This Is Bad! This Premonition Is Bad!

"We're only students in the lower division. Even if it's training, shouldn't the senior and intermediate division students be prioritized?"

This time, the one who raised his hand was a cataract... a boy from the Hyuga Clan.

"All of the senior division students have been transferred out, and the intermediate division students have already completed their evaluations. To avoid overlooking talent, the higher-ups have specially ordered that lower division students be included in the evaluations as well. After passing the evaluation and undergoing a week of intensive training, there will be another evaluation. Those who pass will be sent to transport supplies in the rear. Don't worry, Konoha has never had a habit of sending students to their deaths."

Just as the bearded brute had said, he answered every question.

"Any more questions? Ask quickly. We only have one week of special training, and every minute is precious." He swept his gaze across the sixty-three little sprouts. Upon hearing that they might be going to war, only a few of them had been frightened. Not bad.

Katsuki stood expressionlessly amid the crowd, mulling over the hidden implications of this. If they were only transporting supplies in the rear, that would be fine. It was their own territory, after all; at worst, they would deal with bandits or mountain brigands. What he feared most was that transporting supplies might require them to enter the Land of Rain. That would be fucking awful. If they got caught by a Rain Ninja guerrilla unit, wouldn't they be screwed?

"Will our area of operation be within the Land of Fire, or will we need to enter the Land of Rain?" Katsuki raised his hand, drawing sidelong glances from everyone. Quite a few thought the question was baffling. Shouldn't that be something to worry about only after passing the second evaluation?

Was this kid really so confident that he could pass?

For a moment, probing, contemptuous, wary, and all sorts of other gazes focused on Katsuki.

To be honest, he did not like drawing this kind of attention, but he had to make more plans for his own survival.

The bearded brute narrowed his eyes slightly, surprise flickering within them as he looked at Katsuki. "I'm afraid I can't answer that question. On one hand, I don't know myself. On the other, even if I did, I couldn't tell you. That already counts as military intelligence."

Fine. The answer was somewhat unexpected, but also reasonable when he thought about it. Still, Katsuki felt the pressure. In the end, the man had not denied that they might enter the Land of Rain.

"Alright, questions are over. Follow me. This training camp won't be held at the Ninja Academy." The bearded brute pointed people out, selecting exactly twenty-one. The other two chunin likewise divided up the remaining students.

Katsuki and his five companions happened to be among those picked by the bearded man. Or rather, the guys who had asked questions earlier, along with several people near them, had all been selected by him. The pineapple-headed boy and the cataract-eyed boy were also in the group.

Everyone traveled in silence, following the bearded man out of the Ninja Academy. They made their way without obstruction to a training ground north of the village. The bearded man carried authorization documents issued by the higher-ups, so the patrolling guards relaxed after a brief inspection.

A ring of barbed wire stretched toward the edge of sight. Within the fence lay a forest, an absurdly vast forest. A rough estimate put even the shortest trees at over thirty meters tall. Their lush canopies hung like clusters of dark clouds, blocking out the daylight so completely that not a trace of sunlight could penetrate. The place felt gloomy and sinister. It was terrifying!

Standing before the iron gate, Katsuki looked up at the forest, the corner of his eye twitching. It looked so familiar!

"This is Training Ground 44. Your training for the next week will take place inside. It's quite a nice place." The bearded brute pointed at the hellish forest, a delighted smile appearing on his face.

Holy shit! Was this instructor a pervert?

Everyone inwardly complained in unison. What part of this shitty forest looked nice? It was so gloomy and creepy.

"The training method is simple. My shadow clone will move throughout the forest. Your task is to find me, then defeat my shadow clone... This is both special training and an evaluation. I'll grade each of you based on your performance... So work hard and take me down."

The bearded man grinned, revealing a mouthful of snowy white teeth. Combined with his massive build, he looked like a humanoid beast.

"Come collect your equipment. Each of you gets one Ninja Tool Bag. Inside are five kunai, a set of Shuriken, and a flint stone. Use your weapons properly. Once you're on the battlefield..." The bearded man pulled a scroll from his vest, spread it flat, and summoned a pile of bulging Ninja Tool Bags.

Katsuki and the others lined up to collect their equipment. They were only students. Aside from the clothes on their backs, they had nothing—not even a needle. Of course, students always had strange odds and ends in their pockets. For example, Dōton Akimichi somehow pulled out another bag of potato chips and kept crunching away. He happened to be standing right in front of Katsuki. As for that mysterious dimensional pocket of his, Katsuki truly had no idea what to say.

"Sensei, what did you need me for?"

His voice was hoarse, his face as pale as thin paper. Cold light reflected in his tawny snake eyes, and long black hair draped behind him. The aura of a predator seeped from him unconsciously—enough to make every child in Konoha burst into tears.

Yet the first thing Hiruzen noticed was Jiraiya, who was swaying about without a shred of decorum behind Orochimaru. That hooligan air about him was far too conspicuous.

"Jiraiya, you came too? I don't recall summoning you..."

"Hehe, I just came to take a look!"

Jiraiya chuckled, showing no awareness whatsoever that he was causing trouble.

Hiruzen rubbed his brow with a headache, his thick eyebrows bunching together.

"Forget it."

With a sigh, Hiruzen resigned himself to it. There was no way he could get rid of this shameless pest.

"In that case, bring Tsunade over too. The three of you can handle this matter together." Hiruzen acted immediately, summoning an Anbu and ordering them to find Tsunade.

Before long, Tsunade arrived. Seeing Orochimaru's cold expression and Jiraiya's smug grin, she said irritably, "Jiraiya, what have you done this time? You bastard, don't drag me into it."

Jiraiya immediately objected and began protesting, "What does this have to do with me? It was Sensei Hiruzen who called you over."

Seeing that Jiraiya and Tsunade, this pair of natural enemies, were about to start arguing again, Hiruzen quickly stopped them. Otherwise, who knew how long they would drag things out.

As for Orochimaru, he stood coldly to one side, seemingly indifferent to everything.

"I called you here because of the fighting in the Land of Rain." Hiruzen held a pipe between his lips and blew out a beautiful smoke ring. It drifted slowly upward, gradually dispersing. "The Rain Ninja's resistance has been stronger than we initially expected, and the Land of Rain's environment is extremely complicated. Sakumo is having some difficulty controlling the situation alone, so I intend to send you to the front lines to assist him."

"That is the official reason. Come look at these little ones."

Hiruzen beckoned his three disciples over and pointed at the crystal ball on the table. Images flickered within it, showing a large group of students lining up to receive Ninja Tool Bags.