Forest of Death: Entrance

The wire fence was rusty, stretching from the ground to the treetops. Light leaked through gaps in the leaves in shattered fragments, piecing together a chaotic pattern on the ground.

Mitarashi Anko stood before the gate, holding a dango skewer and licking it in front of the examinees. No—it was more like, "This place is a snack to me, but to you..."

"My name is Anko. I'm the examiner for the second stage." She pulled the skewer from the dango—empty. "Half of you will be eliminated in this forest. Carried out. Or... not come out at all."

Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Team 7 had received the white Heaven Scroll. They needed to seize an Earth Scroll. Five days. Within five days, they had to reach the Central Tower with both scrolls. Missing one scroll meant elimination. Running out of time meant elimination. Dead people did not count as eliminated. They counted as missing.

Naruto swallowed. "Five days... no ramen." What he meant was, "We have to make it back alive to eat it." Sasuke said nothing.

...But the corner of his mouth twitched. He approved.

Sasuke stuffed the Heaven Scroll into his ninja tool pouch. After the Land of Waves, he understood. Some things could not be lost. No—it was about making it back alive.

Ringo was watching the system. While Anko spoke, the system trembled. Something deep within the forest was spilling outward. It was as though ancient trees were breathing, waiting for prey. Waiting five days. Waiting to devour half of them.

[Detected: Forest of Death. High-density chakra environment. Drop trigger rate increased by 300%.]

Three hundred percent. This forest had been grown through Hashirama Senju's Wood Release. The legacy chakra still lingered in its roots. It had not completely died.

"Enter."

The wire fence opened. Rust fell away. No—it was telling them, "Don't regret this."

Inside the forest, the air was thick with moisture, leaves, and fungus. Every breath felt like swallowing wet cotton.

Ringo opened his senses to their limit. His chakra perception, honed in the Land of Waves, adapted to the chakra within the forest layer by layer: the ground, the trunks, the canopy. Every layer had its own temperature. Its own hostility.

He stopped and closed his eyes. His perception spread outward like a net. Twenty meters. Thirty. Fifty. To the left, three small ones. Snakes. Not summoned beasts—wild ones. To the right, two bears. Their chakra was stronger than that of ordinary bears. They had eaten Wood Release roots. Ahead was empty. At least, there was nothing large within a hundred meters. But farther in, something was moving. Slowly. Waiting. Waiting for prey to walk in on its own.

"This way." He walked ahead. "There's nothing big in this direction."

Naruto followed behind, gripping a kunai. He was excited. This wasn't an exam anymore. It was a mission.

Sasuke stayed at the rear. His two-tomoe Sharingan was active. He was on guard. This forest has eyes. There were many people, scattered throughout the forest, all waiting.

The rain came from the canopy. Water Release. Someone was creating it.

Ringo sensed it first. The air changed. It became heavy with chakra. Water-nature chakra. Three of them. They were surrounding them.

"Down."

Naruto had not even reacted when water puddles formed beneath their feet. Water surged from the ground, wrapping around their ankles and pulling upward. Small Water Prisons. Three of them, one for each person.

Laughter came from the trees. Three Rain ninja, their forehead protectors marked by four vertical lines. Hidden Rain Village. Senbon flew at them from three directions. No—it was asking, "Where's the Earth Scroll?"

Naruto was caught. Again— It was water, but it felt the same. The Land of Waves. The Demon Brothers. Chains. Water Prison.

Sasuke's Fireball Jutsu was swallowed by the water. The water absorbed the heat of the flames. That was information: these three Rain ninja had specifically trained to counter Fire Release. They knew Team 7. They knew the Uchiha. They knew fire.

Ringo did not move. Water wound around his calves, cold as it siphoned away his body heat. It was meant to drain him, chill him until he could no longer move. Senbon. The three Rain ninja remained in the trees, at a safe distance. Wind Cutter could not reach them. His Water Blade Shuriken had been damaged in the Land of Waves and had yet to recover.

He clenched his fist.

Steam rose from between his fingers. Orange steam. Hot water meeting steam—evaporating the Water Prison until it dried. In the instant water became vapor, its volume expanded sixteen hundredfold. Physics.

He drove his fist into the ground. Steam poured from his fist into the earth. All the water in the soil turned to vapor. The soil loosened. The ground cracked. The trees shook. Beneath the three Rain ninja, there was suddenly nothing.

"What—"

Steam erupted from the ground in three orange columns, swallowing the space around the trees. Their vision turned completely white. Steam scalded their skin. They could not breathe.

Ringo emerged from the steam, which followed behind him like a cloak. He walked up to the first Rain ninja and threw a punch, stopping a centimeter from his nose. He did not need to hit him. The steam was already burning his skin.

"Where's the Earth Scroll?"

The Rain ninja's hand trembled. Smoke rose from his ninja tool pouch as steam seeped inside. Ringo pulled out the red Earth Scroll. They had both now: the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll. This was the first step. No—it was only the entrance. The first group. A vanguard.

Naruto crawled out of the steam, excited. "This time—I saw it. That was teamwork. You went in front, and I was behind, cutting off their retreat. We... did it together."

Sasuke stood before another Rain ninja, his Sharingan saying, Don't move.

The third Rain ninja fled. It was information. "Team 7 has someone who uses steam." A new ability. Something they did not understand.

Ringo lowered his gaze to his fist. Steam still seeped from between his fingers, orange and slightly paler than before. He clenched his fist, and the steam stopped. It had consumed a third of his chakra. Boil Release could not be used endlessly. He remembered that. Three punches, or one punch into the ground. Any more, and his hand would be ruined.

Naruto leaned closer. "Ringo, how did you train that?"

Ringo did not answer. He had not yet figured out how to explain the steam. Fusion. Fragments. The system. Naruto would not understand those words. Sasuke would not ask. But Naruto would. He would keep asking.

"Later." He lowered his fist. The lingering warmth of steam rested in his palm. It was warm, as if reminding him, You still have one trump card left.

The system lit up.

[Defeated: Hidden Rain trio. Drops: White ×3, Rain Release Fragment, Water Release Fragment ×2.]

Ringo did not look. The system was trembling, faster and more urgently now.

[Detected: Unknown. Extremely powerful chakra. Approaching at extreme speed.]

Kakashi was not here. There were only the three of them in the forest—and something that was approaching. A snake? One of the Three Ninja? No—it was whether they could survive until he left.

The steam had not yet dispersed. Orange mist in the forest was not protection. It was a marker. No—it said, You have already been seen.

The leaves moved. A tongue descended from the canopy, slowly enough for them to make out every scale. It had been above them all along. Above the entire forest. Talking about them. Talking about his steam. Talking about his fusion.

Naruto swallowed. "What is that thing—?"

Sasuke's Sharingan spun. "That chakra... isn't human..."

Ringo said nothing.

...But the system spoke. Trembling.

[Detected: One of the Three Ninja, Orochimaru. Orange Fragments are continuously dropping.]

Not three cards. No—it was asking, Do you still have a hand free to pick them up?

The forest was waiting. So was he.