Team 7's journey along the 'safe route' shown by Naruto (or more accurately, directed by Hana) felt a bit calmer compared to the forest area they had passed through before. The trees here seemed sparser, and sunlight penetrated the canopy more easily, creating a less oppressive atmosphere.
"Are you sure this is the right way, Naruto?" Sasuke asked after walking for a while, his eyes still warily scanning the surroundings. "It feels too... easy."
"Of course! My Kage Bunshin's memory can't be wrong, dattebayo!" Naruto replied with feigned confidence. "Hana-neechan, are we close?" he whispered inwardly.
"Soon, Naruto-kun. I can feel his chakra getting clearer. Get ready, it seems he really is in trouble," Hana replied with a slightly worried tone.
Just as Hana finished speaking, a rough rustling of bushes was suddenly heard, followed by a low, heavy growl from ahead. A few moments later, a girl's terrified scream followed.
"Help! Anyone, please help me!"
Without much talk, Naruto and Sasuke immediately dashed towards the source of the sound. Sakura, slightly surprised, quickly followed behind them.
The sight they witnessed was quite shocking. A girl with fiery red hair was frantically fumbling on the ground, as if searching for something. In front of her, a giant forest bear, much larger than an ordinary bear, stood on its hind legs, growling angrily with saliva dripping from its muzzle full of sharp teeth. Its long claws looked ready to pounce.
"Oh no! She's not wearing her glasses!" Sakura exclaimed, realizing why the girl seemed so confused and couldn't see the threatening danger.
Before the bear could pounce, Naruto had already dashed forward. "Hey, ugly bear! Your opponent is me!" he shouted, throwing several kunai to distract the beast.
Sasuke, with calmer but no less swift movements, was already on the other side of the bear. "Don't get in the way, Dobe!" He leaped onto a nearby tree branch, seeking a more advantageous position.
The fight didn't last long. Naruto, with his agility and a few Kage Bunshin he created in an instant, managed to confuse the bear. Meanwhile, Sasuke, from above, launched precise shuriken attacks at vital points that weren't lethal but enough to temporarily disable it, like its leg joints. Finally, with a strong kick from the real Naruto aimed at its head, the giant bear collapsed with a loud thud, unconscious.
While the two boys 'played' with the bear, Sakura quickly approached the red-haired girl. "Are you okay?" she asked gently, helping the girl up. "Did your glasses fall?"
The girl was still trembling with fear. "Y-yes... I can't see anything without them... That thing... that bear..."
"Calm down, it's safe now," Sakura said soothingly, while helping the girl find her glasses, which had apparently been thrown not far from there. "Here they are." Sakura handed over the thick-rimmed glasses.
With trembling hands, the girl put her glasses back on. Her previously blurry vision now became clear. The first thing she saw was the silhouette of a black-haired teenage boy standing arrogantly on the body of the large unconscious bear, as if he had just conquered a monster. Then, her gaze shifted to another spiky-blond-haired teenage boy who was smiling kindly at her, a smile that felt so sincere and warm like the morning sun. Beside him stood the pink-haired girl who had helped her, looking at her with concern.
"Thank you so much for helping me," the red-haired girl said softly, her face slightly flushed, whether from fear or something else.
Naruto approached with a wide smile. "No problem! Helping people in trouble is my duty as a future Hokage, dattebayo! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?"
The girl was slightly surprised to hear the surname Naruto mentioned, but she remembered her mother's message to avoid mentioning the Uzumaki name as much as possible if not absolutely necessary, for her own safety. "My-my name is Karin," she replied briefly, not mentioning her clan name.
Naruto, who had been told by Hana about Karin's condition and the possibility of her hiding her Uzumaki identity, just nodded in understanding. "Nice to meet you, Karin! This is Sakura-chan," he pointed to Sakura who smiled, "and the cool-looking guy on the bear is Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke just snorted from atop the bear, not coming down. "Hn."
"And like I said, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest future Hokage of all time!" Naruto continued proudly, clenching his fist in the air.
Karin looked at Naruto with a slightly furrowed brow. "Uzumaki? But... your hair isn't red?" she asked, confused. As far as she knew, the main characteristic of the Uzumaki clan was fiery red hair like hers.
Naruto was also confused. "Eh? Do Uzumakis have to have red hair? I didn't know..." Naruto thought. He glanced at Karin's red hair, then at his own blond hair.
"Fufufu, maybe it's a mix from your father's genetics?" Hana whispered amusedly.
"Oh! Maybe you mean like this?" Suddenly Naruto had an idea. He formed a hand seal. "Henge no Jutsu!" Thin smoke billowed, and when it cleared, Naruto's spiky blond hair had turned fiery red, similar to Karin's hair color, though the style remained Naruto's signature spiky look. "How's that? Cool, right, dattebayo!"
Karin and Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's new appearance. Even Sasuke, still perched on the bear, unconsciously raised the corners of his lips slightly, forming a very thin and faint smile, almost invisible.
After their laughter subsided, Sakura asked Karin in a more serious tone, "Karin, where are your teammates? Why are you alone in such a dangerous place?"
Karin's face immediately turned grim. "I... I don't know. We got separated yesterday when another team attacked us. I tried to find them, but I got lost and lost my way." Her voice sounded sad and desperate.
Naruto felt sorry for her. "Hana-neechan, we have to help her," he whispered inwardly.
"Of course, Naruto-kun. This is a good opportunity. Besides, she's also an Uzumaki. We should help each other," Hana replied. "Suggest escorting her to the tower. There she can report and ask the Hokage for help in finding her team."
"Don't worry, Karin!" Naruto exclaimed with a reassuring smile. "We'll escort you to the central tower! There you can report and ask Grandpa Hokage for help in finding your friends!"
Karin looked at Naruto, then at Sakura and Sasuke. She seemed hesitant. "But... won't I be a bother to you? You're also taking the exam, right?"
"No problem!" Sakura replied quickly with a smile. "Besides, we're heading in the same direction."
Sasuke just shrugged. "Whatever. As long as you don't slow us down."
Although still a little hesitant, Karin didn't sense any malice or ill intent from Naruto and his two friends. Especially from Naruto, she felt an aura that was strangely familiar and calming. "Al-alright then... Thank you very much."
"Yosh! It's decided!" Naruto exclaimed. "Let's go! The central tower awaits!"
The three of them, now four, quickly resumed their journey towards the central tower, following the route 'suggested' by Naruto.
—----------------------
Their journey of four towards the central tower turned out to be smoother than expected. Naruto, with his 'super instinct' (which was actually Hana's precise whispers in his mind), successfully guided his team through relatively quiet and safe paths.
"Naruto-kun, turn left at that big tree intersection. There's a chakra trail of another team that just passed to the right, let's avoid them," Hana whispered. She deliberately chose a route that steered clear of some strange and suspicious chakra flows, especially one chakra that felt slippery and calculating, which Hana suspected belonged to Kabuto Yakushi. Hana wasn't sure what that important pawn of Orochimaru would do, who in the future would become one of the major masterminds of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. She didn't want to take any risks with her prince's safety. Better safe than sorry.
After walking with several short breaks, they finally arrived at their destination. A towering stone tower building was now visible before them, surrounded by a high fence. This was the central tower of the Forest of Death. They had managed to arrive on the third day of the exam, still within the specified time limit.
"Finally... we made it!" Naruto exclaimed in relief, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Sakura also sighed in relief. "Thank goodness we made it. And thank you, Karin, for coming with us."
Karin smiled faintly. "I should be the one thanking you. Without you, I don't know what would have happened."
Sasuke remained silent, but his eyes carefully observed the tower entrance.
The four of them entered the first room inside the tower. The room was quite spacious but seemed empty, except for a large inscription carved on the wall in front of them.
Sakura approached and read the inscription carefully. "Hmm... 'If the quality of Heaven is not in you, seek it and prepare. If the quality of Earth is not in you, run and obtain it. When Heaven and Earth open together, the closed path will become true. This is the secret of 'Man'. Guide and you shall understand...' "
She frowned, thinking. "Heaven and Earth... Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll. Could it mean we have to open both scrolls simultaneously?" Sakura hypothesized.
"Open the scrolls?" Naruto scratched his head. "How do we do that? Is it okay to just open them like that?"
"Maybe we should place them there?" Karin suggested.
Without waiting any longer, Naruto, who was already impatient, immediately took out the Earth Scroll he was carrying (which Sakura had previously kept), while Sasuke took out the Heaven Scroll they had obtained from Team Oto.
"Alright, let's try it!" Naruto said.
The two of them looked at each other, then together threw both scrolls onto the floor.
POOF!
Thick smoke billowed, filling part of the room. When the smoke began to clear, a man they knew very well now stood before them with a warm smile.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura shrieked almost simultaneously, their faces showing surprise and joy.
Iruka Umino smiled broadly. "Yo, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke! Congratulations on reaching this tower!"
"Sensei! Why are you here?" Sakura asked curiously, still a little in disbelief. "Is this part of the exam too?"
Hearing Sakura's question, Iruka explained patiently, "Actually, at the end of this second exam, the rules require us, the Chunin proctors, to come and greet the candidates who have successfully passed. And it's truly a delightful coincidence that this time, I was chosen as the bearer of very important news for you." At this point, the smile on his face became brighter and more meaningful.
Only then did Iruka notice there was a fourth person among them, a red-haired girl with glasses who looked a little shy. "Oh? I'm sorry, it seems there's an additional member in your team?" he asked politely, looking at Karin.
"Ah, this is Karin, Sensei!" Naruto quickly explained. "We accidentally met her in the forest. She lost her glasses and was almost attacked by a big bear. Her team also got separated somewhere." Naruto recounted the version of events known to Sasuke and Sakura, of course, without mentioning Hana's role or the fact that the meeting was 'arranged'.
Karin looked down shyly as she became the center of attention.
After hearing Naruto's explanation, and how Team 7 planned to escort Karin to the Third Hokage to ask for help, Iruka nodded in understanding. "I see. You did the right thing by helping her, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura. That shows the true spirit of Konoha."
He then smiled at Karin. "Don't worry, young lady. After this, I'll escort you to report to Hokage-sama. You three," Iruka turned back to Team 7, "must rest. You've worked hard. There will be a preliminary round before the third exam begins."
"Preliminary round?" Sakura, who was always diligent in asking questions and curious, was immediately intrigued. "What kind of round is that, Iruka-sensei? Isn't the third exam directly after this?"
Iruka chuckled softly. "Because the number of teams that pass this second exam is usually still quite large, a preliminary round is needed to further filter the participants who will advance to the final round or the third exam. This preliminary round usually consists of one-on-one battles between the successful candidates. The details will be announced later."
Iruka's explanation made Team 7 a little tense but also excited. One-on-one battles!
"Alright then," Iruka said, patting Naruto's shoulder. "Rest well in the provided rooms. There will be further announcements tomorrow. Karin, come with me."
Karin nodded. "Once again, thank you very much, Naruto, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san," she said sincerely to Team 7 before following Iruka out of the room.
After Iruka and Karin left, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura looked at each other. Immense relief was visible on their faces. They had successfully passed this brutal second exam.
"Haaah... finally, we can rest," Naruto said, stretching his body.
Sakura nodded in agreement. "I really need a bath and sleep."
Sasuke, though not saying much, also looked slightly more relaxed.
They could finally rest peacefully, recovering their energy and mental strength to face whatever would come in the next round.