Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 69

Sakura looked at Naruto, her eyes filled with speechlessness: "Naruto...you...you just now..."

Sasuke rubbed his temples, a complicated expression on his face that said, "I don't know this idiot, but I have to admit he did a great job." He continued, "You loser... your fighting style... is really..."

He couldn't find a suitable adjective for the time being.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Huh? Pretty cool, right? I told you there's strength in numbers! Besides, they dug underground themselves, so don't blame me!"

He didn't think there was anything wrong with his tactics at all; he just felt incredibly satisfied.

This unexpected "welcome ceremony" was resolved.

The three encountered no further obstacles and successfully reached the towering tower in the center of the Death Forest.

Pushing open the heavy tower door, one finds a large number of teams that have successfully arrived already gathered in the spacious hall inside.

Seeing the three members of Team 7 walk in, especially seeing Naruto's signature blond hair, blue eyes, and energetic appearance.

Many people cast surprised, inquisitive, or wary glances at them.

Clearly, news of the Sound Ninja trio being severely injured by Team 7, and Naruto's final, ferocious state, had already quietly spread among the survivors.

Naruto scratched his head, looking around in confusion, his bright blue eyes full of question marks: "Huh? That's strange, where are they? Where did all the teachers go?"

He spun around in circles like a headless fly: "What are we supposed to do? They can't just let us wander around aimlessly, can they?"

"Just open the scroll."

A calm voice came from the shadows behind them.

Naruto turned around abruptly, his face instantly lighting up with a delighted smile: "Kiba! It's you guys!"

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino emerged from behind a massive load-bearing pillar.

Akamaru, perched atop Kiba's head, let out a soft "woof" as a greeting.

Upon seeing a familiar face, Naruto immediately and enthusiastically pulled out his ninja tool pouch.

He took out the extra scroll he had "seized" from the Rain Ninja and casually handed it over: "Hey, Kiba! Do you guys need any more scrolls? We have some extras here! Take them!"

Hinata's fair cheeks flushed slightly, her hands clenched nervously together, and her clear Byakugan eyes looked at Naruto with undisguised admiration.

The voice was faint yet clearly audible: "Naruto... Naruto-kun... You're really amazing... You even have extra scrolls..."

Her words were full of sincere admiration.

Shino pushed up his sunglasses, which almost covered half of his face, the lenses reflecting a faint light.

His tone was as calm and even as ever, carrying a statement of fact: "Thank you for your kindness. However, we have already collected all the necessary materials and passed the test. We only need to open one set of scrolls to complete the registration."

"I see?"

Naruto blinked in sudden realization, and Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement.

It seems the key to passing the test is in their own hands.

The three students from Class 7 exchanged glances, confirming the scroll in their hands.

Naruto took a deep breath and, with a touch of ritual, carefully untied the rope binding the "Scroll of Heaven." Together with Sasuke, they slowly pulled the scroll open.

Just as the scroll was fully unfurled, a sudden change occurred!

The runes engraved in the center of the scroll suddenly burst forth with a blinding white light.

With a soft "bang," a thick white smoke rose up and quickly condensed into a familiar human figure.

As the smoke cleared, they were surprised to see Iruka Unno, wearing a Konoha headband and sporting a gentle smile!

"Congratulations, Team 7! You've successfully passed the second Chunin Selection Exam!" Iruka's voice was filled with heartfelt satisfaction and encouragement.

"Teacher Iruka?!"

The three little ones exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide open and their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.

Naruto rubbed his eyes exaggeratedly, wondering if he was hallucinating.

"You... how come you're here? Shouldn't you be at school or proctoring exams outside?" Sakura asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Seeing the students' shocked yet adorable expressions, Iruka couldn't help but smile and patiently explained, "This is a special setting in the exam rules; these two scrolls contain specific spells."

"If you couldn't resist your curiosity and opened them while you were in the Forest of Death, outside of this tower,"

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "The powerful illusion contained within will activate instantly, forcibly hypnotizing the person who opens it, and they won't wake up until the entire second exam is completely over."

Upon hearing this, Naruto instinctively gasped, clutching his heart with a look of lingering fear.

"Thank goodness! We don't have that damn curiosity!"

"Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, congratulations on successfully passing the second Chunin Selection Exam!" Iruka announced loudly after confirming that everything was correct.

"Yay! We passed!" Naruto was the first to jump up, excitedly waving his fist.

Despite the twists and turns and the many setbacks, they ultimately succeeded!

Sakura also showed a bright, relieved smile, clenching her fist excitedly: "That's great!"

Although Sasuke maintained his cool expression, his tense shoulders visibly relaxed.

A barely perceptible sense of ease and... a warmth that even he himself was unaware of flashed deep in his eyes.

He looked at the excited Naruto and the happy Sakura beside him, and then at his right hand wrapped in bandages.

The heavy feeling in my heart, the feeling called "bond," seemed to become clearer.

The hustle and bustle of the outside world also influenced this spiritual space.

"Hmph, at least we made it through safely. Although the process was a bit silly."

Nine-Tailed Fox lay on its paws, its tone sounding like a complaint.

But the tip of its tail twitched slightly, indicating that it was actually in a good mood.

"Yes, Naruto did a great job."

The illusory image of Minato smiled gently, radiating a deep sense of pride.

"Hmph, it's okay."

Madara still maintained his composure, but his tone softened considerably: "At least it proves that he has the potential to explode on the brink of life and death, and he didn't disgrace... cough, he didn't bring shame to Konoha."

He almost let something slip again.

"Hey, old Madara, were you just about to say 'You haven't disgraced the Uchiha's reputation'?"

Kurama, ever the astute creature, immediately caught on and, with a wicked grin, exposed her: "Admit it, you were actually quite pleased to see this kid use his power to protect that Uchiha brat, weren't you? After all, that kid has Uchiha blood flowing through his veins!"

"Shut up, you scumbag!"

Madara's figure jerked violently, seemingly enraged: "I'm just giving an objective evaluation! It has nothing to do with the Uchiha!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Nine-Tailed Fox wagged its tail smugly.

"Alright, alright, Kurama, Madara-san, say less."

Minato once again acted as a peacemaker, his tone slightly pleading, "Naruto and the others are safe now, so we should... um... take a break?"

After successfully advancing, Iruka led them to the rest area to rest and await notification for the third exam.

Naruto plopped down on the bench, letting out a long sigh of relief, a satisfied smile spreading across his face: "Phew—finally in! The process was a bit thrilling, but the result was fantastic! Right, Sasuke? Sakura?"

Sakura nodded vigorously: "Yes! Thanks to Naruto and Sasuke!"

She looked at Naruto with sincere eyes: "Especially Naruto, thank you for always protecting us."

"Hehe, of course! I'm going to be the Hokage! Protecting my comrades is my duty!" Naruto patted his chest, showing no modesty whatsoever.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and simply hummed in response.

But the barely perceptible, almost never-before-seen, gentle curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed his turbulent emotions.

He tilted his head slightly, his peripheral vision sweeping over Naruto's sunny, slightly scarred face, which was beaming with an incredibly bright smile.

She glanced at Sakura, who was sitting next to her, looking relieved and with a contented smile on her face.

feel good!

In the past, he felt that interacting with other people was a waste of time, but now he has begun to enjoy this kind of life.

Chapter 79 The Preliminary Rounds Officially Begin

Inside the tower, after a short rest.

All the successful genin were led to a huge hall that was extremely spacious and had a layout similar to an indoor training ground.

The walls were built of solid, massive stones, and the soaring dome cast a slightly cold, hard light.

The air still carried the smell of gunpowder from the battle and the tired yet excited aura of the young ninjas.

Whispers echoed in the empty space.

The three students from Class 7 stood at the back of the crowd.

Naruto was still full of energy, looking around and scanning the other teams, some of whom he knew and some of whom he didn't.

However, the three Sound Ninja he defeated back then are not here. It seems that after he severely injured them, they will not be able to obtain the scroll.

Sakura stood beside Sasuke, her face filled with worry, glancing occasionally at Sasuke's bandaged right arm and slightly pale face.

Sasuke stood ramrod straight, trying his best to maintain a calm demeanor.

However, the fine beads of sweat on his forehead and the occasional furrowed brows caused by the stinging pain from the curse mark on the back of his neck betrayed his poor physical condition.

Suddenly, a wisp of smoke appeared ahead, and several figures came into view.

The leader was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who wore a white Hokage robe, a straw hat, and smoked a pipe.

Behind him stood several Konoha Jonin with calm demeanor and sharp eyes.

Among them are familiar faces such as Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai, as well as Hayate Gekko, a special Jonin who serves as the referee, with a sickly appearance but serious eyes.

The entire hall fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were focused on the old man who represented the highest authority in Konoha.

An invisible pressure spread.