Forest of Death.
An unusual oppressive feeling.
The Byakugan youth stood quietly.
Yet his smile sent chills down one's spine.
His originally pure white eyes were now covered with a faint pink glow.
Hiashi Hyuga stared at him with a furrowed brow.
As the pressure spread, his unease grew increasingly intense.
Hiashi was almost certain this youth wasn't from his clan.
But those Byakugan eyes.
It seemed, with his recent response, Hiashi confirmed he must have come from the moon above.
Thinking this, his gaze swept over his younger brother Hizashi beside him.
In the moment their eyes met, the brothers had already completed their silent communication.
Fugaku Uchiha also noticed the Hyuga brothers' hesitation.
He found it difficult to judge what the Hyuga clansmen were planning to do now.
At this moment, the fallen Uchiha Yakura and Yashiro struggled to stand up.
The Byakugan youth glanced at them: "Already poisoned, are you planning to give up on seizing these Ninja Beast Eggs?"
His tone was gentle, yet it sounded like demonic whispers.
That smile seemed to tear at everyone's rationality.
Cold sweat seeped from Fugaku's palms.
Their Sharingan spun simultaneously, the tomoe in their pupils gradually contracting as the surge of Chakra made the very air tremble.
"What nonsense... giving up?"
Yakura gritted his teeth, blood boiling, his eyes fanatical.
"We are Uchiha!"
Yashiro growled low, releasing his ocular power.
Both burned with scorching Chakra, the aura of Fire Release gathering in the air as they simultaneously launched a new round of fierce attacks toward the Byakugan youth!
The Byakugan youth merely tilted his head slightly.
Intense emotional stimulation. Could obtain stronger emotional resonance.
These people before him were all parents of the future twelve strong shinobi.
But they were still ultimately Ninja School students, so he had to use this kind of emotional sensory stimulation to ensure the hatching of Pokémon that truly met his needs.
At this moment, the Chakra around him surged violently, leaves were swept up by the shockwaves, and countless spiderweb-like cracks split the ground.
Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze observing from the shadows had already discussed timing and entry points with Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki.
"Uchiha never bow their heads!"
Two figures shot forward almost simultaneously, Fire Release Chakra exploding in the air, even trees being burned to charred ashes!
Just as they launched their full-power attack toward the Byakugan youth, Hiashi also made his decision.
"Apologies."
He finally raised his head, his Byakugan fully activated once more,
His pupils emitting mirror-like cold light.
"Wherever you come from, we need to complete our assessment at the Ninja School!"
The next moment, he and Hizashi simultaneously stepped forward,
Chakra erupting like shockwaves as they instantly executed the Gentle Fist!
The Byakugan youth smiled.
"Good."
With a flash of pink light, he met their palms with his own.
Just as both sides were about to collide!
"Shadow Binding Technique!"
A black shadow abruptly extended from the tree shadows, instantly wrapping around the Byakugan youth's legs!
"Hmm?"
His brow raised slightly.
Immediately after, golden chains formed from light descended from above!
Kushina Uzumaki had made her move.
The Sealing Technique of the Uzumaki clan!
The golden chains snaked downward, intertwining with the black shadows to form a cage,
Firmly trapping the Byakugan youth at the center.
In the blink of an eye, Minato Namikaze and Inoichi Yamanaka appeared at the two corners!
They each snatched three Ninja Beast Eggs!
"Retreat!"
Inoichi and Minato exchanged a glance, then vanished in two puffs of smoke.
At the same time, the golden chains and shadow bindings were released simultaneously.
By the time the golden light completely faded, the Uchiha and Hyuga clansmen had just rushed to the Byakugan youth's side.
The Byakugan youth had no time to pursue Minato Namikaze and Inoichi Yamanaka.
Amid the violent explosion that erupted in an instant, Yakurami and Yashiro fell, leaving only Hiashi Hyuga, Hizashi Hyuga, and Fugaku Uchiha standing.
As for Minato's trio and Shikaku Nara's trio, they had long since seized the Ninja Beast Eggs they needed during the chaos.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Forest of Death.
After a series of heart-pounding skirmishes, Mikoto Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki finally managed to escape danger.
The forest mist had yet to dissipate, and the distant echoes of explosions and clashing chakra still lingered.
Mikoto glanced back toward the direction of the battlefield, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.
"Fugaku-nii..."
She murmured softly, her fingertips tightening slightly.
Kushina tilted her head to look at her, a hint of a dismissive smile playing on her lips.
"Don't worry, he's the Uchiha clan's genius after all."
Minato smiled gently, his tone soft: "Fugaku-senpai will be fine. Right now, we need to focus on completing the exam—after all, this is our chance to form a Ninja Beast contract."
Kushina and Minato's back-and-forth reassurance made Mikoto think it over...
After all, Fugaku Uchiha was a genius.
No matter what, he would still obtain a Ninja Beast Egg.
"But that Byakugan youth..."
Minato explained with a smile: "His taijutsu and fighting style are from the Ninja School—he might be an examiner arranged by the Hokage-sama."
During the earlier battle observation, Minato was certain that the Byakugan youth's combat techniques and style belonged to the Hidden Leaf system.
So, to comfort Mikoto about Fugaku, Minato concluded based on his own understanding that the Byakugan youth was part of the assessment.
After all, the Hidden Leaf's Chunin Exams and other tests often included such surprise evaluation segments.
This was something Minato had noted in his study journals.
Kushina continued to reassure Mikoto: "Let's go hatch our Ninja Beast Eggs first, Mikoto."
"Mm."
Finally, Mikoto agreed that the two weren't wrong.
She temporarily put Fugaku out of her mind.
The three of them sped through the dense foliage, eventually finding a clearing.
"This spot is good. Let's do it here."
The three Ninja Beast Eggs obtained during the chaos were neatly placed in the center of the clearing.
The eggshells still gleamed with a pure white luster.
Kushina placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward to examine them with curious eyes.
"They don't look particularly special."
Minato crouched down, carefully observing the surface of the eggshells as he analyzed:
"Ninja Beast Eggs require emotional resonance to hatch. Only when the holder touches them with their truest will do they respond."
Kushina tilted her head, revealing a confident, slightly mischievous smile.
"Then let me go first!"
She extended her hand, chakra rapidly gathering in her palm.
The energy burned like flames, pulsating intensely.
The moment her fingertip touched the eggshell, a trail of flames spread along its patterns.
The white shell was instantly enveloped in a scorching orange-red halo, with strands of intense Chakra flames burning in the air, pulsating like the resonance of life.
Kushina widened her eyes in astonishment.
"Wow... this!"
"Truly worthy of you."
Minato chuckled softly, his gaze filled with admiration.
"Now it's my turn."
He took a deep breath and gently placed his right hand on the second egg.
In an instant, the eggshell glowed with a soft golden light.
The radiance was starkly different from Kushina's blazing heat—not fierce, but resilient and bright, like the first rays of dawn before the sun rises.
Golden Chakra flowed along the shell's patterns, gradually converging into intricate geometric designs.
"So beautiful..."
Finally, Mikoto Uchiha stepped forward, extending her hand as the Chakra in her palm spread like ripples on water.
Upon contact, a faint cyan halo emerged on the eggshell, gentle yet exuding a comforting presence.
It was as if the entire forest fell silent, leaving only that tranquility and tenderness.