Forest of Death!

After enjoying a sumptuous meal of delicacies from the Ninja World, Liuxia and Nawaki headed to the results board with satisfied smiles. They walked lightly, confidence written all over their faces. They were clearly sure they had passed the exam.

The results area was packed with young ninja, all waiting anxiously or excitedly for the scores to be announced. Liuxia and the others, however, seemed especially relaxed. They joked among themselves, their easygoing mood a stark contrast to the tension around them.

"Look, the results are up!" Nawaki pointed at the notice board, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Everyone hurried over. The board was covered in tightly packed lists of ninja who had passed. Their eyes swept quickly across the names, searching for their own. No one was worried about failing. They were all young geniuses, and gathering intelligence had been a breeze. Sure enough, every one of them had passed.

"Attention! All ninja teams who passed, report to the original exam hall!"

The ninja who had passed the first round filed into the exam hall, ready to face the next challenge. Liuxia and Nawaki's group entered with the crowd, scanning the room and observing the ninja from the other villages.

The hall was much emptier than it had been during the written exam that morning. Many seats were vacant, proof that the first round had eliminated quite a few ninja.

"Looks like a lot of people got knocked out in the last round!" Nawaki noticed as soon as he entered. Unlike the packed hall that morning, there were now plenty of empty seats. Judging by their Forehead Protectors, though, Konoha still had the most Genin.

"Who knows what shady tricks your Konoha pulled behind the scenes!"

A girl's mocking voice came from nearby. When they turned to look, they saw a petite girl from a Sand Ninja team of two girls and one boy, all wearing Sunagakure Forehead Protectors. Her dark green hair was tied in a cute bun, with yellow bangs falling along her cheeks, giving her a playful look. She was tall and slender, with a standard oval face and a hint of disdain. Her breezy outfit showed off her developing figure. Most striking was the expanse of pale skin on her exposed back, which drew the eye. Liuxia couldn't help thinking it was a shame she'd never tried cupping.

Liuxia wasn't bothered by the girl's remark. Given how the Council of Elders operated, they might not openly eliminate ninja from other villages, but they could certainly have made things a little easier for their own side. He found the girl somewhat familiar, but couldn't remember where he'd seen her before. Nawaki, on the other hand, couldn't let anyone from another village insult his grandfather's legacy and pride—the Hidden Leaf Village!

"What did you say? We in Konoha aren't like you in Sunagakure, always pulling shady tricks behind other countries' backs!" Nawaki snapped back angrily.

"Temee! Are you looking to get beat up?" The girl glared at Nawaki, refusing to back down.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The other ninja watched the argument between Pakura's group and the others like searchlights, their faces mixing curiosity and confusion with even a hint of glee.

"Pakura, we're not here to argue. There'll be plenty of chances to teach those Konoha ninja a lesson later."

As the tension between the two grew, the boy beside Pakura spoke in a cool voice, stopping the situation from escalating further.

"Rasa, stop acting like you're the captain. You're such a coward. I don't know why Lord Kazekage chose you!"

"Pakura, Rasa only means well. We're not in Sunagakure, after all. Rasa, you too—don't be so cold to your teammates all the time." The last girl in Pakura's group gently tugged at Pakura's sleeve. With her gentle voice and manner, she soothed the tense atmosphere like a spring breeze. It was clear they both listened to her. The two glared at each other, then fell silent.

"I'm really sorry. We're ninja from Sunagakure. You've already heard their names, I'm sure. I'm Karura!" The girl had sandy-brown shoulder-length hair and deep blue eyes filled with warmth.

"It's all right. It was just a misunderstanding."

Liuxia thought their names sounded familiar. A flash of insight struck him: weren't these Gaara's parents? And the unfortunate Pakura, the hero of Sunagakure who'd been betrayed by her own village? They were all on the same team.

"What are you staring at? Haven't you had your fill after looking for so long? Does Konoha have no pretty girls?"

Pakura had long been annoyed by the handsome boy who kept leering at her back. She'd just been distracted by the round-faced boy earlier.

"Quiet! I'm Konoha Jonin Sarutobi Ryoma! All examinees present, follow me!"

Sarutobi Ryoma began gathering everyone's attention. All the examinees turned to him. His voice was stern, making it clear that the next exam was no ordinary test.

"This is the site of the second exam—the Fourth Training Ground, also known as the Forest of Death!" Sarutobi Ryoma's words echoed through the air, each one striking the examinees hard.

When Sarutobi Ryoma finished speaking, silence fell over the exam hall. Only his voice seemed to linger in the air, as though even the wind had stopped blowing. Most of the examinees stared in shock and unease. Many had never heard of this fearsome place before.

The Fourth Training Ground, also known as the Forest of Death, was a place full of unknown dangers. A chill crept over the examinees. The Forest of Death was one of the venues most often used for Konoha's Chunin Ninja Exams, and one of the best outdoor testing grounds for assessing a Genin team's overall abilities.

At the forest entrance, towering trees stood beneath a dense canopy that let in almost no sunlight, as if nature had draped the land in a veil of mystery. Their trunks were covered in the marks of age—moss that glowed a faint, eerie green in the dim light, making the forest seem ancient and mysterious. Sunlight struggled through layer upon layer of branches, casting only scattered patches of light onto the ground.

The roar of an unknown beast occasionally sounded from deep within the forest, breaking the silence and sending a shiver down everyone's spine. The examinees stood at the forest's edge, feeling an invisible pressure slowly well up from the darkness within, as if countless eyes were watching them.

True to its name, the forest held countless dangers that could take a person's life. But for the Genin taking the Chunin exam, the competitors who might appear at any moment were even more frightening than the beasts. They had to survive in the forest while also facing challenges, struggles, and even murder at the hands of other examinees...

Sarutobi Ryoma continued to announce the rules. His voice was clear and firm. "The rules for this exam are simple: it's a battle for the Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Each team here will be given one scroll, either a Scroll of Heaven or a Scroll of Earth."

The examinees exchanged glances. They knew this would test both their survival skills and their combat abilities.

"For five days, you must survive in the Forest of Death and collect both scrolls before the deadline. Then you must reach the finish line, which is the tallest tower. Any team that fails to arrive within the time limit or collect both scrolls will be eliminated. Teams with missing members will also be eliminated. Finally, you must not open your scrolls." There was a hint of cruelty in Sarutobi Ryoma's words.

The examinees tensed. They knew this mission would be far more difficult than any exam before it.

"To give you time to adjust, the teams here will be sent in a randomized order through different entrances."

"Now come over and sign this consent form. Once you've signed, your lives will no longer be protected. You'll be responsible for your own lives." Sarutobi Ryoma pointed to a table beside him, where a stack of consent forms lay.

The examinees lined up and signed their names one by one. Each stroke seemed to add a heavy weight to the scales of fate. The moment they signed, they understood that from then on, they would have to rely entirely on their own strength to survive in the Forest of Death.

Once the last examinee had signed, Sarutobi Ryoma announced, "Then the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams begins now!" His voice echoed at the forest entrance, sounding like a battle horn. Every team quickly entered through its assigned entrance.

The earlier they entered this exam, the sooner they could gain an advantage. Whether it was setting traps later or getting familiar with the terrain and waiting for an opportunity, they needed time!