Early the next morning, all 63 genin who had passed the first round of written exams gathered under the supervision of their respective jōnin leaders at Yugakure's village gate.
At precisely 9 a.m., the group was led out of the village and marched to a fenced-off forest surrounded by barbed wire. They ca to a stop before its entrance.
Standing at the gate was the village chief of Yugakure, waiting with a serious expression. He cleared his throat, trying his best to appear authoritative, and announced:
"The next phase is the second exam: the Trap Forest."
With that, the chief began reading out the rules. This exam differed significantly from the one Naruto's generation faced—in fact, it was even more brutal.
While the core concept was similar—protecting a scroll—the differences were stark. This ti, there was no distinction between Heaven and Earth scrolls. Each team had only one scroll. And that scroll would not guarantee advancent for the entire team—only for the individual who turned it in.
Upon entering the forest, teams would be split up. Every genin would have to rely on their own abilities to avoid traps, protect the scroll, and eventually regroup with their teammates.
Once reunited, they would use the scroll as their anchor to fight for more scrolls over the next three days. At the end of that period, the central tower would open, and the scrolls would need to be submitted.
In this final submission stage, the concept of "team" would be discarded—only the genin who turns in a scroll will advance. No scroll ans imdiate elimination.
It was ruthless and direct. Clearly, this round would be far bloodier than the one Naruto and his peers had faced.
Before the exam officially began, Yugakure provided private briefing rooms—small black chambers where each team could discuss their strategies and hide their scroll in secret. Each group had one minute.
Afterward, they would be blindfolded and escorted separately to their entry points, where they could finally remove the blindfolds.
Hoshiyomi's team and Tsunade's team decided to coordinate. After a quick strategy session, they hid their scrolls on Orochimaru and Hoshiyomi respectively.
The six agreed on one plan: do not head directly to the central tower. Instead, they'd wait for Hoshiyomi to locate and regroup with the others. Lobo, Hoshiyomi's ninken, would play a crucial role in this.
Each team mber carried a small scent pouch. These pouches were filled not just with herbs, but also with a small piece of dirt Lobo had urinated on.
According to Hoshiyomi's tests, if soone carrying one of these pouches ca within a kiloter of Lobo, he could track them down by scent.
The Trap Forest, despite its intimidating na, wasn't even half the size of the Forest of Death. With these scent pouches, Hoshiyomi would have no trouble locating his team.
Once the six of them regrouped, they'd dominate the entire forest.
After finalizing the plan, the six exited the briefing room and were blindfolded and led away in separate directions.
When Hoshiyomi finally arrived at one of the entry points, he removed his blindfold and rubbed Lobo's head, asking, "Can you sll the scent pouch?"
Lobo stood still for a mont, nose twitching as he sniffed the air. Then he suddenly opened his eyes and barked twice, head turned toward a distant direction.
Seeing Lobo so quickly lock onto soone's location, Hoshiyomi relaxed. What he didn't realize was that a new danger was creeping closer with every step he took.
At 10:30 a.m., the gates at each forest entrance opened. The 63 participants charged into the Trap Forest from different directions—the second round had officially begun.
The forest quickly lived up to its na. Within five minutes, the sky was already flashing with signal flares. Sharp whistles echoed through the air—coordinates marking where traps had been triggered.
To anyone paying attention, those signals were invitations—markers for easy prey.
One such signal flared less than 500 ters from Hoshiyomi's position. But he paid it no mind—regrouping with Tsunade and the others ca first.
Besides, chasing after those flares now would only throw him into premature battles. No point in wasting energy.
With that in mind, Hoshiyomi picked up his pace, following Lobo's lead toward the nearest scent pouch.
Elsewhere in the forest, Tsunade was carefully sweeping her surroundings for traps. She suddenly heard rustling in the underbrush. Instinctively, she gripped her kunai tightly, holding her breath, waiting.
From the shadows burst a genin wearing a Kusagakure forehead protector. His eyes lit up the mont he saw her—a young, alone female genin.
Jackpot.
Not for anything perverted—he just saw it as a lucky break. Taking out a solo opponent early could an an easy scroll win.
Without a word, he lunged at Tsunade. In this kind of high-stakes environnt, swift action was survival. If her teammates showed up midway, he'd be screwed.
His logic was sound—his luck, not so much. What he failed to sense was the overwhelming strength coiled within Tsunade's petite fra.
A glint of disdain flickered in Tsunade's eyes as she stood her ground. She calmly waited until the Kusagakure genin was close before ducking low, evading his kunai effortlessly.
Then, with a single motion, she drove her own kunai into his back.
He'd wanted a swift fight. Tsunade gave him one.
She crouched down and rifled through his gear. No scroll.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she muttered, "Of course. Nothing's ever that easy."
Just as she finished complaining, her pupils contracted—danger. She sensed sothing behind her.
In a flash, she twisted her torso, kunai snapping upward. It clashed with a ninja blade in a sharp clang.
Tsunade let out a breath of relief—but goosebumps still crawled across her skin. Whoever this was, she hadn't sensed them at all.
As she kept her guard up, sothing about the opponent's ninja blade caught her eye. Ornate, almost like a work of art...
"Nice reflexes. Guess that training's paid off."
That familiar, cocky voice made her imdiately drop her stance. She spun around and punched the speaker square in the chest.
"You idiot! Scaring like that!"
Hoshiyomi yelped, ducking and shielding himself from her flurry of blows. "Okay, okay, stop! You'll attract attention! We still have to find Jiraiya and the others! Right, Lobo?"
Lobo gave a quiet bark in agreent, perfectly on cue.
Tsunade paused, thinking it over. "Fair point," she admitted, walking around Hoshiyomi and turning to the dog. "Lobo, do you sll any scent pouches nearby?"
Lobo shook his head. Nothing in range.
Tsunade turned and kicked Hoshiyomi again. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go find Jiraiya and the others!"
With that, the two of them left together, vanishing into the trees.
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