Outside the western forest of the Land of Fire, yellow sand filled the sky as fierce winds howled.
Through the haze, one could vaguely make out a heavily fortified military fortress hidden deep within the enormous sandstorm, situated in the middle of a canyon.
The dust storms of the Land of Wind were a natural defensive barrier. Konoha could not possibly deploy a large force to fight in such terrain.
The Land of Wind's territory was useless to Konoha, and entering such a battlefield would mean losing the advantage of terrain.
Therefore, across all battlefields, Konoha had always fought Sunagakure Shinobi through homeland defense.
Suddenly!
The blinding sandstorm flickered...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Sharp gusts rang out in rapid succession, flashing through the storm as though they were nothing more than auditory illusions.
Yet within that canyon, as impenetrable as an iron barrel—
Large swathes of dark figures surged forth, turning into ghostly shadows that swiftly vanished into the sandstorm.
The windblown sand became the most natural camouflage, perfectly concealing the movements of Sunagakure's army.
Western Forest, Konoha Main Camp.
A defensive perimeter had been established within a radius of ten li. Along the forest boundary, a forward outpost stood roughly every li.
And one of those guard outposts was precisely where the Sunagakure Shinobi had launched their surprise attack.
"Explosive Tags ready!"
"One, two, three..."
"Throw!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
A barrage of Kunai and Shuriken rained down like a storm.
Boom, boom, boom!!!
The earth shook violently as if heaven and earth were collapsing. The outpost swayed, and its outer earthen walls crumbled in an instant.
Sunagakure's objective was direct and clear.
They would seize an outpost with lightning speed, use it as a springboard, and then continuously send in troops to attack Konoha!
Bang, bang, bang!!
Explosive Tags detonated across the area. For the first battle, Sunagakure had committed a large force and taken the outpost by surprise.
There was no suspense in this battle.
However, though there were few ninja at the Konoha outpost, they were exceptionally capable. They discovered Sunagakure's movements almost immediately.
"Sunagakure is attacking!"
"Sound the alarm, quickly!"
Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!!
The alarms of war sounded. The Third Great Ninja War had officially begun!!
In the early morning, a refreshing breeze passed through Konoha's gates.
Quite a few sixth-year students had already gathered there in scattered groups.
The agreed time was eight o'clock, but with graduation approaching, most of them had been too excited to sleep all night.
Once they passed this exam, they could graduate from the Ninja Academy and become ninja!
Though they would only be the lowest-ranked Genin, Genin were still ninja. More importantly, they could receive Ninja Headbands!
Time passed bit by bit. With five minutes left until eight—
A gust of sand swept through the crowd.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Then, with the sound of rushing wind, several dark figures descended from the sky in succession. They were the Ninja Academy teachers.
"Is everyone from our class here?" Furuya Daisuke walked straight through the crowd and reached the corner where the Elite Class had gathered.
The Genin exam was also conducted by class, since the Ninja Academy had both Elite Classes and ordinary classes.
Naturally, the Elite Class examination was more difficult.
The Elite Class ninja were trained with the goal of becoming Konoha's backbone in ten years.
As for ordinary-class students, unless they possessed outstanding talent or caught the attention of a Jonin, they would inevitably become cannon fodder in the future.
And now, during wartime, most Chunin and Jonin had been sent to the front lines.
Konoha followed a four-man squad policy, and there might not even be enough teachers available to lead teams.
The Ninja Academy teachers silently watched the excited faces before them, unable to keep a trace of sorrow from appearing in their eyes.
A year from now, how many familiar faces would they still see?
But since they had chosen the path of a ninja, they had to possess a ninja's resolve.
"Follow me!" One of the Ninja Academy teachers suppressed his sorrow and barked out an order before leading his students away.
The other teachers began moving as well, and the area gradually emptied.
Before long, only Furuya Daisuke's Elite Class remained at the crowded entrance of Konoha.
He was still holding everyone up at a time like this! Furuya Daisuke's expression darkened. He waved his hand and shouted, "We're not waiting anymore. Let's go!"
"Teacher Daisuke, please wait a little longer!" Gai looked at Furuya Daisuke with a pleading expression.
"Teacher Daisuke, please wait for Tōka." Though she had only met him a few times, Kurenai had a fairly good impression of Tōka.
Many of the girls also pleaded for him. Tōka's adorable appearance had already been deeply imprinted in their hearts.
Once he grew up, he would definitely become a handsome guy!~
The remaining students did not plead for him, but they restrained their displeasure and did not kick him while he was down.
After all, this was the crucial graduation exam!
The second hand ticked away...
With a click, the second hand overlapped with the minute hand at the twelve. Eight o'clock, the agreed time, had clearly arrived.
Yet Tōka still had not appeared on the road outside the village gates.
"Forget it, let's go!" A trace of contempt flashed through Furuya Daisuke's eyes. It was better if such a student did not come at all.
Most of the students had already turned to follow Furuya Daisuke, preparing to enter the forest outside Konoha.
Gai was about to speak when he heard a rustling sound.
Footsteps?!
No one was moving in the open area, so the footsteps were obvious. They were coming from outside the village!
Everyone followed the sound and looked over...
Sure enough!!
A short boy walked over with both hands in his pockets, his face expressionless.
"Tōka? Why are you outside the village?" Gai raised an arm and waved before calling out loudly.
"I live in the woods." Tōka walked closer and replied flatly, "By the way, why are you all so slow? The other classes left a while ago."
Everyone: "..."
We were waiting for you!!
Though the appointed time was eight, practically everyone arrived early.
Then, the Ninja Academy teachers would show up a few minutes ahead of schedule. Once the teachers arrived, the exam could begin!
It was just that this year's exam was outdoors, and they had encountered an oddball like Tōka.
"Since you're here, let's go!"
Furuya Daisuke gave Tōka a strange look. Unexpectedly, he showed no sign of anger.
He merely spoke calmly before turning and walking deeper into the woods.
Seeing this, everyone hurried after him.
Thin mist drifted slowly through gaps in the forest. In the east, the rising sun, its sky turning pale like a fish's belly, lazily climbed into view.
Golden light shone upon the branches, while a noisy commotion startled the birds in the forest.
Flapping their wings, the birds flew out of the woods and plunged into the distant green sea.
Tōka was near the back of the group because he had arrived late, but he did not mind.
Judging by Furuya Daisuke's strange expression, this exam would not be so simple, and they would need to leave Konoha.
Perhaps my earlier guess was right. Tōka thought to himself, but his footsteps did not lag behind in the slightest.
After half a year of physical training, his body had grown much stronger.
After traveling through the forest for half a day, most of the students had begun to tire. Some of the girls wore expressions of gritted determination.
Even some of the physically weaker boys could not help showing exhausted faces.
Aside from freaks with stamina like Gai, even class elites such as Asuma and Ibiki were panting somewhat.
Tōka was doing fairly well. He was somewhat tired, but he could keep going.
Roughly speaking, I can keep up this pace for another half day. Tōka silently calculated.
If Furuya Daisuke still insisted on marching through the night after sunset—
Tōka would definitely quit. Even if he wanted to keep going, he would probably be too exhausted to walk by then.
Traveling through the forest was nothing like walking along a flat road.
The stamina required to cross ten li of flat ground was less than that needed to travel one li through the woods.
Furuya Daisuke, walking at the front, paused slightly and inconspicuously glanced back at everyone's condition.
Their stamina is nearly spent. If we keep walking, they'll be out of breath. Furuya Daisuke thought to himself.
He then found a relatively open area and stopped.
Seeing that, everyone immediately dropped to the ground.
They did not care whether there were snakes, insects, or rats. Right now, even the Emperor himself was less important than resting!
"Heh heh, it looks like everyone is full of energy!" Furuya Daisuke grinned wickedly.
Everyone: "..."
Which eye of yours saw any energy?!
Furuya Daisuke completely ignored their resentful stares. With a sweep of his hand, he shouted, "Now, the exam begins!"
"I will only explain the rules, content, and information once!"
In an instant, all fifty-one members of the groaning Elite Class fell silent. They pricked up their ears, afraid of missing even a single word.
Furuya Daisuke nodded faintly in satisfaction and pointed toward a distant valley.
"That is the site of your graduation exam!"
A valley? A Heaven and Earth Scroll battle like the Forest of Death? Tōka narrowed his eyes, then dismissed the idea.
If that were the case, why not simply go to the Forest of Death?
What Furuya Daisuke said next confirmed Tōka's thoughts.
"There is a group of bandits there, all villains who have killed civilians!"
Everyone's expressions changed. The faces of several young girls turned deathly pale in an instant.
Furuya Daisuke's voice sank, turning somewhat grim.
"And the condition for graduation is..."
Quite a few students nervously swallowed, their throats making loud gulping sounds.
"Every one of you must bring me a bandit's head!"
An uproar erupted through the forest!!
Everyone was horrified. The silent clearing churned like boiling water.
Furuya Daisuke curled his lips in a cold smile.
How could fledglings raised in gilded cages grow into eagles soaring through the heavens without enduring wind and rain?!
"T-Teacher, something like this..."
A young girl stepped forward with a pale face, trembling so badly that she could not even speak clearly.
Furuya Daisuke stared coldly at her and said in an icy voice, "What? Do you want to quit?"
"If you do, then get back to the village yourself and stop being a ninja!"
"Waaah!~~" The young girl's lips quivered, and tears streamed down her face. Half were from Furuya Daisuke's shout, and half were from fright.
Everyone gritted their teeth, but no one stepped forward to say anything.
Furuya Daisuke was right. Ninja were destined to kill. If they could not do it, they should go home and farm!
"To be clear, fighting has already broken out at the eastern border with the Land of Wind."
"The battlefield is like a meat grinder. Someone dies every minute."
"As your teacher, let me offer you some advice..."
Furuya Daisuke's gaze was sharp as torches as it swept over everyone like that of a cold, sinister wolf.
Every child caught in that gaze trembled, their faces filled with terror.
"Stop dreaming your pointless ninja dreams. If you don't want to die, get back home!"
Silence. Deathly silence.
Everyone pressed their lips together. Their lips had turned blue, and their faces were bloodless.
People would die! They would really die!!
So this is what wartime is like. Tōka silently sighed to himself. Konoha after the Third Great Ninja War—
Twelve-year-old children also faced graduation then, but what did Genin do at that time?
Catch cats? Pull weeds? Pick up trash?
But now, the graduation exam required them to kill and spill blood!
"A challenge!" Tōka licked his lips, and his whole body began to tremble.
He told himself again and again that this was a real world, not a game where death meant starting over.
If he died, he would truly be dead.
Dust to dust, earth to earth.
"I don't discriminate against those who leave. I'll give you one minute to make your own choice!" Furuya Daisuke folded his arms across his chest and turned around.
He truly seemed to be giving them the choice: stay or leave.
Two utterly different paths would lead to two completely different lives.
The shadows of the trees fell across them, dappled shade swaying in the wind.
In the clearing within the woods, dozens of boys and girls stood in silence.
Yet deep within their hearts, towering waves churned endlessly, refusing to settle.
Crack!
Time was up!
"Tell me your choice!" Furuya Daisuke roared, his face dark as water and spittle flying.
"Heh!"
Suddenly, an ill-timed chuckle rang out.
Furuya Daisuke's sharp gaze shot toward Tōka like a sword.
"Do you have something to say? If you want to leave, just get the hell out!"
"You'd better not say things like that again."
A faint curve touched Tōka's lips. He was utterly unmoved by the severity in Furuya Daisuke's eyes.
With steady steps, he crushed the dead leaves beneath his feet.
Rustle, rustle, rustle...
Only when he stopped five paces before Furuya Daisuke did Tōka raise his head and meet his gaze without fear.
"The time is up, yet no one has withdrawn..."
"So, you can begin the exam!"
Furuya Daisuke's pupils abruptly contracted as he secretly assessed the kid he had given up on.
Half a year apart, and his physical abilities had improved considerably.
He hadn't forgotten his training?
Furuya Daisuke gradually withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the others. Every young face was filled with tension and fear.
Yet not a single one had backed down. These were his students.
The Ninja Academy's finest class, its finest students!
The first battle, baptism by blood...
Begin!!
Exam rules.
The fifty-one students could form teams freely, with no more than three people in each group. Having companions increased their strength, but the graduation requirements became far more difficult: they had to kill three enemies.
They could also act alone. Naturally, the graduation requirement would be much simpler, requiring only one enemy killed.
Although Furuya Daisuke had clearly stated that he would intervene if anyone was overpowered and faced mortal danger,
there were fifty-one students in the class altogether.
When danger truly arose, Furuya Daisuke could not possibly take care of everyone.
In other words, this was a battle fought with their lives on the line.
They would be baptized in the blood of their enemies and transform into true ninjas.
If they were baptized in their own blood...
Then that meant death!! (To be continued)
Before you continue