A/N: relatively short chapter. also as I'm writing the chapters I'm also re-reading the forest of death sub arc.
[ JINICHI WATARU ]
Jinichi was lost in thought.
'A few credits and a sword, even though it's the weapon of one of the forbidden five, those people were not strong because of their weapons, but because of their individual power and strength.
And last, I remember, the sword didn't seem to have any special properties or whatsoever, it was just Nokt who was a stupidly strong fighter that made it look strong.
But still am I ready to start learning how to use a sword?'
"OK! I will now explain the second test!" Ankos voice cut through Jinichi's thinking.
" The test will take place in the forest behind you, called area number 44, there are 44 locked gates.
In the forest, there is a tower placed in the center of the forest, with each gate being exactly 10 kilometres away from the tower. Theres also a river to help you guys."
She paused for a moment, before continuing.
"During the duration of the test you will have to complete a certain task in order to advance to the next stage. Using any weapon or jutsu, each team will compete in an all out no rules battle royale for these scrolls."
She pulls out two scrolls from her coat.
One scroll is white with the kanji, heaven written on it, while the other is dark with the kanji, earth written on it.
"There are currently 26 teams here, thirteen teams will get the heaven scroll, the other thirteen will get the earth scroll. To advance to the next stage, a team must possess both the heaven and the earth scrolls to pass."
"However, there is a time limit, 5 days to be exact."
" Five days?! How are we meant to get food?! " Choji asked in shock and worry.
"Theres enough wild life in the forest and plants to survive off of. But do be careful of man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, poisonous plants, etc."
" And the possibility of 13 teams passing is unlikely also, the longer time is wasted, the harder it is to achieve the goal, and in turn the time used for resting will drop as well, because of your enemies so do be careful. "
Suddenly a smile grew on Anko's face.
"Now! Here are somethings that will disqualify a team leading to failure of the Chunin exams;
First, those who fail to make it to the tower with both scrolls in the allotted time limit.
Secondly, those who lose their teammate, or their teammate is killed during the test.
Third, opening any of the scrolls before entering the tower is prohibited and will result in failure of the test."
" Uh..what happens if you open the scroll before then? " Naruto asked.
" Lets just say that it's a test for your trustworthiness, and those who fail will receive a pleasant surprise~ "
Anko then clapped her hands.
" Well that's the end of my explanations, make sure that each team fills their respective forms, before submitting it to the booth behind me, after submission they will then be given their respective scroll. After which the team will choose a gate and be guided by an instructor to it to get ready. "
Anko's expression then turned serious.
" A final word of advice…don't die."
….
...
.....
After submitting their forms, team Shohei was given the earth scroll and chose gate 13 as their entry point.
Upon reaching there, an instructor was already there, key in hand ready to open the lock and grant them access upon receiving Anko's signal.
"From here on out we follow my lead."
Kisuke said, his expression was calm, but his eyes were focused.
Aoi had a slight grin on her face, but her arms shivered ever so slightly.
Jinichi was stretching his limbs getting ready to spring into action once signalled.
!!
" THE SECOND TEST OF THE CHUNIN EXAMS BEGINS NOW!!"
Anko shouted, her voice loud enough to alert everyone.
Aoi, Kisuke and Jinichi quickly entered through the gate.
The gate of entrance 13 groaned as they swung shut, the metallic clatter locking Team Shohei into the towering, sunless depths of area 44—the Forest of Death.
Around them, trees three hundred feet tall stretched into a suffocating green canopy, blocking out the sky and plunging the forest floor into a damp, endless twilight.
The air was thick with the stench of rotting vegetation, wet earth, and the faint, unsettling hum of oversized insects rustling in the canopy above. The soil beneath their sandals felt suspiciously soft, carpeted by centuries of decaying leaves, thick mud, and the buried bones of those who had attempted the exam in years past and never returned.
They all glanced at each other as Kisuke gestured for them to follow him.
Kisuke jumped up a tree with the two following behind him, they began jumping from branch to branch, the mossy texture of the branches made traversal taxing, due to their previous chakra control training a while back.
Eventually Kisuke's pace settled down as he led them to a hollowed-out tree to take refuge.
Kisuke searched the area, scanning for any trace of any trackers. While Jinichi and Aoi checked the tree for any wild beasts, upon seeing none they calmed down to make a plan of action.
"Okay, I believe it is safe now." Kisuke whispered.
"So, what's the plan Kisuke." Jinichi asked.
"Firstly, we need something to verify the identity of each other if we ever get separated. On top of that getting food and shelter is necessary.
we have to be able to scavenge for safe food, you guys can help with finding fruits while I will fish. Just make sure to bring them back to me to see if they are poisonous."
Aoi and Jinichi nodded in understanding before Kisuke continued.
"Secondly every few hours we'll have to change locations so we can reach the tower before the deadline."
Kisuke paused for a moment, listening to the sounds of the forest, possibly sensing for enemy shinobi.
"Third, it will be better to attack enemy shinobi when they are at their weakest or at the end of their battles to pick up the heaven scroll. But if by the second day we are unable to do so, we will have to be more aggressive in our approach to get the scroll."
Jinichi nodded in understanding.
"And finally, we are going to need someone to scout the area with their clones. So we can keep track of the terrain and avoid unnecessary confrontations."
Kisuke then turns directly to Jinichi.
"Me?" Jinichi asked surprised.
"You have the highest chakra reserves amongst the three of us, that and your clone is less likely to enter a fight by itself in comparison to Aoi's own."
Aoi punched Kisuke's shoulder at the remark then clicked her tongue in annoyance but could not refute his statement.
'He's right, although I can probably only make two clones max.' Jinichi thought pondering on Kisuke's words.
"Okay, understood." Jinichi muttered in agreement to Kisuke's decision. Kisuke's head perked up.
"Now for the safe word, I'm sure we are all aware of sensei's favourite animal?" Kisuke asked.
!!!
'Enemies?'
" Yes." Aoi and Jinichi said in unison. Aoi's hand had already moved to her weapon pouch as her, posture suddenly changed.
Kisuke then knocked on the tree bark twice.
'100m?Damn Kisuke's hearing is absurd.'
Jinichi put his hand on the tree bark, releasing a thin wave of chakra from his hand and from his torso, the wave was thin enough to go unnoticed to the common Genin, but effective enough to pin point the locations of various creatures in the vicinity.
Ping
Ping
Ping
Ping
Ping Ping
Ping Ping
Ping
Ping
Ping Ping
Jinichi tapped his finger on the bark once, then after a moment he tapped it three times.
Jinichi then gestured with his hands, using his finger to signify both tree and ground.
'Three enemies, two on the ground and one hidden in a nearby tree.'
Kisuke and Aoi looked at him and nodded.
Without a moment's notice, Aoi weaved a few hand signs and slipped into the shadows.
Kisuke went out of their temporary hideout before jumping down in the opposite direction.
'He wants to bait them.'
Jinichi left a minute after Kisuke. Dropping to the ground, he released his chakra sonar and began to focus chakra on his fore head to speed up his search.
'Shingan'
A wave of chakra spread out from Jinichi, locking onto the consciousness of the nearby attackers. The Shingan established a clear mental link, feeding the enemy's thoughts directly into Jinichi's mind.
'There.'
An explosive kunai slid out from his sleeve he charged the seal with chakra, and in a single motion he threw the Kunai at a lone tree branch covered with dense leaves.
'Shit! I've been found!'
The frantic thought spiked across the mental link. The enemy ninja leapt out of the way just as the kunai arrived, giving away his position in the process.
Boooooom!!
The enemy Genin repositioned to another tree branch. His clothes slightly singed. But on his head was a hidden grass forehead protector.
'I need to distract him so I can cast the jutsu. Throwing the shuriken's as a distraction, while weaving the signs!'
Jinichi intercepted the thought instantly. Before the Grass ninja's fingers could even form the first-hand sign, Jinichi was already tilting his body to the side. The volley of shuriken whistled harmlessly past him. Mid-evasion, Jinichi launched two kunais of his own.
'I'll just duck under the first one and jump left—'
'Gotcha,' Jinichi thought to himself.
Because he read the enemy's escape route ahead of time, Jinichi had intentionally aimed the second kunai to land exactly where the Grass Genin intended to jump. The first kunai was easily avoided, forcing the ninja to drop his jutsu, but the second one embedded itself right under his landing feet. It was another explosive kunai.
"SHIT!" the enemy ninja exclaimed.
Boooooom!!
The deafening blast tore through the dense foliage, shattering the massive tree branch and kicking up a thick cloud of smoke. The Grass Genin plummeted through the air, completely defenseless.
Jinichi augmented his legs with chakra, disappearing from his position and approaching the downed enemy Genin in earnest.
'Stay away!'
The panicked mental command echoed in Jinichi's head mid-fall. Knowing a projectile was coming, Jinichi effortlessly sidestepped the desperate kunai thrown by the falling ninja.
The Grass Genin hit the dirt, his mind instantly pivoting to survival:
'He's too close for ninjutsu! I have to rush him, aim right for his ribs!'
Jinichi didn't back away. Since he already knew the blade was tracking his side, he deliberately stepped deep into the Grass-nin's attack range. By crowding the enemy before the swing could gather momentum, he rendered the knife strike completely useless.
'How did he—'
The enemy's thoughts shattered. In the same fluid motion, Jinichi drew a kunai from his pouch, drove it deep into the Genin's gut, and twisted. Before the ninja could even scream, Jinichi's fist connected squarely with his jaw, knocking him out cold.
His body went limp, collapsing onto the damp earth like a puppet cut from its strings.
Jinichi let out a sigh of relief before reaching into his pouch and tightly bound the Genin with Ninja wire and removed his ninja pouch from his body. Before carrying the body with him to track Kisuke and Aoi down.
[ KISUKE YOROI ]
Tucked securely inside a pouch in Kisuke's inner robe, beneath layers of protective silk and reinforced cloth, rested a single, black-inked Earth Scroll. To pass the second phase and qualify for the third, Team Shohei needed to hunt down another squad, claim a Heaven Scroll, and navigate the lethal, trap-ridden wilderness to reach the central tower within five days.
Or, they could simply wait for the enemy to come to them. That was exactly what Kisuke was doing now.
After leaving the hollow tree, Kisuke moved through the canopy with fluid grace before dropping into a rocky clearing. He settled against a sheer stone wall, deliberately leaving himself exposed.
Almost immediately, two Grass Genin stepped into the trap—an older male and a younger female. The male landed directly in front of him, while his partner cornered Kisuke from behind, cutting off his escape. One drew a sword; the other wielded a kunai.
"Leave the scroll if you value your life," the older Grass ninja said, pointing his blade at Kisuke's chest.
"I'd rather not," Kisuke replied with a calm smile.
The female Genin pressed her weapon harder against Kisuke's neck, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Last chance. If you die here, your team automatically loses. Is your life really worth a scroll?"
"Probably not," Kisuke mused as the older boy stepped closer.
"But true shinobi always put the mission ahead of their own safety."
Thwack!
Suddenly, a kunai whistled out from the foliage and pierced the girl's arm. The unexpected pain forced her to drop her weapon. Seizing the opening, Kisuke whirled around, striking the pressure points on her arm to paralyze her limbs before knocking her out cold with a swift chop to the back of her neck.
Seeing his partner drop, the older Genin lunged forward, swinging his sword to cleave Kisuke in two. Kisuke grabbed the unconscious girl by her limp arm and hurled her directly into the path of the incoming blade.
The older boy gasped, instantly halting his lethal swing to catch his teammate.
That split-second distraction was all the two needed. Aoi materialized from the shadows, her kunai aimed directly for the older Genin's shoulder.
Realizing the danger, the boy dumped his partner onto the dirt and ducked under Aoi's strike, barely bringing his arms up in time to block a heavy follow-up punch from Kisuke.
Gripping his sword tight, the Grass ninja lashed out with a desperate counter-slash. Aoi intercepted the steel with her kunai. Sparks flew, the sheer force of the collision rattling her bones and pushing her back several feet.
Seizing the brief moment, Kisuke's fingers blurred through a rapid sequence of hand seals.
'Ram → Tiger.'
'Water Style: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!'
A stream of clear, high-viscosity fluid erupted from Kisuke's mouth. The older Genin instinctively leaped backward to avoid the sticky puddle, but he realized too late that he wasn't the target.
"SHIT!" he cursed.
Kisuke snapped his head to the side mid-jutsu, redirecting the sticky wave directly over the unconscious female Genin. The older boy rushed forward to protect her, but the trap had already sprung. The thick, syrup-like liquid coated her body, anchoring her firmly to the stone floor.
Before the Grass ninja could close the distance, Aoi blurred across the clearing. She dropped to one knee beside the trapped girl, pressing the cold edge of her kunai dangerously against the girl's throat.
The older boy froze dead in his tracks, his breath catching in his chest.
"Its over." Kisuke says. His expression deathly cold.
" Like you said before, death automatically results in disqualification, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that."
"You're bluffing." The Genin said with a straight face but his body language betrayed him.
"Aoi." Kisuke said, not needing to explain to her.
Aoi's kunai drew a bead of blood on the girl's throat, drawing a thin line of blood in the process, not deep enough to kill her but deep enough for her team mate to realize the reality of the situation.
"Okay! Okay! I surrender." The Genin muttered weakly, his sword clattering on the ground.
In the next moment, jumping down from a tree was Jinichi with someone in tow.
' That must be their other teammate.' Kisuke thought.
Upon seeing Jinichi arriving with his unconscious team mate, the colour in the Genins face drained.
' He must have been hoping for his team mate to act as backup in case they couldn't take me down.'
Kisuke approached the distraught Genin his expression calm.
" You must be their leader, right? Now you have two choices; you either give us your scroll or they both die. I'm sure you're smart enough to choose the better option."
Kisuke said with a bright smile on his face.