At the Forest of Death's exit, the Third Hokage stood high on the viewing platform, clan heads gathered at his side. Behind them, a sea of spectators leaned in, eager to witness the results.
"Show your scrolls."
A stern-looking proctor, a jōnin holding a lacquered wooden box, stepped up to Natsume Yō.
"This is my scroll set. Please check."
Yō pulled both Heaven and Earth scrolls from his pouch and handed them over. The jōnin gave a curt nod, stored them in the box, and moved on without another word.
叮!Ding![Congratulations, Host. Task completed. +50 EXP, +100 gold. Title acquired: Rising Star!]
The rush of warmth surged through Yō's veins, intoxicating. He exhaled slowly, eyes sweeping the gathered crowd.
No surprises—Hyūga Setsuna and Shiranui Genma had made it through. Even Uzuki Yugao and Mitarashi Anko, whom he barely knew, had passed.
Thirteen survivors stood tall at the field's edge:
Konoha: seven spots.
Sunagakure: three.
Amegakure: two.
Kusagakure: one.
Moments later, Mizuki Chinatsu emerged as well. She glanced briefly at Yō in the crowd before calmly handing her scrolls to the proctor and joining the line.
"Hmph… so Uchiha Kanyaku showed up too. But too bad—those you hoped to see? They'll never make it. You won't be seeing them again."
Yō's eyes flicked to the Uchiha clan members on the platform, a shard of killing intent flashing in his gaze.
If his guess was right, Chinatsu was among the very last to clear the Forest. The rest were either dead, crippled, or lost in the shadows. At best, three more would crawl out alive.
Thirty-nine had passed the written test.In the survival round, every survivor cut down at least one other. The math was simple: no more than nineteen could move forward.
But Yō alone had eliminated six. Remove him and his victims, that left thirty-two. Halved down in battle, sixteen remained.
Count the thirteen already on the field… and maybe three more survivors at most.
"Can't wait to see your face when you realize the truth, Uchiha Kanyaku." Yō smirked inwardly.
"That boy… he's the one Hokage-sama mentioned? Natsume Yō?"
Hyūga Hiashi studied him carefully. Yō stood with hands in his sleeves, eyes shut, meditating in perfect calm while others fidgeted. Among all the victors, none carried himself with such quiet poise.
Even if Setsuna had clashed bitterly with him, Hiashi couldn't deny it—this boy had promise.
Half an hour slipped by. Only ten minutes remained.
Two battered Konoha shinobi stumbled out together, supporting each other. Behind them, another Leaf ninja dragged his broken body into the light.
Konoha once again proved its strength—nine survivors total, far surpassing the other villages.
The final moments ticked away under countless watchful eyes.
"End of the exam!"
The proctor's voice thundered, sealing the round. At once, a flood of masked ANBU stormed into the Forest, tasked with retrieving every last participant—dead or alive.