Chapter 83: Final Test
"Sensei
Kushina, are you really not coming with us?" Kiba asked, watching Uzumaki
Kushina pack the bento box.
It was
almost time for the final test, and after eating the most sumptuous breakfast
he had ever had, they were ready to head to the gathering place. Kiba had
thought Kushina would accompany them, but she had said she would wait for them
at the gathering spot.
"I'm
not going with you, but if you don't pass the final test..." Uzumaki
Kushina looked at the three of them, her red hair slowly fluttering, and her
right hand clenched into a fist, slowly raised up.
Seeing
this, a drop of cold sweat dripped from the back of their heads, and their
expressions became uneasy.
The meaning
was clear—if they didn't pass, they would face her wrath.
"Uh...
Hirohiko, Yukina, it's almost time. Let's go. We shouldn't be late," Kiba
coughed lightly, turning around and urging his teammates.
"Oh!"
The two responded in unison. Together, the three of them left the infirmary and
the first training ground quickly, walking briskly.
Uzumaki
Kushina watched them leave, a slight smile on her lips. Come on, my disciples.
Half an
hour later, outside the 44th training ground of Konoha Village, Kiba and his
team arrived. There were already several people in the open space, around nine
in total, who had passed the two trials.
On the edge
of the open space, a circle of barbed wire hung with signs warning
"Danger" and "No Entry." Inside the wire was a bottomless
forest.
This must be the Forest of Death.
Will the final test take place here? Is it the same as Naruto's, with a test
involving the scrolls?
Kiba thought.
Kiba,
Yukina, and Hirohiko stopped, standing a little distance from the nine others,
clearly separating themselves.
The chief
examiner hadn't arrived yet, but they had made it in time. If they weren't
present ten minutes after the chief examiner's arrival, it would be considered
an abstention.
Glancing at
the Forest of Death, Kiba turned his attention to the nine others. They were
also looking at the three of them.
In terms of
age, the three of them were the youngest. The others were mostly eleven or
twelve years old, like Shiga Taketake and Kiuchi Kento, who were already
fourteen. Considering their performances in the first two trials, this was
notable and unusual.
From the
way they were being sized up, Kiba could feel that they regarded the trio as
significant competition. In their minds, they had likely already planned
strategies for dealing with them.
In other
words, the trio was the focus, even overshadowing the "strongest"
Hyuga Yutaka among them. Even Hyuga Yutaka's gaze was on Kiba and Hirohiko.
Kiba
narrowed his eyes slightly.
This is troublesome. These
people... are all targeting us. No matter what the test is, we must be careful.
Hirohiko
and Yukina also sensed this tension, moving closer to Kiba.
Yukina
suddenly remembered something, taking out a ninja bag from her back and handing
it to Kiba. "Kiba, Sensei Kushina asked me to give you this when I
returned the bento box last night."
Kiba was
surprised, turning his attention away from the others to look at Yukina. Kushina... She noticed I
didn't have a ninja bag. I borrowed one from Yukina during the fight with
Hirohiko.
"Thank
you," Kiba said, taking the ninja bag from Yukina.
Yukina
shook her head slightly, then raised her eyes to look behind Kiba. He turned to
see what she was looking at.
"Is
everyone here?" a hoarse and sinister voice sounded.
Kiba's gaze
fixed on the source.
Orochimaru!
In front of
them stood a long-haired man, Orochimaru.
Orochimaru is the examiner for
the final test? What kind of test will he give?
Kiba
adjusted the ninja tool bag behind his waist for easy access.
Orochimaru
glanced around. The twelve ninjas who participated in the final test had
spontaneously formed four teams, each with three people.
"So,
now, let me explain the rules of the final test," Orochimaru said.
Everyone
focused on him, not saying a word. They all knew that whether they could become
Chunin or not depended on this final test, and they were naturally full of
energy.
Orochimaru
took out a scroll and said, "The final test is to protect this scroll
containing confidential information. Now you will divide into four groups to
carry out offensive and defensive battles. Two groups will protect this scroll,
and two groups will attempt to capture it."
"The
location of the battle is the tower in the center of the Forest of Death. The
attackers' goal is to capture the scroll from the tower and leave with it. The
defenders must guard the scroll for three days. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
the twelve responded in unison.
The rules
were simple. In the tower of death, the attackers aimed to capture the scroll,
while the defenders guarded it for three days, preventing its capture. Each
group consisted of three people.
"Now,
let's determine the offensive and defensive groups," Orochimaru said,
smiling evilly as he took out four long sticks. "Are you certain about the
members of your respective teams?"
Squad members? Should this be
redistributed? Kiba
wondered, frowning.
"Let's
follow your queue. Those standing in a row will be counted as a group. Now,
elect a captain and come up to draw lots to determine the offensive and
defensive teams," Orochimaru said, noticing the puzzled looks.
So, a column is a team. Kiba sighed with relief. He, Hirohiko, and
Yukina were in a row, meaning they didn't have to separate.
He felt
uneasy at the thought of not being in the same group as Hirohiko and Yukina.
Apart from them, there was probably no one who could cooperate so well with
him.
This final
test clearly aimed to assess the team's task execution abilities, and the
understanding among team members was critical.
Orochimaru's
question made sense. Due to the previous trials, some original team members
were eliminated.
For
example, Shiga Taketake and Kiuchi Kento lost a teammate and couldn't form a
three-person team. Hinata Yutaka's teammates were also eliminated, leaving him
alone.
Looking at
the others, some were not satisfied with their teams. Only Kiba's entire team
had advanced.
This Chunin
exam differed slightly from the previous ones. In the original Chunin exam, all
three members of a team had to participate. But this time, there were
individual participants like Kurenai Yuhi and Maito Gai.
These
individuals needed to form teams, unlike Kiba's group, which was already a
team. Speaking of a team or group, the three of them would naturally stick
together.
That's why
Orochimaru asked this question.