The Sakura Legend

Ninja Academy Classroom

The classroom instantly fell silent as everyone looked at Naruto. Naruto took a deep breath, "Whew, that feels much better."

Way to go, Naruto. Everyone's spirits noticeably lifted. Sakura looked around at the other genin, and they all seemed much more relaxed. Naruto really had a knack for inspiring others with his naturally optimistic attitude, unknowingly influencing those around him.

Just then, three ninja leaped from their seats and, without a word, launched an attack on Kabuto.

Sakura took a closer look at their headbands and was puzzled. Aren't they Sound ninjas? Why are they attacking Kabuto?

Kabuto dodged their attack and was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed. He clutched his stomach and collapsed to the ground.

"You've been taking this exam for four years, and you're still this weak? You even recorded information about the Sound Village on your cards," the masked leader of the Sound ninjas sneered.

"You punks, settle down!" Suddenly, a cloud of smoke erupted in the classroom. When it cleared, a scarred ninja stood with a group of other ninja behind him.

"My name is Morino Ibiki, and I'm the proctor for the first exam of the Chunin Selection Exams. You three Sound ninja, back to your seats. Any more disruptions, and you'll be disqualified immediately," Ibiki said, pointing at the Sound ninjas.

"Sorry about that. It's our first time taking the Chunin Exams, we got a little overexcited," the Sound ninja leader said, his apology utterly insincere.

"Hmph, return to your seats," Ibiki said. Then, addressing the entire room, he continued, "I'll take this opportunity to say that private fights are strictly prohibited during the exam. Anyone caught fighting will be immediately disqualified. Even if permitted, you are not allowed to kill your opponent. Is that clear?"

"..." The room remained silent.

"Now, line up to receive your seat numbers, then sit in the corresponding seats. The written exam papers will be distributed shortly," Ibiki said, holding up a stack of papers.

"Written exam, just like Sakura-chan said. There's a written exam," Naruto thought. Thanks to Sakura's warning, he had crammed the night before, and he was confident he probably wouldn't get a zero. Probably.

Once all the candidates were seated and the papers distributed, Ibiki began to speak. "Each candidate starts with 10 points. Points will be deducted..."

After listening to Ibiki explain the exam rules, Sakura began to read the questions. "I don't know this... I don't know this either... Haha, it's okay, there's the next question. Next question... Don't know... Don't know... Don't know..."

After reading all nine questions on the exam, Sakura raised an eyebrow, a wry, embarrassed smile spreading across her face. She really couldn't compare to the original Sakura. She... didn't know a single one.

Damn it, I transmigrated and not only got nothing, I even lost IQ points in the process. Sakura felt an urge to flip the table.

It seemed she would have to rely on Naruto. Cheating? Cheating was impossible. She didn't have Byakugan or Sharingan. What was she going to cheat with? She didn't have any ninjutsu suitable for reconnaissance either. It was better to wait for Naruto.

And so, because she couldn't answer a single question, Sakura rested her head on the desk and started observing the others. Soon, candidates began to be eliminated one by one for cheating too obviously.

Finally, after Ibiki announced the tenth question and Naruto declared he wouldn't give up, the first exam concluded successfully.

Naruto's emotions were a rollercoaster. He had mentally prepared himself for a life-or-death struggle, only to find that he hadn't even needed to exert himself before the opponent fell.

When Ibiki announced the end of the exam, someone crashed through the window.

"I am the proctor for the second exam. My name is Mitarashi Anko. Please follow me," Anko said to the remaining 78 candidates.

The remaining 78 followed Anko to the Forest of Death. Standing before the forest, Anko announced the start of the second exam. Each team would receive one of two scrolls, either Heaven or Earth.

The objective was to enter the Forest of Death, obtain the other scroll, and reach the central tower to pass. The time limit was 120 hours.

At 3:30 PM, teams of three were led to various entrances of the Forest of Death, and the second exam of the Chunin Exams officially began.

"Sasuke, Naruto, I have a plan," Sakura said to her two teammates.

"What plan, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"We can lie in wait," Sakura said.

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Idiot, Sakura means we can go directly to the central tower area and ambush teams that have already obtained both scrolls," Sasuke explained.

"Exactly," Sakura confirmed, feeling that Sasuke truly understood her. My true confidant.

"But, Sakura, you have to understand that teams that manage to get both scrolls won't be weak. If we fail, we'll have no other chance," Sasuke pointed out the flaw in the plan.

"I understand. It's 10 kilometers from the entrance to the tower. We don't need to actively search for other teams. As long as we head towards the tower, we'll naturally encounter other teams. If we don't, we can search within a one-kilometer radius of the tower. This will save us a lot of energy, and we can enter the tower as soon as we get the scroll," Sakura explained further.

"I understand. Let's head towards the tower," Sasuke said, falling silent after hearing Sakura's explanation. He followed behind Sakura as they relentlessly made their way towards the tower.

Sakura, however, had another plan in mind. There were many Anbu members inside the tower, as well as numerous Konoha ninja overseeing the second exam. As long as she stayed near the tower, if she could stall Orochimaru even briefly, reinforcements would arrive.

She believed that Anko should have already sensed something off about the Grass ninja. After all, Orochimaru was her teacher. Although they hadn't seen each other in over a decade, Anko's ninjutsu was inherited from Orochimaru. Similar auras were the most sensitive to each other. Even though Orochimaru concealed himself well, he wouldn't be able to hide it for long, especially since he had killed the real Grass ninja.

Sakura was confident she could stall Orochimaru. Her confidence didn't come from her own strength; she was no match for Orochimaru at her current level. Sakura's trump card was Katsuyu. If she used the Strength of a Hundred Seal and summoned the largest possible Katsuyu, even Orochimaru would have a hard time.

Although Katsuyu was primarily a healing summon, she did have offensive capabilities. Acid was Katsuyu's sole attack. Combined with her ability to split her body and her immunity to all physical attacks, the only way Orochimaru could restrain Katsuyu would be to summon Manda.

Hmph, summoning Manda so close to the central tower? The Anbu, no, even the Third Hokage would come running. And before that happened, Sakura only needed to do two things: maintain Katsuyu's summoning and protect Sasuke, preventing Orochimaru from placing the curse mark.

Orochimaru hadn't prepared any barriers in the Forest of Death. He probably hadn't anticipated that Tsunade's disciple would also be participating in the Chunin Exams, and as Sasuke's teammate, no less.

Sakura's only concern now was to avoid being intercepted by Orochimaru en route. Every extra second increased the risk of Sasuke being marked with the curse.