Chapter 34: Toad Sage
Naruto and his team were not the first to reach the high tower.
The team from Sand Village, led by Gaara, was faster.
Even though there were quite a few unexpected incidents.
Konoha did not halt the exams, nor did they send anyone to inquire about Naruto, except for Kakashi who subtly hinted at a few things.
As for Karin's presence, Konoha didn't question much either.
Five days passed quickly.
The number of candidates passing the exam seemed to exceed Konoha's expectations.
Another individual preliminary round was held in the tower.
This preliminary round had nothing to do with the teams; genin were allowed to forfeit without affecting the rest of their team's progress in the exam.