"Hmph hmph." Looking at the tense crowd below the platform, Ibiki Morino smiled in satisfaction before loudly announcing.
"The final question is... there is no final question! Everyone still remaining here has passed!"
"Ah?" ×n
...
Faced with the examinees' confusion, Ibiki Morino also revealed the true purpose of this exam. After hearing Ibiki's views on what a ninja should be, the examinees below, though unsure if they were truly convinced, still nodded.
At least they had passed the first exam.
Just as Ibiki was about to say a few more words, a figure suddenly burst through the window, interrupting him. At the same time, several kunai tied with strings embedded into the blackboard behind him. A cloth covered in writing was pulled open by the kunai, taking over the position of the podium. The huge commotion instantly drew everyone's attention.
"This entrance is cool and all, but isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
Looking at Anko Mitarashi who had suddenly barged in, Furina had no idea who she had learned this "doors exist but let's use the window" move from. Though she was silently complaining in her heart, Furina still waved at her as a greeting.
After all, the two were acquaintances, so a greeting was only proper. As for how they knew each other, that would require starting from the time they went to the dango shop for dessert...
Anko naturally noticed Furina greeting her and nodded back in response before beginning her self-introduction.
"My name is Anko Mitarashi, and I'm also the proctor for the second exam. I really didn't expect so many people to remain after the first exam. But rest assured in the second exam, we'll eliminate most of you. Haha, look forward to it."
Though she was laughing happily on the platform, the examinees below were inwardly cursing. They had barely passed the first exam with great difficulty, only for someone to immediately show up and guarantee that the next one would eliminate most of them. "Look forward to it"? Who would look forward to something like that?
"It's not the time for chit-chat now. Tomorrow morning at the exam site, I'll explain the rules to you all properly. Don't be late. As for the location, ask your teachers. Now, I declare this session is dismissed."
With that, Anko made a hand gesture toward Furina before turning into a puff of white smoke and disappearing.
"Sigh, that girl." Rejecting Naruto and Sasuke's invitation to go ask Kakashi about the exam location together, Furina reached a corner of the staircase and spotted a certain figure who seemed to have been waiting for a while.
"Hey, why are you only coming now? You have no idea how long I've waited! Come on, come on I heard that guy Kuromu has come up with some new stuff again. Let's go try it together."
Saying so, Anko pulled Furina toward the dango shop. Looking at the excited Anko, Furina suddenly felt a bit guilty for eating alone without telling her. After all, the other had just gotten the news and immediately brought her along.
Thinking this, Furina felt a little embarrassed inside. But after pondering it over and over, she still decided not to tell her. It wasn't that she refused to admit it, but saying something like this at such a happy moment would somewhat ruin the mood.
She just didn't want the other's mood to sour because of it that's all, yes, exactly.
After finding an excuse for herself in her heart, Furina instantly felt her conscience lighten considerably. At the same time, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly: she still needed more practice. How could she feel guilty over such a small thing? That absolutely wouldn't do.
"We're almost there. I heard the new dessert is completely different from the usual ones. No idea what it'll be like. You must be looking forward to it too, right? Anyway, I'm already impatient."
Just as they were nearing the dango shop, Anko suddenly turned back to ask Furina. This snapped Furina out of her distracted thoughts. Seeing the other's smiling face, Furina unconsciously averted her gaze. Suddenly her conscience hurt again what now?
"Sigh, next time there's any new stuff, I should tell her first. I just hope she doesn't get fat from eating so many sweets every day."
While enjoying the food, Furina didn't forget to ask about the specific details of the second exam. After all, she had been transmigrated for too long, and for unimportant things like this, she only remembered roughly. For the details, she had to ask Anko, the proctor.
Hey, is going out to have fun with Anko considered bribing the proctor? It probably doesn't count, right? After all, Anko's treating, and she didn't spend any money herself. How could that be bribery?
...
The next day
Forest of Death entrance
At this moment, the ninjas from various villages who had passed the first exam had already gathered here. Among the crowd with their varied appearances, the one who caught Furina's attention most was a long-haired Sound ninja who kept sticking out his tongue to lick his lips from time to time, giving off a snake-like vibe.
But she didn't need to guess Furina knew the other was a snake: Orochimaru, the mastermind behind this time's Konoha Crush plan. If she got targeted by him on this trip, things would not end well.
Therefore, Furina didn't observe him too much, only glancing once before continuing to chat with Naruto and Sasuke beside her. After all, strong people are very sensitive to being watched. Staring too long would definitely get noticed.
After Anko finished explaining the detailed rules of the exam and everyone from each team signed the consent form, the five-day second exam officially began.
"We got the Earth Scroll. For the one we're missing, do we go steal it directly or what?" After entering the Forest of Death, Sasuke took a few steps to Furina's side and asked for her opinion.
Because over this long period, he had seen Furina's strength clearly even against a jōnin, she might not lose. Plus with him there, no matter which team they faced, it wouldn't be a problem. After all, this was just a mere chūnin exam.
"No need to actively go steal it. We can just head straight to the central tower and wait by the tree stump for a rabbit. The teams that go there will definitely have already collected both scrolls. This way, we avoid the risk of getting duplicates, and it's much more convenient."
"Wait by the tree stump for a rabbit, huh? Yeah, no matter who comes, they can only be defeated by us. And it's way simpler too."
After hearing Furina's idea, Sasuke nodded. This approach suited his taste perfectly. In the face of the Uchiha name, anyone would only meet failure.
"Right, that's it. We'll just wait there, and we only need to rob one team. Plus, we'll definitely be the fastest to pass this way, hehe."
After listening to Furina and Sasuke's discussion, Naruto had no objections at all. No matter who the enemy was, they would be defeated by him, Lord Naruto. Then Furina and Sasuke would look at him with new respect.