When the candidates heard that the Prince of the Fire Nation had personally arrived to cheer them on, all eyes immediately shifted to Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke.
"Brother Carl, we'll win for sure!" Naruto shouted, bouncing in place, practically radiating excitement.
From the moment he was old enough to understand loneliness, Naruto had craved the kind of support others took for granted—parents at the school gates, family members cheering them on at events, a hand on their shoulder before a big test. Now, here was Carl, not only a friend but a powerful figure, taking time to encourage him. That meant everything.
Sakura blushed furiously, fidgeting with her gloves as if trying to hide her embarrassment. Her reaction wasn't unusual. Children who had grown up in warm, supportive households often didn't know how to handle such grand gestures in public.
Sasuke, meanwhile, turned away with his usual stoic demeanor, but the subtle upturn of his lips betrayed him for a moment—until it vanished just as quickly, replaced by a flicker of something darker. A shadow passed over his eyes as memories surged forth. For a brief moment, Carl's warmth reminded him of his own older brother—Itachi—before that name twisted into something painful.
Carl had triggered something deep in him. He had once known happiness, once had family, before that night. Before the massacre. Before the blood.
Nearby, Anko Mitarashi—known for her wild energy and sharp instincts—watched the interaction and nodded silently. She knew Carl had a special bond with Naruto. His presence here wasn't surprising.
After explaining the rules of the Chūnin Exams in detail, Anko moved to the side as representatives from each village came forward to draw their scrolls and select one of the twenty numbered entrances to the Forest of Death.
"It's all unfolding just like before," Carl murmured to himself.
He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye—three Genin from Kusagakure entered shortly after Naruto's team. It wasn't coincidence.
"Your Highness," Anko said, turning to Carl as the last Genin disappeared into the trees, "all candidates are inside. Would you prefer to head to the tower now and wait, or return to the village and come back in five days for the preliminary rounds?"
Carl smiled easily. "Let's go to the tower now. I'd like to see which team makes it there first. But before that—could we make a quick stop? I've been craving glutinous rice balls and red bean soup."
Anko's eyes lit up. "You don't need to ask me twice. That's my favorite food in the world."
"I'll treat," Carl said with a chuckle. "Let's bring some for Hokage-sama and Kakashi, too. They're probably already stationed at the tower."
Roughly thirty minutes later, Carl, Anko, and Yamato—disguised under his ANBU name "Tenzo"—were making their way through the treetops, each carrying bags filled with warm food. Anko had already devoured several skewers of mochi and was smiling contentedly. Yamato, trying to maintain balance with over a hundred cups of red bean soup, looked far less amused.
Carl had deliberately chosen this detour. Going directly to the tower might have prevented Orochimaru from reaching Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in time. And that, Carl knew, would disrupt events that needed to unfold.
Now, the timeline was aligned. Orochimaru would be lurking nearby.
Choosing the same entrance Naruto's team had taken, Carl led the way through the canopy. As the three of them moved swiftly but carefully, he called back over his shoulder:
"Let's take it easy so we don't spill the soup."
Anko grunted in agreement, still munching. Yamato merely nodded, focused entirely on balancing his load. Carl, of course, wasn't carrying anything—not because he wouldn't, but because royalty had its expectations, even in a forest full of venomous creatures and ambushes.
Suddenly, Anko stopped dead in her tracks.
"Hnngh—!"
Her eyes narrowed, the half-eaten mochi falling from her hand. The massive bag of skewers tumbled to the forest floor below. Yamato and Carl halted instantly.
Carl raised an eyebrow and feigned mild concern. "Anko-jōnin, are you alright?"
Yamato was instantly on alert, stepping protectively in front of Carl.
Anko clutched her neck. The mark there—the cursed seal—throbbed with growing intensity.
"I can feel it…" she whispered. "He's here. Orochimaru. He's close."
Carl's eyes gleamed behind his calm expression. He had been waiting for this.
Anko's entire demeanor shifted. Gone was the eccentric ninja with a sweet tooth. In her place stood the hardened kunoichi, forged by trauma and survival.
She turned sharply to Carl and Yamato. "Listen carefully. Orochimaru—Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja—is in this forest. I can sense his location. I'll intercept him. You two—go to the tower and inform the Hokage immediately. We need reinforcements!"
Before either could argue, she vanished into the trees.
Carl tossed his share of food to Yamato and muttered, "You go on ahead, Tenzo. I'm going after her."
"But Your Highness—!"
Too late. Carl had already disappeared into the forest's shadows.
Yamato was left holding a mountain of food and an impossible decision. His orders were clear: protect Carl. If anything happened to the prince of the Fire Nation, the political fallout for Konoha could be catastrophic. But Orochimaru wasn't just any threat. Yamato knew him intimately—as one of his failed test subjects, Yamato had barely survived Orochimaru's genetic experiments alongside Danzo.
In the end, Yamato made his choice.
Gritting his teeth, he dropped all the food at the base of a tree, leaving it carefully arranged.
"Please be safe," he whispered, then turned and raced full speed toward the central tower.
Not long after he vanished into the foliage, a lone girl wandered near the abandoned supplies. Her Kusagakure headband was crooked, and her red hair hung messily around her downcast face. She had lost her teammates and was wandering in a daze, unsure what to do next.
When she spotted the mountain of untouched food—perfectly warm red bean soup and untouched glutinous rice balls—her eyes widened with disbelief.
"For real…?" she whispered. "Did I just stumble into heaven?"