily as he remembers the punishment.

"Training?… Isn't that a good thing? Izuna-san is one of the most powerful ninjas in our village. His training would surely improve our skills by a margin." Sakura questions them.

"No… don't mention it. You won't understand our pain and sufferings." Naruto and Sasuke reply simultaneously.

"Ehh… is it that hard?" Sakura tilts her head in confusion.

"It is much… much harder." Naruto opens his arms wide open as he describes the training session.

"Kakashi Sensei's training can't even compare to Izuna Nii-san's warmup." Naruto shakes his head at the thought of hellish training.

"So hard…" Sakura's curiosity is piqued.

"Don't even think about the training?" Naruto warns her.

"Shhh… I found it." Sasuke signals them.

Naruto stops his explanation as he asks Sasuke.

"Where is it? I am excited to experience the chunnin exam." He clutches his fists.

"It is north to the Forty-Third training ground."

Sasuke notices the group of genins gathered at the gate of Forest of Death.

"It says the Forty-fourth Training ground. I never knew the village had a forty-fourth training ground."

Garuda flies over the training ground as Sasuke inspects the surrounding.

He notices a metallic fence with several gates at the perimeter of the area.

"I guess it is a restricted area of the village. It must be quite dangerous for it to not open to the public." Sasuke concludes as he notices the deathly silence of the forest.

----------------

Outside the Forest of Death,

Anko stares at the participants as she licks her lips.

"So, this is the batch of the genins eager to take on the exam to become a chunnin."

Chojuro stands with his Kiri teammates as he looks around.

'I can't find Kabuto-san anywhere. Maybe he is also preparing with his teammates.'

Slick…

The Sound Ninja licks his lips as he stares at the forest.

"I am itching for some blood. I can't wait to hear some cute screams."

"Now… now… looks like all of your quite energetic after clearing the first part of the chunnin exam. You might have cleared the first step but it still unsure whether you could do the same with the second test."

Whoosh…

Anko takes out a stack of paper from her pocket.

"Unlike the first part of the exam where there was no fighting; this round is all about survival. If you have the capabilities to survive while keeping your enemies at the bay, then you might get a shot to move to the final round."

Bam…

She slams the stack on the table as she stares at the genins with a predatory gaze.

"Before you proceed to the second test, you would have to sign this consent form. You would only be allowed to take the exam if you sign the form otherwise you are free to leave."

Gulp…

Many genins gulp their saliva as they stare at the form.

"What consent?" One of the genin questions.

Anko turns towards the genin and replies.

"Consent… that you won't return alive from the exam and thus the leaf village won't be held responsible for your decision," Anko smirks as she stares at their terrified expression.

Many genins retreat in fear as they forfeit the exam.

"Hey Sasuke, what's going on?" Naruto impatiently asks Sasuke.

Sasuke narrates the entire series of events to Naruto and Sakura.

'Thanks to my Sharingan, I can read her lips.'

"That's scary." Sakura gulps her saliva.

"Are you sure it is a good idea? What if we face something horrible in the forest? We don't even know what's in there." Sakura advises against sneaking.

"We won't back down after coming this far. I will never give up because that's my ninja way. Dattebyo!"

Naruto pumps his fist.

Sakura turns to Sasuke, only to notice a calm expression on his face.

Sigh…

She depressingly drops her head.

'At least, Sasuke-kun is there to take care of me.'

The Inner Sakura cheers up.

Hmm…

Anko looks around as she feels a gaze on her.

'Why do I feel like someone is watching me?'

She surveys her surroundings and notices nobody.

'Strange! I felt like someone was peeking at me. Anyway…'

She shakes her head and turns to the group of genins.

"So, the remaining participants move to the different gates and pick up your scroll. Once I signal, the exam would start and keep in mind many chunnins would monitor you throughout the exam so if you are caught teaming up with other teams then both of the group will be immediately disqualified."

Anko points her fingers towards her eyes and the rest of the group as a warning.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The genins start to flicker towards the allotted gates as they pick up their respective scrolls.

--------------

In training ground three,

"It has started," Sasuke recalls Garuda as he informs the group.

"Naruto, Sakura, we will meet in an hour. Make necessary preparations for the exam. I will explain the rules as we will infiltrate the Forest of Death." Sasuke orders them.

"Yay!" Naruto cheers in excitement as he flickers towards the Uzumaki compounds.

"Naruto don't bring anything unnecessary. We are participating in an exam, not in a picnic." Sasuke reminds him.

"I know," Naruto yells from a distance as he flickers away.

"Hai…" Sakura weakly walks towards her house.

Whoosh…

Sasuke flickers towards the Uchiha Clan compounds.

Rustle… rustle…

The leaves of a nearby tree rustle as a figure appears on the branch.

'These bunch of kids.' Shisui shakes his head as he stares at the back of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Izuna Nii-san informed me about their little plan and sent me to monitor them. Kakashi Senpai is busy with the chunnin exam, and Izuna Nii-san had some urgent work. With the recent purge, the Konoha police force doesn't have much work to handle, so I am free most of the time."

Shisui shakes his head as his body disperses in a bunch of crows.

----------------

In Yakiniku Q restaurant,

"It is my treat. Order anything you like; the food is really good here."

Izuna passes the menu to Mei.

"Yakiniku Q is a Gyu-Kaku Style restaurant. So, you have to cook your own meal. Don't worry about the ingredients, just order anything you like; I will cook a fine dish."

Izuna explains the details to Mei.

"Then I won't hold back."

Mei picks up the Menu and places her order.

"Three servings of Gyutan reared in Land of Rice Paddies, three servings of Welsh Onion from the Land of Medicine…"

Mei orders one premium dish after another.

Sweat appears on Izuna's face as he wipes it secretly.

'Damn… when I meant anything, she took it literally; ordering three of the most expensive dishes right off the bat. This lunch is going to cost me an S-Rank Mission at this rate.'

Mei smiles at Izuna as she orders her food.

'I must bear with it. This is my responsibility as a man.' Izuna has a bitter expression in his heart as he smiles at Mei.

"Yay! I will also take the same order as Mei Onee-san."

Ayaka also places her order.

"Ne… Ayaka… why don't you order something different? There are lots of other dishes to order from." Izuna tries to convince Ayaka.

"No… I will eat the same food as Mei Onee-san. I also want to grow up as a beauty like Mei Onee-san."

Ayaka stares at Mei's chest as she blinks cutely.

"…."

Izuna silently nods his head.

"Then why don't you follow Tsunade Onee-san. She has more growth than your Mei Onee-san." He jokes.

"No… I don't want to. I heard Tsunade Onee-san complaining about back pain because of her chest."

"…"

'Kids these days sure grow quickly.'

Izuna shakes his head in understanding.

"Customer… here is your order." The server brings their order.

"Behold my cooking skill… I will cook the most delicious meat ever."

Izuna carefully places the meat on the charcoal brazier.

"Onii-san… don't burn them like the other day."

Ayaka pours a bucket of cold water on Izuna as she innocently states the fact.

"…"

'I can never win. Can I?'

'Sharingan.'

He weakly picks up another piece of meat and cooks it.

'I won't fail this time.'