Chapter 64: Orochimaru's Frustration - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

Chapter 64: Orochimaru's Frustration Under Anko's lead, 108 candidates arrived in front of a forest enclosed by iron bars. With a mischievous grin, Anko addressed the group in a dangerously playful tone, "This is the site for the second exam, Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death!" "You'll soon discover why this place got its name..." Hinata felt a bit anxious. It wasn't the Forest of Death that scared her; it was the fact that Orochimaru had already infiltrated the area. She stood obediently behind Naruto and Sasuke, her expression shy, hands nervously fiddling as if to avoid drawing attention to herself despite her incredible skills. She must stay low-key. After some banter with Naruto, Anko pulled out a stack of forms, sneering, "These are consent forms. You'll have to sign them before we proceed." Naruto, curious as ever, asked, "Why?" Anko flashed a cute smile, her face slightly flushed as she softly explained, "Because some of you might not make it out alive, and I wouldn’t want to be held responsible~" Naruto: This examiner reminds me of Hinata... Anko continued to brief them on the exam rules. The second exam's rules were straightforward. The Forest of Death had 44 entrances. The 108 candidates were divided into 36 teams, each entering from a different gate. Each team carried either a 'Heaven' or 'Earth' scroll, and the goal was to capture the opposing scroll. Only the teams holding both 'Heaven' and 'Earth' scrolls and reaching the central tower within five days would pass the exam. Once the rules were explained, teams began signing the consent forms and collecting their scrolls. Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke gathered together. Sasuke watched the small room where the scrolls were being distributed and suggested to Hinata, "Hinata, use your Byakugan to find out what scrolls the other teams have. That way we can target a team with the scroll we need." "No need!" Hinata replied arrogantly, tilting her chin, "The distance from the forest entrance to the central tower is only ten kilometers. We just need to head straight there at the start of the exam and ambush the teams reaching the tower." To avoid confronting Orochimaru, Hinata had long planned how to pass the second exam. The Forest of Death had a diameter of twenty kilometers, a radius of ten kilometers. In the original story, Gaara's team took just 97 minutes to pass the exam, averaging a speed of 2.2 meters per second. This speed was barely faster than a normal person's walking pace. Given a ninja's running speed, calculated at 20 meters per second, reaching the central tower from the forest entrance shouldn't take more than ten minutes. In an environment like the Forest of Death, even a shinobi of Orochimaru’s caliber wouldn't catch up with them in that short amount of time. Once at the tower, it's Konoha’s territory, and even Orochimaru wouldn’t dare make a move against them there. After all, there would be plenty of other opportunities for him to mark Sasuke with the curse seal; it was unnecessary to do so in the Forest of Death. It was a flawless plan! Sasuke nodded slightly, acknowledging it was indeed a sound strategy. The first team to reach the tower would certainly have both 'Heaven' and 'Earth' scrolls; they just needed to seize them to pass. After submitting their consent form, Hinata's team received their 'Heaven' scroll. Following a Chunin to Gate 12, Hinata's team rushed towards the central tower at full speed as soon as the match started, without stopping. Meanwhile... At Gate 15, Orochimaru, disguised as a Grass ninja, entered the Forest of Death and immediately sent away two subordinates to pursue Sasuke alone. "According to Kabuto's intel, Sasuke's team includes a Byakugan girl... She seems quite formidable!" "It seems they've already identified the scrolls of each team. I have an 'Earth' scroll with me. I wonder if dear Sasuke might come seeking me out willingly... Haha!" Orochimaru assumed that with a Byakugan user on his team, Sasuke would preemptively gather intel on the other teams and target the weakest group for ambush. Orochimaru thought himself inconspicuous enough that Sasuke might mistake him for an easy target and come to ambush—her—him. "I'm almost too excited to wait..." The distance between Gate 15 and Hinata’s team at Gate 12 was not far. Orochimaru soon spotted traces of Hinata's team as they sped through the forest. Licking his lips with his tongue, he finally found his little Sasuke! "Since they already gathered opponent intel, this direction... who are they planning to ambush?" "This might be a chance to see Sasuke's power. How exciting!" Full of curiosity, Orochimaru followed the tracks left by Hinata's team. The further he pursued, the more unsettled he grew. Hinata's team was advancing too fast; they must have already locked onto a target. And that target was in the direction of the central tower! "This isn't good!" Orochimaru grew slightly irate. Sasuke's team was not using the Byakugan to scout opponents and ambush them for scrolls. Instead, they were heading straight for the central tower to ambush others there. "Who planned all this?!" Orochimaru gritted his teeth in frustration. Who could have thought of such a strategy? Although confident in his abilities to deal with Konoha should he reach the tower, planting the curse seal on Sasuke without interference was risky. What if the Third Hokage arrived while he was tangled with others? Moreover, Jiraiya had been hunting for him, and he might already be in Konoha. If Jiraiya and the Third Hokage showed up, Orochimaru would be finished! The Chunin exams gathered elite genin from many villages, and Konoha would not allow incidents outside the exam scope. Apart from many Chunin examiners, there were hidden ANBU operatives in the Forest of Death. Perhaps even some top-tier fighters were stationed at the central tower. Orochimaru followed their trail to the tower's vicinity, peeking through the dense foliage to see Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke squatting and having a barbecue. The scent of grilled meat and spices faintly reached him. He had an overwhelming desire to attack them! "This chilly feeling down my spine..." Hinata was squatting down, happily grilling meat on a stick when she suddenly felt a chill down her back. It wasn't killing intent; it felt more like someone holding a grudge. "Could Orochimaru have already arrived?!" Hinata panicked inwardly, too afraid to activate her Byakugan. If she used Byakugan and revealed they were noticed, Orochimaru might choose to fight desperately, wouldn’t they be doomed then?