By the time the clock ticked past 2 PM, the examinees had all chosen their respective entrances. Chūnin proctors stood by each gate, waiting to unlock them once the exam officially began.
Team 10 had also selected a gate and stood ready.
The proctor at their gate gave them a curious glance.
Shikamaru stood shoulder to shoulder with Chōji, while Ino, having only just returned to her body after using her Mind Body Switch Technique, was being half-supported by Shikamaru—her entire body practically leaning into his.
From Ino's hair came a faint floral scent, light and refreshing. Just then, her body gave a subtle tremble.
Shikamaru looked down—and Ino looked up at the same moment. Their eyes met. Her icy blue irises flickered with a ripple of emotion, but she quickly composed herself and stood up as if nothing had happened.
She adjusted her posture and spoke softly to her teammates, "I've memorized the appearances and features of six teams carrying Heaven Scrolls."
"Three of them chose gates close to ours—one team each from Konoha, Amegakure, and Takigakure," she continued, glancing at the nearby Chūnin proctor and lowering her voice. "The other three teams selected more distant gates, and I couldn't determine exactly which entrances they chose while tailing them."
"Perfect," Shikamaru nodded, his gaze settling on the imposing forest just beyond the gate.
Although it was unlikely those teams would remain near their entry points once the exam began, having a general direction to start searching made the job much easier.
Unfortunately, Shikamaru couldn't bring a hawk into the exam. Unless he could capture one inside the forest, Ino would be limited to using ordinary birds for reconnaissance. Still, thanks to her jutsu, they now had a satellite-like method to hunt their targets based on visual memory alone—a huge advantage.
Time ticked forward.
Five minutes before 2:30 PM, the scheduled start time, Chūnin proctors began removing the chains and dispelling the sealing tags from the gates around the Forest of Death.
Each one glanced at the watch on their wrist, counting down.
"Time's up!"
At exactly 2:30 PM, Mitarashi Anko murmured to herself—and at that same moment, proctors at every gate waved their hands, officially launching the Second Stage of the Chūnin Selection Exams: The Scroll Battle!
Whoosh!
The proctor's voice had barely faded when Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji shot forward like arrows loosed from the string. Wind howled at their heels as they dove into the Forest of Death.
"Ino, you take point!" Shikamaru barked as he leapt from branch to branch, scaling up into the trees to gain a better vantage point. "Lead us to the nearest team carrying a Heaven Scroll. We need to grab the other scroll as quickly as possible and find a good place to set up an ambush."
"Shouldn't we head straight to the central tower instead?" Chōji asked, puzzled. "That's where everyone's going, right? Wouldn't it be easier to set traps there?"
True, the central tower was the ultimate destination for all teams. The closer one got, the more restricted the area became. Many participants had already figured this out.
The forest's radius was only ten kilometers—nothing major for ninja-level stamina and speed. The difficulty lay in the venomous beasts, poisonous insects, and ambushes from other examinees. Still, a team with sufficient skill could reach the tower quickly and gain a strategic advantage.
But—
"I never said we were heading to the central tower," Shikamaru replied in a low voice, his face expressionless. Only his eyes revealed the complexity of his thoughts.
"Someone's coming for us. And this exam… we might have bigger problems to deal with."
At the same moment the second stage began, a team from Kusagakure burst into the forest like a whirlwind.
Leading them was a long-haired shinobi in a conical hat. His black hair fell to his shoulders, and his expression was blank—lifeless. The other two, both bald, looked equally unsettling. One wore a metal demon mask, his fingers and toes ending in unnaturally long, razor-sharp nails. The other wore a dangling charm on his hat inscribed with the word "Death", and had long, narrow eyes with eyeliner—strangely effeminate for a man.
"Remember the direction that little brat was headed," the long-haired ninja said in a raspy, choked voice, like his throat was constricted. "Split up. We must find him—immediately."
Surprisingly, his teammates did not react with offense at the tone. On the contrary, their demeanor was completely subservient.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
"I wonder what scroll Shikamaru's team has…" muttered Kiba Inuzuka, toying with a shuriken in his hand.
After entering the forest, Team 8—Kiba, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyūga—had found a clearing and were currently going over their strategy.
"Akamaru," Kiba called softly.
The small white pup, perched on Kiba's chest, lifted its head and sniffed the shuriken that still carried traces of Shikamaru's scent.
"Let's track down Shikamaru's team first," Kiba grinned. "With our team's tracking abilities combined with his strategy, we'll crush every other Genin in this forest."
He clenched his fists. "Of course… if they drop their guard, I won't hesitate to take Shikamaru out first. Better to remove a strong rival early."
Like Naruto, Kiba could be brash and cocky, but it was exactly this bold, unconventional thinking that sometimes led to surprising tactics.
Just then, Akamaru let out a low growl.
Kiba raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting.
Shino and Hinata, having spent enough time with Akamaru, immediately grew more alert. Trained ninja dogs often outperformed even ninja in tracking and counter-tracking, and Akamaru had never failed to detect intruders.
"They're idiots," Kiba thought as he continued speaking casually to his teammates while subtly scanning the treeline.
"Don't they teach forest survival at the academy anymore? Or are they repeat-failures who've already forgotten everything?"
In a forest like this—rife with venomous beasts and lurking threats—staying stationary too long was practically asking for death. Especially since such creatures preferred to ambush their prey. While open areas were riskier in terms of visibility, they were actually safer for avoiding toxic parasites.
That's why Team 8 had chosen this clearing: not only was it good bait, but it was less likely to harbor hidden dangers.
Akamaru's warning confirmed that someone was nearby—hidden, but not moving. The most dangerous kind of enemy.
Hinata quickly brought her hands together to form a seal. As her chakra surged, bulging veins rippled around her pale eyes. Her Byakugan activated.
Shino's kikaichū, Kiba's keen senses, and Hinata's Byakugan—no other Genin team in this year's exam matched Team 8 in recon and pursuit.
Though still pretending to chat, the trio smoothly shifted into a defensive triangle formation—watching each other's backs while keeping their vigilance high.
Whoever was lurking would have to be extremely patient to outwait them.
Suddenly—
"AARGH!"
A shriek echoed from behind them.
Three Leaf Genin, dressed in black and wearing Konoha headbands, stumbled out of the woods in panic. Their bodies appeared swollen in odd places, their movements sluggish.
"Leeches," Shino said calmly, pushing up his round sunglasses.
Leeches tracked prey through body heat. These three had clearly lingered too long in one spot. The sluggish parasites had caught them unaware, latching on en masse.
Worse, the leeches secreted a numbing agent. By the time the trio noticed, their bodies were already covered in engorged parasites.
"Heh. Weakness exposed." Kiba burst into laughter.
Those attackers had been waiting for Team 8 to slip up.
But the truth was—their roles were reversed. Team 8 had been waiting for them.
This stage of the exam was a battle of attrition. Conserving every ounce of strength was essential for surviving future fights.
Wasting chakra and stamina on weaklings now, only to be defeated by stronger enemies later?
That would be the real stupidity.