Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Naruto raised his hand and brought his palm down hard on the desk.

“I'm not running away! I'll answer the tenth question! Even if I stay a genin for the rest of my life, I'm not giving up on my dream!”

His voice rang through the classroom, full of determination.

Just as he had hoped, his declaration swept away the other candidates' doubts. Those who had been wavering moments earlier now looked ready to stay.

Ibiki gave Naruto an exasperated look.

He had devised the tenth question to put the candidates under intense psychological pressure. He hadn't expected one boy's speech to break that tension so easily.

Only three candidates had chosen to withdraw because of the tenth question.

Ibiki waited a little longer, but no more hands went up. Finally, he had no choice but to announce that everyone still in the room had passed.

Only then did the candidates understand what the tenth question had really been.

A sudden crash interrupted them as a figure burst through the window.

Anko Mitarashi made her entrance in spectacular fashion, leaving the candidates staring in disbelief.

“I'm Anko Mitarashi, your examiner for the second test! If you want to keep going, follow me!”

Her announcement was met with an awkward silence.

She turned to Ibiki, clearly displeased.

“Why are there so many of them left?”

Thanks to Naruto's intervention, thirty-six teams were still in the running—a total of 108 candidates.

...

Before long, the remaining candidates gathered outside the Forest of Death.

It was only then that Naruto finally picked out Orochimaru among them, his appearance altered by a disguise.

During the written exam, the man had been so unobtrusive that he might as well not have been there.

He was dangerous, and far too good at hiding it.

Someone else caught Naruto's attention too: a cute girl with red hair and glasses.

He already had a plan.

Anko stood with her hands on her hips and addressed the candidates.

“This is where you'll take the second test. Training Ground Forty-Four, better known as the Forest of Death!”

Beyond the fence stood enormous trees, with occasional glimpses of huge animals moving among them. Quite a few candidates grew uneasy at the sight.

The Forest of Death was a circular training ground with forty-four entrances around its perimeter. Inside were rivers, dense woodland, and a tower at the center.

Each entrance was ten kilometers from that tower.

For Naruto and the other candidates, the next test would mean surviving in the wilderness while fighting other teams.

Each team would randomly receive either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll.

To pass, they had to reach the central tower within five days, carrying both scrolls, with all three team members present.

Once they entered the forest, every other team would be a potential enemy.

All thirty-six teams signed the consent forms, acknowledging that they could die during the test. After receiving their scrolls, they headed to separate entrances.

At the signal, the candidates poured into the Forest of Death.

Standing between Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto licked his lips in anticipation, then ran into the dark forest without hesitation.

The entire training ground lay within his sensory range. He could follow every team's location and movements.

That included Orochimaru, Karin, and the ANBU ninja still secretly watching him.

Team 7 bounded through the towering trees.

As they passed a thick clump of bushes, Naruto vanished behind its cover. A shadow clone took his place, continuing alongside Sasuke and Sakura without breaking stride.

No one noticed the switch. Not even the ANBU watching him.

The real Naruto had concealed his chakra with Kagura's Mind's Eye and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to a tree he had marked moments earlier.

“Time to put Asura Field to work.”

He closed his eyes and checked the positions of the enemies around him.

Then he opened them with a cold smile and formed a hand sign.

Twenty shadow clones appeared beside him before scattering in every direction.

Naruto himself followed the clone accompanying Sasuke and Sakura, keeping out of sight.

...

After three hours of traveling toward the central tower, Naruto's shadow clone, Sasuke, and Sakura stopped for a short rest.

Sasuke was about to fetch water when the clone stopped him and took the water bottle.

“I'll get it. I need a bathroom break anyway.”

Sasuke nodded without much interest, completely unaware of the opportunity he had just missed.

Smiling to himself, Naruto's clone headed toward Karin's chakra signature.

At this point, Karin still belonged to Kusagakure. She had been sent to Konoha for the Chūnin Exams with two teammates from the same village. Orochimaru wouldn't take her in until later.

Now, separated from her teammates, she had been cornered by a massive grizzly bear.

She was alone, with nowhere to escape.

Just as the bear opened its jaws to bite down, Naruto's shadow clone appeared.

He drove a rapid series of kicks into its head, knocking the enormous animal unconscious.

Karin stared at him. There might as well have been hearts in her eyes.

Rescuing a girl didn't always win her heart. But a handsome, powerful rescuer was another matter entirely—and Karin was already won over.

“What's your name?”

Naruto walked over to where she had fallen and offered his right hand.

“Huh? I... I'm Karin.”

Blushing, she placed her small hand in his, and he gently helped her to her feet.

“It's dangerous out here. You should find your teammates as soon as you can.”

Naruto gave a quiet chuckle. Before letting go, he left a Flying Thunder God mark on her palm.

...

After another three hours of traveling, Team 7 finally encountered an enemy.

A ninja from Amegakure, wearing a gas mask, launched a surprise attack on Naruto's clone, Sasuke, and Sakura.

He had chosen the wrong target.

Using Phantom Step, Naruto's clone appeared behind him in an instant and slit his throat.

Farther away, his two teammates waited for him to return.

They would never get the chance to see him again. The real Naruto had found them as well, and neither survived.

At that moment, Naruto sensed Orochimaru approaching. He had spotted the group from a distance and was now closing in on them.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru's two subordinates had engaged the ANBU ninja assigned to watch Naruto.

Naruto stayed clear of Orochimaru and concealed himself near the fight, watching with interest.

This scene hadn't appeared in the original story, but Naruto was convinced that something like it must have happened.

There was no way Konoha would send the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki into the Forest of Death without an ANBU keeping watch.

And that watcher wouldn't simply stand by while Orochimaru sealed away the Nine-Tails' chakra inside Naruto.

There was only one explanation he could see: Orochimaru's two subordinates had eliminated the ANBU first.

Both men were jōnin whom Orochimaru had carefully selected from Otogakure.

The ANBU was alone. Even with the strength of a jōnin, facing two opponents of equal ability would be difficult.

Worse, he had little experience dealing with sound-based attacks. Their techniques soon broke through his defenses, leaving him badly injured.

Just as the two Sound ninja were about to finish him off, a masked woman with red hair suddenly appeared.

It was Naruto, using the same disguise as before.

With Phantom Step, he closed the distance to the two men in an instant. Two Immortal-Binding Ropes shot from his hands, twisting around them to bind them in place.

The two jōnin reacted just in time.

Before the ropes could restrain them, they used the Substitution Jutsu to escape.