The iron gates swung open with a thunderous crash, and the teams of ninja shot forward like arrows loosed from bows, quickly disappearing into the dense vegetation.
Team 7 chose a direction and swiftly raced into the forest.
The Forest of Death lived up to its name.
It was like an entirely different world from the peaceful Konoha.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, leaving the forest dim. Below them, tangled roots and a thick layer of humus covered the ground.
The air was heavy with the stink of rotting vegetation and damp earth, mixed with the musky odor left behind by all kinds of ferocious beasts.
Danger lurked everywhere!
In less than half an hour, Yo and the others had already encountered more than a dozen beast attacks.
There were venomous pythons lurking in the grass, herds of wild boars, and even a massive black bear...
Deeper in the forest, all kinds of colorful poisonous insects rustled and crawled.
Everything here made the rules of survival clear: the strong preyed on the weak.
Still.
For Team 7, these were little more than appetizers.
Thanks to the butterfly effect Yo had set in motion, both Sasuke and Naruto were much stronger than their peers.
The two worked together seamlessly, sweeping through the forest and dispatching every danger with ease.
They even had time to observe their surroundings and search for other teams.
"Help!! Somebody help me!"
A shrill, terrified cry for help came from not far ahead.
The voice was filled with despair and fear, enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.
Then—
Came several beastly roars, followed by the sound of trees snapping!
"Someone's in danger!"
Naruto immediately stopped and looked toward the sound. He was already about to rush over and help.
Sasuke also went on alert at once, his Sharingan quietly activating.
"The voice isn't far away. The one calling for help is a girl. There's a lot of noise from the beasts—there's more than one!"
Yo looked at Yo, his meaning clear in his eyes: What now? Should they help or not?
Sasuke might have seemed cold, but he had accepted that Yo was the team leader.
Yo raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the cries.
That cry for help...
Sounded kind of familiar!
"Let's go take a look!"
Yo waved them on.
Naruto had already been itching to go. He took off toward the sound first.
Sasuke immediately followed.
Yo strolled behind the two, completely unhurried.
Soon,
a clearing, its trees knocked every which way, came into view.
Naruto and Sasuke both paused when they saw what was happening.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Yo's lips.
"Oh? It's her!"
A red-haired girl wearing glasses was running for her life.
Behind her came three enraged black bears as large as small elephants. Their eyes were bloodshot, and saliva dripped from their jaws.
The Three-Headed Black Bear had clearly been provoked by something and gone berserk. It was hot on the girl's heels.
The girl was Karin!
Looking at Karin, Yo couldn't help recalling the story.
One of the main reasons Karin became so devoted to Sasuke, practically a worshipful follower, was that he rescued her during these Chunin Ninja Exams.
Her gratitude at being saved from despair, along with her admiration for the strong, had eventually turned into an obsessive attachment.
"How could I let my foolish little brother have such a useful human radar and walking blood bank?"
"I'll save her!"
Yo suddenly spoke, then vanished from where he stood and appeared between the Three-Headed Black Bear and Karin.
"Roar!"
The three enraged black bears bared their teeth and swiped at Yo.
Yo raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together like a sword.
Zzzzt!!!
Blue lightning extended from his fingertips, forming a long, slender spear of lightning.
Chidori Sharp Spear!
Yo raised his hand and slashed three times.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three streaks of blue light cut cleanly through the bodies of the three black bears.
The extreme penetration and destructive power of Lightning Release chakra were on full display.
The three fearsome black bears abruptly stopped in their tracks, then broke apart and crashed to the ground.
Chunks of flesh struck the earth one after another, breaking into dozens of pieces.
No blood flowed. The cuts were smooth and clean, their surfaces charred black.
A one-shot kill!
Less than two seconds passed from the moment Yo struck to the bears' deaths.
Yo landed lightly, barely stirring the dust.
The lightning dancing at his fingertips quietly died away, as though it had never appeared.
He turned to Karin, who sat slumped on the ground, staring blankly at him. "Are you all right, miss?"
Sunlight filtered through the shattered canopy, casting dappled light over Yo and tracing a faint halo around him.
In Karin's eyes, the whole world fell silent and faded away.
All that remained was the black-haired boy who had descended like a god.
Karin was a poor, unfortunate girl!
Growing up, no one besides her mother had ever smiled at her, and no one had ever treated her this way.
"..."
Not far away,
Sasuke wasn't looking at Karin. His eyes were fixed on Yo's right hand.
His Sharingan was already active, its two tomoe slowly turning as he tried to follow and analyze the Chidori Sharp Spear he had just seen.
Its sharp shape, the concentrated Lightning Release, and the familiar chakra screech that came from Chidori...
Sasuke's throat felt dry. Had that just been... Chidori?
No!
It wasn't just Chidori!
It was another form of Chidori, more condensed than the original, with its penetrating power pushed to the extreme!
Yo... had not only mastered Chidori, he had developed an even more powerful application in such a short time?
Sasuke clenched his fist.
He had always thought that mastering Chidori would help close the gap between him and Yo. But now...
He had been far too naive. The gap was much bigger than he had imagined!
Yo had no idea what Sasuke was thinking. He reached out to Karin.
Karin suddenly snapped out of it, her little face turning bright red. She shook her head in a panic, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Thank you for saving me!"
She didn't dare look Yo in the eye. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her chest.
Naruto ran over and curiously looked Karin up and down.
"Huh? You're from Kusagakure? Where are your teammates? Why were you alone, being chased by these giant bears?"
At the mention of her teammates, the blush on Karin's face quickly faded. Her expression darkened, and she spoke softly.
"They... they're all dead. Not long after we entered the forest, we ran into a very powerful enemy..."
She wasn't all that sad. More than anything, she felt lost and afraid.
She hadn't been close to her teammates from Kusagakure in the first place. They had only formed a team to take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Now her teammates were dead.
As a support-type ninja, she could barely make her way through the dangerous Forest of Death alone.
What was she supposed to do now? Could she make it out alive?
Karin felt hopeless.
Yo smiled slightly. "I see. Then come with us!"
"Huh?!"
Karin jerked her head up, her eyes wide behind her thick lenses, full of disbelief.
Go with them? These powerful Konoha ninja?
Could... could she really?
Naruto readily agreed. He had a good impression of the timid-looking red-haired girl.
Sasuke frowned. She was a ninja from another village, and her identity was unknown. Bringing her along might slow them down.
Worse, she could pose an unknown risk—she might attack them, leak information, or even be leading them into a trap.
But when he saw the look on Yo's face, he swallowed the words that had almost left his mouth.
The brothers lived together. Sasuke might have seemed cool and aloof,
but in truth, Yo made most of the decisions.
Sasuke was used to following his lead.
"So, what do you think? Want to come with us?" Yo asked with a smile.
To Karin, Yo's offer was like music to her ears!
The overwhelming joy instantly broke through her defenses. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bowed again and again.
"Th-thank you! I promise I won't hold you back!"
"I believe you!"
Yo nodded with a smile.
Karin was a pure-blooded member of the Uzumaki Clan, even more so than Naruto!
Her Mind's Eye of the Kagura gave her an extraordinary sensory ability. Bringing her along was like having a human radar.
She was immensely valuable!
Besides, many people in Naruto were actually stubbornly devoted once they had pledged themselves to someone.
Once won over, they would remain loyal, wholeheartedly and without hesitation.
Like Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, Neji...
"Thank you!"
Karin was so touched she stood up and bowed repeatedly to express her gratitude.
The four of them prepared to set off.
Just then,
Yo suddenly gave a quiet exclamation and turned toward a patch of shadow behind them. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Finally, you're here..."
Before you continue