"Chirp... chirp..."
"Shriek—! Shriek—!"
"Hoot... hoot..."
Within the enormous shadow untouched by the morning light, chilling bird cries echoed through the colossal trees that blocked out the sky and sun, brushing past the ears of the Chunin Exams candidates gathered before the fence.
It was now the day after the first exam ended—the assembly day for the second exam.
All the Genin who had passed the first exam had gathered in this open space. Before them stood a vast primeval forest formed entirely of gigantic ancient trees, enclosed by fences and lined with numbered iron gates.
"This place feels kind of creepy."
At this moment, Haruno Sakura looked at Uzumaki Naruto, who was staring upward as though trying to see where the nearest giant tree ended, then at Second Pillar behind her, whose face remained cold and expressionless. Unable to hold it in, she spoke.
For a girl, this kind of eerie atmosphere was the hardest to handle.
"Hehe..."
At the same time, perhaps because she had heard Haruno Sakura's words, or perhaps because she had seen the emotions she wanted—shock and the like—plainly written across everyone's faces, Anko Mitarashi, who had arrived before the candidates, gave a soft laugh. A chilling coldness naturally spread from her smile, tinting it with a grim shade.
"This place is called the Death Forest. You'll get to experience it for yourselves soon enough."
That was what she said.
There had been an unforgettable Chunin Exam held in this Death Forest back then! Although she had been young at the time, even now, it was still so vivid!
At the same time, unlike her cold words, her heart was filled with nostalgia. A battle of wits and courage flashed through her mind. Back then, so many young geniuses recognized by villages everywhere had stumbled