The first exam went smoothly.

This time, the exam did not include Chūnin providing standard answers. It tested not only intelligence-gathering ability but also the ability to distinguish true from false information. The difficulty had undoubtedly increased.

But for Naruto and Sasuke, this was nothing.

By giving Sakura a trace of Nine Tails' chakra before entering the exam room, Naruto connected with her through perception to transmit the correct answers. As for Sasuke, if he wished, a single glance was enough to cast everyone present into a genjutsu.

However, Sasuke, who had just reunited with his mother, was in a good mood and had no intention of showing off. He simply controlled a few people and pieced together a correct answer.

The proctor didn't even bother looking at these three. He might as well focus on the others. After all, examiners also had KPIs for this assessment, and eliminating one seat was the baseline.

Two hours later, out of the 150 candidates in the room, only 81 remained. After a quick review, 21 more were eliminated, leaving just 60 who passed this round.

The next round was not a scroll-snatching test but an illusion-based exam that tested character.

Sasuke passed instantly, without even taking the test, since the examiner's illusion had no effect on him.

Sakura also passed relatively easily, but she remained trapped in the illusion for a while, which lowered her score.

Because of this, she was forced to postpone the third round for three hours before she could participate.

"Sorry."

Sakura walked out of the exam room with guilt written across her face. Naruto and Sasuke both shook their heads, indicating she shouldn't worry about it.

Seeing this only made her feel worse.

She no longer had the qualifications to drag the two of them down.

An hour later.

All candidates who passed the first two rounds gathered in the gymnasium. As the chief examiner of this Chūnin Exam, Yuichi announced the content of the next test.

It was still the traditional scroll battle, but this time, instead of Heaven and Earth scrolls, there were three types: Heaven, Earth, and Man. This meant that at most, only one third of the candidates could pass.

It had to be said that with Yami's selection methods, those who remained in the official roster were truly the elite among elites. Even if some were Chūnin, many had once been Special Jōnin or even Jōnin.

For example, Asuma, once an Elite Jōnin of Konoha, was now just a Special Jōnin.

Of course, his true ability was still at the Jōnin level. But his luck had been terrible. He faced Hayama Shirakumo, Guy, and then Yuji in succession. After a string of defeats, he was kicked out of the Jōnin ranks. Danzō was so delighted that he blocked Hiruzen's door every day just to enjoy watching his gloomy face.

Back to the exam.

Because the Forest of Death and several other training grounds had been demolished, this scroll battle was held not in Konoha, but at the Valley of the End, located in the middle of the continent.

Candidates departed in order of their previous scores. They were not allowed to snatch scrolls on the way and could only begin once inside the valley.

The entire round lasted seventy-two hours, testing the endurance and stamina of all participants.

Naruto and his team weren't in a rush, as they had to wait three hours for little Sakura anyway.

The three of them went to Ichiraku Ramen for a hearty meal, then calmly registered and set off.

To accommodate Sakura, they didn't move too fast, keeping to the average speed of Chūnin.

It took them a full day to reach the scroll collection site at the Valley of the End.

The valley was surrounded by dense forests and rivers, with the massive statues in the center visible from dozens of kilometers away.

The corners of Sasuke's mouth twitched slightly, clearly uncomfortable under the gaze of the giant statue. Naruto noticed and silently prepared to complain to Yami later.

Sasuke, unaware of Naruto's intentions, sneered.

"Naruto, let's go. Plenty of people are waiting for us inside."

Naruto nodded. Through his perception, he could sense hundreds of candidates lying in ambush near the entrance.

"Sakura, stay close to us."

After giving the warning, Naruto charged in first, with Sasuke and little Sakura following closely behind.

They passed through a narrow path and into the forest. Naruto raised one hand, and a Rasenshuriken formed almost instantly, buzzing with a piercing sound.

"If you don't leave, I'm going to act!"

"Please wait!"

The hidden candidates were drenched in cold sweat. Many immediately jumped out, while the rest fled far away.

One of them shouted, "Naruto, you still remember me!"

"It's Ebisu-sensei! You're taking this exam too?" Naruto recognized him immediately and waved happily.

Back when Yami was too lazy to deal with Naruto, he had left his basics to Ebisu. Because of his bad reputation, Ebisu hadn't dared to put on airs in front of the "Nine Tails brat," and the two got along fairly well.

"Na-Naruto, we're not here to steal your scroll." Seeing the Rasenshuriken still in Naruto's hand, Ebisu swallowed nervously and explained quickly, "Everyone here wants to give you their scrolls so you can pass this round directly."

"Ha?!"

Not only Naruto, but even Sasuke was baffled.

Could it be they had poisoned the scrolls in an attempt to set them up?

(To be continued.)

***

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