46

Soon after reaching the gates of the Training Grounds, the participants received a release waiver that resolved Konoha from any and all responsibility in case of injury or death incurred in the assessment.

Once that was done, Anko stationed each team at specific entrances at random before passing them either a Heaven or Earth Scroll to each team.

"So, we got the Heaven Scroll. Alright. We just have to find who has an Earth Scroll and then take it from them. Easy stuff. Now, who will hold onto the scroll for our team." Yakumo asked the team as they waited for the gates to open.

"I think Naruto should hold onto it for now. He has sealing formulas on his body that can store a lot of stuff. No one knows about it and those with tracking or sensing techniques won't be able to find them on us. Most will think we lost it." Sasuke explained as both Yakumo and Naruto nodded.

"Very well. Remember guys. Our goal is not only to get an Earth Scroll but also to reduce the number of participants that can move on to the next round. We start cutting down the competition from the start, alright." Naruto explained the plan, just as the gates opened wide.

BNMMMMMMMM

"That's our cue." With that, Team 7 entered the Forest of Death, their surroundings filled with dense trees and bushes.

"The final destination is around 10 kilometers away. If we keep going without any interruptions, we can make it in around 4 hours easily." Yakumo stated as they jumped off the tree branches, heading to the center of the forest.

"Possible target, 500 meters, 4 o'clock." Naruto declared to the team, who closed in on the team from Rain.

"Lightning Style: Amplivolt" Naruto slammed his palms on the ground, surprising the enemies, as a dense current of electricity rushed towards them through the ground, paralyzing them instantly.

"Ughh." The three ninjas from the village hidden in the rain struggled to break free from the paralysis, but one chop on their necks from the team caused them to collapse.

Rustle. Rustle.

The team ruffled through their gear, eventually finding a Heaven Scroll. "Sigh. No luck the first time." Yakumo sighed, as Naruto pocketed the scroll before moving on.

In the next half an hour, the team encountered three more teams, each with a Heaven scroll once more.

"I think all those that were released from our area got the heaven scroll. Damn these proctors. Making us work too hard to get the scrolls." Naruto grumbled as he expanded his senses wide, looking for more teams that may have the Earth Scroll.

However, just as he spread his senses, his eyes went wide, and he pulled his teammates down.

"DUCK" He yelled as a huge serpent sailed over their heads, crashing into the trees behind them, shattering them completely.

"Nice senses, you have there. But it is not you who I want. So why don't you two leave me alone with the black-haired kid, and play with my summons." A young-looking lady with a flat face jumped on a branch and looked at them, as she released a killing intent that should be impossible for someone so young.

"This one's not normal. I'm guessing it's a disguise. Stay close guys." Naruto looked at the person warily, before dodging the attack of the huge snake.

"Deal with the snakes. I'll keep her busy for a bit. She wants me, doesn't she?" Sasuke said seriously, as he eyed the kunoichi with his Sharingan blazing.

"Be safe. And don't die." Naruto and Yakumo jumped off the branch as two snakes attacked them, pushing them away from the newcomer.

"Damn, these guys are relentless." Naruto kicked the snake in the head before he was once again pushed back by it even further.

"Sigh. I didn't want to use these until the finals, but here we go." Naruto sighed as he constantly dodged and futilely attacked the snakes, before making a seal of confrontation.

"Adamantium Attack Chains." Naruto focused and flared his chakra, as four golden chains ripped through his black jacket and pierced into the snake's scaly skin.

HISSSSSS

Blood flowed down in rivers, as the chains ripped through the snake's body before it disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"So, it was a summon, and not an animal companion," Naruto observed but didn't get a chance to relax before his senses warmed him of another attack.

HISSSSSSSSSS

Suddenly, a huge drove of snakes, all fifteen meters long rushed to Naruto's location, who jumped from branch to branch, as his chains weaved through them all, turning them into white smoke.

However, there was no end in sight. The snakes just kept coming.

"Who summoned these damn snakes!!" Naruto cursed, as he kept attacking with the chains. He previously noticed the thick scales protecting them, which caused conventional weapons almost useless.

"Oh, Shit. Snake Summons. Huge Chakra to summon them multiple times. Immense killing intent. Damn it. It's that slimy bastard. Orochimaru." Naruto made a sign of confrontation once more, as he pumped huge amounts of chakra into the chains, causing them to lengthen even more, before whipping them around, clearing a huge radius around him.

"I gotta find Sasuke and Yakumo. That guy is out of our league for now." Naruto thought as he rushed back the way he came from, still defeating a few snakes that tried to slow him down.

. Meanwhile.

"So, am I so famous that ninjas from the newly established village want to fight me?" Sasuke calmed down, trying to fight the killing intent with his mind, as his Sharingan analyzed the opponent carefully.

"You are famous. But that is not why I want to fight with you here. I am here to offer you power, something that you desire.

I heard you want to take your revenge on a certain someone." The lady smiled as she spoke, causing Sasuke to smirk internally.

'So, it's some whack job trying to poach me, huh? Makes sense that they would still have the information that I'm trying to kill Itachi. No one knows that I know the true reason.' Sasuke thought as he showed a wavering expression on his face.

"Power. Tsk. You don't seem that powerful to me, lady. How about this? You give me your scroll, and I'll let you leave with your bones intact. Sound fair." Sasuke tried to sound how he used to speak before he got into Team 7, which amused the lady.

"Fu, Fu, Fu. Arrogant. Just like your brother. I guess the arrogance runs deep in the blood of you Uchiha. Very well. You want the scroll. Come and get it." The lady pulled out a scroll from the folds of her clothes, before grossly swallowing the whole thing down her throat.

"It seems you have enough practice to be the highest-paid whore in a brothel. Why risk your life as a shinobi." Sasuke commented as he weaved signs, before blowing a huge fireball towards the lady.

"Weak." Sasuke grew surprised that the lady just waved her palm causing a gust of wind to blow out the fireball, before launching toward him at extreme speeds.

Bam. Sasuke was caught off guard by the speed, as he took a punch to the stomach, crashing into the ground below.

"Seal. Open"

While his Sharingan could follow the movement speed, his body wasn't able to react with enough speed to retaliate.

Bam. Bam. Crash. Gah.

"So, weak. Tell me. Do you desire power? You don't have to lie. I can see it in your eyes. Here, let me give you a little gift." The lady punched and kicked the boy repeatedly, causing him to go crashing through the trees, his body not able to block the speedy attacks of the opponent.

'So fast.' After the first punch, Sasuke realized that the opponent was someone dangerous, so he instantly opened the restriction seals that Naruto placed on him for training, but even then, the speed of the opponent was too fast. If not for the Sharingan, he would have even missed how he was attacked.

As the lady talked, her neck elongated towards the downed boy, and fangs grew from her mouth.

"No, you don't." BAM

With a dynamic entry, Naruto crashed his leg into the body of the grass kunoichi, kicking it away into the tree line, but not before a roar from Sasuke resounded in the forest.

Just as the face approached the boy, a dense white-hot stream of fire rushed out from his mouth, burning the side of the floating face, and the long neck.

However, the life-saving attack didn't completely work, as the elongated neck bent slightly, avoiding the core of the fire, and sinking its teeth into Sasuke's neck.

CRASHH

The face ripped free from Sasuke's neck just in time before time went flying into the woods, luckily not ripping a chunk of flesh from his neck.

"Are you ok, Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he picked up the boy and applied the basic healing techniques he learned from Hiroki and Tsunade.

"Yeah. The last attack kinda drained me completely. Also, I don't think I can move." Sasuke groaned as he felt his eyes grow heavy, and darkness filled them.

"Go to sleep now. You just overdrafted yourself." Naruto sighed after checking his condition, quickly stabilizing the boy, and began analyzing the sealing formula that was left on his neck.

"Yeah. Good idea."

.

.

.

So, I will not be doing the preliminary round for the final exam. It will directly be the final match that happens in front of an audience.

Enjoy!!