Chapter 15: The Forest of Death
All the exam candidates were gathered in one classroom for the first test: the written exam. It was the easiest of the three exams, but even this simple test would eliminate many.
The proctor, Morino Ibiki, looked fierce enough to scare anyone. Several jonin examiners sat around the room, watching them closely.
Ibiki looked down at them. "The proctors here are all seasoned ninja. Your little tricks are nothing to them. As ninja, you must gather intelligence openly. Let me be clear. If you are caught cheating, you will be disqualified immediately. Don't throw away your chance over something so small. The exam begins now."
Takahashi's team sat together. They frowned at the test paper. The questions were far beyond their current knowledge. What Ibiki had really meant was for them to use ninja skills to cheat.
Some people in the room knew the answers. Getting those answers was the key to passing. But this seemingly simple task had stumped many. Without a special method, they would fail right here.
Tenten was clever. She used a small mirror to check the papers around her, trying to find the right answers.
Rock Lee, of course, knew nothing. Takahashi wasn't much better off.
The most surprising was Neji. He didn't plan to cheat at all. He just picked up his pen and started writing.
But this wasn't hard for Takahashi. The room was full of reflective surfaces. With his perception, he could clearly see everything the light touched. He used the light itself to copy the answers. No one would notice someone cheating with light.
But if anyone watched closely, they'd see the light bending in strange, impossible ways.
Tenten, sitting behind Takahashi, thought he was stuck. But then he suddenly started writing furiously, finishing almost as fast as the first person to finish.
Neji was still writing. He didn't need help, so Takahashi focused on Lee. Tenten took care of her own paper, so that was fine.
Those who finished first had to stay to give others time to copy. So, Takahashi was the first to hand in his paper, drawing confused stares from everyone.
He had been taking the Super-Soldier Serum, making him a bit taller than his peers. Ibiki looked puzzled. Was this kid a real examinee, or a plant from their own side?
After handing in his paper, Takahashi walked straight out the door, ignoring the stunned looks.
It wasn't a big deal. The others finished soon after. Those who came out looking happy were confident. Those with their heads down had probably failed.
Seeing Lee and Tenten come out looking calm, he knew they were confident they had passed.
During the exam, the Third Hokage had told the proctors to watch Takahashi closely for anything suspicious.
Ibiki didn't see anything suspicious. What he saw was a kid with unusual skill.
Nearly half the candidates were eliminated in the written test. Tenten still said it was pretty easy.
Takahashi didn't say much. His mind was on Orochimaru. The next test was the Forest of Death. In that chaotic place, with Orochimaru lurking, plus the Sound ninja, plus Gaara as a walking bomb... it was a dangerous mix.
Holding everything together by himself seemed like a struggle.
But he wasn't too worried. Even so, he could protect his teammates. He didn't believe Orochimaru would risk a desperate fight. Causing chaos too early would mean Orochimaru couldn't escape Konoha.
The next day, they all went to the special testing ground: the Forest of Death.
A tall tower stood in the center, with a radius of about ten kilometers. Forty-four iron gates were placed around the forest's edge.
Mitarashi Anko stood in front, explaining the rules.
"This test is simple. I have two scrolls: one Heaven, one Earth. Your team must collect one of each and reach the tower in the center of the forest within the time limit."
She paused for effect. "Remember, the entire team must arrive. If someone is injured or can't fight, you fail."
"Sounds simple, right?" she continued with a sharp grin. "But don't underestimate this place. The environment is 100% wild. If you look down on it, you will die. Everyone here is betting their lives to steal scrolls. My goal is to eliminate more than half of you here."
As soon as she finished, someone pointed at Neji's team. "Teacher! They have four people! That's not fair! One extra person isn't just a little more power. In a team fight, it makes a huge difference!"
Takahashi had expected this. He smiled. "My presence does add power. But it also adds risk for my team. More people means a higher chance of injury. And if you find me so threatening, I can make it harder for us. Isn't the goal to collect both scrolls? Our team will do it twice."
His words caused an uproar.
Sasuke frowned over at him. Naruto's jaw dropped. "In this place, getting one set of scrolls is hard enough! They're going for two? That's impossible! Is he crazy?"
Hearing this, Anko's eyes lit up with interest.
"Those aren't just words," she said. "A man should stand by his word. Fine. I'll allow your team of four. But if you don't get two sets of Heaven and Earth scrolls within the time limit, your whole team fails. Don't blame me. Blame the guy who was so arrogant."