While waiting, everyone observed each other.
Feng Zheng noticed that Konoha still had three teams, Amegakure one team, Sunagakure one team, and Hidden Mist two teams. He didn't recognize any of the 21 Ninja.
He thought to himself.
“Isn’t Hidden Mist in the middle of a civil war? Can they still send Ninja to participate in such an event?”
He thought for a while, then decided to put the thought out of his mind.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter. The Fourth Mizukage won’t appear anyway.”
Remembering the Fourth Mizukage, a funny thought suddenly occurred to him.
“I wonder if Naruto’s Talk No Jutsu can dispel genjutsu, hahaha. Or even better, if he uses Talk No Jutsu on someone under genjutsu, will his Talk No Jutsu affect the person casting the genjutsu?”
Seeing Feng Zheng laughing, Mieko asked.
“What are you laughing at?”
Feng Zheng shook his head and said.
“Nothing, don’t mind it.”
Feng Zheng then tried to sense the Chakra levels of the remaining twenty-one Ninja. He quickly came to a conclusion.
“Alright, no one seems abnormal. There’s one person in Hidden Mist with a considerable Chakra reserve. But even so, it’s still less than half of mine. The others are barely at Chunin level.”
Everyone present was trying to analyze their competitors in a similar way.
At 9:45, a smoke bomb exploded at the front of the room, drawing everyone’s attention.
The smoke slowly began to clear. Soon, everyone heard very loud dog barks.
When the smoke cleared, a large dog could be seen. It was glaring fiercely at the Genin. However, no one was scared.
Behind the dog stood Inuzuka Tsume.
She observed the room and muttered softly.
“Only eight teams. I knew letting that scoundrel be the proctor was a bad idea!”
She looked at all the Genin and announced loudly.
“I am Inuzuka Tsume, the proctor for the second stage of the Chunin Exams. Follow me and Kuromaru.”
All the Genin followed her. She led them through Konoha to Training Ground 44.
She announced loudly.
“Your second stage exam will take place in Training Ground 44.”
She chuckled and said.
“This Training Grounds is also known as the Forest of Death.”
This put the Genin on alert. At the same time, they were thinking.
“Why does she keep shouting?”
She continued.
“Before I explain the details and rules of the second stage to you, you must sign these consent forms!”
A Genin asked.
“Consent to what?”
She grinned, and said eerily.
“Your deaths!”
This made the Genin very uneasy. She continued.
“Death is common in this Training Grounds, which is why it’s called the Forest of Death! You might be killed by beasts in the forest, or by your competitors.”
“By signing this consent form, you voluntarily agree to participate in this exam. Konoha is not responsible for any injuries or deaths caused in this Training Grounds and bears no liability.”
Then one of her Chunin subordinates distributed the application consent forms. She said.
“You must fill in your name, signature, and fingerprint on the consent form. If you are a coward, then don’t sign it. You and your team will be disqualified from the exam!”
Upon hearing this, some Genin felt excited, while others were worried. Feng Zheng, Hodaka, and Mieko showed no reaction.
Everyone quickly signed and submitted the consent forms.
After checking all the consent forms, Inuzuka Tsume began to announce the details of the exam.
“I will now explain the details to you.”
“Each team will receive a scroll. Four teams will receive a scroll of heaven, and the remaining teams will receive a scroll of earth.”
“To qualify for the next round, you must reach the center of this forest with both a scroll of heaven and a scroll of earth. Therefore, you must seize the type of scroll you don’t have from other teams.”
“There is a Tower in the center of this Training Grounds. You have 5 days to collect both types of scrolls and enter the Tower. Once you enter the Tower, no more fighting is allowed. If anyone leaves the Training Grounds or enters the Tower without both scrolls, you will be disqualified.”
“Furthermore, all 3 members of your team must be alive. If even one member dies, you will be disqualified.”
She waited for half a minute, allowing the Genin to digest the information. Then questions began to emerge.
A Genin from Amegakure was the first to ask.
“Is there food in the forest? We can’t go five days without food!”
Before Inuzuka Tsume could answer, Feng Zheng noticed the Kirigakure Genin with the high Chakra level grinned and asked.
“Can we bring more than two scrolls into the Tower?”
This made everyone look at that Kirigakure Ninja. Inuzuka Tsume replied.
“There are many animals, plants, and insects in the forest. Find your own food.”
She then looked at the Kirigakure Ninja again and said.
“You can collect any number of scrolls before entering the Tower, so no more than four teams may pass.”
After hearing all the instructions, Feng Zheng thought.
“Hmm, just like in the original story.”
No one asked any more questions. Soon, the scrolls began to be secretly distributed. Feng Zheng wondered.
“Aren’t they even giving us a little time to rest and prepare?”
He looked at Hodaka and said.
“Activate your Byakugan and check the types of scrolls all the teams received.”
Hodaka nodded and activated his Byakugan.
Mieko went to get the scroll. She received a scroll of heaven.
After the scrolls were distributed, Inuzuka Tsume shouted again.
“Now, a Chunin will lead each of your teams to the gate you are to enter. Follow them.”
7 Chunin each led 1 team.
Feng Zheng observed the Chunin walking towards their team and thought.
“Is this Ebisu?”
Ebisu approached their team and said.
“You three! Follow me.”
He turned and started walking forward. The three followed him. Feng Zheng thought.
“He should be promoted within the next three or four years. Anyway, there are only 8 teams. It seems the distance between us will be quite far.”
He calculated for a moment and sighed.
“Assuming we are equidistant and cover the entire forest, then the closest team to us is about eight kilometers away. Much farther than we can sense or see.”
Soon they reached their destination. Ebisu said.
“The exam starts in seven minutes. Wait here obediently.”
He watched them as he left the three.
Feng Zheng asked softly.
“Do you still have enough weapons?”
Hodaka and Mieko both nodded.
Hodaka said.
“Yes, I brought the scrolls our sensei told us to carry for Rank C missions.”
Mieko said.
“Me too.”
Feng Zheng replied.
“Good, me too. Are the ration bars ready?”
This time, both of their answers were a bit awkward. Hodaka said.
“I only have 5.”
Mieko said.
“I only have four.”
Feng Zheng analyzed.
“Hmm, I have 25, so we have a total of 34, which should be enough for two days. So if we complete the exam within two days, we won’t need to find our own food.”
Both nodded. Mieko asked.
“Then which teams have the scroll of earth?”
Hodaka replied.
“The Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi team, the Kirigakure team that asked if they could get more scrolls, the Amegakure team, and the team that is all from the Hyuga Clan all have the scroll of earth.”
Mieko thought for a moment and said.
“These four should be easy to get.”
Feng Zheng and Hodaka nodded. Hodaka commented.
“I don’t think any team is stronger than us. Should we try to collect more scrolls and eliminate other teams?”
Mieko quickly said.
“Good, let’s do it. That will be fun!”
Feng Zheng shook his head and said.
“No. Although we are stronger, we might get injured if we’re not careful. In that case, other teams might gain an advantage over us. Another issue is that some teams might set traps and ambushes in the Tower. So we should stay in top condition.”
Mieko complained.
“Come on, Feng Zheng! We can do it.”
Feng Zheng sighed and said.
“The last round is usually a sparring match between us. If we eliminate everyone, how will we show our strength?”
This made Mieko give up. She dramatically slumped her shoulders and sighed.
“Alright.”
They were about to continue their discussion when they heard the sound of the gates opening. Ebisu said.
“Your exam has begun. Go in.”