Konoha Kidnapping Plan!

Inside Class 1 of the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Everyone wore a hint of anticipation.

Even Nara Shikamaru, who was usually so composed, was discussing today's trial plans with Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Choji.

Only Sasuke and Naruto sat calmly in their seats.

Sasuke was one thing.

After all, he always acted this way at school.

But Naruto?!

He'd been the loudest one of them all earlier. Why had he gotten so quiet now that it was time to set out?

Before long, Hinata arrived.

"Neji has everything arranged on his end."

"Is there anything else we need to prepare?"

Hinata's voice was already soft, and since they were discussing things in secret, she spoke even more quietly.

Fortunately, Sasuke and Naruto both had sharp senses, so they could hear her clearly.

"Naruto, go invite Kiba and Shino with Hinata."

"I'll invite Shikamaru and the others."

After saying that, Sasuke turned to look at Shikamaru in the back row.

As for Sakura... forget it. He really didn't want to invite her along.

"We already heard what you were just talking about."

"Uchiha Sasuke, we're not exactly friends, so you..."

"So, are you joining us?"

Before Shikamaru could finish, Sasuke cut him off.

Shikamaru had been holding back a whole speech, and Sasuke nearly left him choking on it.

"I'm not participating."

Shikamaru waved him off without hesitation.

He had no interest in an activity that was clearly going to be troublesome, even if he didn't know the details yet.

He'd just complete the trial properly. He didn't want to get involved in anything else...

"Is that so?"

"Choji, join our plan."

"I can't tell you what it is yet, but after the trial, I'll treat you to all-you-can-eat barbecue!"

Sasuke glanced at Choji, who was busy eating chips, with an amused expression.

"What?!"

Choji shot to his feet, disbelief written all over his face.

"Of course. I'll also give you a hundred bags of limited-edition chips. I've already bought them."

"Just say yes, and they're yours."

Sasuke turned up the heat again.

Choji, who had still been hesitating, immediately reached out and grabbed Sasuke's hand.

"I'm in."

Choji nodded with a serious expression.

As for Shikamaru... sorry, man.

"Good."

"Ino, do you want to join our plan?"

Sasuke turned to Ino beside him.

According to the original story, Ino had a crush on him at this point.

She probably wouldn't turn down his invitation.

"Sasuke, I've already taken care of my end."

"I invited Sakura too, and she agreed to join our plan."

Just then, Naruto's voice rang in Sasuke's ears.

That guy...

As expected...

"I'm in too."

Just as Sasuke was starting to get a headache, Ino gave her answer.

"Good."

"Then that's settled for now."

"As for Shikamaru, he'll probably agree once he hears our plan."

"Right, that's it. Once we leave the village, follow the instructions here."

After saying that, Sasuke handed a small scroll to the others.

Then he returned to his seat.

Choji carefully opened his scroll. Unable to contain his curiosity, Shikamaru leaned over to take a look.

[Konoha Kidnapping Plan!]

The moment he saw those six big characters, Shikamaru perked right up.

Something like this required not only brains but also coordination.

He wanted to see how far this hastily assembled team could get.

Before long, Mizuki arrived in the classroom with two other teachers.

"Everyone, settle down. I'm going to go over what you need to know about this trial."

"We'll be heading to an undeveloped primeval forest."

"There are many poisonous insects and wild beasts inside. That's the first thing you need to keep in mind."

"We've also prepared identification cards for everyone. Don't lose yours. If you do, you'll fail the trial."

"Finally, you'll also need it when your trial results are assessed."

"Since students from the upper grades are participating this time, we'll be giving you two forms of identification."

Mizuki began explaining, but the class was no longer as enthusiastic as before.

Sasuke and the other eight, in particular, weren't paying any attention to the trial details.

Watching Sasuke's unconcerned expression, Mizuki felt his jealousy flare up again.

As far as he was concerned, Sasuke was only so arrogant because he came from a good family.

After today, it would finally be Mizuki's time to shine.

He would become a great ninja who shook the entire Ninja World!

After the briefing, everyone gathered at the school gates.

Led by their ninja teachers, they headed out of the village.

Inside the Hokage Office.

"Lord Hokage, I'd like to leave the village and protect Sasuke."

Itachi brought his mission request to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

His previous assignment had been to teach Sasuke.

But when he'd tried to use that assignment as a reason to leave the village today, he'd been stopped.

In short, he needed Hiruzen Sarutobi to grant him another permit to leave the village.

Otherwise, Itachi's assignment would have to remain within the village.

"Itachi, don't worry. Asuma and the others will be supervising this trial, so nothing will happen."

"There are a few things I need you to take care of."

"Recently, Danzo..."

Itachi eventually left the Hokage Office, feeling rather helpless.

He hadn't gotten a permit, and he'd been given another assignment as well.

Once they were outside the village, everything beyond its borders seemed new to the students.

Just walking outside, they felt as if the air was different from the air in the village.

The youngsters' energy shone through at that moment.

At noon, the group reached their destination.

"Chuanjian, your physical fitness is too poor. You can't continue the trial. You're disqualified!"

"Naibai, you ran too fast and fell into a trap just now. You've fractured your shin and can't continue the trial. You're disqualified!"

"Roy..."

They had only just arrived, yet various mishaps had already disqualified several students.

Half of the first-year students had been disqualified.

"Teacher Mizuki, we'll take the students into the forest first."

"Once you've got everything arranged, catch up with us."

After saying that, Asuma led the upper-grade students straight into the forest.

Their goal this time was to crush the freshmen!

"As you can all see, the upper-grade students have already entered the forest."

"Next, let's go over the details..."

Mizuki slowly read out the rules.

Simply put, they had to cross the forest and reach the campsite.

Along the way, they would need to watch out for traps, wild beasts, and other hazards.

Their performance would be judged by how quickly they completed the course.

The Freshman Trial began!