Chapter 37 (Patreon)

Naruto pulled himself together. While Sasuke was still unconscious from their fight, he strolled off without a care. When he returned, he had a Heaven Scroll in his hand.

Once Sakura and Sasuke had woken up, they assumed he had taken it from another team on his own. Neither realized that one of the disguised shadow clones he had sent out earlier had obtained it.

With both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls in hand, Team 7 headed straight for the central tower.

Before long, they encountered Kabuto Yakushi, still playing the part of a helpful fellow candidate.

Unfortunately for Kabuto, he never found an opportunity to observe Sasuke in battle. Naruto’s shadow clones had already dealt with many of the teams that might have confronted them.

Team 7 soon reached the central tower and went inside. When they unrolled the Heaven and Earth Scrolls at the same time, Iruka, who had been waiting for them, appeared in a puff of smoke.

After offering a few words of encouragement, Iruka explained the inscription on the wall—the Third Hokage’s advice to shinobi hoping to become chūnin.

Naruto and the others then made their way to the arena.

...

Meanwhile, Kabuto slipped through another doorway to meet Orochimaru, who was waiting for him.

“Orochimaru-sama, something strange has happened in the Forest of Death,” he said, looking puzzled. “Many genin teams have been wiped out, but their scrolls were left behind.”

Orochimaru nodded, his expression dark.

“I noticed it as well. But I haven’t discovered who’s responsible. It seems the Konoha Crush will be more interesting than expected.”

...

Anko Mitarashi’s encounter with Orochimaru had gone much as Naruto remembered from the anime. After being defeated, she had taken the alarming news straight to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage was already at the central tower. He had dispatched a large number of ANBU to search the Forest of Death for Orochimaru.

They had found no trace of him, but they had discovered that many genin teams had been killed under suspicious circumstances.

After considering their reports, Hiruzen suspected Orochimaru was responsible. What he couldn’t understand was why.

“Trouble is coming to Konoha...”

He sighed, then turned to the ANBU beside him.

“Any word from Jiraiya?”

“We’ve located Jiraiya-sama,” the shinobi replied, dropping to one knee. “We’re trying to persuade him to return to the village.”

“I hope he arrives in time.”

Hiruzen drew on his pipe, uncertainty lingering in his eyes.

“Hokage-sama,” Anko said, “the only surviving candidate still in the Forest of Death is a red-haired girl from Kusagakure. All the teams that passed have reached the tower. Shall we move the third exam forward?”

Hiruzen considered it for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. Let’s finish this stage early. Then we can devote more of our attention to finding Orochimaru and preparing for whatever he intends.”

...

Team 7 joined the other successful teams in the arena.

Naruto took a quick count of the room. The four teams he knew as the Konoha Twelve were all present, including his own. With Gaara’s team and Kabuto’s team, that made six teams and eighteen genin.

Their jōnin instructors stood nearby.

Might Guy surveyed the nine rookies with a confident smile.

“You nine have done well to make it this far! But you won’t get any farther on luck alone. From now on, your true abilities are what count. And with my team here, you won’t be passing!”

“After all, youth can be bitter, and it can be unforgiving! Isn’t that right, Kakashi?”

He turned expectantly toward Kakashi.

Kakashi looked over with his usual half-lidded gaze.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

Guy’s shoulders slumped.

Around them, the other jōnin and examiners were also studying the assembled genin.

“The Hokage will now explain the third exam!” Anko announced.

Hiruzen stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. He surveyed the candidates, his expression serious.

“We will now proceed to the third exam. Before we begin, however, there is something you must understand: the true purpose of these Chūnin Exams.”

“You may believe that holding a joint exam with our allies strengthens our friendship and allows us to improve together. If you think that is all there is to it, you are mistaken.”

“These exams are, in effect, a war in miniature between the allied nations.”

“Historically, the nations we now call our allies were neighbors who repeatedly fought one another. To avoid constant warfare, they adopted this system instead.”

Uneasy murmurs spread through the genin. They had thought of the exam as a chance to demonstrate their strength. Until now, they had never connected it with war between nations.

“This exam is more than a way to select new chūnin. Each of you will fight as a shinobi carrying your nation’s reputation.”

“During the third exam, daimyō and other prominent figures will be here to watch. Many of them are potential clients.”

“A village that demonstrates its strength will receive more mission requests. A weaker village will receive fewer.”

“At the same time, your performance will reveal your nation’s strength and potential to the other countries.”

The candidates grew increasingly uncomfortable.

“Then why do we have to put our lives on the line?” Kiba Inuzuka asked.

Hiruzen continued, his voice solemn.

“A nation’s strength is the strength of its hidden village. A village’s strength is the strength of its shinobi. Only when you fight with your lives at stake does your true strength become clear.”

“To put it plainly, these exams are a stage on which every village displays its power. That display has meaning only when you fight with your lives at stake.”

Silence settled over the arena.

Gaara broke it, his voice impatient.

“Then hurry up and start this life-and-death exam.”

Hiruzen frowned.

“Very well. We will now explain the next stage.”

He gave a deliberate cough.

Hayate Gekkō immediately appeared before him and knelt.

“Excuse me, Hokage-sama. As the referee, I’ll explain what comes next.”

Hiruzen gave an approving nod.

“Very well. Go ahead.”

Hayate rose to his feet. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he looked as though he ought to be in a hospital. He coughed before addressing the genin.

“Ahem... More candidates have passed than we can accommodate in the third exam. We’ll need to hold preliminary matches to reduce the number.”

“The daimyō and other guests have busy schedules. We can’t keep them waiting through an endless series of matches, so the final stage must stay within the time allotted.”

A few candidates began to protest. After everything they had endured to get here, they still had to pass another elimination round?

Hayate ignored their complaints.

“Cough... If anyone is feeling unwell, or wishes to withdraw, now is the time to say so. Cough, cough...”

The candidates stared at him, their expressions tightening.

If anyone looked unwell, it was their referee.

Naruto stared at him as well.

Was there really no one else in Konoha who could referee? Why choose a man who looked as though he might collapse before the first match?

And what did Yūgao Uzuki see in him, anyway? He wasn’t handsome, his health was terrible, and his strength was nothing special.

Once Hayate finished speaking, Kabuto raised his hand.

“I’d like to withdraw. I’m not feeling well, and I don’t think I can manage another fight.”

He turned and left without hesitation.

Hiruzen watched him go, his expression darkening.

“I’ve seen him here several times before...” he said quietly.

Anko quickly flipped through Kabuto’s records.

“He’s entered the Chūnin Exams six times,” she reported. “He’s withdrawn partway through every attempt. His Academy results were average, and his record since graduating is much the same.”

Hiruzen watched Kabuto’s retreating back for a while longer, then slowly nodded.

Naruto knew why Kabuto was leaving. His information-gathering was finished. Soon he would defect from Konoha altogether, so he didn’t care what the village might discover if it investigated him.

Seeing Kabuto withdraw, Sakura turned back to Sasuke, pleading once more for him to do the same. She was too worried about the strange curse mark Orochimaru had left on him to let the matter go.

Up on the platform, Anko wanted Sasuke pulled out of the exam as well. He had received Orochimaru’s curse mark, just as she had. She doubted he could endure the matches and wanted to make him withdraw for his own safety.

But Kakashi and the Third Hokage both refused to remove him.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, who stood just ahead of him. His expression darkened, and he clenched his teeth as Sakura continued to plead.

He had thought Orochimaru’s power would make him steadily stronger, until he could finally take revenge on Itachi.

Instead, even with that power, he still couldn’t defeat Naruto.

Frustrated and furious, he cut Sakura off, his voice cold.

“Stay out of it. I’ve already told you—I’m an avenger. The reason I’m taking this exam is to fight other shinobi and prove my strength.”

Sakura’s face fell.

“Cough, cough... Is anyone else withdrawing?” Hayate asked. “If not, the preliminary matches will begin shortly.”