Inside Training Ground 44, in the Forest of Death, most of the ninjas from the smaller nations complained as they traveled, not forgetting to mutter curses under their breath.
Konoha had shown no consideration for them at all. The arrogance of a great nation was truly infuriating.
As they dashed through the dense forest, some brainless Genin had already been blinded by anger. They sped up again and again, trying to catch up with the lone Konoha Ninja.
"Faster! Don't lose him!"
"That kid let us see his Scroll of Heaven. We have to get to him first!"
A boy of about thirteen, with a head of unruly black hair, turned and called out loudly to his teammates.
"Something feels off. Why is he alone? We should be careful..."
The girl with a Mist Ninja Forehead Protector tied around her head was in charge of tracking and sensing. Though she was the youngest, she was also the most cautious of the three.
At the rear, the oldest member of the team—a young man with a long scar across his right cheek—ignored the warning and instead scolded her loudly:
"Shut up! It's three against one! We'll finish this quickly and make those arrogant Konoha ninjas pay!"
Without another word, the three picked up speed, leaping from one enormous tree trunk to another. Sweat beaded on the forehead of the girl wearing the Forehead Protector. She sensed something was wrong again.
"We're moving too fast. What is that Konoha Genin trying to do?"
By dusk, the Forest of Death had grown dim beneath the canopy of giant trees. Animal roars could be heard from time to time.
Shu Furukawa, now close to the Central Tower, stopped to rest. After sensing the Chakra of all the examinees, he had decided to lie in wait.
Any team carrying a Scroll of Earth would keep an eye on his position. As long as he came across a team that was either brainless or overconfident, he'd be halfway through the second round.
Beside the campfire, Shu Furukawa formed Hand Seals at his chest. After carefully sensing the area, he detected four teams.
"More than I expected. Have they lost their senses after getting riled up?"
Three teams stopped, while only one charged straight toward him. Faced with the situation, Shu Furukawa remained calmly seated by the campfire.
"So he really is just a kid! The three of us have him surrounded. We can take him out in no time!"
The boy with the unruly black hair spoke smugly. The scarred young man, who was positioning himself with his teammate to surround their target in a triangle, looked at the Scroll of Heaven and taunted him:
"Taking the Chunin Ninja Exams alone?"
"Hand over the Scroll of Heaven, and I'll let you kill yourself to atone."
While the two were still trading barbs, the girl wearing a Mist Ninja Forehead Protector began to tremble. In her perception, the short Konoha Genin's Chakra suddenly surged.
"Watch out!..."
A piercing scream rang through the forest. The smug boy with messy black hair felt a chill in his chest, then lost consciousness completely.
"Stop!"
The scarred man shouted in terror. Shu Furukawa suddenly vanished from sight. As his teammate fell, blood spurting from his chest, he hurriedly leaped backward to put some distance between them.
But just as he landed, pain flared in his back. A blade tip emerged from his left chest. Before the scarred man lost consciousness, he heard a low murmur by his ear:
"Don't threaten me with death."
"Thud..."
The body hit the ground, and red blood began to spread. The girl wearing the Forehead Protector stared in terror. Seeing Shu Furukawa approach with a short blade in his hand, she collapsed right where she was.
"Looks like not all of you are idiots. I'll take the Scroll of Earth."
He stowed the scroll in the ninja tool pouch on his back and said nothing more. As he slid the short blade back behind him, the girl was already scrambling away into the dense forest.
Having witnessed everything, Maki of Sunagakure and his two teammates didn't dare make a sound. When they heard Shu Furukawa call out, they turned and ran at once.
"I see you!"
"To qualify for this joint exam, you have to enter as a team of three."
"And I'm alone, yet you came to ambush me without even thinking?"
"Anyone stupid enough to make that kind of decision has no business leading a team..."
The moment he finished speaking, a loud crash came from behind him. The three Kumogakure ninjas closest to him watched Shu Furukawa smash the ground with one foot, their faces filled with fear.
"Ah!! Don't you dare look do—"
One of them dodged the flying rubble and leaped backward, shouting. Before he could finish, Shu Furukawa punched him and sent him flying.
The slightly chubby Kumogakure Ninja flew more than ten meters and slammed into a tree trunk. He made no sound afterward. His two teammates shouted at the same time when they saw this:
"Lightning Release..."
Before they could use their jutsu, a Shuriken appeared in front of them at an unimaginable speed. They barely dodged it, but had no time to gather Chakra again. The curly-haired, dark-skinned boy was sent "flying" on the spot.
An uppercut sent the opponent crashing into a tree trunk again. Shu Furukawa furrowed his brow. The other boy had managed to protect his head at the last moment. His own speed still wasn't quite enough.
"Don't underestimate Kumogakure ninjas!"
"Lightning Style: Sandaimu-ryu!"
The Kumogakure Ninja who hadn't chosen to flee launched an electric current from his right hand. Before he could attack, Shu Furukawa vanished from sight again.
He instinctively raised an arm in front of himself, but pain flared in his stomach. The last Kumogakure Ninja was sent flying, rolling several times across the ground before lying motionless.
The battle ended in a flash. The three Sunagakure ninjas fleeing at full speed heard only crashes and screams...
"What kind of monster is that?!"
Maki's expression changed when he heard the fear in his teammate's voice. He hurriedly shouted:
"Get out of the way!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique..."
Under a massive barrage of Shuriken, the three Sunagakure ninjas were forced to split up. Then the Explosive Tags went off, and Maki shouted anxiously:
"Calm down..."
In the dim forest, they couldn't see their opponent at all. Hearing another scream, Maki hurriedly formed Hand Seals:
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
A violent gust of wind sent the opponent flying. With a "poof," Shu Furukawa's Shadow Clone turned into smoke.
On a broad tree branch, Maki quickly twisted around. After blocking several consecutive attacks, he was swept off his feet by a kick. He rolled several times and quickly got back up, dodged a high kick, then took a blow to the chest.
"Urgh..."
He crashed into a tree trunk, unable to get back up after the heavy blow. Maki groaned in pain.
He'd only taken a few kicks, yet it felt like his body was falling apart. His arms and chest throbbed, and even breathing was becoming difficult.
"It's rare to meet someone with such quick reactions."
"Huff... Aren't you going to kill me? Sunagakure ninjas don't need pity..."
Maki clutched his chest, hoping to show how tough he was. But the severe pain made his voice grow weaker and weaker. His consciousness began to blur, and at last he vaguely heard a murmur:
"...Extracting chakra all at once really is difficult..."
Before he passed out completely, Maki felt relieved, but also a little humiliated. In the end, only one thought remained in his mind:
"That guy will definitely be my lifelong rival."
"Shu Furukawa passed the second round of the exam in 5 hours and 7 minutes."
"Lady Tsunade, this is the fastest time since exams were first held at Training Ground 44!"
The Chunin in charge of receiving examinees at the Central Tower reported excitedly.
Tsunade, wearing a green Jonin vest, simply nodded and replied with a smile, "Thanks for your hard work." Then she folded her arms and pondered to herself:
"Has his body really developed that fast?"
"..."