Naruto: My Progress in Konoha.

An hour later—

The proctor for the second stage of the exam finally arrived.

The entire area fell silent in an instant.

Uchiha Haruki slowly opened his eyes, emerging from his chakra refining.

Standing in front of the crowd, the Konoha Jōnin introduced himself calmly.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Takigawa Maki, and I'll be the proctor for the next part of your exam."

As he spoke, he gestured behind him toward the vast, ominous forest.

"I'm sure you've already been informed. The second part of the Chūnin Exams will take place inside the Forest of Death. Let me give you a quick rundown of what to expect."

He proceeded to explain the general layout and dangers of the forest.

By the time he finished, everyone had subconsciously drawn in a sharp breath.

There was no other reaction—the place sounded absolutely lethal.

Before they could even process what they'd heard, Takigawa Maki pulled out a stack of documents from his flak jacket.

"Given the dangers inside, all candidates are required to sign a waiver. You're responsible for your own lives."

Without waiting for a reply, he handed the stack to the nearest Genin and motioned for them to pass it along.

Haruki glanced over the document when it reached him.

Typical legal disclaimer: "I willingly choose to participate in the Chūnin Exams. Any injuries, accidents, or death are my own responsibility."

Basically the same as the test waivers he remembered from his previous life.

Without hesitation, Haruki scanned the text and signed his name.

Within fifteen minutes, all sixty candidates had signed.

Not a single person backed out due to the risks.

Takigawa Maki nodded in satisfaction after collecting the forms.

Then his tone shifted.

"Now, let me explain the rules of the second stage."

He held up two scrolls—one marked with the kanji for "Heaven" and the other for "Earth."

"What are those?" someone asked aloud.

"The Scrolls of Heaven and Earth," he replied bluntly. "They're at the heart of this test. You'll be fighting over these."

The crowd stirred.

"Fighting over them?" someone repeated, confused.

"Exactly." Maki gave a small nod. "There are sixty of you. Each of you will be given one scroll—half of you will receive Heaven Scrolls, the other half Earth Scrolls."

"The objective: any team that manages to obtain one Heaven and one Earth scroll, and then reach the tower in the center of the forest, will be considered to have passed."

Before he could continue, someone interrupted:

"Sensei! Some teams have more members, some less… Some are even alone. Isn't that unfair?"

Maki's expression turned cold.

"Unfair?" he repeated, his voice sharp. "Do you think the enemy will care about fairness on the battlefield?"

The room went silent.

He continued coldly, driving the point home.

"If you're short-handed, team up with others. There are more than enough scrolls. Take what you need."

His words made many eyes light up—especially those Genin who were on their own.

Some were already glancing around, sizing up potential allies.

Haruki, however, remained unmoved.

First, because he was confident—even solo, he could get the scrolls he needed.

Second, because these kinds of alliances were rarely reliable.

Too few people, and you couldn't match well-coordinated teams.

Too many, and you'd tear each other apart before the enemy even arrived.

"Unstable alliances are a bigger threat than enemies," Haruki thought.

That said, giving each person their own scroll instead of each team only having one did raise the chance of survival.

"Looks like the exam difficulty really has been lowered this time," Haruki thought to himself.

Maki then outlined the failure conditions:

Failure to reach the central tower within five days would result in immediate disqualification.

Losing any team members or being rendered unable to continue fighting would also result in failure.

Lastly, he issued one more warning:

"No one is allowed to open their scrolls before reaching the tower."

As for the consequences?

He didn't explain.

No one asked.

But Haruki already knew.

There was a genjutsu trigger sealed inside the scrolls—anyone who opened one prematurely would be knocked unconscious until the end of the exam.

"I wonder if my Sharingan could resist the seal's effects? Should I try it?"

The idea popped into Haruki's mind, but he shook it off quickly.

"Nope. That's a death flag. Better not push my luck."

With all preparations complete, the second stage of the Chūnin Exams officially began.

The sixty examinees were split into thirty-two squads, each entering the forest through a different iron gate.

The five-day survival challenge had begun.

The moment Haruki stepped into the Forest of Death, he felt a heavy pressure settle over him.

He knew exactly why.

The forest was dark—unnaturally so.

It was nearly evening, but the sun still hadn't set outside. The village beyond the trees was still bathed in light.

Here, though, thick branches and leaves blanketed the sky.

Only tiny specks of sunlight filtered through.

You could barely tell it was daytime.

Add in the clammy air, the damp chill, and the distant howls of beasts, and it was no surprise the place felt suffocating.

But Haruki had long since adapted to hostile environments.

He shook off the unease and quickly got his bearings.

Activating his Sharingan, he launched into a sprint, heading toward the nearest entrance point as fast as he could.

Perhaps because he was still near the forest's outer edge, there were no immediate threats along the way.

Within just a few minutes, he arrived at the location he'd marked earlier.

He examined the area closely—and sure enough, he found traces of someone passing through recently.

The Forest of Death was circular, with a 20-kilometer diameter—which meant a 60-kilometer perimeter.

Along that perimeter were 44 entrance gates, yet only 32 teams in the exam.

Haruki hadn't known beforehand whether anyone would enter through this specific gate.

But it looked like luck was on his side. He had just happened to find one of the teams that had come through.

Thanks to his Sharingan's enhanced perception, he quickly deduced two key details:

The group consisted of three people.

They were moving northwest.

Haruki didn't hesitate for even a second.

He immediately took off, following the trail the team had left behind.