Forest of Death.
The venue for the second round of the Chunin Exam.
Konoha has never changed the location for the second round of the exam, nor could they find a better place than this to test the comprehensive abilities of the Genin teams in a wilderness environment.
Just as the name of this venue suggests, the Forest of Death also harbors dangers that could lead to death, including the perilous forest environment and the wild beasts that can be found everywhere...
And...
Rivals who might appear at any moment.
All eyes at the venue were on two individuals.
One was Akihara Kagura, and the other was Uchiha Itachi. These two ten-year-old boys were the only ones who attended the exam alone and were the only ones exempted from the first round.
The other Genin had struggled through the first round of written tests, only to find these two kids waiting for them at the second round without having to take any test, which seemed somewhat unfair.
"That kid..."
"Is there something special about him?"
"I've never seen or heard of him before."
"Why do I feel like Uchiha Itachi and that kid are somewhat at odds... Could he be a genius like Uchiha Itachi?"
"It's hard to say..."
"After all, someone who takes the Chunin exam alone and gets the approval of the higher-ups of the village must not be any ordinary kid..."
"That kid is the one who tricked us into changing the exam venue!"
Someone among the Genin candidates suddenly blurted this out, instantly arousing collective excitement, and they looked at Akihara Kagura with displeasure.
"Hey, that kid..."
"It was me."
Akihara Kagura admitted with a smile to what he had done and extended his hand in invitation, saying, "Welcome... to all of you who have troubles with me."
"Don't be too arrogant, kid..."
Several guys who obviously didn't seem easy to mess with walked over.
Fortunately.
The proctor of the second exam stopped the conflict.
The proctor of the second exam was named Yamashiro Aoba, dressed in the green uniform of a special Jonin of Konoha, wearing a pair of sunglasses on his face.
Yamashiro Aoba looked at a group of Genin who wanted to cause trouble and said softly, "If you want to fight, you'll have plenty of time after you enter the examination room."
"Even..."
Yamashiro Aoba raised a stack of thick papers in his hand and continued, "If you sign this 'Consent Form', even if you accidentally kill your opponent in the examination room, no one will hold you responsible afterward."
"Of course."
"Anyone who signs this 'Consent Form' might face accidents during this exam, and will be solely responsible for their own safety."
"Proctor."
Akihara Kagura raised his hand with a smile and asked, "Does that mean we can kill people in the second exam?"
"..."
Yamashiro Aoba frowned and pondered.
Every year in the Chunin Exams, there are always some arrogant people who think they can stand out, but they often end up dying due to their arrogance.
Even a genius...
Might die in the Forest of Death.
However, Yamashiro Aoba was not a crazily aggressive ninja; in fact, he was somewhat timid and cautious. After thinking for a while, he still nodded.
"By the rules, yes, you can."
Yamashiro Aoba looked at the young man and gently persuaded, "The most important aspect of this exam is not the combat competition. It also tests your wilderness survival skills."
"Even if you can get the pass-through item from your competitors, you might not be able to avoid the dangers of the forest and reach the endpoint of the exam…"
"The rules of the second stage of the Chunin Exam are quite simple…"
"The struggle for the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, all Genin teams participating in the exam will receive two different types of scrolls, the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll;"
"Within five days, any squad must find a way to survive in the Forest of Death and snatch other teams' scrolls, collect both Heaven and Earth Scrolls, and inside the Forest of Death exam venue, you are not restricted in the methods you use against competitors."
"There is only one condition for victory."
"The team must hold both Heaven and Earth Scrolls within the stipulated five days and pass through the long Forest of Death to reach the high tower where the chief examiner is located."
"There are many conditions for elimination."
"First, if a team does not reach the endpoint with both Heaven and Earth Scrolls within the stipulated five days, all members will be eliminated."
"Second, if there is a lack of team members or a team member is unable to move, that is to say, to become a victorious team, all members must reach the destination."
"Third, teams that open the Heaven and Earth Scrolls before reaching the high tower will be disqualified because once you become a Chunin, you may come into contact with highly confidential documents. This is a test of your ability to keep secrets."
"A friendly reminder."
"Opening the scrolls during the exam will lead to strange occurrences."
"Similarly."
"To give you time to adapt."
"All examinees will enter the exam venue through several different entrances."
"This exam will definitely eliminate more than half of the teams, I hope everyone will be careful, I will wait for the victors at the high tower at the endpoint."
"..."
The candidates present quickly became noisy.
Uchiha Itachi's gaze remained unchanged, only more seriously arranging his ninja tool bag, as he promised his father that he could pass the Chunin Exam.
Akihara Kagura's eyes also showed no change, just signing the "Consent Form" with his head down, seemingly indifferent to the danger he might encounter in the Forest of Death.
There were not a few who set their sights on the two young men, Uchiha Itachi and Akihara Kagura, as they made up two teams, each holding a type of scroll.
Compared to competing with other teams, the odds of three people ganging up on one seemed higher, only there were a bit too many people eyeing those two kids...
Indeed, too many wolves and not enough meat...
Of course.
Some had very peculiar points of focus.
"Where do we get the foods?"
A chubby boy loudly asked Yamashiro Aoba.
Yamashiro Aoba, in response to the candidate's question, answered quite seriously: "It's wilderness survival. The resources in the Forest of Death are plentiful, enough for you to be self-sufficient."
"..."
The Genin present felt these were minor issues.
After all, they had all been out on some missions and had learned wilderness survival skills, so these little things were not a problem at all.
Perhaps...
Only one person thought this might be a problem.
Akihara Kagura frowned and began to ponder life, wondering if there was a Genin team wanting to cook. He could join that team and win easily.
Akihara Kagura could fish, but was not good at cooking it.
All along, Akihara Kagura never had to worry about cooking. Back in the research base, Orochimaru always kept him healthy.
Later, when he was in the Root organization, the Root's base also had its own canteen. Although the food quality might not be very good, it was enough to survive.
Akihara Kagura looked over the Genin present.
If he couldn't cook, couldn't he find a way to get some food? The resources in the Forest of Death were enough for self-sufficiency, so he could definitely find something to eat.