Inside the forest, occasional rustles from insects provided some background noise. At least for now, Shiki passed the time listening to these sounds.
"Alright, time's up. You may enter now." The examiner showed no expression throughout the journey.
He hadn't spoken another word, only occasionally glancing at his wristwatch in silence.
Now he took hold of the heavy lock on the iron gate and slid the key inside.
With a swish, the metal door—untouched for months—was pushed open.
"Now, your second exam officially begins."
Without hesitation, several people strode into this land meant for conflict.
The examiner gave their backs a glance before quietly locking the door again.
Even those who couldn't complete the Exam still had to remain in the Forest of Death for five full days.
During those five days, no one could leave. This place was built specifically as a battleground.
There was no right or wrong here—only survival. Those who feared it could have refused to sign the consent form from the start.
And signing that paper meant one thing: this place was where you bet your life in battle.
As they entered the Forest of Death, the group strolled forward at a leisurely pace.
"I guess we'll have to wait a long time before any fighting happens," Yuuma pouted slightly in disappointment.
Shiki reached out, running his hand through her long black hair. "Wanting to fight so much isn't something a little girl should do."
Yuuma playfully dodged away from Shiki's reach, her ninja sandals stepping lightly on the leaves with a soft rustle. Escaping his grasp, she protested, "But big brother, you wouldn't like a weak girl either, would you?"
"But I'd prefer if you stayed delicate. As your older brother, I don't want you carrying too many burdens."
"Tch, not again with trying to shape my actions based on your ideals," Yuuma muttered, turning her head slightly in clear displeasure.
"There's no—"
A sudden explosion came from the right.
Apparently, someone had already started fighting.
Instantly, Shiki wiped the relaxed smile off his face, replacing it with anticipation.
He scanned the distance in the direction of the sound, muttering to himself.
"Yuuma, remember, the best hunters remain calm at all times. We didn't need to go searching for a fight earlier—we just needed to wait patiently. But now, our chance has come."
Chapter 125: Winds Curl with Flames
"Tch! Didn't expect to run into a fight like this the moment we stepped in!" a Konoha ninja frowned, pressing hard on the wound on his right arm.
Blood continued to flow nonstop, and one of his teammates was already lying on the ground.
Another stood guarding them but looked barely able to hold on.
Their enemies, however, weren't ninjas from other villages. They were also from Konoha Ninja Village.
In truth, it wasn't surprising. For these Chunin Exams, the number of registrants from Konoha alone outnumbered those from all the other villages combined. Encountering fellow Konoha ninja was bound to happen.
Yet neither side showed any mercy, despite all being from Konoha.
It was because, within this exam, they had become enemies.
Even though killing wasn't necessary, they all fought like it was life or death.
Even during the Chunin Exams, a ninja's momentary carelessness could give their opponent a chance to threaten both themselves and their teammates.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
A massive fireball surged forward with rolling waves of scorching heat, making things even worse for the already-outnumbered team.
What should we do?
Shin Fujiwara No felt extremely anxious. Actually, based on their team's combat strength, they shouldn't have fallen into such a passive predicament.
But who could've predicted they'd immediately get dragged into battle right after entering the Forest of Death?
For someone who had been a Genin for many years, Shin Fujiwara No actually knew several C-ranked Ninjutsu techniques. However, in the current situation, these techniques could only slightly delay their defeat. There was absolutely no possibility of turning the tide.
Yet under these circumstances, what reversal were they hoping for?
The blazing fireball had already rushed toward him with flames hot enough to devour them all.
One teammate behind him had already fainted, while another had suffered severe injuries to his arm.
They might as well throw in the towel.
In that split second, he had already thought it through—that's why he was the team's anchor.
Without hesitation, he began changing his hand seals.
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
A violent gust of wind burst from his mouth. While this technique didn't possess great power, it was the only option available in this situation.
The fireball's advance was blocked by the fierce wind, even showing signs of being pushed back.
Eventually, however, both jutsu ceased as both practitioners ran out of chakra.
"We'll give you our Heaven Scroll—we concede." Yuan Ye raised high the white scroll marked with the kanji for "heaven."
"Yuan Ye, how can you surrender?" His teammate standing behind shouted immediately, clearly unwilling to accept this result.
"Shin Nosuke, continuing this fight is pointless now. Besides, the exam has just begun—we still have five days. Our strength isn't weak; as long as we regroup properly, we still have hope."
"Silence, Saori! Don't you know Saori has already collapsed? How can you bear to hand over the scroll she desperately protected?"
Shin Nosuke's eyes were even somewhat red and swollen. For himself, he would rather be injured and unconscious than let Saori suffer serious injury and collapse.
Since this outcome has already occurred, he'd rather die than hand over the scroll.
Though this seemed irrational, probably every man's heart secretly held onto one woman capable of clouding his reason.
Yuan Ye sighed deeply, thinking to himself that Shin Nosuke remained that same idiot after all.
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