Training Ground 44.
In front of a massive wire-mesh gate.
The candidates who had passed the first written exam gathered there nervously.
Ancient trees towered into the clouds all around them, and a sinister, terrifying atmosphere washed over them.
Just standing outside, they could already hear strange beasts roaring within.
This was Konoha's notorious "Forest of Death."
"All right, brats, quiet!"
The chief examiner, Mitaraishi Anko, bit into a skewer of three-colored dumplings and strode to the front of the group.
She pointed at the seemingly bottomless forest behind her, a bloodthirsty smirk curling her lips.
"Welcome to the gates of hell."
"In there, you'll find not just venomous insects and fierce beasts, but Man-Eating Flowers that can swallow you in one bite."
Anko described it vividly, hoping to scare off a few more cowards before the exam began.
"Of course, the most frightening thing of all is the other candidates beside you."
"In here, there are no rules. Only survival."
"Your goal is to collect both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll, then reach the tower at the center of the forest within five days."
She pulled a stack of liability waivers from her pocket and had the Chunin proctors hand them out.
"Once you sign this, the village takes no responsibility for whether you live or die."
Looking at the thin sheet of paper in their hands, quite a few candidates paled.
Naruto, however, couldn't have cared less. He signed with a bold flourish.
"What's so scary about the Forest of Death? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the man who's going to become Naruto!"
Sasuke and Sakura also signed in silence, their gazes resolute.
Meanwhile.
Sen, serving as a "special roaming examiner."
Leaned against the wire mesh, utterly bored, watching these overly hot-blooded brats.
He didn't need to snatch