The teams that had managed to take out their opponent teams before the time limit were all gathered in a large room with rows of clay chairs. When Naruto and his team arrived, only one other team from Amegakure was there. Their eyes were bloodshot as they glared at team Kakashi, and in wordless agreement, they chose seats at the opposite end of the room.
As the minutes passed, the remaining teams came trickling in, each looking increasingly more bedraggled. With ten minutes left on the clock, he noticed the Konoha rookies coming in. Despite how long it had taken them, they did not seem particularly worn down and walked in with confident demeanors.
Rai noticed as well, and beckoning for Mayu and Naruto to follow him, he made his way over to the girl with buns in her hair. "If it isn't Tenten!"
The girl perked up at her name, but when she saw Rai, her face fell. "Oh...it's you."
"It's been a while," said Rai, ignoring her lack of enthusiasm. Naruto got the impression that this was not an unusual dynamic for them and wondered whether something had happened in their past. "This is Tenten, guys. These are my teammates, Mayu and Naruto."
Mayu shyly smiled at them.
"This is Hyūga Neji and Rock Lee," replied Tenten dutifully, gesturing to the two boys besides her. The one with the clear eyes had to be the Hyūga, meaning the one with the bushy eyebrows and the martial arts belt around his waist was Rock Lee.
"Nice to meet you! I am Rock Lee," said Lee, with a flashing grin and a thumbs-up. He seemed reasonably friendly, and hadn't reacted at all to Naruto's countenance the way other villagers did. On the other hand, Naruto had never seen him before, so it was possible that the boy was one of the war orphans who'd kept to the orphanage.
"You're Kakashi's team, aren't you?" said Neji, glancing at them coolly.
Lee visibly perked up. "What?! So you are the pupils of Gai-sensei's eternal rival?! You will make worthy opponents then!"
"Is Gai your team leader?" asked Mayu.
"Yes," answered Tenten, with a warmer smile for the other girl. "You guys must be the reason why Gai-sensei wanted us to take the exam this year as rookies."
Rai raised an eyebrow. "I've never heard of Gai though. Are you sure he and Kakashi-sensei are rivals?"
"Are you sure you have never heard of him?!" said Lee, his already circular eyes growing even wider than Naruto had thought possible. "He is the strongest jōnin in Konoha, with a record of – "
"You're Uzumaki Naruto?" interrupted Neji. The whole time, Naruto noted, his pale gaze had not wavered from him. "The one who graduated from the Academy two years early?"
Naruto blinked; he'd never heard anyone refer to him as such. "That's right," he said.
"He's our local genius, the kind born only once a generation, yadda yadda," said Rai, throwing an arm around Naruto. With a sly smile, he added, "Kinda like you Hyūga, I'd say."
"A genius?" echoed Lee; the words appeared to have struck a chord with him. "I'd like to challenge you to a fight sometime, then."
At that, Naruto turned towards Lee, taken aback. "This probably isn't the best venue for a fight," he said mildly. "You'll have to wait for a later test for an opportunity."
Neji's eyes narrowed. "You say that like you expect to win."
That hadn't been Naruto's intention, but thinking about it, he supposed it was true.
"As if Naruto would lose to some rookies like you," scoffed Rai.
With that, it seemed Tenten had had enough, for she seized her teammates firmly by the arms. "Will you drop it already? Let's go, guys."
Although Lee allowed himself to be dragged away, Neji brushed off Tenten's hand. Nonetheless, with another hard look in their direction, he left as well.
"You could've been a bit more friendly, Rai," said Mayu, watching them walk away.
Rai shrugged. "They were being too cocky for a bunch of rookies."
His teammates' voices fading into the background, Naruto's gaze followed the retreating backs of the rookies. He hadn't gotten much of an impression of Tenten besides the fact that she and Rai seemed to have a strange rivalry going on. Moving on, there was Lee. He seemed determined to make a name for himself, judging from the way he'd instantly challenged Naruto. His heavily bandaged fists also indicated strong resolve.
Lastly, Naruto's eyes flicked towards Neji. He had been a bit more scathing than expected, but Naruto felt impressed at his self-control. He'd thought when he saw him before that perhaps the calm attitude was all an act, but the first test had barely ruffled his feathers. The Hyūga boy was the real thing after all. Team Gai would all likely be strong contenders in the exam.
Naruto didn't mind; so long as they didn't get in the way of Team Kakashi, he thought that the more Konoha genin that passed, the better.
From a rough estimate, there were about eighteen teams seated in the room, about evenly distributed in terms of villages. Many of them looked weary, with purple bruises and scratches all around their body. Only a scant few seemed relatively untouched, like himself and his teammates. Simply judging from their lack of presence, compared to the Konoha rookies, they did not seem like they would be much of a challenge for him...
But looks could be deceiving. That was what being a ninja was all about, after all – blending in with the shadows and offering oneself as harmless so as to lower the enemy's guard. And then, just when the enemy had relaxed and left an opening, you struck.
Suddenly, he turned around as he felt a tendril of intensely cold blood lust creeping in from the entrance. A sandaled foot emerged from around the corner – and just as the bloodlust vanished as quickly as it had appeared, he saw Kabuto walk in, with his teammates trailing behind. Naruto closely examined the teammates, but they looked fairly ordinary with black masks covering most of their faces.
He wondered: Could this be an example of precisely what he'd been thinking of just moments ago? Of a snake, coiled around its unsuspecting prey, poised to strike with its poisonous fangs?
...
It turned out that Kabuto's team had been the last one to pass, for no one else had come in when a bell rang piercingly at the one-hour mark. As all the gathered genin simultaneously turned to look, a pair of doors that had been closed flung open with a bang. A file of Suna chūnin marched in, with a different jōnin at their head. He looked younger than Baki, with black hair that hung over his right eye.
"Congratulations on passing the first test of the Chūnin Selection Exam," said the jōnin, his indifferent expression belying his words. "My name is Yūra, and I will be your second examiner. Regardless of whether any of your teammates are capable or not, the second test will commence within the hour. But first, we will proceed to the venue for the second test."
Following the chūnin past the doors they had just come through, it was revealed to be a long tunnel-like hallway that sloped sharply downwards. The walls were made of sanded rock and it was dark, lit only occasionally by stone torches. As they shuffled in silence down the steps, Naruto looked around. The air was growing increasingly colder and damper, and the sputtering lights from the torches were growing weaker: it seemed the second test would be taking place underground.
Mayu stumbled besides him, and as Naruto reached out to steady her, he suddenly noticed how pale her face was.
"Are you alright?" he asked. He wondered if she had gotten injured during the first test, and whether it would be serious enough to affect them in the second test.
"Yeah...I just don't like feeling trapped in small spaces," she said, pulling away from him. Naruto exchanged looks with Rai, who tried to say something to her. She ignored him however, and for the rest of the journey, she didn't talk again.
After twenty minutes, the ground finally leveled out again and soon, they emerged into what appeared to be a narrow underground cavern. There were twelve gaping human-sized tunnel holes in the opposite rock wall. A torch burned besides each entrance.
Naruto immediately realized the nature of the second test: It was likely going to be some sort of maze. Besides him, Mayu must have come to the same conclusion, for she began to tremble.
"I will now explain the details of the second test. And then, before starting, I will need everyone here to sign these agreement forms," said Yūra, standing in the middle of the cavern. With a rustling sound, one of the chūnin pulled out a sheaf of papers and began passing them out. "There will be deaths in this test, and it won't be against the rules this time. So if I don't have you sign these, it will become my responsibility." It was silent.
"In this test, it will be a survival of the fittest. Each team will enter the maze through a tunnel in the order that they passed the first test. Here are some details about the maze: we are two hundred feet below ground level, and if you take the correct path all the way through, it is about three kilometers long before ending up at the surface.
All the tunnels intersect one another at multiple points. Using whatever weapons and jutsu you have available, your objective will be to obtain two team plates. This includes your own team plate, so if you manage to protect yours, you need only secure one other one. If your team plate is taken, you will need the team plates of two other teams. To pass this test, you and your team must reach the end of this maze with two team plates."
"They're cutting us at least in half now..." A genin grumbled.
"There is also a time limit. This second test will last 120 hours, which is exactly five days. You will be given a torch, but there are other sources of light within the maze. As for food and water...well, you'll have to figure that out on your own," Yūra's eyes gleamed maliciously. "Those who cannot learn to adapt will die from the harshness of the course.
Now, I will talk about what will disqualify you. First, those that don't make it to the end of the tunnel with two plates within the time limit. Second, anyone who creates their own tunnels that reach to the surface. And third, anyone who destroys a team plate."
A genin from Amegakure raised his hand. "What if not everyone on our team survives?"
"Your objective is to reach the end of the tunnel with two plates," said Yūra. "Even if you are the only surviving member of your team, you will pass if you complete this requirement." He gestured towards a copy of the form in his hand. "That is all, so after signing the form as a team, go stand by one of the entrances. One team per entrance only."
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