The slightly tense situation outside the island had yet to affect the genin from various nations taking the second exam on Turtle Island.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A series of piercing gusts sounded.
Three young shinobi with upside-down arrowhead symbols on their forehead protectors raced through the jungle, the fierce wind they kicked up making their clothes snap loudly.
"Shibu, shouldn't we be far enough by now? It doesn't seem like they're chasing us!"
One of the short-haired boys looked back for a while before speaking.
"Shut up. Keep running..."
The black-haired boy called Shibu gritted his teeth and growled. The trembling in his heart had not eased in the slightest; if anything, it had grown worse.
Even after some time had passed, recalling what he had just seen still left him dizzy with terror.
Moments earlier, the three from Takigakure had successfully dealt with a giant boar, turned it into food, and carried it with them. They had been eating roasted meat and singing as they searched for their next target.
Then, their attention had been drawn by a series of sudden, shrill, agonized screams.
"That doesn't sound like a human scream. Someone nearby is probably fighting wild beasts. Let's sneak over and take a look."
With the thought of profiting from the fight between a snipe and a clam, the three carefully followed the sounds, hoping to watch from the sidelines and see whether they could pick up some easy gains.
Yet what they had never expected was that one glance would nearly leave them traumatized for life.
The three hid behind an enormous mutated banana tree. The screams came from the other side of it.
As they gently parted the leaves, the sight before them nearly made them vomit up all the roasted meat they had just