Seeing the scroll Veigar tossed over, Hoshino Sarutobi easily caught it. A quick glance revealed that it was a complete set—the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll.
"Veigar, you—"
Before Hoshino could finish speaking, Veigar cut him off. "I don't need it anymore."
With that, Veigar leaped down from the tree, and Shōgetsu Uchiha stepped up beside Hoshino Sarutobi and Kōtarō Akiyama.
Hearing Veigar's words, Hoshino Sarutobi put away the scroll and looked at him. "Thank you."
"Also, thank you for saving me just now. If not for you, I'd probably be dead."
Even as he spoke, Hoshino still felt a lingering fear. Without Veigar's timely intervention, he would undoubtedly be a corpse by now.
Shōgetsu Uchiha took over the conversation, looking at Veigar. "Veigar, I am Shōgetsu Uchiha. We won't forget that you saved Hoshino and retrieved the scrolls."
"However, in the upcoming exam, I won't hold back."
The way Shōgetsu spoke was practically a declaration of war.
Even though he acknowledged Veigar's superiority in strength and was still in the running for the Chūnin Exams because of Veigar's actions, his Uchiha pride wouldn't allow him to concede so easily.
Veigar met Shōgetsu's gaze, nodded, and replied, "Alright, I won't hold back either."
At that moment, Hoshino Sarutobi realized he had yet to introduce himself. Since Veigar had saved his life, he lowered his head respectfully and solemnly said, "I'm Hoshino Sarutobi. Please take care of me."
Beside him, Kōtarō Akiyama followed suit. "I'm Kōtarō Akiyama. Pleased to meet you."
Seeing this, Veigar quickly returned the gesture. "I'm Veigar. Pleased to meet you as well."
Then, straightening up, Veigar asked, "I'm heading to the central tower now. Do you want to come with me?"
The three standing before him exchanged glances. After a brief moment, Hoshino Sarutobi immediately responded, "Alright, let's go together."
Shōgetsu Uchiha agreed, "Fine."
Kōtarō Akiyama nodded. "I'm in."
After tidying up the battlefield and gathering their spoils, the group set out toward the central tower in the Forest of Death.
On their way, they didn't encounter any other examinees. By the afternoon, they had arrived at the base of the central tower.
Looking around at the empty surroundings, Hoshino Sarutobi stepped forward and pushed open the large, closed doors of the tower, revealing a passage leading inside.
A short walk later, the four entered a spacious hall within the tower.
There, they once again met the proctor of the second Chūnin Exam—Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru-sama."
The moment they saw him, all four immediately bowed in respect.
"You made it here so quickly. Seems you had some good luck."
"Now then, according to procedure, hand over the scrolls you collected."
Orochimaru's serpentine eyes gleamed as he scanned the group, his gaze lingering on Veigar before he spoke in a calm tone.
"Yes."
Veigar and Hoshino Sarutobi responded simultaneously, retrieving the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and handing them over.
Orochimaru took the scrolls, checked them, and then put them away. "No issues with the scrolls. Congratulations, you've passed the second round of the Chūnin Exams."
"Yes! Thank you, Orochimaru-sama!"
Finally hearing the words they had been hoping for, Hoshino Sarutobi and Kōtarō Akiyama beamed with excitement. Shōgetsu Uchiha, however, maintained his cool, composed demeanor, while Veigar remained calm and collected.
"You are free to stay here and wait for the remaining examinees to arrive."
With that, Orochimaru took the scrolls and turned away, disappearing into the shadows.
"Phew~ Orochimaru-sama's presence is overwhelming!"
Even though Orochimaru had only briefly released a sliver of his suppressed aura before leaving, it was enough to shake them. Kōtarō Akiyama, in particular, was visibly rattled.
After scanning the layout of the hall, Veigar leaped onto the second-floor railing of the tower, found a quiet corner, and sat down against the wall, conserving his energy in preparation for the next stage of the exam.
Time passed, and over a day went by.
By now, another team had arrived at the tower, a squad of Kumogakure ninja also participating in the Konoha Chūnin Exams.
Among them was Darui, a member of the Yotsuki Clan, the man destined to become the Fifth Raikage.
His teammates included Samui, who would grow into a composed and highly trusted jōnin under the Fourth Raikage, known as the only true "beauty" of the Hidden Cloud Village.
The last member was a young ninja named Roy.
As the second round of the Chūnin Exams neared its conclusion, Veigar, having yet to see the fourth qualifying team arrive, wore an expression of boredom but continued to keep an eye on the entrance to the tower's interior.
However, as time ran out, no other teams appeared. In the end, only seven examinees successfully passed the second round.
As for Nanaki Hyuga, Shikatsu Aburame, and Jun Inuzuka—those Veigar had encountered during the exam—why they hadn't made it remained a mystery. Having reached the central tower early, Veigar had no way of knowing what had transpired.
Just then, the proctor, Orochimaru, stepped out from the shadows and announced, "The second round of the Chūnin Exams is officially over."
"Veigar Koshima, Shōgetsu Uchiha, Hoshino Sarutobi, Kōtarō Akiyama, Darui, Samui, and Roy—you have all passed the second round."
"That concludes the announcement."
With Orochimaru's declaration, the second round of the Chūnin Exams came to an end. Veigar's gaze shifted toward the Kumogakure team.
The future Fifth Raikage, Darui.
The trusted right-hand of the Fourth Raikage, Samui.
And then there was Roy, who had never appeared in the original timeline, but as a teammate of Darui and Samui, he was surely no ordinary ninja.
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
Just as the successful candidates were sizing each other up, the silence of the central tower was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.
Moments later, the group saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walking ahead, leading a contingent of individuals from the tower's inner chambers.
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