Forest of Death

The teacher explained the most basic principles of wilderness survival.

However, they differed from the wilderness survival Qianye Lan had known before.

Wilderness survival here mainly covered techniques for surviving in the wild during wartime, alone or in a small squad, without being discovered by enemy ninja.

Of course, it also included the basics of identifying food and medicinal herbs, as well as setting various traps.

Once the teacher finished explaining these principles of wilderness survival, he dismissed the class.

He also announced that there would be a wilderness survival exercise the following week. The students were to form their own teams, with no limit on numbers. They could go alone or in a group.

Qianye Lan looked at Kushina, who was still asleep, and sighed helplessly. He reached out, patted her shoulder, and said, "Stop sleeping. Class is over."

Kushina groggily lifted her head from the desk, looked at him, and nodded.

She then rubbed her eyes and moved her arms, which had gone numb from being pressed beneath her while she slept.

Only then did she follow closely behind Qianye Lan. Afterward, the two of them each returned home.

Early the next morning, there were no classes at the Ninja Academy because it was a day off.

Qianye Lan got up early, prepared the things he needed, and went to the Memorial Stone.

He set down what he was carrying and first silently cleared away the debris in front of the Memorial Stone.

Then he placed the flowers at the Memorial Stone. Looking at the stone before him, he said firmly, "Rest assured. I'll place the heads of those who killed you here as an offering to you both."

After saying that, he silently left the place that made him feel somewhat weighed down.

Once home, he continued training hard.

By Qianye Lan's own estimate, his chakra reserves had already reached Chunin level.

He could try learning some B-rank ninjutsu, such as the Shadow Clone Technique.

He took out the Shadow Clone scroll at home and began studying it.

Qianye Lan's chakra control was already excellent, and he also possessed mental strength beyond that of ordinary people.

He soon learned Shadow Clone, a relatively simple B-rank ninjutsu.

After mastering Shadow Clone, Qianye Lan began using Naruto's method from the original story to accelerate his training.

However, Qianye Lan knew he did not have Naruto's terrifying chakra reserves, nor did he know Multiple Shadow Clone. Therefore, he could not bear the risks that came with training using Multiple Shadow Clone.

He could only create a single shadow clone to speed up his training as much as possible.

That kept the risks manageable for him, and doubling his training speed was enough for him as well.

After creating the shadow clone, Qianye Lan exchanged a glance with him.

The shadow clone nodded, walked off to one side, and began practicing C-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu.

Qianye Lan himself also began practicing Wind Release.

An hour later, he exchanged a glance with the shadow clone and voluntarily dispelled him.

The shadow clone's memories and fatigue flooded into his mind.

However, this was within what he could tolerate.

Qianye Lan then made several more attempts. In the end, he discovered that five hours was probably his current limit.

So the following day, Qianye Lan set his clone-assisted training sessions at five hours each, repeating the cycle twice.

With the shadow clone's help, Qianye Lan progressed rapidly.

Combined with the system's daily settlement, Qianye Lan had already mastered all the C-rank ninjutsu his parents had left behind, and his development of the Rasengan had reached the second stage.

Inside the Ninja Academy classroom, Qianye Lan and Kushina were both drowsily listening to the practical instructor explain the precautions for wilderness survival.

The location chosen for this wilderness survival exercise was Konoha's Forest of Death.

The teachers would only intervene in life-threatening situations. They would not step in under any other circumstances.

Once a teacher intervened, it would count as forfeiting.

If no teacher was nearby, they could also fire the signal flares distributed to everyone to request support. That would likewise count as forfeiting.

This wilderness survival exercise would last a week, and participation was entirely voluntary.

Scores would be awarded based on a range of factors, including how long they survived.

After explaining these precautions, the teacher said, "We'll gather on the training ground. Anyone who doesn't want to participate will stay in the classroom for more theory lessons."

Sure enough, some students with mediocre talent withdrew from this wilderness survival exercise in the Forest of Death.

After all, there was a certain risk of death, so their withdrawal was understandable.

These students would also be processed for withdrawal from the academy.

If a ninja did not even have the resolve to face death, they might as well become a civilian.

Those remaining who chose to participate were all clan ninja or civilian ninja with relatively high talent.

The teacher handed them the standard equipment Genin used on a daily basis.

The only difference from an ordinary Genin's equipment was the addition of a signal flare.

Soon, the group arrived at the Forest of Death under the teachers' guidance.

At the very end, the teacher repeatedly emphasized one more point: "During this wilderness survival exercise, you're only allowed to move within the designated area. Understood?"

Everyone nodded, then began looking for their own companions.

Kushina and Qianye Lan exchanged a glance and were the first to enter the Forest of Death.

The others entered the Forest of Death after forming their teams. Most teams ranged from two to four members, with only one team gathering nine people together.

Kushina looked at Qianye Lan in confusion and asked, "Lan, why didn't we find a couple more people to team up with?"

To Kushina, there was strength in numbers. Wouldn't it be better if everyone stayed together?

Qianye Lan shook his head, rejecting her idea, and explained, "There really is strength in numbers, but sometimes having more people isn't necessarily a good thing."

Seeing Kushina's puzzled expression, Qianye Lan couldn't help stroking her long red hair as he continued, "What happens if a group of people can't agree?"

Kushina quickly caught on and replied, "They might argue or even come into conflict."

After answering the question, she also realized why Qianye Lan hadn't brought a few more people along.

Seeing that she had figured it out herself, Qianye Lan nodded and said, "Let's check our equipment first."

The two briefly checked their equipment.

Each person had five Kunai, twenty Shuriken, and one Explosive Tag, along with wire, a map, and other weapons and tools ninja used on everyday missions.

Of course, there was also the indispensable signal flare.

After they checked their equipment, Qianye Lan looked at the map and said, "Let's go here first."

Kushina leaned her little head over and discovered that the place Qianye Lan was pointing to was a river.

She looked at Qianye Lan and said, "I'll follow your lead."

The two set off toward the river, one behind the other.

Meanwhile, the large group was still agonizing over where to go.

One of them pointed at the river on the map where Qianye Lan and Kushina were heading and said, "There's water here. I think I should go there."

Another retorted, "I don't think that'll work. We should go there." After saying that, he pointed to a spot on higher ground.

The others also voiced their opinions.

For a time, this large group of nine began arguing fiercely.

While the other teams had already set off for their destinations, they were still stuck where they had started.