#35 Divine Reward System

“Alright, listen up! The second exam is about to begin!” Anko Mitarashi announced with a mischievous grin.

Before anyone could get excited, she slammed a thick stack of papers onto the table. “But first, you all need to sign this [Consent Form]!”

“Huh? Why?” Naruto asked, clearly confused.

Anko smirked. “Because you could die at any moment during this exam. We need your consent so we don’t get blamed for any unfortunate accidents.” She tapped her chin playfully before adding, “Otherwise, I’d get in trouble!”

A murmur spread through the group, some nervous, others unfazed.

Anko quickly explained the rules. “Alright, here’s how this works. Each of you will come up and receive a [Consent Form]. After you sign it, your three-man team will submit it to the examiner at the registration office.”

Once everyone had their forms, Anko continued. “Now, about the exam itself…” She grinned, pulling out a map. “This is an extreme test of [survival]!”

She pointed to a large, dangerous-looking area on the map. “Welcome to the [Forest of Death]!” The name alone sent chills down the spines of some Genin.

“Your mission is simple: each team will receive one of two scrolls—the [Scroll of Heaven] or the [Scroll of Earth]. Your goal is to collect both and reach the [Central Tower] within five days.”

“Five days?!” Choji blurted out in horror. “What are we supposed to eat?”

Anko shrugged. “Figure it out yourself! The forest is a self-sustaining ecosystem. It’s got plenty of wildlife—though some might eat you first. There are also poisonous plants, deadly bugs, and all sorts of fun surprises waiting for you!” She grinned maliciously, clearly enjoying their unease.

“Now, onto the elimination rules!” She raised a finger. “You’re out if:

Your team fails to reach the [Central Tower] with both scrolls within the time limit.

A teammate dies or is unable to continue.

You try to leave early. Once you enter the forest, you stay for all five days.

You open your scroll before reaching the [Central Tower].”

Naruto blinked. “Wait, what happens if we open it?”

Anko smirked. “Oh? Curious? Feel free to try it and find out!”

Naruto gulped.

She clapped her hands together. “Alright! You’ll now take your three signed [Consent Forms] to the registration office to get your scroll. Then, pick an entrance gate. When the time comes, all 26 teams will enter the forest at the same time.”

As teams gathered their scrolls, they kept their contents secret to avoid being targeted early. Tatsuya’s team received the [Scroll of Heaven] and was assigned Entrance 12.

Anko watched them closely, her gaze lingering on Tatsuya. “Let’s see what you can do, kid.”

Thirty minutes later, Anko glanced at her stopwatch before shouting, “[Chunin Selection Exam] Second Round—BEGIN!”

With that, all 26 teams dashed into the [Forest of Death]!

Deep in the forest, a trio from Kusagakure led by Orochimaru immediately started tracking Tatsuya’s team. His target was Sasuke.

But Sasuke and Naruto weren’t aware of this yet. Instead, their focus was on Tatsuya.

Sasuke, ever the silent type, didn’t speak first. Instead, Naruto took the lead. “Tatsuya, what’s the plan?”

Tatsuya glanced around before answering. “We find a safe place to rest first.”

Naruto blinked. “Rest? Why? Everyone else is probably fighting for scrolls already!”

Tatsuya smirked. “No need to rush. What if we attack a team, only to find they have the same scroll as us? It’d be pointless. Instead of wasting energy, we’ll let the prey come to us.”

Sasuke considered this. “I agree with Tatsuya.”

Naruto sighed. “Fine, if you both say so!”

Sasuke crossed his arms. “But how do we get the right opponents to come to us?”

Tatsuya smirked. “Easy. We let them see our [Scroll of Heaven].”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Wait, won’t that make us a target?!”

“Exactly.” Tatsuya nodded. “Anyone who attacks us will likely have the [Scroll of Earth]. That’s what we need. Of course, some teams might just be looking to eliminate others, but that’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

Sasuke frowned slightly. “So, this isn’t just an exam. It’s a hunting game.”

Tatsuya gave a knowing look. “Exactly.”

Naruto swallowed hard.

The team found an open clearing under a large tree.

Tatsuya glanced around and nodded. “This is perfect. Wide visibility, easy to be spotted—an ideal fishing spot.”

Naruto scratched his head. “Fishing spot? We’re not actually fishing, you know.”

Tatsuya grinned. “Oh, but we are. We’re just using a different kind of bait.”

If other teams heard this, they’d think Tatsuya was crazy. While they were hiding in fear, he was openly inviting danger.

And he called it “Good things come to those who become bait.”

After choosing the location, Tatsuya and his team settled in, ready to put their plan into action.

“Tatsuya, I’ll go take care of something real quick,” Naruto announced, already making his way toward the bushes.

Tatsuya nodded. “Go ahead.”

Naruto disappeared into the brush, muttering about how nature was calling. It was only natural—they couldn’t exactly do their business wherever they pleased. That would be disgusting.

A few moments later, Naruto emerged from the bushes, stretching his arms. “Ahhh, that was refreshing!”

Tatsuya suddenly spoke, his tone cryptic. “Didn’t expect it to happen this fast.”

“Huh?” Naruto blinked. “What do you mean—”

Before he could finish, Tatsuya’s fist slammed into his chest with a heavy thud.

BAM!

Naruto was sent flying backward like a ragdoll, crashing into a tree with a loud thud before slumping to the ground. Pain shot through his body, and his mind reeled in confusion.

“What the hell?!” he gasped. He tried to get up but found his limbs unresponsive. Just that one punch had completely taken him out.

He looked up at Tatsuya, betrayal and frustration flashing across his face. “What was that for?!”

Tatsuya let out a small chuckle. “Didn’t hold back enough, I guess.” He then turned his attention to Sasuke, his expression shifting. “You noticed it too, right?”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah.” He turned to the fallen Naruto, his voice cold. “Where’s the real Naruto?”

The imposter stiffened. For a split second, he looked like he was going to keep up the act, but Sasuke wasn’t done.

“You tied your [kunai holster] to your left leg,” Sasuke pointed out. “Naruto’s right-handed. He’d never do that. Not to mention—you don’t even know my name.”

He scoffed. “Your transformation’s sloppy.”

The fake Naruto let out a sharp exhale. His disguise flickered before vanishing in a puff of smoke, revealing a ninja from Amegakure.

With his cover blown, the disguised shinobi gritted his teeth. His breathing was labored, and his hands shook slightly—Tatsuya’s punch had done more damage than he’d let on. He had barely managed to keep up the transformation for this long, hoping to fool them until he could escape.

But now, there was no point.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya and Sasuke found the real Naruto tied up behind a small hill, wrapped tightly in ropes like a cocoon.

“Guys! Took you long enough!” Naruto grumbled as Sasuke untied him. “That guy’s a total creep, by the way. He tried to copy me, but he got my catchphrases all wrong!”

Tatsuya smirked. “Guess we should thank him. His team has the [Scroll of Earth].”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Wait—you’re saying we actually caught a good one?!”

“Yep. He saw our [Scroll of Heaven] earlier and got greedy.” Tatsuya chuckled. “Guess our fishing strategy worked after all.”

Naruto cracked his knuckles. “In that case, let me have some fun with him first.”

After stringing the defeated Ame-nin upside down from a tree, Naruto took a moment to gleefully shake the guy like a piñata. But there was another reason for leaving him there.

“If we leave him like this,” Tatsuya explained, “his teammates will come looking for him. And if they want him back, they’ll bring their scroll, too.”

Sasuke nodded. “Clever.”

With everything set, the three of them sat back and waited for more prey to take the bait.

A sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, kicking up dust and leaves. It wasn’t natural.

“[Wind Style: Great Breakthrough]!”

Three figures emerged from the swirling dust, their [Grass Village headbands] gleaming in the dim light.

The woman in the center stepped forward, her expression twisted with irritation. “You two,” she ordered, glancing at her teammates, “go have your fun. I’ll handle this alone.”

Her two subordinates hesitated but obeyed, vanishing into the trees.

As the dust cleared, Tatsuya, Sasuke, and Naruto stood their ground, completely unfazed. Their would-be ambush had failed. Seeing that the dust blocked their view for a second, there was a chance that someone had replaced one of them using [Transformation Jutsu].

Naruto's expression brightened with mischief. “Hey, guys, should we use our secret code now?”

Tatsuya smirked. “Go ahead.”

Tatsuya cleared his throat. “Ahem! [The big snake licks my feet, and at night, Orochimaru—]”

He hesitated. “…uh, wait. What was the rest?”

Sasuke sighed. “You idiot, you already ruined it.”

The Grass-nin’s face darkened, her eye twitching. The moment Naruto had started speaking, her expression had soured considerably. When he mentioned Orochimaru, her irritation turned to barely contained rage.

The realization hit Sasuke like a cold wave. His fists clenched, and his Sharingan flared to life. “You… You’re—”

Before he could finish, the woman launched herself at them, killing intent pouring off her in waves.

Naruto gulped. “Uh… did we just piss off the wrong person?”

Tatsuya’s smirk didn’t waver. “Looks like the real hunt is about to begin.”