"Otoha, what should we do next? Even if it's only that bearded guy's shadow clone, he's still a chunin. It won't be easy for us to defeat him."
Otoha frowned, feeling troubled. This special training had come far too suddenly, without any preparation at all. And staying in this damned forest for a week? It really felt like they were going to see ghosts!
"And little ones, don't worry about things at home. The Ninja Academy teachers will take care of everything." The bearded man bellowed again, putting everyone's minds at ease. They had all been dragged here like ducks being herded onto a perch, without even having a chance to tell their families.
Of course, Katsuki and Minato did not have the luxury of such worries.
"Compared to defeating the teacher's shadow clone, the harder part should be finding it. This forest is so big. If we can't even find the person..." Minato shook his head. Though he did not finish, everyone understood what he meant.
Naturally, the students split into six small groups according to their original classes, gathering together to discuss the training.
The bearded man did not rush them. He simply stood to the side, calmly watching the students chatter as they discussed their plans.
Rookies!
Complete and utter rookies!
Pricking up his ears and listening to the voices drifting over on the wind, the bearded man curled his lip disdainfully.
"You may step down. Leave this to me."
A cold presence suddenly came at him from behind. That hoarse voice coiled around his neck like a snake. The bearded man's legs trembled as he turned around and saw those murky yellow snake eyes. He felt like he was about to piss himself!
Damn it, where had this big shot come from? What did he want with a mere chunin like him?
"This is the Hokage's letter of authorization. The three of us will take over your duties." Tsunade slapped a document into the bearded man's hands.
It was a thin sheet of paper, a temporary letter of authorization written by Hiruzen. The bearded man gave it a quick read. Though the three people before him were all the Hokage's disciples, he still gritted his teeth and verified the document's authenticity. Only then did he respectfully return it to Tsunade and withdraw.
"That guy's not bad. Pretty responsible," Jiraiya remarked as he watched the bearded man leave.
The students naturally noticed the bearded man's departure. They might not have noticed Orochimaru and the others when they first arrived, but after standing there for so long without concealing themselves, they inevitably drew attention.
A few cries of surprise rang out as someone recognized Orochimaru and the others.
Although Orochimaru and Jiraiya had not yet earned the title of the Three Legendary Ninja, they had already become jonin. As the Hokage's disciples, they were quite famous. Tsunade in particular was the First Hokage's granddaughter, the Princess of Konoha, and many people knew of her.
Not to mention that more than half the students here came from clans, with far broader knowledge than ordinary civilian children.
"Aunt Tsunade!" Kushina cried out in surprise, her mouth forming a round O.
Katsuki's heart trembled. The white-haired one standing beside Tsunade was obviously Jiraiya, while the black-haired man in kimono had to be Orochimaru.
He truly did not want to run into the number-one research maniac of the ninja world. Even though Orochimaru was still a fine young man passionately fighting for Konoha, just thinking about how obsessed he would become with human experimentation and that twisted immortality technique made Katsuki shudder all over.
The Uzumaki Clan was famous for its long lifespans. They could practically be considered prime material for researching immortality! Hadn't Orochimaru gone to great lengths in the future to find Karin, an Uzumaki Clan survivor?
The students stared at Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, their confusion mixed with excitement.
"We'll be taking over your training." Tsunade stepped forward and spoke loudly. "You should all know who we are. We'll be your teachers for this week. The training location remains Training Ground 44, and the method remains the same: find our clones, then defeat them."
The moment she finished speaking, a chorus of wails erupted. One chunin's clone was already hard enough to deal with. Now it was three jonin clones? Fight their asses! They might as well go home, wash up, and sleep!
Uchiha Otoha wore a look of despair as well. What the hell was this? He had at least a little confidence against a chunin, but a jonin? Yeah, right.
"Idiot, is your brain only the size of a walnut?" Otome leaped up and kicked the back of her brother's knee. If Katsuki had not reached out to steady him, he would have definitely dropped to his knees.
"What are you doing?" Otoha glared at his sister in exasperation.
Uchiha Otome irritably curled her lip. Her brother was so stupid. "The teachers never said failing to defeat their clones means we fail. Can't you use your brain? They're jonin. Even a water clone with only one-tenth of their strength isn't something we can defeat."
Minato and Katsuki both looked utterly calm, clearly having thought of this long ago. Even the carefree Kushina shot him a look usually reserved for idiots...
A certain older brother began hugging his knees in a corner and drawing circles. Life was impossible!
After the initial commotion, the students quickly calmed down. Katsuki's group were not the only smart ones. Everyone had figured out the purpose behind this training and assessment.
Yet that only made the pressure greater. The assessment criteria were unclear. What exactly did they need to do to pass? That question instantly troubled most of them.
"The twenty-one of you may act together or split up, however you prefer. Enter the grounds now. Our shadow clones have already entered the forest, and even we don't know their exact locations now... Any questions? That... Hyuga Tenzan?" Tsunade looked at the pale-eyed boy who had raised his hand, then flipped through the roster in her hand and found the Hyuga surname. After all, there was only one pair of Byakugan here.
"A week's time... even you cannot maintain a shadow clone for that long, can you?" The Byakugan boy kept a straight face, his expression solemn.
"Good question. This is also part of the test. Once a shadow clone runs out of chakra and disappears, we'll create a new clone and send it into the training ground. That means even if you manage to defeat one by luck, new 'enemies' will come looking for you. Until the week is over, the fighting will not stop." Tsunade nodded approvingly at the Byakugan boy, clearing up everyone's doubts.
"Any other questions? If not, I'll give you..." Tsunade fell silent for a moment, then took out a watch from her clothes. "Hmm, ten minutes. Enter the training ground. You can go in through the gate here, or walk farther along the fence. This training ground has forty-four gates in total."
Before you continue