Chapter 58
It seemed the head of the Yamanaka clan hadn't lied this time—Shisui's ailments were gone. Though he wouldn't say there were no side effects. He was tired, both mentally and physically.
But they couldn't afford to rest. The second test began immediately after the first ended. Once they were led into the Forest of Death, it became a bloodbath. Shisui and his team managed to run, but they knew others were following them.
The only reason the test hadn't ended within five minutes was that at least half the genin were in no condition to fight, and most had decided to play it defensively. After all, they had five days—they needed to conserve their strength for the crucial moments.
However, some wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate the others while they were still weak. But Shisui didn't envy those with the most energy, as they were now alone. It wasn't hard to notice how some teams had completely split up and even looked ready to kill each other.
There were advantages to betraying teammates and leaving them behind—but only temporarily. As the days went on, Shisui suspected that without anyone to support them, lone shinobi would soon tire out and become prey for the others.
"Wait, didn't we already pass that tree?" Iruka asked, stopping abruptly.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Yamato replied, glancing around. "Every tree looks the same. But I guess we should get to a higher point and survey the area before we move any further."
"Leave it to me," Shisui said, quickly climbing the tallest tree nearby.
Even if he wasn't confident about lasting long in a fight, he didn't feel uncomfortable moving at a moderate pace. And with his Sharingan, he could memorize the surroundings. They needed to find a safe place to rest and prepare for the night.
Just as Shisui reached the top branch and prepared to push his head through the leaves, something flew at him. He whipped his head to the side, barely dodging as it streaked past and wrapped around his neck.
A snake. If he'd been a second slower, it would have bitten him—and judging by the liquid dripping from its fangs, the venom wouldn't have been pleasant. Shisui caught the snake's head and dealt with the surprise attack, then finished his scan.
First, he ensured there was no one around aside from his team; only then did he look for a place to stay. He spotted a small spring hidden deep in the trees. Knowing rivers and larger water sources would be crowded with other genin, this secluded spot was likely their best choice.
"It seems we're alone in this area," he said, dropping down to his team, "but we should move quickly and prepare. I found a decent place where we can rest and plan our next move."
"I don't think it'll be that easy," Yamato muttered, eyes narrowing at the treeline.
Eyes. Dozens of them. Predators—the apex of the Forest of Death's food chain. A few wouldn't be an issue. A pack, maybe. But with one glance, Shisui could tell there were more than they could handle. And even if they somehow succeeded, they'd be exhausted.
"They're watching," Shisui murmured. "Let's not provoke them. Just move—calmly."
Iruka and Yamato nodded, mirroring Shisui's slow, deliberate pace as they withdrew. Just as they were about to pick up speed, an explosion rang out in the distance—in the direction Shisui had planned to go, though it sounded further away.
"The animals will get restless with so many intruding on their territory," Iruka said.
"Our plan doesn't change," Shisui replied. "We'll secure a place to rest tonight and figure out our next steps tomorrow."
Still, even as he said that, Shisui doubted they'd get much rest. What worried him more was the five-day deadline. What if more than sixteen genin were still standing at the end?
The Third wasn't someone who'd overlook such possibilities. So either he had contingencies in place, or survival beyond five days was simply impossible. If that was true, then Shisui's assumption that this was an endurance trial—a war of attrition—might be wrong.
But he couldn't dwell on it now. They had to focus on surviving the present. The competition was already fierce. The Kumo shinobi wouldn't let them off easily. And aside from them, there was the Suna team.
Maki hadn't revealed much, but from what Shisui had seen, she was strong and smart. And by now, she had gained a decent understanding of their team's capabilities.
"Finally," Yamato exhaled in relief once they reached the spring, where water trickled from a hole in the rocks. "We can restock our water supplies here, at least. Now the question is—what do we do about food?"
They looked around the empty area around the spring. It was bereft of any signs of life, weird but nothing they could afford to be concerned about. The water was clean, and there was plenty of it, so that was all that mattered.
"As easy as it would be to go hunting, it's too risky," Iruka said. "No matter how good we are, we'll leave traces—footprints, blood, signs of a fire to cook meat. We'll have to rely on foraging."
"Why don't you rest, Shisui?" Yamato offered. "I'll forage, and Iruka can set traps."
"That sounds like a plan."
Shisui could already feel his limits. An hour or two of light sleep might help clear his head and give his body a chance to recover. It was only the first day—he couldn't afford to collapse from exhaustion.
…
Shisui woke up, consumed by hunger. Only now did he realize he hadn't eaten anything since the Chunin Exams began. He quickly looked around, finding it was already quite dark—he'd slept far longer than expected.
"Iruka is asleep," Yamato said, on watch duty. "Have something to eat, though it isn't much."
Shisui walked up to the cloth, holding a handful of berries and herbs. It wasn't much at all—barely enough to satiate him for now. He didn't think Yamato had overlooked anything; most likely, there just wasn't more to find.
"Did everything go well?" Shisui asked as he sat down next to Yamato.
"Iruka set up quite a few traps around, so if anyone tries to bother us, we'll know before they can do anything. And we made sure we left no traces, so if we keep quiet, hopefully nobody will find us."
"What's wrong?" Shisui noticed Yamato seemed more tense than usual.
"It might be nothing, but I feel like something is watching us." Shisui lifted his head to look in the same direction Yamato was staring.
Only woods and shadows greeted him. It was probably some animal; there was no need to worry too much. And yet, now that he looked into the darkness, Shisui felt like the darkness was looking back at him.
"We need more food." The discomfort grew too strong, and Shisui blurted out his thoughts.
"Funny thing is, it's rare," Yamato replied, with a stretched smile. "It's June. There should be plenty of berries and herbs, and other things growing all over the forest, yet they're hard to find. I'm starting to think it was done on purpose."
"It wouldn't be a surprise," Shisui replied. "It's a test, not a stroll in the park. So, food is limited. Hunting might be our primary food source. It's better to do it tomorrow and stock up as much as possible while we still have the strength to defend ourselves."
"I probably should get some sleep. Will you take over?" Suddenly, Yamato tensed up, and Shisui realized why, but didn't comment on it.
"Yeah, I'm as rested as I can be," Shisui agreed. "If I feel drowsy, I'll wake one of you."
Yamato found a soft spot not far from Iruka and closed his eyes. But Shisui knew he wasn't going to sleep. Simply because Yamato had seen Shisui's red eyes as he glanced into the darkness. Yamato went to wake Iruka.
Those three kunoichi were from Takigakure. Skillful enough to hide themselves—only Shisui's Sharingan had spotted them. But even he couldn't tell what they wanted. So far, they had stayed away, watching. Maybe waiting—but if so, this was the best chance they'd ever get.
What concerned Shisui even more was that they had easily avoided most of Iruka's traps. And from his own experience, Shisui knew Iruka was not sloppy. That meant these three were experienced and knew exactly what they were doing.
And from the weapons they carried, Shisui could tell their fighting style. However, he wasn't too worried. Maybe it was arrogance, but he couldn't imagine himself and his team losing to anyone.
But he wasn't fighting just them, was he? This was only one team of dozens in the forest. How many others were already watching him and the Taki team from a distance, waiting for them to fight and exhaust each other before striking?
What should he do? Strike them first and hope to finish them quickly, then prepare for the next attackers? Was there any benefit to it?
It wasn't the other teams that worried Shisui—it was what the Third had prepared if more than sixteen genin survived until the last day.
And the number sixteen was a bit too much. Usually, only eight advanced to the finals—the best of the best, meant to be showcased before foreign observers. So why had the Third decided to double the numbers? Was it just because this was the first Chunin Exam since the war?
So many questions—and yet he couldn't give even a second to think about them as an enemy stood before his eyes.
A small root touched Shisui's foot—a signal from Yamato that Iruka was awake and prepared. Shisui tapped the root a few times, signaling them to wait. He would not strike. He had decided he would not even fight.
"Hmm?"
It seemed their enemies were tired of waiting, or thought it best to strike now, while the other two were pretending to be asleep. But even then, they didn't move. No, they were careful. The careful ones were always dangerous.
It was gas, barely visible, with a sweet smell. Most wouldn't notice it. Most would just breathe it in, thinking it was fresher air than usual. And those who were asleep wouldn't even realize… they would never wake up.
"Now!" Iruka yelled, probably noticing the gas too, pulling a string from the ground.
Shisui covered his eyes just in time as blinding light consumed the darkness. It was surprising that the girls didn't scream. He remembered the first time Iruka blinded him—it had stung like thousands of ants biting into his eyes.
"Let's go." Shisui could probably finish them quickly while they were blinded—it would take a few minutes for their vision to return. But there was no benefit to doing so.
Three seconds. That's how much it took for Iruka and Yamato to get everything ready, and all three of them jumped into the forest, fleeing their assailants. Shisui glanced back once to confirm the kunoichi weren't following.
And even if they did, Shisui would cast a simple genjutsu to lose them. But even though the kunoichi weren't following, someone else was still watching. Shisui could feel the stare, but what worried him more was that even with his Sharingan, he couldn't find the stalker.
"Show yourself!"
After some distance, Shisui couldn't help it anymore and called out to whoever was watching. Of course, it didn't work, but at least he hoped for some reaction—to confirm he wasn't imagining it.
But there was nothing. Just the rustling of leaves. It was unsettling.
"A snake?" Iruka asked, looking at a small snake wrapped around a tree branch, watching them.
Another one? Now, Shisui was getting suspicious. And if he was right, there was no reason to worry—but also every reason to.
He had only worked with Anko once in the Land of Water, but that had been enough to know how mischievous—and dangerous—she could be.
"It can't be, right?" Yamato knew more about her than Shisui, so his reaction was understandable.
"What?" Iruka asked, the only one who didn't know—and Shisui was envious of that fact.
"This forest just became more dangerous than we could've ever expected," Shisui replied with a nervous smile.
There was no need to worry, Iruka. After all, she was just here to watch them, right? But now that he thought about it, he wondered how those kunoichi from Taki had found them.
It must be just a coincidence. Nothing more.
"We should get going, before—" Yamato didn't finish his sentence, as a giant centipede suddenly burst out of the ground.
Iruka, always prepared, jumped back and threw a kunai at it, only for the blade to bounce off. Shisui saw how thick the giant insect's shell was. There was barely anything they could do to damage it.
But it seemed they'd have to deal with it before moving on.
There was no avoiding it. The centipede wrapped its long body around a tree and toppled it with its weight. The crash echoed through the forest, sure to alert anyone nearby. If they ran now, they'd only encounter those drawn by the commotion, with this monster still chasing them.
It seemed like this was going to be one long night.
A.N. For personal reasons, the schedule of the chapter has changed. So, I won't be able to post on weekends. I haven't decided on the days yet, but at least this story will be updated every Wednesday. Sorry for the delay, by the way.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to 7 more chapters and 28 chapters in total with all my other stories, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.