Entering the Forest of Death

"Herring Can Grenade? A weapon of psychological warfare?"

Orochimaru scratched his head and questioned.

Wu Di explained very seriously.

"Yes, herring is a type of fish that contains neurotoxins."

"It's often found under ten thousand years of ice, making it extremely rare to collect."

"Its taste is also peculiar, often causing nausea and dizziness."

"Once used, nothing within a ten-meter radius will survive."

Orochimaru listened to his explanation, his eyes narrowing.

He had come with many objectives this time.

If he had such a powerful weapon in hand, wouldn't his chances of success increase exponentially?

Even if for no other reason, the effect of dizziness and nausea alone, even for a few seconds, would be enough.

He excitedly took the grenade and left.

Wu Di watched his retreating back, a ghostly smile on his face.

He hadn't told Orochimaru earlier that the herring can used an instant fuse; the grenade would explode as soon as the ring was pulled.

At that time, the ten pounds of loose herring cans hidden inside would rain down from the sky.

That taste...

Wu Di shivered, not daring to think further.

The scene shifted to the front of the Forest of Death.

A chilling wind blew, and crows occasionally flew by in flocks.

The Konoha 12 and the Genin who passed the first written exam gathered, listening to the chief examiner, Anko Mitarai, explain the rules of the exam.

"Each of your teams will receive a scroll, either the Heaven Scroll or the Earth Scroll."

"Each group needs to obtain a pair of Heaven and Earth scrolls simultaneously and reach the center of the Forest of Death within five days to pass."

"Now, you will be led to different gates by your respective examiners."

"The gates will open uniformly in thirty minutes, and the exam will begin!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the qualified teams dispersed and walked towards different gates.

Naruto, grinning, followed behind his examiner, holding his head and saying.

"Once we get into the forest, I'll activate the map, and we'll head straight for the finish line. We'll definitely be the first to arrive!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who was dreaming, and snorted.

"Don't forget, we still need to snatch scrolls! Idiot!"

Naruto's expression suddenly froze, then he paused slightly and said with a smile.

"It's okay, we can just wait at the finish line."

"If anyone passes by there, we can help them carry it, right? As Kakashi said, we don't produce scrolls, we are just scroll couriers!"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, feeling that what Naruto said made some sense, and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we'll do as you say!"

Naruto laughed heartily, lost in his excitement.

This was the first time they had followed his suggestion since the three of them were assigned to the same team.

This feeling of being recognized was truly wonderful!

Not long after, they arrived in front of a rusty gate.

This gate looked like it hadn't been opened in many years.

Naruto shivered.

"Uh... uh... are we sure we're going in through here?" he asked, a little confused.

The examiner glanced at him but ignored him.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed, and the rusty gate slowly opened.

Sasuke leaped forward and darted inside.

Looking at the eerie and terrifying forest, Naruto swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his face looking a little pale.

"Uh, are we sure we want to go in?" No one answered.

When he came to his senses, Sasuke and the others had already darted far ahead.

"Wait for me!"

Naruto leaped forward, accelerating to catch up with the two.

The deeper they went into the forest, the more eerie and terrifying it became. Dry vines coiled around the tree trunks, and occasionally, specks of dark red could be seen.

Naruto shivered and quickly pulled out the map.

"Let's check our direction first!"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

Naruto cut his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the map, which immediately began to glow.

A line, visible only to him, slowly appeared before his eyes.

"Let's go this way!" Naruto turned and leaped towards a spot slightly to the left.

Sakura followed not far behind, asking with some concern, "Naruto, are you sure this is the right path?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've seen the path the map is showing, it's definitely correct!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other and decided to trust Naruto, following him deeper into the forest.

However, not long after they had walked a short distance, a person clad in yellow robes blocked their path.

This person was none other than Orochimaru, disguised as a Grass ninja.

Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes fixed on Sasuke, a look of excitement on his face.

"A kid from the Uchiha Clan! Hehehe, this is interesting!"

He muttered in a low voice.

"Hey, don't block our way! We're very strong!"

Naruto rolled up his sleeves and walked towards him step by step.

"Heh, fox demon brat, I didn't expect you to be so boastful!"

Orochimaru gave a sinister smile, leaped down from the tree, and lunged at Naruto.

Naruto's lips curled up.

His map only had a one-day time limit, so he had to reach the center within this day.

Therefore, without a second thought, he unleashed his trump card.

Holding up two fingers, he shouted.

"Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique!"

Orochimaru was momentarily stunned.

Before fleeing Konoha, he had thoroughly studied all of Konoha's ninjutsu, yet he had never heard of a technique called Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique.

Had some new ninjutsu been created recently?

However, a ninjutsu used by a Genin, no matter how advanced, couldn't be that advanced, could it?

He showed no caution, reaching out his hand to grab Naruto's head.

But just as their hands made contact, Naruto's two fingers pressed onto his wrist.

He instantly felt his entire body petrify, unable to move.

"Thump!"

His entire body slammed heavily onto a rock in front of him, his head embedded in a crack in the stone, fitting perfectly.

The remaining half of his body was exposed, and anyone who came by would surely discover him.

"Sasuke, Sakura, let's go!" Naruto whispered.

The three of them didn't stop and continued running deeper into the forest.

Orochimaru was stuck in the rock crevice, unable to move, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

If someone had come out and killed him at this moment, perhaps there wouldn't have been so many stories later!

However, Orochimaru was, after all, one of the Sannin, and when necessary, he could get lucky.

During the five minutes he was immobilized, not a single team passed by.

When he finally recovered, it took him a great deal of effort to pull his head out of the rock crevice.

A small cut had appeared on his face from the makeshift skin.

"Fox demon brat, Uchiha brat, you can't escape my grasp!"

He lowered his voice and roared.

He had been a member of Konoha once, and he had entered the Forest of Death countless times.

Looking back in the direction they had gone, he chuckled sinisterly and mused, "These damned brats should be heading towards the center!"

"My prey, you cannot escape my palm!"

He stretched his neck and flew out with boundless excitement.