In the blink of an eye, it was already the next day. After having breakfast, Takeru and the others headed straight to the assembly point.
Many people were already waiting there early.
"What is this place?" Naruto looked at the destination, an area surrounded by a tall fence, and asked curiously.
"This is the venue for the second exam, Training Ground 44. Also known as... the Forest of Death," Anko said with a cold smile, seemingly answering Naruto's question.
"It feels kinda creepy here," Sakura said, somewhat scared.
"Haha, it's called the Forest of Death. You'll experience that soon enough," Anko added upon seeing Sakura's reaction.
Hearing Anko's words, Naruto foolishly mimicked her and said he wasn't scared at all.
"Is that so? You seem quite energetic," Anko said with a smile. Then she drew a kunai from her sleeve, instantly throwing it at Naruto's cheek, and appearing behind him just as quickly.
"People like you usually die the fastest. Spurting out my favorite... crimson blood," Anko said, touching the blood on Naruto's cheek.
Suddenly, Anko seemed to sense something. Another kunai appeared in her hand as she warily looked behind her. A long tongue, coiling around the kunai she had just thrown, extended it towards her.
"Your kunai. Returning it," the woman with a straw hat said calmly.
"Thank you for your trouble," Anko replied with a fake smile, looking at the woman.
She could sense the killing intent and a faint, elusive sense of danger emanating from the woman. This shocked Anko. As a Special Jonin, she actually felt danger from a Genin.
Takeru also watched this scene. Knowing the plot, Takeru was well aware that person was Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, in disguise.
"But don't stand behind me with killing intent. If you don't want to die early," Anko warned after her brief thanks, taking back the kunai.
"Sorry, I'm the type who gets uncontrollably excited at the sight of blood. And you cut off my precious hair... how thrilling," The disguised Orochimaru said with a light laugh.
"My apologies," Anko replied indifferently.
This little incident also surprised Sakura and the others.
"It seems this exam has gathered many hot-blooded individuals. How exciting," Anko said with a smile, watching Orochimaru leave.
'You're the most hot-blooded one here!' Hearing Anko's words, Naruto couldn't help but comment inwardly.
"Now then, before the second exam begins, I'll hand these out," Anko said quickly, pulling out a stack of papers.
Seeing everyone's curious looks, Anko spoke again. "Consent forms. Everyone participating must sign here first."
"Why?"
"Because people might die later. We need prior consent on this matter. Otherwise, it becomes my responsibility," Anko said directly, laughing.
The others didn't find it so funny. Needing to sign a death waiver to enter also indicated how dangerous this exam was.
Only Takeru and Ui remained calm. Even Ritsu wasn't too alarmed. After all, the possibility of death was something they had considered upon entering this world.
Moreover, Takeru and Ui had experienced the Hunter Exam. Compared to the death toll in the Trick Tower of the Hunter Exam, the Chunin Exams was almost child's play.
As for people dying... aside from the zombie world they experienced, in his last world, Takeru had directly killed over two thousand people. His hands were already stained with blood.
However, thanks to his powerful mental strength and willpower, this killing didn't affect Takeru much. It didn't turn him into a murderous demon or give him psychological trauma like Zanku...
As for Naruto and the others, although somewhat surprised, they had also seen death before. Many had even personally killed people.
So, although surprised, no one raised any objections.
"Now, let's begin the explanation for the second exam. Simply put, it's another ultimate survival challenge for you," Anko said, passing the consent forms down for everyone to receive.
'Another survival challenge? What a troublesome exam,' Naruto thought, holding the consent form and inwardly groaning.
"First, an explanation according to this training ground's layout. This is Training Ground 44. It's a circle surrounded by 44 locked entrances. There are rivers and forests, with a tower in the center. The distance from the tower to the gates is approximately 10 kilometers."
"Within this limited area, a certain survival exercise will take place. Its content is a scroll battle where anything can happen," Anko explained seriously.
"Scroll battle?"
"That's right. A battle revolving around two scrolls: the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll. Of the 26 teams that passed the first exam, half will receive the Heaven Scroll, and the other half will receive the Earth Scroll. I'll give one scroll to each team. Simply put, it's about stealing each other's scrolls," Anko said, narrowing her eyes.
"Then what are the conditions for passing?"
"Bringing both the Heaven and Earth scrolls, with all three team members together, to the central tower. And the time limit is 120 hours… a full five days for you to fight over them," Anko continued.
"Five days! What about food?!" Ino and Choji exclaimed in surprise.
"Self-sufficient. The wilderness is a natural treasure trove," Anko said calmly.
Takeru and Ui glanced at each other. These rules were very similar to the setup of the number card battle on Zevil Island during the Hunter Exam.
In fact, they were slightly more lenient, as they only needed to collect both scrolls, which wasn't too difficult.
After some analysis, everyone understood the challenges: besides survival, they needed to make a long trek and deal with enemies that could appear at any time.
"Now, the corresponding conditions for elimination. First, teams unable to bring both Heaven and Earth scrolls to the tower with all three members within the time limit. Second, teams that lose a member or have a member incapacitated. And then one more additional rule: the contents of the scrolls must absolutely not be viewed before reaching the tower," Anko announced the three elimination rules.
"What happens if we look at it halfway?" Hearing Anko's words, Naruto became curious about why the scrolls couldn't be viewed midway.
"Then... when you see it, please use your imagination," Anko deliberately kept it vague. But then she added, "If you become Chunin, you'll also have the chance to handle top-secret documents. This is to see if you are trustworthy."
"That concludes the explanation. Exchange three consent forms for a scroll at that hut over there. Then decide which entrance you'll go to. Then everyone will start together. Phew... one last piece of advice: don't die," Anko finally said loudly.
Afterwards, everyone drew lines with their companions and those around them. After all, soon, they could all become enemies.
The hut also had curtains hung up to prevent others from seeing what kind of scroll someone received or who was carrying it during the exchange.
"By the way, Takeru, should we just grab the scrolls we need and head straight to the tower?" Ui asked curiously.
"No. This scroll battle should allow us to witness many Ninja Battles. Although most here are Genin, they are among the more elite ones. Their fights still have some reference value," Takeru said directly to the two after some thought.
Actually, Takeru had considered earlier just grabbing the scrolls they needed and heading straight to the tower to complete the task. But in the subsequent individual matches, Ritsu might lose due to unfamiliarity with her opponents' fighting methods.
While Takeru and the others waited, Sakura and Ino started butting heads again, making Takeru sigh.
"It's about time to exchange scrolls," A Chunin inside the hut called out to everyone. Then, everyone stood up.
People proceeded to exchange their scrolls one after another. Very quickly, the scrolls everyone received were all observed by Takeru and Ui using their Observation Haki.
Takeru's group quickly completed their exchange, receiving a scroll stamped with 'Heaven'. Takeru casually stored the scroll in his item storage. There, absolutely no one could steal it.
"Teams that have received their scrolls, follow the assigned personnel to your respective entrances. Then, in 30 minutes, everyone will start together," Anko announced loudly.
Takeru's group followed a Chunin towards an entrance marked with the number 22.
At the same time, others arrived at their designated locations. For example, Hinata's team went to Entrance 16, and Shikamaru's group went to Entrance 27.
Naruto and his team waited at Entrance 12, while Entrance 20 housed the Otogakure's team...
The entrances where everyone was located were largely within Takeru's monitoring range. This meant Takeru could easily track everyone's positions later.