Hunting Game

It was already afternoon, the time of day when the sunlight was at its fiercest.

Yet the enormous forest not far from Kagura and the others resembled a Giant Beast lying on the ground.

Layer upon layer of trees blocked everyone's view, and even the Scorching Sun's rays could not penetrate them.

The Deep Forest was pitch-black, like the eyes of a Giant Beast watching the people before it.

Everyone had gathered in an Open Ground before the forest, while the Bald Examiner leading them stood at the very front of the Examinees.

During the earlier Written Exam, nearly a quarter of the Examinees had been eliminated for insufficient scores or being caught cheating.

Even so, there were still nearly seventy or eighty people standing there.

That Konoha Jonin had silently disappeared after the Written Exam ended.

At that moment, only the Bald Examiner stood Before them.

He swept his gaze around, looking at the eager excitement in everyone's eyes, and an unusual trace of pity flashed through his heart.

After clearing his throat, he finally spoke.

"The Third Assessment is next.

"You should have noticed the forest in front of you, right?"

As he spoke, he raised his Right Hand and pointed his thumb toward the forest behind him.

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he continued.

"On The Other Side of that forest is a White Building.

"Your task for this assessment is to reach that building before noon tomorrow.

"However, there is one more requirement."

At this point, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Only after sweeping his gaze over the crowd with ill intent did he say,

"Once you arrive there, only those carrying two forehead protectors will be qualified to enter and truly complete this assessment."

The moment they heard those words, discussion erupted among the crowd.

After Kagura understood the rules, his Eyes instantly narrowed.

No one understood better than Kagura, who had been here for A long time, what a forehead protector represented.

It was no exaggeration to say that the forehead protector handed to a Ninja by their instructor upon graduating as a Genin was their second life.

Even those So-called vicious Rogue Ninjas from the various nations did not discard them.

When they betrayed their villages, at most they carved a slash into their forehead protectors. Yet almost no one threw away that accessory symbolizing their identity as Ninjas.

(Speaking of which, I can't help thinking of that idiot Sasuke. He should be one of the very few exceptions.)

It could be said that forehead protectors were far more important than ordinary people imagined.

But this assessment was, plainly speaking, asking them to steal one another's forehead protectors?

This was completely different from the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll contest Naruto and the others had faced in the Original Plot.

Even if someone gave up those things, it would not affect a Loser's mindset when they challenged for Chunin again in the future.

But if even the forehead protector symbolizing one's identity as a Ninja was taken away, then they would basically lose the most fundamental pride of being a Ninja.

Therefore, Kagura concluded that there would not be many So-called people willing to give up during this assessment.

The Losers would very likely meet death.

Quite a few people present had also realized this.

Within Several minutes, the discussions gradually fell silent.

The Examinees instinctively spread apart, warily guarding against everyone around them.

After all, the assessment requirements the Examiner had just announced did not say that the forehead protectors had to come from different villages.

In other words, not only were people from other villages enemies in this assessment, even Genin from the same village were enemies.

This was a personal Hunting Game.

Seeing everyone's reactions, the Bald Examiner nodded to himself in satisfaction.

He said,

"There is one more rule. Fighting is forbidden within my line of sight.

"You may only begin fighting after you have entered an area beyond my sight.

"Next, you will enter the forest in batches.

"Step forward when I call your name.

"The first batch: Iriaijin, Igawa Shunsuke, Koido Yuki..."

As he called out names, people stepped out from the crowd one after another.

After a little over twenty people had been called, the first batch entered the forest.

Then came the second batch, also numbering more than twenty.

Looking at the final batch, Kagura noticed that aside from Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and himself—

Dodai, whom he had always thought highly of, and Kirigakure's "Seven People" were also among them.

It was clearly no coincidence that nearly the strongest group had been left until last.

After thinking for a moment, Kagura immediately understood the Examiner's intentions.

In a forest-based hunting format like this, those who entered first undoubtedly had a greater advantage over those who entered later.

After all, the first ones in could choose favorable positions and set up Ambushes.

Thus, having the relatively stronger people enter last was probably the Examiner's way of balancing the assessment.

Ten minutes after the second batch entered the forest, the remaining people began walking into the woods one after another at the Examiner's signal.

The moment they entered the forest, the final batch immediately spread out from one another in caution.

Before long, only Kagura's group of four remained.

Looking at the now-empty surroundings, the four exchanged smiles.

Kagura spoke first in a joking tone.

"How about the four of us team up?

"We can just find a few people and fight them four against one. Feels like we could finish the task today."

In response to Kagura's suggestion, Jiraiya simply rolled his eyes, while Orochimaru and Tsunade looked equally unconcerned.

Seeing his teammates' attitude, Kagura put away his smile and said,

"Fine, then. See You at the Finish Line tomorrow?"

Orochimaru merely nodded at Kagura's words before leaving directly.

Jiraiya clasped his hands behind his head and grinned at Kagura.

"How about we see who reaches the finish line faster tomorrow?"

Kagura answered with a smile and nodded slightly.

Seeing that, Jiraiya said no more. He turned around, waved, and left.

After everyone else had gone, Tsunade shyly took Kagura's hand.

She stared at Kagura with her large eyes and softly reminded him,

"You still need to be careful. Although I believe no one here can defeat you head-on.

"If others gang up on you or set an Ambush, though, you could still be in danger."

Looking at the affection in Tsunade's eyes, Kagura's expression softened unconsciously.

He slowly rubbed her head and replied quietly,

"I know. You be careful too."

Looking at Kagura's face so close to hers, Tsunade suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and gently pressed her rosy lips against his.

Kagura's eyes widened, but before he could properly savor that softness, Tsunade quickly pulled away.

Tsunade's face was now bright red, like a ripe apple.

She covered her face with both hands, left behind only a quiet, "I'm leaving," and then turned and fled as though she had done something wrong.

Looking at Tsunade's Back View, Kagura touched his lips as though reliving that kiss.

Yet what he was really thinking was,

Damn, an Adult like me had his first kiss stolen by a Girl? No way. Next time, I have to take the initiative. That's only fair.

Several seconds later, after suppressing his foolish grin, he leisurely turned and headed toward the Deep Forest.

Indeed, the suggestion he had made to everyone earlier had been an excellent strategy.

But he also knew very well that these Team 7 companions would never agree to it.

Because they were the legendary Sannin, the Geniuses of their generation.

Since this was an individual assessment, they would not allow themselves to rely on shortcuts to complete it.

This was their pride, and also the conviction one needed to walk the path toward becoming strong.

Looking at the pitch-black forest Before him, a faint smile slowly appeared on Kagura's face.

Come on, let's enjoy this Hunting Game!