The Heavens: From Naruto to sign in

"Ding!"

"You have a new check-in task. Please review it carefully."

Hearing the familiar mechanical chime in his head, Yoruha's eyes lit up.

He immediately pulled up the system's task panel.

Sure enough, a new mission had been issued.

"Host, please proceed to Lake Akiba located in Training Ground 44 of Konoha Village and check in. Time limit: three days."

Training Ground 44?

Yoruha raised an eyebrow.

If he remembered correctly, that so-called Training Ground 44 was better known by a far more ominous name—

The Forest of Death.

And wasn't that also the designated location for the second phase of the Chūnin Exams?

"The Forest of Death spans a ten-kilometer radius... not exactly a small walk in the park."

Yoruha frowned slightly.

The place was huge.

To give it perspective, it was like searching for a small lake somewhere beyond the Fifth Ring Road in his old-world capital city—without a map.

If he didn't have more detailed intel, finding Lake Akiba in that expanse would be no easy task. Especially not within three days.

He mentally reviewed his options.

"I can't go to my father for help..."

Sure, Yamanaka Inoichi had enough clout in Konoha to pull restricted info on the Death Forest without raising alarms.

But…

The second phase of the exam hadn't even officially begun yet.

And if word got out that Anko's only disciple had been poking around for details about the exam site the day before the test?

That would give Danzo exactly the kind of leverage he'd love to use—to go after Anko and maybe even Inoichi.

Not worth the risk.

"Uncle Yamato's out too..."

The elite jōnin was a key figure within the Gennin command structure.

Which made him a juicy target for Danzo's paranoia.

If Yoruha went to him now and any of it leaked? Yamato would be dragged into it by association.

"Tch... after weighing all this, I guess there's only one person I can go to."

He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"That crazy woman. Hopefully her mental breakdown's gotten better."

As they walked together under the moonlight, Ino and Hinata noticed something off about Yoruha.

His brows were furrowed. Every so often, he'd sigh deeply and shake his head.

"Brother?" Ino looked up at him, worried. "Are you anxious about the second part of the exam?"

"With your strength, I don't think it'll be a problem. It should be easy for you, right?"

Yoruha blinked, distracted from his thoughts.

Hinata, walking quietly beside them, gently corrected her.

"Ino... Yoruha's probably not worried about himself. He's worried about us."

Ino's eyes widened. "Oh…"

That made sense.

This exam might be a cakewalk for Yoruha—but for them, especially Hinata with her soft heart, the outcome wasn't so certain.

Yoruha looked at the two girls, then chuckled softly and reached out to take their hands in his.

"Hey, don't stress about it too much. Whether you pass or not isn't the point."

"What matters is that both of you stay safe."

Let's be honest.

With how this year's Chūnin Exams were destined to go—Orochimaru's lurking schemes, the invasion looming—whether someone got promoted was the least of anyone's concerns.

That night.

In a quiet little izakaya tucked away in a shadowy backstreet of Konoha…

Mitarashi Anko sat alone at the bar, sipping sake under the pale glow of the moon.

Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol. She swirled the last few drops in her cup and muttered to herself.

"Damn brat… giving me that look in front of all those people…"

"I'm the proctor for the second phase of the Chūnin Exam! You think I'm gonna respond to your flirting in front of the whole room? Dream on."

She poured herself another shot and downed it in one go.

A faint bitterness crossed her expression.

"And now you've got time to throw me those cocky winks? Where were you earlier, huh?"

"I was out there on a mission, nearly got myself killed, and you didn't even think to ask around about me."

She slammed her cup on the counter.

"Cold-blooded brat…"