Blizzard Plain, as the name suggests, is a plain that is covered in ice and snow all year round.
However, this does not mean that there are no living creatures here. Fierce beasts as tall as three to five people are frequently seen, and they do not hibernate because of the cold environment.
In addition, the trees are so large that it would take five or six people to encircle them, and the dense weeds pose potential dangers.
These are just secondary; they alone are not enough to achieve the purpose of the assessment. There are even more exciting things to come!
"Wouldn't it be too harsh to assess them here?"
Looking down at the snowy forest below Anko said with some concern, while Guren next to her also frowned.
"Tch... Don't worry! You've been in the Ninja Academy all your lives, you don't know what happens to them after they graduate!"
At this point, the only person who would still be so carefree is probably Deidara.
The two women ignored the teasing in Deidara's words and looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"After graduation? Isn't that an internship at the Military Police Force?"
Seeing their reactions, Deidara knew they were completely unaware of the situation, so he stopped keeping them in suspense.
"Our officers are assessed every two or three months, and these graduating Genin are no exception. This stage is the golden period for their strength to increase rapidly..."
As Deidara explained, the two women learned the details.
After graduation, the Genin will be assigned to the Military Police Force or go on missions throughout the Land of Gold, but they will all return for an assessment a year later.
And this happened every year until they were promoted to Chunin.
Their assessment locations included Blizzard Icefield, Absolute Ice Mountain Range, Hidden Earth Plateau, and Crimson Rock Land.
Which of these places isn't dangerous? Some people are involved in these places almost every year, and they've gotten used to it.
Of course, this assessment is only for freshmen who have just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and it only lasts for three years.
If you haven't been promoted to Chunin after three years of trials, there's no need to continue the assessment.
"Oh... we really didn't know that if you hadn't told us. So many ninjas graduate every year, do we really have to check on each and every one of them?"
"Exactly! We're all guaranteed job placements after graduation, they don't care about such things..."
Anko and Guren complained in unison that they had worried for nothing.
"It seems we underestimated them..."
While the group was chatting, the ninjas below were already prepared.
"Hey, Deidara, you can start now!"
Hozuki Mangetsu gave Deidara a hand signal in mid-air, an action that caused the two women to look at each other in bewilderment.
They thought the three of them were to keep an eye on the trial ninjas below, but the next moment the large bird they were sitting on suddenly darted forward.
"Hey... Deidara, what are you doing?"
Both of them were caught off guard by the sudden acceleration. Deidara ignored their exclamations and instead exclaimed as he arrived at a circular platform deep in the ice field.
"Ugh... What a hassle!"
As he spoke, Deidara stopped the giant bird. Under the puzzled gazes of the two, Deidara placed a fist-sized sphere into the groove in the center of the platform, formed several hand seals, and then slammed it onto the ground.
"Sealing Jutsu, release!"
As the handprint fell, bursts of light rose around it, and the pattern on the circular platform slowly began to rotate.
To the astonishment of Anko and Guren, the tall snowdrifts near the platform began to tremble.
Soon, dozens or even hundreds of stone figures, seven or eight meters tall, wielding long swords and with glowing green eyes, slowly emerged.
It turned out that those snowdrifts of varying heights were actually stone golems, or more accurately, golems that had been sealed away.
"W-w-w... how can there be so many? What are all these things??"
Anko was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth, and Guren next to her was no better off.
"Hehe, you're making a fuss over nothing! These so-called Immortal Army of the Northern Lands are just too weak in combat, but they're more than enough for the assessment!"
The stone golems, in groups of three or five, walked back in the direction the group had come from. Although their movements were clumsy, each step they took caused a small tremor.
Many wild animals were startled and scattered in all directions, but most were driven in the same direction.
"Immortal Army? Like those mechanical puppets in the village, right?"
"You mean...!"
Guren was the first to realize that the drilling machines, excavators, and other machinery in the village were puppets powered by the Dragon Vein.
These stone figures in front of them are somewhat similar; both of them have been following Orochimaru for a long time and know a lot of things.
Orochimaru not only dug up the Dragon Vein, but also the demons from the Land of Demons. Could the thing in front of us be the product of the latter?
The two guessed correctly; this Immortal Army was a puppet created using the power of the Mōryō, and the sphere that Deidara had placed on the platform earlier was the power of the Mōryō.
Moreover, there are more puppets here than just these, but the Mōryō power Deidara brought was only enough to control this many puppets.
"They look pretty intimidating. I wonder if those little guys can handle them..."
After seeing the white light at the end of his field of vision, Hozuki Mangetsu announced the start of the test.
Teams of three are assigned to each platform, and teams that successfully reach the platform are considered to have passed the assessment.
Of course, the assessment is not that simple. Each ninja must defeat at least three stone golems, and a team of nine ninjas will be able to do so.
With the ferocious beasts that have been driven over, it's impossible to pass the test without considerable strength.
This assessment tests the ninjas' courage, teamwork, and adaptability.
"Xiao Fu, Karin, let's go!"
After speaking, Kidomaru rushed forward first, followed by Dosu, who was not to be outdone. Tos called out to Kin Tsuchi, Jirobo followed closely behind.
"What an impatient person!"
"Speed isn't always useful, you have to use your brain, handsome!"
Sakon and Ukon couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark, as if to say that no one else was as smart as them.
After all, he was a conjoined twin, with an extra head compared to others. He was not ashamed of it at all; on the contrary, he felt quite good about it.
"Let's go, Tayuya, Ajisai!"
He then took the lead in charging forward, and the other squads followed suit one by one after seeing that someone was leading the charge.
Some people are afraid of the unknown, while others plan to wait and see. Those who have made it this far have some extraordinary qualities, and at the very least, they can't be too stupid.
"Sigh... it seems like everyone here is a warmonger, and we're the only ones who seem to be just here to watch the show..."
Kazahana Koyuki looked at the figures in the snow ahead. In this kind of weather, it seemed that the blood flowing through the bodies of these teenagers was boiling hot, and they didn't care at all.
"Who can argue with that? I thought I had tried my best, but now it seems I was too narrow-minded..."
The teammate of hers, Ryuzetsu, was also in low spirits. It was already quite good that they had made it this far with their talent. The Northern Lands was not short of geniuses, and not everyone could stand out.
"Alright, alright! Cheer up, everyone. We can't be at the bottom, otherwise, wouldn't I, the former princess, be unable to hold my head up for three years..."
"Hehe... then you can come and attack later..."
"I..."