Following that, Morino Ibiki announced that everyone present had passed the exam.
"This test was meant to assess your investigative skills and battlefield decision-making. In my opinion, a Chūnin who can't even make decisive choices doesn't deserve to be one."
After that bit of harsh truth, even the most disgruntled candidates fell silent. As angry as they were, they had to admit Ibiki had a point.
Just as everyone was soaking in Ibiki's lecture, two kunai wrapped in black cloth crashed through the window and embedded themselves into the ceiling.
The cloth unfurled to reveal bold lettering:
"Second Exam Proctor: Mitarashi Anko, has arrived!"
A woman landed on the podium right after, striking a dramatic pose.
"Now's not the time to celebrate yet! I'm Mitarashi Anko, your proctor for the second stage! Follow me!"
Her flashy entrance left the entire room wide-eyed. Was this kind of person really qualified to be a proctor?
Some of the candidates found themselves hoping Ibiki would stay on. Sure, he played mind games, but at least he looked competent.
Anko sensed the awkward silence and coughed twice.
"Ahem, 83 participants, 31 teams... Ibiki, why are there so many left? You went easy on them, didn't you?"
Ibiki replied calmly, "Plenty of impressive ones this year."
Hyūga Gakuya, however, had no interest in listening to her ramble. He waved to Hinata beside him.
"See you at the test site tomorrow, Hinata. I'm heading out."
"But... the proctor's still talking. Isn't that disrespectful?"
"It's fine."
With a casual wave, Gakuya stood and walked out, intent on getting some sleep.
Seeing him leave, Uzumaki Karin and Uchiha Hikari stood up as well and followed.
Anko shouted angrily, "Hey! Stop right there! You think this is how you treat a proctor?!"
She hurled a shuriken at Gakuya.
In an instant, Uchiha Hikari appeared in front of him, deflecting the shuriken with a kunai.
A chilling bloodlust erupted from Hikari's eyes. How dare this woman attack her beloved Gakuya? If he gave the word, she wouldn't hesitate to kill Anko on the spot.
Everyone in the room felt like they'd fallen into a pit of ice. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Sasuke looked down at his own shaking hand. Is this genjutsu? No... it's pure killing intent!
Nearby, Naruto was frozen in place, unable to speak.
Akamaru, the little pup atop Kiba Inuzuka's head, was shaking like a leaf.
Even Omoi from Kumogakure was dripping cold sweat—this killing intent was scarier than anything his sensei had ever shown.
Gaara's eyes widened. He felt like he'd just discovered a kindred spirit.
Gakuya ignored Anko's fury. He patted Hikari on the shoulder to calm her down, yawned, and kept walking forward.
"Training Ground 44, the Forest of Death. Battle for the Heaven and Earth scrolls. Konoha already informed the other village leaders. Go home, eat if you're hungry, train if you must. This meeting's over."
Anko wiped the sweat from her forehead. That level of killing intent… she'd only seen it from people like Orochimaru.
And now it came from a young girl? One who seemed completely obedient to that boy?
How could she have known—Uchiha Hikari, a weapon of war forged since childhood, had grown up in endless slaughter. Every strike she made had taken lives.
"Alright, you all heard him. Tomorrow morning, Training Ground 44—the Forest of Death. This round will eliminate over half of you."
Still shaken, the examinees slowly stood and headed for the exit. That dark-haired girl had left a lasting impression.
None of them wanted to end up on the other side of a fight with her.
Anko turned to Ibiki. "Got any intel on them?"
A nearby shinobi flipped through a dossier.
"The lead male—Chiba Mokushū, age 13, Genin from Otogakure. Completed missions: C-rank: 0, B-rank: 0, A-rank: 0, S-rank: 0."
"The dark-haired girl—Chiba Hikari, 13, Genin. Mission record: all zeroes."
"The redhead—Uzumaki Karin, 13, Genin. Also—"
"Alright, enough!" Anko interrupted impatiently. "Let me guess—they've done nothing, right?"
"Yes."
Anko sighed. "Otogakure was just founded. Where the hell did they find so many monsters?"
Ibiki picked up the files. "No matter what, this needs to be reported to the Hokage."
...
Hokage's Office.
Ibiki reported everything truthfully.
"You're saying the shinobi from Otogakure have at least Tokubetsu Jōnin-level skill?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, frowning.
"That kind of killing intent... an ordinary Chūnin couldn't possibly produce it."
"What do you think their objective is?"
Ibiki paused. "Hard to say. During the exam, he kept quiet and just observed. Once it ended, he seemed a little impatient, then left immediately."
"Unfettered, acting solely on his own whims... perhaps that's how he operates," Hiruzen mused, taking a slow drag from his pipe. He still couldn't figure out Gakuya's true intentions.
Ibiki nodded. "That's entirely possible."
"But we can't be too careful. Notify Jiraiya—tell him everything. Have him replace Anko as the second exam's chief proctor."
"Understood."
...
Naruto was ecstatic after passing the first stage. He hopped and skipped all the way home, completely ignoring the glares from villagers along the way.
If he could find Chiba Mokushū during the second test, he might finally get answers about his past. Prove he wasn't just some demon fox.
"To celebrate passing the first stage, I choose you... Limited Edition Chicken Soup Ramen!"
He happily pulled out the instant noodles he'd been saving forever. But for some reason, Mokushū's face popped into his mind.
"Eh... I'll give this to Mokushū tomorrow. As thanks for giving me those clues about my parents."
Naruto grabbed a regular cup of ramen instead and started eating. Then, stretching out on the bed, he quickly drifted into sleep.
...
In his dreams, Naruto was back on the day he enrolled at the academy. That afternoon, all the students left the school together.
Most had parents picking them up. Sakura jumped into her father's arms, whining to be carried home.
Even the smug Sasuke was laughing as his big brother carried him on his back.
Naruto smiled wryly, then walked alone in the opposite direction.
But after a few steps, something hit him on the head.
"Naruto! Running off without waiting for your mom again? Were you planning to sneak off and play?"
He turned and saw a red-haired woman, her hair flowing like a flame. He couldn't see her face clearly, but something about her felt so familiar.
He knew he didn't know her, but the words still slipped out: "Mom?"
"Acting cute won't get you out of trouble. Time for punishment, little Naruto. Come home with me."
She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him off.
They returned to a home Naruto didn't recognize.
"I'm back!" the woman called, throwing the door open.
Naruto saw a blond man in the living room set down his newspaper and look up with a warm smile.
"Welcome back, Kushina. Welcome home, Naruto."
The red-haired woman crouched, sighing in frustration as she swapped his shoes for frog slippers and tossed him onto the couch.
"Minato, you've got to do something about your son! I just went to pick him up, and he tried sneaking off to play! Do you know how dangerous that is?"
She wore a wildly exaggerated expression as she imagined the worst-case scenarios.
"What if he ends up like Jiraiya-sensei? Wandering around aimlessly, peeping on women in the bath, breaking all three taboos of the shinobi!"
Minato gave a sheepish smile, trying to defend his son. "I'm sure he was just being playful—"
But seeing Kushina's rising anger, he quickly changed his tune.
"I mean—Naruto, what you did was wrong. After school, you should come straight home and let us know you're safe. If you want to play, you need to ask us first. Got it?"
Naruto nodded, dumbfounded. "Yes, Father."
Minato clapped his hands. "Now, go wash up. Dinner's almost ready."
"Okay!" Naruto bolted toward the sink, relieved.
They shared a hearty dinner to celebrate his enrollment.
Later, Naruto felt himself being carried to bed by the blond man, while the red-haired woman kissed his forehead and whispered, "Good night, my son."
...
Back in the real world, Naruto's eyes fluttered open as he sat up in bed.
"Ugh... gotta pee."
He dashed to the bathroom, relieved himself, and sighed.
"Ahhh... that's better."
Zipping up, Naruto suddenly remembered the dream, struggling to piece it together.
A blond father. A red-haired mother.
"Father... Mother..."
His face contorted, and tears streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably.
Outside the window, Hyūga Gakuya watched quietly, his Sharingan fading from view.
"Time to visit the Uchiha compound."
Beside his foot, a White Zetsu emerged.
"Lead the way. We're going to see Sasuke."
"As you command."
This White Zetsu was given to him by Black Zetsu, and Hikari had scanned it with the Yachihoko to ensure loyalty. It now served only Gakuya.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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