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The second test was going to take place in the Forest of Death. The genins who managed to pass the first exam gathered outside the entrance, waiting for the second stage of the Chunin Exams to begin.
Many genins looked at the massive forest ahead with worry. The atmosphere was completely different from the first examination. The first test had taken place indoors. It had been a battle of intelligence and observation where teams talked to a prisoner in a simple room.
This was different in every way. Before them stood a forest so large that its trees seemed to stretch endlessly toward the horizon. Strange animal cries echoed from deep within the woods.
Many of the younger genin swallowed nervously as they stared into the green darkness. Even experienced shinobi respected the Forest of Death. The name existed for a reason. It was known as a place full of deadly creatures, poisonous plants, and harsh conditions that could break even strong teams.
Shunsui adjusted his hat and looked at the towering trees. 'Now this feels more like a Chunin Exam.'
Shunsui looked around at who all passed and not to his surprise most of the canon characters have passed. There were about 48 different genins teams out of about 120 genin teams that have passed.
It showed that the first test had been challenging but fair enough for talented genin to advance. The competition would be tough in the forest, but that made it more interesting for him. A figure appeared on the platform overlooking the assembled genin.
The conversations immediately began to die down as everyone turned their attention to the new arrival. Many of the older genin straightened their backs out of respect.
Several Konoha participants recognized the newcomer immediately. It was Shikaku Nara. Head of the Nara Clan. A respected jonin commander and one of the smartest shinobi in the village. Shikaku looked down at the crowd. He rubbed his forehead. Then sighed.
"Alright. Listen carefully." The forest became silent as the genin waited for the rules. Shikaku looked over the crowd with tired eyes. "The second examination is called Territory War."
Murmurs immediately spread through the crowd as teams whispered about what that name could mean. Shikaku waited for the noise to settle before he continued.
"The Forest of Death has been divided into forty eight separate territories. One territory for each team that has passed." Shikaku said. "Every team will begin the examination controlling one territory. The examiners will drop you themselves blindfolded in one of them."
Shikaku continued without rushing. "Each territory is worth points. Each territory has a flag. The more territory flags you capture at the end of the examination, the more points your team receives." A hand immediately shot into the air from one of the genin.
Shikaku already looked tired but answered anyway. "Yes." A genin from Kusa stood up. "So we just capture other teams flags?"
"More or less," Shikaku replied. The genin frowned and said, "That sounds easy."
Shikaku stared at him for several seconds. Then sighed again. "No."
Shikaku said, "Your own territory must be defended at all times. You cannot take out your own flag and run to capture other flags. Maybe you split off to defend the territory or you just continue to protect your territory."
The room grew quieter as the genin started to understand the challenge. "If another team captures your main territory, you lose fifty percent of all points you have gathered."
That immediately changed the atmosphere. Now the participants understood that capturing territory was only half the challenge. Keeping it would be much harder because other teams could attack at any time.
Shikaku continued with more details. "You may capture as many flags as you wish." Several ambitious genin immediately smiled at the idea of taking everything. Then Shikaku crushed their hopes. "But every territory you capture makes you a target for others. A team can try to recapture their flag even after it is taken."
The smiles vanished quickly. "If you spread yourselves too thin, another team may take everything you gained." Now many participants looked thoughtful as they considered the risks of being too greedy.
Shikaku nodded slightly. "Good. Some of you are starting to understand."
Another hand rose. This time from a Taki genin. "What stops different genin teams from a single village from working together?" The crowd immediately became interested. It was a good question.
Several teams from the same village could simply combine forces and dominate the forest. And everyone knew it was aimed at Konoha which had the most genin teams.
Shikaku pointed toward the forest and explained carefully. "Every team will be randomly assigned a starting territory."
He paused to let that sink in. "No team will know the starting location of any other team. And the Forest of Death is big and filled with dangerous creatures that would make it hard for teams from same village to gather and also for you to go and capture another flag. Even if they managed to gather together and hunt down flags together only one team gets to keep the flag so they would also have to worry about betrayal and infighting."
The crowd blinked at first. Then murmurs erupted as they realized how difficult it would be to team up with allies.
Shikaku folded his arms and gave the final details. "The examination will last seventy two hours." Several genin looked surprised. Three full days. That was a long time. Long enough for exhaustion to become a factor. Long enough for strategy to matter. Long enough for mistakes to become deadly in the dangerous forest.
Teams would need to manage food, rest, defense, and attacks all at the same time. Shikaku looked over the crowd one last time. "Now let us get you blindfolded and then you would be dropped at your location."
The genin began moving as chunin assistants prepared blindfolds for everyone.
------Author Notes---------
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