The next morning, sunlight filtered through the treetops and dappled the ground of the Forest of Death.
Hayato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique again. In a flash, he was back in the perilous forest.
A smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed with the thrill of the hunt. Then he glanced at Jiro, crouched beside him.
"Let the hunt begin," Hayato said softly, his tone playful.
Jiro seemed to understand. He immediately went on alert, ready for the battle ahead.
In fact, with the number of scrolls Hayato had already collected, he could head straight for the meeting point.
But he had a bolder plan in mind—he wanted to collect several sets of scrolls,
especially enough scrolls of one type to reach eight or more.
That way, unless the scrolls were distributed in an extremely lopsided ratio, he could breeze through the second exam and pass the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Even if something unexpected happened, he'd have eliminated most of his competition. Either way, he had nothing to lose.
Because he was confident he was the strongest person in the Forest of Death.
"I've got the most Wind Scrolls right now—four already. A little more effort, and another four will make it a sure thing." Hayato silently tallied his haul, his eyes shining with confidence.
All morning, Hayato roamed the forest like a ghost. Thanks to his keen senses and excellent fighting skills, he came across five "lucky ones."
They were no match for him, and each fight ended quickly. He collected two Fire Scrolls, one Forest Scroll, one Wind Scroll, and one Mountain Scroll.
"I've caught up on Fire Scrolls, so I'll just see what turns up from here." Hayato ate a sushi rice ball as he counted his spoils.
Jiro let out