Qianyu Sees Blood

On the way home from the Hokage Building, the streets were more crowded than usual. The forehead protectors of ninjas from various nations glinted under the sunlight, and a sense of suppressed excitement permeated the air.

Qianyu followed behind Tsunade, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a few figures wearing Kusagakure forehead protectors at a street corner.

To be precise, his gaze locked onto one red-haired girl among them.

The girl looked to be about their age, wearing round-rimmed glasses with a timid expression, trailing closely behind two tall male Kusagakure ninjas. Her arms, exposed by her short sleeves, were covered in distinct bite marks; some were even still oozing blood, appearing particularly jarring against her fair skin.

Karin.

Qianyu's footsteps faltered slightly. Tsunade noticed his anomaly and followed his gaze. When she saw the marks on the girl's arms, her brows knitted together instantly, and a flash of anger flickered in her pupils.

"Those wounds..." she lowered her voice, her tone grim, "are human bite marks. That child is being used as a human medicine kit."

The keen eye of a medical ninja allowed her to immediately grasp the meaning behind those teeth marks. This was an extremely barbaric way to utilize the Uzumaki Clan's constitution—biting them to rapidly recover chakra and heal wounds—but for the victim, it was no different from continuous bloodletting and torture.

Qianyu nodded, his voice also kept very low: "She must be an orphan of the Uzumaki Clan who ended up in Kusagakure."

Tsunade's fingers crunched as she clenched them, and the veins on her forehead throbbed faintly. She despised bullying the weak, especially the act of abusing others by exploiting their medical potential. However, she also knew that this wasn't a street brawl; it involved ninjas from another nation and diplomatic relations.

"Although Kusagakure is a small nation, rashly interfering in another country's internal affairs, or even snatching their ninjas, would escalate to a national level and bring trouble to Konoha." Tsunade's tone carried suppressed fury and helplessness, "Especially now, during the Chunin Exams, every nation is watching."

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look away: "Remember her appearance and chakra signature for now. After the exams... we'll figure something out."

Qianyu took one last deep look at Karin. The girl seemed to sense the gaze; she lowered her head in fear, pulled her arms behind her back, and hurried to catch up with her companions, disappearing into the flow of people at the corner.

"Let's go." Tsunade's voice returned to calm, but the chill in her eyes remained.

A few days later, the first stage of the Chunin Exams, the written test venue.

Qianyu did not go to join the bustle. He went directly to the venue for the second stage—Training Ground 44, the outskirts of the Forest of Death.

A massive wire-mesh fence enclosed a vast primeval forest. Many people had already gathered outside the fence, mainly Konoha ninjas serving as security and logistics.

"Yo! Isn't that Qianyu!"

A vibrant female voice rang out. Anko Mitarashi, the proctor for the second stage, was chewing on a bamboo skewer as she strode over. She wore a trench coat over her fishnet outfit, and the Heaven Curse Mark on the back of her neck was hidden by her forehead protector, but her flamboyant temperament remained undiminished.

"Sister Anko." Qianyu greeted her with a smile. Over the past few years, because of Tsunade, he had come into contact with many of Konoha's jonin. Anko had a straightforward personality and had always taken good care of him as Tsunade's disciple.

"I heard you were promoted directly to the second stage? Not bad, kid!" Anko patted him on the shoulder, "How is it, nervous? The Forest of Death isn't a game; people really die in there, you know~"

Her intimidation was meant in jest, but the seriousness in her eyes could not be ignored.

The nearby jonin responsible for security also nodded to Qianyu in greeting. Nowadays, in Konoha's upper echelons and the jonin circle, who didn't know that Tsunade was the designated Fifth Hokage? As her only direct disciple, Qianyu's status naturally rose accordingly. Moreover, the strength and potential the boy had displayed were enough to turn heads.

"Sister Anko, are the scrolls ready?" Qianyu asked.

"Prepared long ago!" Anko pulled a cloth bag from her bosom containing dozens of small scrolls, "Half are Heaven scrolls, half are Earth, distributed randomly. Come on, pick one?"

Qianyu casually plucked a scroll from the bag; it felt slightly cool to the touch, with simple sealing patterns carved onto it.

"Heaven Scroll." Anko glanced at the seal mark, "Not bad luck. Alright, there's still some time before the exam starts; you can wait here or go sit in the rest area over there."

"I'll just practice here for a while." Qianyu said, walking to a relatively quiet patch of shade by the fence, sitting cross-legged, and closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The concentration of natural energy in the Forest of Death was even higher than he had anticipated. Or rather, this forest itself resonated with natural energy in some way.

Qianyu sensed a large group of people approaching.

Countless minute chakra reactions were like stars, mostly the faint light of genin-level, mixed with emotions of vigilance, nervousness, and excitement. There were also a few spots that were particularly striking, exuding unusual, cold, violent, or mysterious auras.

One of them... Qianyu's perception paused slightly when it touched a point deep within the forest.

It was an extremely obscure chakra that seemed to have merged with the shadows of the forest. If he hadn't mastered the perfect Sage Mode, which greatly increased his precision in sensing natural energy and chakra, he probably wouldn't have detected it at all.

Orochimaru... he had indeed already entered.

Qianyu retracted his perception calmly and continued to sit still. About an hour later, a commotion came from the direction of the main gate.

Anko returned, followed by a massive crowd of genin examinees. After the screening of the first written test, the number had decreased, but there were still nearly a hundred people. Konoha's new generation was among them.

"Qianyu-kun!"

Ino was the first to spot Qianyu under the tree. Her eyes lit up instantly, and ignoring the gazes of other examinees, she gave him a big hug.

"I missed you so much! You've been in special training for so long!" She buried her face in Qianyu's chest, her voice muffled, filled with grievance and reliance.

"Sorry, the training took some time." Qianyu ruffled her blonde hair, his tone gentle. He looked up and saw Naruto, Sasuke... one familiar face after another gathered around.

"Qianyu! You're here for the exam too!" Naruto waved his arms excitedly, "Look, look, I told you I wasn't seeing things at the exam hall earlier! You really came straight to the second stage! How cunning!"

"Loser, Qianyu's strength has long surpassed that of a chunin; participating in the exam is just a formality." Sasuke crossed his arms and said coolly, though there was a rare warmth in the gaze he directed at Qianyu.

"Qianyu-kun, long time no see." Hinata greeted him softly, her face blushing slightly.

Neji merely nodded at Qianyu with a steady gaze, but Qianyu could see the sharpness hidden deep in his eyes and a will more determined than ever before.

Qianyu gathered everyone to a corner slightly away from the crowd, his expression turning serious.

"Listen, the Forest of Death is not an exercise. The beasts, poisonous insects, traps, and... other examinees here are all lethal." His gaze swept across every young face, "The rules are simple: get the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and reach the Central Tower within the time limit. But during the process, anything can happen."

He paused, pulled a dozen small cylindrical signal flares from his ninja pouch, and distributed them to his Konoha companions.

"These are custom-made firework signal flares. If you encounter a life-or-death crisis you truly cannot handle, pull the fuse at the bottom. It will launch a special chakra flare into the high sky. I will be able to sense it, and other Konoha jonin nearby should be able to as well. But remember—"

Qianyu's voice deepened: "Unless you are truly at a dead end, do not use them. The signal flare will expose your position, potentially attracting more enemies, and it might also cause you to fail the exam immediately. This is a last resort."

"Wow! That's great!" Naruto treated them like treasures, carefully tucking the signal flares away.

"Thank you, Qianyu!" Sakura and the others accepted them solemnly.

Not far away, candidates from other villages saw this scene and immediately began to clamor with dissatisfaction:

"Proctor! The Konoha candidates are distributing extra equipment privately! This is cheating!"

"That's right! We demand fair treatment!"

Anko dug at her ear, glanced lazily at the few protesters, and shouted, "What are you yelling about? Those signal flares are just like kunai and shuriken; they fall under the category of ninja tools. The exam rules forbid killing each other or causing severe disability outside of stealing scrolls, but they don't say you can't bring your own gear."

She paused, a mischievous smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth: "If you're jealous, you could have brought some too. I don't believe you don't have any. As for whether using them will attract more people to steal your scrolls, that's not my problem."

The protesting candidates were instantly choked into silence. The lead jonin from the other villages frowned but said nothing more. The rules indeed did not explicitly forbid it, and continuing to press the issue would only be asking for humiliation.

Soon, the scrolls were distributed. Anko stood on the high platform, announced the exam rules and time limits, and finally grinned:

"Then... the second stage of the Chunin Selection Exam begins! I wish you all... a good time!"

As her voice fell, nearly a hundred figures shot into the various entrances, quickly disappearing into the dense, gloomy forest.

Qianyu walked into the Forest of Death from his chosen entrance, unhurried. Before entering, he scanned the remaining candidates one last time, trying to identify a disguised Orochimaru. But the other party was clearly well-hidden; at least on the surface, there were no flaws to be seen.

The moment he stepped into the forest, the light dimmed abruptly. Ancient trees blotted out the sky, a thick layer of humus lay beneath his feet, and the air was filled with the rich scent of vegetation and the faint, musky odor of wild beasts. Natural energy was unusually active here, even somewhat... wild.

Qianyu was in no rush to go deeper, instead walking slowly along a faint path as if out for a stroll. His task was simple—wait.

Wait for Naruto and the others to encounter danger they couldn't handle and fire a signal flare; or, wait for that snake to reveal its own tracks.

After wandering for about half an hour, while passing through a clearing dense with vines, three figures flashed out from behind the trees, blocking his path.

They wore Hidden Rain headbands and dark rain capes, their faces twisted with undisguised malice. The leader was a tall, thin man with a sinister gaze; on the left was a short, stocky fellow playing with a kunai; on the right was a female ninja with a scar on her face.

"Daring to wander the Forest of Death all alone?" the tall, thin Rain ninja sneered, looking Qianyu up and down. "You've got guts, little brat from Konoha. Hand over your scroll, and I'll spare your life."

Oh?

Qianyu raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat surprised. They weren't going straight for the kill; in the world of ninjas, this could almost be considered merciful.

He blinked, putting on a look of perfectly measured hesitation and fear, and slowly pulled the Heaven Scroll from his robes, handing it over.

"R-really? If I give you the scroll, you'll let me go?"

The stocky Rain ninja snatched the scroll and unfolded it impatiently. When they saw the clear "Heaven" seal mark in the center, all three pairs of eyes lit up.

"The Heaven Scroll!" the stocky ninja laughed, waving the Earth Scroll in his hand. "We just happened to complete the set! Haha, I didn't expect to finish the mission as soon as we got in! Konoha ninjas really are flowers in a greenhouse—pathetic."

The tall, thin ninja also relaxed, his gaze toward Qianyu turning playful and cruel: "Kid, you can die now."

Qianyu took a half-step back, his face showing the anger and terror of someone who had been deceived: "You... you said you wouldn't kill me if I gave you the scroll!"

"Naive brat," the scarred female ninja shook her head mockingly. "We are ninjas. Using any means necessary and leaving no survivors is our creed. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being so stupid."

Before the words had even faded, the three had surrounded Qianyu in a triangular formation. Even though they were facing a boy who appeared scared out of his wits, their coordination didn't slacken in the slightest.

The tall, thin one feinted from the front, the stocky ninja prepared to strike from the flank, and the female ninja slipped into the shadows, waiting for an opening to ambush. It was a standard three-man squad tactic.

Qianyu sighed softly.

The sigh was faint, yet it sent an inexplicable chill through the three Rain ninjas.

"I gave you a way out, but you didn't cherish it."

The next second, the fingers hanging at Qianyu's side moved imperceptibly.

The tall, thin ninja's sneer froze on his face. The ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded without warning! Several gray-brown vines as thick as arms burst from the soil, coiling around his legs, waist, and arms with the speed of a living python!

"What?!"

"Wood Release?! Run—"

Before the stocky ninja's cry of alarm could fully escape, the trunk of the tree beside him suddenly split open, and more vines shot out like vipers, lifting him into the air! The scarred female ninja reacted the fastest, leaping backward instantly and beginning to weave hand seals, but the ground and surrounding trees seemed to come alive. Countless fine roots and branches grew wildly, weaving together to completely seal off all her escape routes!

"No—!!"

"Help—"

Crack, crack, squelch—

The teeth-grinding sound of shattering bones and the dull thud of flesh being crushed and burst rang out briefly and clearly in the silent forest. The three screams stopped abruptly.

The vines slowly loosened and retreated into the ground and tree trunks. All that remained on the spot were three twisted, mangled heaps of flesh and blood that were barely recognizable as human, along with dark red liquid soaking into the earth.

A thick, metallic scent of blood permeated the air.

Qianyu stood where he was, motionless. He looked down at his own hands, then at the three corpses, his face devoid of expression.

A few seconds later, he suddenly bent over.

"Blegh—!!!"

His stomach churned violently, and he vomited everything he had eaten that morning, mixed with bile. He leaned against a tree, dry-heaving until his stomach was empty, leaving only a sour, burning sensation.

Eighteen years of peaceful life in his past life, and thirteen years in this one—though there had been ups and downs, he had mostly been sheltered in Konoha... This was the first time he had taken a life with his own hands. It wasn't practice, it wasn't an illusion; it was living people turning into shredded meat right in front of him.

Rationally, he understood that this was a kill-or-be-killed ninja world, and since the other party had struck first, his counterattack was reasonable. But his physiological and psychological reactions were completely beyond his control. The image of flesh flying, the sound of bones breaking, the thick smell of blood... they were branded onto his retinas and deep into his nasal cavity like a hot iron.

"Little dried fish..."

Abin's voice came from the side, carrying a rare note of caution. He emerged from the shadow of a tree and walked to Qianyu's side, looking at the puddle of vomit and the corpses in the distance, his bean-like eyes filled with confusion.

"Are you... not feeling well? Is it because you killed them?" Abin tilted his head, asking with a sincere tone. "But they wanted to kill you first. If you didn't kill them, they would have killed you. Isn't that a simple matter?"

Qianyu wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and straightened up, his face somewhat pale. He looked at Abin.

"I know, Abin." His voice was a bit hoarse. "I know it was necessary. But... it feels different. Watching others fight and kill is completely different from doing it with your own hands."

Abin blinked, struggling to understand. "Is it because of... feelings? Do humans have a special 'feeling' about the death of their own kind? As for White Zetsu... we were born for battle and missions. Eliminating a target is like... like clearing away a rotten mushroom. There's no special feeling."

He thought for a moment and added, "However, the way you threw up, Qianyu, reminds me of the time I ate a piece of moldy wood and threw up too. It was very uncomfortable. Do you want some water?"

This peculiar way of comforting him made Qianyu twitch the corner of his mouth, though the smile was somewhat forced. He took a canteen from his ninja pouch, rinsed his mouth, and took a few sips of water to suppress the sourness in his throat.

"I'm fine now, Abin." He took a deep breath, and the cool, damp air of the Forest of Death rushed into his lungs, carrying a mixture of blood and vegetation. "I just need to... get used to it."

Yes, get used to it. In this world, soft-heartedness and hesitation would only make him and those he cared about die faster. Since he had chosen this path—chosen to become stronger, to control his destiny, to protect certain people, and to change certain things—getting blood on his hands was inevitable.

It was just that this first hurdle was harder to cross than he had imagined.

"Their scrolls..." Abin pointed toward the direction of the corpses.

Qianyu nodded, walked over, and, suppressing his discomfort, rummaged through the tattered clothing of the tall, thin Rain ninja. Soon, he found two scrolls—his own Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll that had originally belonged to the Rain ninja team.

Mission accomplished.

He tucked the two scrolls away and took one last look at the three remains. The ecosystem of the Forest of Death would quickly dispose of these nutrients; perhaps in a few days, only a few patches of slightly darker soil would remain here.