Chapter 120: The Chunin Exams Are Interrupted

Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame were sprinting anxiously down a street in the village, their faces etched with exhaustion and worry. Suddenly, they spotted Hiruzen Sarutobi and his squad of ninja, and a glimmer of hope surged in their hearts.

"Lord Hokage! Please, you must save Hinata! I beg you!" Upon seeing Hiruzen, the two dropped to one knee, their voices laced with urgency and pleading. Their eyes were filled with concern for Hinata, and tears welled up in their sockets.

After listening to their report and the description of the enemy, Hiruzen’s expression grew somber, and he was inwardly shocked. He furrowed his brows in deep thought. He was certain that Vedo Sarutobi must be dead, and that someone was masquerading as him. As the head of the Sarutobi clan, Hiruzen knew Vedo’s true strength better than anyone. If he had possessed the formidable power described by these two young genin, he would never have been merely a special jonin.

Hiruzen was even more astonished by Hinata’s capabilities. He became increasingly convinced that this young lady of the Hyuga clan now possessed at least the strength of an elite jonin. If not for that, the three-person team would have been easily slaughtered at their first encounter, leaving no possibility for Hinata to have survived this long while protecting her teammates.

On one hand, Hiruzen felt a sense of relief. The new generation of Konoha was maturing; among them were talents like Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, as well as those who valued loyalty and friendship, like Kiba and Shino. He believed the future of Konoha was full of promise, and even if he were to fall in battle today, he would not fear for the village’s survival.

On the other hand, Hiruzen felt deep apprehension. The enemy was targeting Hinata, and Hinata had resolved to lead that enemy away. He feared that she was no match for her pursuer and that a brilliant young seedling might be cut down in its prime. Silently, he prayed, "Hinata, you must stay safe."

Hiruzen quickly summoned his tracking ninja, his expression stern and anxious, his eyes radiating firm resolve. "Find Hinata at all costs! Ensure her safety!" he commanded with unwavering tone.

Kiba and Shino hurriedly handed over Hinata’s signal device to the trackers, their eyes filled with expectation and dread. "Please, I beg you, you must find her!" Kiba gripped his fists tightly, his voice trembling.

The tracking ninja led the main force and rushed quickly in the direction of Hinata’s last known location. Their movements were swift and orderly, each man acutely aware of his mission and responsibility.

Meanwhile, in the Forest of Death, a large contingent of Konoha ninja had surged inside. They darted through the dense woods, shouting loudly, "All examinees, evacuate the forest immediately!" Their voices echoed through the trees, shattering the forest's original tranquility.

Many examinees heard the notification from the Konoha ninja; they wore puzzled expressions, filled with doubt and unease.

Fugaku Uchiha and his wife, disguised as Hidden Waterfall ninja, also wore strange expressions. Mikoto Uchiha frowned, looking at Fugaku, and asked with confusion, "What is going on? There has never been a precedent for the Chunin Exams being interrupted halfway through, has there? What on earth is happening in the village?"

Her eyes betrayed her worry, and a vague sense of unease stirred in her heart.

"Who knows." Fugaku was equally baffled. He scratched his head and said, "But come to think of it, where is Sasuke? Why haven't we seen him since we entered the forest?" His tone carried a hint of irritation; after all, Sasuke was his son.

While he wasn't worried that Sasuke would encounter danger he couldn't handle, the fact that they hadn't seen him for so long, and that an accidental interruption was cutting their reunion short, left him feeling quite disgruntled.

"Given Master Sasuke’s strength, he must be deep in the forest by now, right?" said the Uchiha ninja who was teamed with Fugaku and Mikoto. "Earlier, we saw that team of Sand village jinchuriki moving through the forest at great speed. Master Sasuke is far stronger than them; he should be moving even faster, shouldn't he? I even suspect, could they have already reached the finish line?" His eyes were full of confidence in Sasuke.

"Hardly." Fugaku waved his hand, saying, "I recall the record for the fastest arrival at the destination for the second stage of the Chunin Exams was two hours, right? Does that brat Sasuke really have that kind of strength?" Although he said this, his expression was unmistakably smug. Clearly, deep down, he believed his son could break the record, he just didn't want to show it in front of others.

So, where was Sasuke at this moment?

As it turned out, Sasuke was in a corner of the forest, deploying a mechanical arm and using various tools to build a campsite. He wore a look of helplessness, muttering, "Sigh... seven days... fetching water, finding food, hygiene, anti-ambush... why is setting up a camp so troublesome?" He complained while working diligently, hoping to set up a comfortable camp as quickly as possible.

He knew that for these seven days, the safety and comfort of the camp were paramount; he had to take it seriously.

At this time, Team Naruto was resting in a clearing. They had not only secured a full pair of scrolls but had also successfully reached the tower in the Forest of Death. After searching the tower and finding nothing, they had left to set up camp outside.

Sasuke was nearby, skillfully constructing the camp with agile, efficient movements. Naruto, meanwhile, was meticulously maintaining a towering machine. This machine had a pair of long, slender legs and looked just like a giant insect. The cockpit was arranged quite comfortably, allowing for relative ease during long treks.

The slender legs had been specially reinforced, making them ideal for traversing the forest. Several weapons were mounted around the cabin; while they were not high-powered, they were non-lethal, designed primarily for defense and responding to emergencies.

"This Forest Walker is truly fast." Sakura crouched on a platform opposite Naruto, holding a wrench to help maintain the machine. Her face beamed with excitement as she said, "Who would have thought we’d reach the tower less than an hour after the exam started? This thing is really useful." Her eyes were filled with affection for the machine.

"After all, it’s a piece of specialized gear from the Federal Academy of Sciences' Equipment Department, designed specifically for jungle warfare," Naruto said while repairing a joint. "It was initially for scouts, but somehow it ended up being distributed to the logistics corps. Anyway, its greatest features are its speed and high reliability; once you use it, you can never forget it."

"Hehe, I certainly won't forget it; this thing is just too fast," Sakura said. "I wonder how long we’ll have to stay here before we run into others? Probably at least a day, right?"

"Not a day. Not even half a day." Naruto shook his head and nudged his chin toward a direction in the forest. "Look, over there, someone’s already coming. Ninety-seven minutes—that’s pretty fast, too."