Ibiki expressed his genuine admiration, "The genin in this year are exceptionally skilled."
Anko's sadistic demeanor instilled fear in many of the genin as she announced, "I'll reduce the participants in the next round. It will take place tomorrow morning, so inquire about the time and location from your sensei."
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The following morning, the genin assembled outside the forest of death, bright and early.
Anko revealed the objective of the round, "Your goal is to reach the tower. Half of you will be given an Earth scroll, while the other half receives a Heaven scroll. The rules are straightforward: if you possess an Earth scroll, you must obtain a Heaven scroll and vice versa. Once you have both scrolls, you must make your way to the tower, located in the forest's center. Any team with only one or zero scrolls will be disqualified," she said with a sadistic grin spreading across her face.
Anko clarified the timeline, "You will have 120 hours from the moment you enter the forest, which gives you five days to complete the objective. However, before we proceed, you must sign these papers to ensure that Konoha is not held responsible for any fatalities," she stated, once again flashing a smile, and allowed them some time to contemplate before continuing.
Once the teams had signed up, they were handed their corresponding scrolls. Team Tenji was given an Earth scroll, which Menma held onto. Before departing, Menma cautioned Naruto to steer clear of the Sound ninja and exercise caution. Naruto acknowledged his advice with a nod.
They made their way to their assigned paths and waited for the signal. After a while, a firework shot up into the sky, prompting them to race towards the tower. As they progressed, some genin halted to lay traps and conceal themselves, while others sought out adversaries to seize their scrolls.
Sakura turned to Sasuke and inquired, "Where are we now?" However, he did not answer and instead glanced at the blond, who had suddenly ceased moving.
Without warning, Naruto hurled a kunai at a tree, and a scream reverberated through the air as a Rain ninja emerged, thinking in confusion while fleeing, 'Shit!'
As they witnessed the Rain ninja flee, Sakura questioned, "Why didn't you pursue him?"
Naruto countered, "He didn't have a scroll."
Skeptical, she probed, "How can you be so certain?"
"It's because he attacked us solo. He was just a scout," Sasuke interjected.
After a brief discussion, they concluded to proceed deeper into the forest.
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After a couple of days had elapsed, Team 5 was observed moving through the forest at a leisurely speed. While scouting for any potential dangers in the surroundings, Tenya was using his activated Byakugan, but grew frustrated when he found no one nearby, causing him to deactivate his Dojutsu.
Subsequently, they proceeded to climb the trees and ventured deeper into the forest where they encountered a group of Sound Ninjas, one of whom was wounded by a kunai.
Tenya gestured for the team to halt and activated his Byakugan. He grinned and announced, "Got it. Yuko, tend to the injured one; Menma, pursue the ninja carrying the tanto, and I'll go after the one holding the scroll."
The team members nodded in agreement and leaped down from their position, causing the Sound Ninjas to become frightened.
Menma hurled a kunai at one of the ninjas, who quickly drew his tanto to block the attack. The ninja then fled into the forest, with Menma hot on his heels. 'I don't have time for this.' Menma thought to himself.
