Run! These People Eat Humans!

The enormous iron gate slammed shut behind them.

The light dimmed all at once.

Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky and sun. The air reeked of fermenting, rotting leaves, and the occasional strange cry of an unknown beast made their scalps prickle.

"This place feels... really uncomfortable."

Sakura shrank back, gripping her backpack straps tightly.

Sasuke scanned their surroundings warily, two kunai already held in his hand.

"This is a survival exercise. Enemies could appear at any moment. Stay in formation."

His words had barely faded.

The bushes ahead suddenly shook violently.

Rustle, rustle-

An odd sound of running water came from within.

"Who's there!"

Sasuke's gaze sharpened, and he was about to throw his kunai.

"Wait, wait, wait! It's me!"

Naruto jumped out of the bushes in a panic, still pulling up his pants with both hands, his face flushed red.

"Uh... I drank too much expired milk earlier. I really couldn't hold it anymore."

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.

A vein bulged on Sakura's forehead, and she raised her fist to hit him.

"You idiot! Could you take this seriously for once!"

"Watch out!"

Son Goten suddenly reached out, grabbed Sakura's head, and pushed her halfway down.

Whoosh!

A dark shape swept past Sakura's scalp with a foul gust, sending a few strands of pink hair drifting down.

A thunderous crash shook the ground.

The dust cleared.

A giant centipede, a full five or six meters long, clung to a tree trunk.

Its shell gleamed purplish black, hundreds of densely packed legs writhed beneath it, and venom dripped from its two enormous mandibles.

"Aaaah!!!"

Sakura let out an ear-piercing scream, her knees going so weak she nearly collapsed.

The thing's appearance alone was enough to drain her sanity.

Sasuke went pale, nearly frightened into activating his Sharingan.

Isn't that way too big? Is this what lives in the Forest of Death?

"Gulp."

The distinct sound of someone swallowing rang out.

It sounded particularly out of place amid the terrifying atmosphere.

Sasuke and Sakura turned their heads stiffly.

Son Goten's eyes were shining, his gaze even more heated than when he had looked at Miss Anko's thighs earlier.

"What a huge... mantis shrimp."

Son Goten wiped the corner of his mouth.

"At that size, the meat must be really firm."

Before anyone else could react.

Son Goten bent his knees slightly, cracking a small crater into the ground.

He shot forward like a cannonball.

The giant centipede sensed the danger too and opened its jaws to spray a poisonous mist.

"Shut your mouth!"

Son Goten threw a punch.

Crack!

The crisp sound of a shell shattering echoed through the forest.

The centipede's head, so hard that even kunai could not pierce it, caved in under that single punch.

The enormous insect carcass crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The legs that were still twitching went still.

"Done."

Son Goten dusted off his hands and turned toward his dumbstruck teammates.

"Naruto, start a fire."

"Sakura, get the cumin and chili powder out of the bag."

"Sasuke, go whittle a few branches. Thick ones."

The three were still staring blankly.

"Huh?"

Naruto blinked. "What are we doing?"

Son Goten pointed at the carcass on the ground as though it were obvious.

"Eating, of course."

"That written test took too much brainpower. I'm so hungry I could eat a cow."

Son Goten walked over to the centipede's carcass and pried its hard shell apart with his bare hands, exposing the tender white meat inside.

"Look at this meat. Tsk, tsk. Absolutely top quality."

"Just remove the head and venom glands, and it's pure protein."

Ten minutes later.

A campfire burned in a clearing somewhere in the Forest of Death.

Fat sizzled, accompanied by an unusual aroma of cooked meat.

Son Goten held a skewer of golden-brown meat and sprinkled a handful of cumin over it. The aroma was simply incredible.

"Come on, everyone, help yourselves. Eat it while it's hot."

Son Goten offered his teammates two skewers.

Sakura shook her head furiously, her face turning green.

"I'm not eating that! I wouldn't eat bugs if you killed me!"

Sasuke also looked disgusted and turned his head away.

Only Naruto was unfazed. The aroma had already become too much for him to resist, and he took a skewer and bit off a large mouthful.

"Mmm! Delicious!"

Naruto's eyes lit up. "This is even better than the roast pork at Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Right?"

Son Goten smugly took a huge bite, grease coating his mouth.

"You don't get wild game like this back in the village."

Meanwhile.

In some bushes not far away.

Three Rain Ninja wearing gas masks lay flat on the ground, barely daring to breathe.

They had originally come to ambush this team of rookies.

But now, all they could feel were their calves cramping.

"Captain... are we going in?"

One Rain Ninja's voice trembled.

Through his mask, the captain watched Son Goten feast, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Like hell we are!"

"That's a venomous centipede from the Forest of Death! One mouthful of its venom can melt rock!"

"And that brat is eating it as barbecue?"

"If we go out there and get spotted..."

The captain swallowed, an image flashing through his mind of himself sprinkled with cumin and roasting over a fire.

"Retreat! Hurry!"

"Those aren't examinees. They're a bunch of monsters!"

The three Rain Ninja withdrew without a sound, not even daring to fart.

Beside the campfire.

Son Goten glanced in their direction.

"Tch. They sure ran fast."

He shook his head, a little disappointed.

"I was going to ask if they had any rice balls on them."

Watching Naruto eat with such relish, Sasuke's stomach betrayed him with a growl.

They really had not eaten anything since morning.

"Here."

Son Goten shoved a skewer into Sasuke's hand.

"You're a man. Don't be so fussy."

"If you want to get stronger, you have to eat your fill first."

Sasuke looked at the skewer, hesitated for a long time, then finally took a small, tentative bite.

Hmm?

Crisp outside and tender inside, it tasted a little like chicken, but with the fresh sweetness of seafood.

Sasuke's brows relaxed.

He took another big bite.

Delicious.

Seeing both teammates eating, Son Goten nodded in satisfaction.

He finished off his meat in a few bites and casually tossed the bones into the fire.

He still was not full.

Though this insect meat tasted good, its energy density was too low.

For a Saiyan's body, it was nothing more than a snack barely worth a mouthful.

He stood up and patted his stomach.

His gaze turned deeper into the forest.

Within those gloomy shadows, he sensed a far larger, far wilder presence.

It carried the distinctive rank odor of a cold-blooded animal.

And mixed into that presence was a trace of evil that felt familiar to him.

"This forest really is a great place."

Son Goten licked his lips, a predator's gleam flashing in his eyes.

"I just saw a really big snake go past."

"That snake looks... more nourishing than this centipede."

"Let's go, gang!"

Son Goten swept his arm out, brimming with fighting spirit.

"I'll take you to eat a real feast!"

"This Forest of Death is our buffet!"