A Lifelong Rival? (Part 1)

Inside the Forest of Death at Training Ground 44, most of the ninjas from smaller villages were complaining, not forgetting to mutter a few curses as they hurried along.

Konoha gave absolutely no consideration to their feelings; this display of great-power arrogance was truly infuriating.

Dashing through the dense woods, some brainless genin were already blinded by rage, constantly accelerating in an attempt to catch up to that lone Konoha ninja.

"Speed up! Don't lose him!"

"That brat exposed the Scroll of Heaven; we must get to it first!"

A boy around thirteen years old with messy black hair turned his head to shout a reminder to his teammates.

"I feel like something is wrong. Why is he alone? We should be careful..."

The girl wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector was responsible for tracking and sensing; although she was the youngest, she was the most cautious of the three.

Following at the very back, the oldest youth in the team, who had a long scar on his right cheek, ignored the warning and instead shouted a rebuke:

"Shut up! It's three against one! Finish this quickly and make that arrogant Konoha ninja pay the price!"

Falling silent, the three continued to increase their speed, leaping across massive tree trunks. Beads of sweat appeared on the forehead of the girl with the forehead protector as she sensed something amiss again:

"The speed is too fast. What is that Konoha genin trying to do?"

By evening, under the canopy of giant trees, the Forest of Death had grown dim, with the roars of beasts echoing from time to time.

Having neared the Central Tower, Shu Furukawa stopped to rest. After sensing the chakra of all the examinees, he had chosen to wait for his prey.

Teams carrying the Scroll of Earth would surely keep an eye on his position; as long as a brainless or overly confident team appeared, he would be halfway through the second stage.

Beside the campfire, Shu Furukawa formed seals against his chest. After careful sensing, he detected four teams:

"More than I expected. Have they been provoked into losing their minds?"

Three teams stopped in their tracks, but only one team charged straight at him. Faced with this situation, Shu Furukawa remained calmly seated by the campfire.

"He really is just a brat! Surrounded by the three of us, we can take him out easily!"

The boy with messy black hair said smugly. The scarred youth, who was coordinating with his teammates to surround the target in a triangle, looked at the Scroll of Heaven and mocked:

"Participating in the Chunin Exams all by yourself?"

"Hand over the Scroll of Heaven, and I'll allow you to commit suicide to atone for your sins."

While the two were still posturing, the girl with the Kirigakure forehead protector began to tremble. In her perception, the chakra of the short Konoha genin had suddenly surged.

"Watch out!..."

A sharp scream rang out in the woods. The smug boy with messy black hair only felt a chill in his chest before losing consciousness entirely.

"Stop!"

The scarred man shouted in terror. Seeing Shu Furukawa's figure suddenly vanish from before his eyes and his teammate collapse with blood spraying from his chest, he hurriedly jumped backward, trying to put some distance between them.

But just as he steadied his footing, he felt a pain in his back; a blade tip emerged from his left chest. Before the scarred man lost consciousness, a whisper reached his ears:

"Don't threaten me with death."

"Thud..."

The corpse fell to the ground, and red blood began to pool. The girl with the forehead protector widened her eyes in horror. Seeing Shu Furukawa moving toward her while gripping his short blade, she collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

"It seems not all of you are idiots. I'll be taking the Scroll of Earth."

Storing the scroll into the ninja tool pouch on his back, Shu Furukawa said no more. By the time he sheathed his short blade, the girl had already scrambled away into the dense forest.

Having witnessed everything that happened here, Baki from Sunagakure and his two teammates didn't dare make a sound. When they heard Shu Furukawa call out, they turned and fled immediately.

"I see you all!"

"One of the requirements for the joint exams is to participate in teams of three."

"Yet I am alone, and you still came to ambush me without a second thought?"

"Those who make such stupid decisions aren't fit to lead a team..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud crash came from behind. The three Kumogakure ninjas closest to him looked on in terror as Shu Furukawa shattered the earth with a single stomp.

"Ah!! Don't look down on—"

One of them shouted after dodging the debris and leaping back, but before he could finish, he was sent flying by a punch from Shu Furukawa.

The slightly chubby Kumogakure ninja flew over ten meters, slammed into a tree trunk, and went silent. Seeing this, his two companions shouted in unison:

"Lightning Style..."

Before the ninjutsu could be released, a shuriken appeared before them at a speed far beyond their imagination. By the time they barely dodged it, there was no time to condense chakra again, and the curly-haired, dark-skinned boy was sent "airborne" on the spot.

With an uppercut that sent his opponent crashing into the tree trunk again, Shu Furukawa frowned slightly. The opponent had managed to protect his head at the critical moment; his speed was still lacking.

"Don't underestimate Kumogakure ninjas!"

"Lightning Style: Sandaimu-ryu!"

Releasing an electrical attack from his right hand, the Kumogakure ninja who chose not to flee felt a blur before his eyes and lost sight of Shu Furukawa once more.

Instinctively raising his hands to block, the last remaining Kumogakure ninja was struck in the abdomen with agonizing force, sent flying, and rolled across the ground before lying motionless.

The battle ended with startling speed; the three Sunagakure ninja, fleeing at top speed, heard only the thunderous explosions and screams.

"What kind of monster is this?!"

Baki's expression shifted upon hearing his teammate's fearful whisper, and he hurriedly shouted:

"Scatter!"

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique..."

Assaulted by a massive barrage of shuriken, the three Sunagakure ninja were forced to split up, and the subsequent explosions of paper bombs made Baki shout in desperation:

"Calm down..."

In the dim forest, the opponent's figure was impossible to track. Hearing another scream, Baki hurriedly formed hand seals:

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

The violent gust of wind sent his opponent flying, and with a "poof," the shadow clone of Shu Furukawa vanished into white smoke.

On a wide tree branch, Baki twisted his body rapidly, parrying several strikes before being swept off his feet by a kick. He rolled repeatedly and scrambled to his feet, only to dodge a high kick and be struck squarely in the chest.

"Urgh..."

After slamming into a tree trunk, Baki, suffering from the heavy blow, could no longer rise, groaning in pain.

Having taken only a few kicks, his body felt as if it were falling apart; his arms and chest burned with intense pain, and even breathing became difficult.

"Rare to find someone with such quick reflexes."

"Haa... aren't you going to kill me? Sunagakure ninja have no need for mercy..."

Clutching his chest, Baki tried to maintain a tough facade, but the excruciating pain caused his voice to trail off, his consciousness began to blur, and he faintly heard a whisper:

"...Instant extraction is indeed difficult..."

Before losing consciousness entirely, Baki felt a mix of relief and humiliation, his mind left with only one final thought:

"This guy will surely be my lifelong rival."

"Shu Furukawa passed the second stage of the exam in 5 hours and 07 minutes."

"Lady Tsunade, this is the fastest record since the exams began at Training Ground 44!"

The chunin in charge of reception at the Central Tower reported loudly, his face flushed with excitement.

Tsunade, wearing her green jonin vest, merely nodded and responded with a polite "Good work," then folded her arms and pondered to herself:

"Is his body growing this quickly?"

"..."