The Forest of Death was thick with fog.
The moment Might Guy stepped into the forest, the path behind him disappeared.
It wasn't a metaphor.
It had really vanished.
He turned to look back.
The clear little path he'd taken was now completely swallowed by the white fog, its outline impossible to make out.
He'd even lost his sense of direction.
"Whoa, this fog is something else."
Guy muttered to himself, but he didn't panic.
Finding your way in the wild was one of the basics taught in the first year at the Ninja Academy.
Ikkaku Umino had said in class:
"Getting lost on the battlefield will kill you faster than encountering an enemy. You can fight an enemy. If you get lost, you won't even get the chance."
Back then, Obito had muttered, "Who would ever get lost?" under his breath. Ikkaku Umino had heard him, hauled him up, and made him stand through the entire class.
Guy remembered it clearly.
He also remembered the phrase Ikkaku Umino had repeated over and over.
"Head east."
It wasn't something he'd said offhand.
Before each person went in, Ikkaku Umino repeated it.
Head east.
There were twenty-three of them, and he'd repeated it twenty-three times.
Why?
Because from where they were, east was where the finish line lay.
Guy crouched down and examined the tree roots beneath him.
The bark was rough, with a thin layer of moss growing over it.
He reached out and touched it.
The moss wasn't especially thick, but it was clearly denser on one side than the other.
The shaded side.
North.
Guy stood and looked in the opposite direction.
That was south.
He raised a hand and gauged the sun's position.
The fog was thick, but sunlight still filtered through faintly, letting him roughly judge the time.
Morning.
The sun was in the east.
East was the direction the light came from.
Guy grinned.
"Guess paying attention in class really does help."
He set off, keeping an eye out for signs along the way.
Scratches on tree trunks.
The direction crushed bushes leaned.
Now and then, he spotted markers left by those who'd come before.
Some were Konoha codes, while others were warnings carved by shinobi from who knew what era.
"Deep pit ahead."
"Bear in this area."
"Trap here. No longer active."
Guy looked at the last one, the corner of his mouth twitching.
If it was no longer active, why leave the warning there?
Just to scare people?
After walking for a little over two hours, the fog gradually thinned.
Sunlight streamed through gaps in the leaves, and visibility in the forest improved considerably.
Guy stopped and listened.
There was a sound.
Faint.
"Splish... splash..."
"Running water."
Guy's eyes lit up.
A water source.
The first lesson in wilderness survival: find water, and you've found the means to stay alive.
It was also where other people were most likely to gather.
He followed the sound, made his way through a patch of bushes, and emerged into an open area.
A small river ran across his path.
It was about three or four meters wide.
The water was shallow and clear, with pebbles and little fish visible on the riverbed.
Guy crouched down and was about to test the water's temperature.
"Splish—"
A splash came from upstream.
Guy froze and looked up.
A dozen or so meters upstream, someone was crouched beside a large rock.
Her purple hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore a dark training outfit with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
Both hands were in the water, scooping it up and splashing it over her face.
Beside her, an empty oil-paper bag rested on a rock.
Mitaraishi Anko.
Guy blinked.
Of all people, she was the first one he'd run into?
Anko seemed to notice him too and whipped around.
Their eyes met.
Anko froze for a moment.
Then—
"Whoa!!!"
Her foot slipped, and she fell backward.
"Watch out!"
Guy reacted quickly, rushing over in a few strides and grabbing her wrist.
Anko stumbled as he caught her, then steadied herself.
Breathing hard, she glared at Guy.
"You... How come you walk so quietly?"
Guy let go and scratched his head.
"I was making noise. You just didn't hear me."
Anko pouted.
She glanced down at the wrist he'd grabbed, then looked back up at him.
"What are you doing here?"
Guy pointed at the river.
"Looking for water. You too?"
Anko nodded.
"Yeah... I've been walking all morning. I'm dying of thirst."
As she spoke, she bent down, picked up the empty oil-paper bag, crushed it into a ball, and stuffed it into her ninja pouch.
Guy glanced at it. Grease and sugar still clung to the bag.
"Dango?"
Anko blushed.
"I—there was only one left! I couldn't give it to you!"
Guy looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Three days' worth of rations, gone in one morning?
No wonder she held such a grudge against the Forest of Death in the original story.
Turns out she'd just been hungry.
Anko felt awkward under his gaze and turned her head away.
"What are you staring at? So what if I like dango!"
Guy didn't say anything.
He just looked at her.
After a moment, he suddenly smiled.
Anko blinked.
"What are you smiling at?"
Guy didn't answer. He turned and walked to the riverbank, crouched down, and untied the little cloth pouch he carried with him.
He opened it.
Inside were three rice balls, a small pack of dried meat, and a few pieces of hardtack.
He took out two rice balls and handed them to Anko.
Anko stared at them.
"These..."
"Here, hold on to them. Eat them when you're hungry," Guy said. "You finished three days' worth of rations in one morning. What are you going to do for the remaining six and a half days?"
Anko opened her mouth.
She seemed about to say something, but swallowed the words.
She looked at the two rice balls, then at Guy.
Her nose began to sting.
"Why... Why are you being so nice to me?"
Guy looked puzzled.
"Aren't we classmates?"
Anko blinked.
"Just... because of that?"
"What else did you think?" Guy rolled his eyes.
Anko fell silent for two seconds.
Then she snatched the rice balls and took a big bite.
"Hey, those were supposed to last you. If you eat them now, you won't have any left."
"But I'm hungry..." Anko said, looking pitiful.
Looking at her, Guy couldn't help picturing what she'd look like when she grew up.
A little chubby sniper.
He suddenly understood.
"Fine, eat up."
"Besides, the provisions I brought won't be enough. We'll have to hunt."
"We might as well hunt a little extra."
Guy rinsed himself off in the river, replenished his water, and got his bearings. Then he glanced back at Anko.
"I'm heading out. Want to come with me?"
"Sure!"
Anko agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Guy was the legendary figure in their class.
He'd kicked over a Ninja Bear.
He'd kicked a Chunin to death.
Stick with him, and she'd feel completely safe.
Only someone with something wrong in her head would refuse.
Guy didn't mind either.
It was nice to have company on the way.
Besides, with him around, Anko might not end up resenting the Forest of Death quite so much.