Hand It Over

(The Fifth Chapter: Hand It Over)

A while later, everyone arrived at a place outside a vast forest. Iron fences surrounded the forest, marked with seals. The trees were enormous, dozens of meters tall, and densely packed. Even the sounds of a battle wouldn't carry very far.

The instructor leading them spoke up. "This is the site of the Genin graduation exam: Training Ground 44, a forest with a radius of ten kilometers. Ninjas will be tested on their ability to adapt to changing circumstances and different environments. This forest is full of all kinds of dangers. You must cross it and reach the central tower before dusk to complete the first stage."

"Of course, the task won't be that simple. There are Heaven Scrolls and Earth Scrolls here, and each of you will receive one. They'll be assigned at random shortly. You'll need to take a Heaven Scroll or Earth Scroll from someone else and pair it with your own to pass the first stage. There are 44 entrances in all, and we'll decide your entry points by drawing lots. All right, line up and draw your entrance number and collect your scroll, one at a time."

Mirai's expression flickered when he heard the requirements. Wasn't this familiar format the same as the second round of the Chunin Ninja Exams? But back then, they'd competed in teams of three, whereas now they were on their own. Had the Chunin Ninja Exams' format started here?

Mikazuki Sora said to Mirai, "I didn't expect the exam to be like this. At least half of us will be eliminated."

"Maybe even more. Less than a third might make it through," Uchiha Itachi said.

Mirai's expression turned serious as he spoke to Mikazuki Sora. "Mikazuki, if you run into a really strong opponent, don't push yourself too hard. There's no shame in losing. Your safety matters most."

Mikazuki Sora nodded. "Mm, I understand."

Mirai smiled. "All right, then let's all do our best. Hopefully we can all pass."

"Yeah!" Uchiha Itachi and Mikazuki Sora nodded together.

Then they lined up to draw their entrance numbers and collect their scrolls. Mirai got a Heaven Scroll and was assigned to enter Training Ground 4 through entrance No. 44. What an unlucky number.

Uchiha Itachi got No. 1, and Mikazuki Sora got No. 5. They'd all been assigned different entrances, so they had no chance to help one another.

When Mirai reached entrance No. 44, he spotted someone familiar: the blue-haired delinquent he'd clashed with earlier. Hah! He couldn't tell whether this was good luck or bad. It seemed the heavens wanted him to teach this guy a lesson.

As soon as the blue-haired delinquent saw Mirai, he grinned viciously. "You're really unlucky, kid, getting paired with me. You called me a dog earlier. Let's see who can protect you now."

Mirai smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't think I'm unlucky. I thought drawing No. 44 sounded ominous, but after seeing you, I know my luck isn't so bad."

"What are you saying?"

"I was thinking that taking things from strangers feels a little wrong. After all, you're taking away someone's chance to graduate and become a ninja. But I won't feel guilty taking yours."

"What an arrogant bastard. You think you can take my scroll? I'll make you suffer and regret it!" the blue-haired delinquent snarled.

"All right, time's up. If you want to settle a personal grudge, do it inside. Fighting here is prohibited," said the ninja stationed there.

"Yes, sir!"

Mirai ignored the blue-haired delinquent and walked through the entrance, then headed toward the center. The delinquent followed close behind. Noticing this, Mirai's lips curled slightly, but he kept moving.

A while later, Mirai found a somewhat open space and stopped. The blue-haired delinquent landed not far behind him. "Kid, you're done running? Giving up?"

"No. I just think this is a good place. You want to teach me a lesson, and I want to take your scroll. We need a suitable spot, and this one's great. Plenty of room."

"Ha! I thought you had some kind of trap planned, but you're stupid enough to fight me head-on. I'll teach you a lesson and take your scroll! Then you'll see just how big the gap between a third-year and a first-year is! Remember my name. I'm Sanmu!" The blue-haired delinquent rushed at Mirai with a Kunai in hand, shouting as he charged.

A spray of blood burst from Mirai's chest. A smile spread across the blue-haired delinquent's face. Just as I thought. A first-year can't keep up with my speed.

Suddenly, poof! A cloud of smoke appeared. A wooden stump was skewered on the blue-haired delinquent's Kunai.

"Substitution Technique! When did he—?" Sanmu was stunned. He hadn't seen Mirai perform any Hand Seals.

Mirai's voice suddenly came from behind Sanmu. "Sorry, knowing your name won't help. I don't remember ugly things, so I can't remember what you look like."

"Behind me!" The blue-haired delinquent pinpointed Mirai's position by sound without turning his head and flung several Shuriken behind him. Whoosh, whoosh! They cut through the air.

Thud, thud, thud! Every Shuriken struck a tree trunk.

"Sorry, wrong guess. I'm above you." Mirai's voice came from overhead. Sanmu jumped in fright. The area above him was extremely dangerous; if his opponent attacked from there, he'd be defeated. He had no idea when Mirai had gotten up there.

He looked up and saw Mirai standing upside down on a branch with his arms folded, watching him mockingly. That made Sanmu furious.

"Bastard!" The blue-haired delinquent hurled his Kunai at Mirai. Mirai reached out and caught it neatly between two fingers.

Mirai smiled. "So this is the difference between a third-year and a first-year. Now I've seen it for myself. But I'm bored already, so hand over your scroll."