The morning of the ninja exam finally arrived.
A cool wind blew through the village of Ancient Masters as the sun slowly rose behind the tall mountains. The academy grounds were already crowded with students. Hundreds of them stood in the large training field, waiting for the final stage of the exam to begin.
Some students were stretching their arms and legs. Others whispered nervously to their friends. The tension in the air was easy to feel.
Kaelen stood quietly near the edge of the field. His expression was calm, but his eyes were focused.
Three months of brutal training with Razen had completely changed him. His body was stronger, his mind sharper, and his movements more controlled.
The legendary sword Raizen rested on his back, hidden under a dark cloth so that no one would notice it easily.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called his name.
"Kaelen!"
Kaelen turned around and saw Allan running toward him.
Allan stopped beside him, breathing slightly faster.
"You made it back!" Allan said with a grin.
Kaelen smiled. "Of course."
Allan looked at him carefully from head to toe.
"You look completely different," Allan said. "Your training must have been insane."
Kaelen chuckled softly. "You're not wrong."
Allan laughed.
"My master almost broke my bones during the second month of training."
The two friends laughed for a moment, easing the tension before the exam.
Suddenly, a loud bell rang across the academy grounds.
Dong... Dong... Dong...
The students immediately became silent.
All eyes turned toward the large wooden platform standing in the center of the field.
Their teacher Allex stepped onto the platform. Behind him stood several powerful ninjas dressed in dark robes. Their presence alone made the air feel heavy.
Allex raised his hand.
"Students of the Ancient Masters Academy," he said loudly, "today you will face the final stage of the ninja examination."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Allex continued.
"This exam will consist of three stages."
He pointed toward the large forest behind the academy.
"The first stage will take place in the Forest of Trials."
Some students gasped.
That forest was known as a dangerous training ground filled with traps, wild animals, and difficult terrain.
"You must reach the tower at the center of the forest before sunset," Allex explained.
"If you fail to reach the tower… you fail the exam."
The students began whispering nervously.
Just then, as Kaelen and Allan began walking toward the entrance of the forest, someone suddenly stepped in front of them.
The boy was tall with sharp eyes and a confident expression. A red scarf was tied around his neck, and his posture showed absolute confidence.
He looked directly at Kaelen.
"So you are Kaelen."
Kaelen nodded calmly.
"Yes."
The boy crossed his arms.
"I heard you have Thunder power."
Allan frowned. "And who are you supposed to be?"
The boy ignored Allan and kept staring at Kaelen.
"My name is Ryuzen," he said.
Kaelen looked at him quietly.
"Why are you telling me that?"
Ryuzen smiled slightly.
"Because when this exam ends, everyone here will know my name."
Allan scoffed.
"That's a lot of confidence."
Ryuzen finally glanced at Allan.
"Confidence comes from strength."
Then he looked back at Kaelen.
"Thunder power is rare… but rare doesn't always mean strong."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ryuzen turned and started walking toward the forest entrance.
Before disappearing into the trees, he stopped and spoke without turning around.
"Survive the forest, Kaelen."
"Then we will see who deserves to stand at the top."
He disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
Allan crossed his arms.
"That guy is really arrogant."
Kaelen looked toward the dark forest ahead.
Instead of anger, a small determined smile appeared on his face.
"Maybe," Kaelen said quietly.
"But rivals make us stronger."
At that moment, Allex raised his hand again.
"The first stage of the exam begins… now!"
Immediately, hundreds of students rushed toward the entrance of the forest.
Kaelen and Allan looked at each other.
"Ready?" Allan asked.
Kaelen nodded.
"Let's go."
Together, they ran toward the Forest of Trials, where the first real challenge of the ninja examination was waiting.
The moment the signal was given, hundreds of students rushed toward the entrance of the Forest of Trials. The quiet academy grounds instantly turned chaotic as everyone tried to move ahead of the others.
Kaelen and Allan ran side by side as they entered the forest.
The moment they crossed the boundary, the atmosphere changed completely.
Tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, making the forest darker than expected. Thick vines hung from branches, and the ground was uneven with roots and rocks hidden beneath fallen leaves.
Allan slowed down slightly and looked around nervously.
"This place feels different," he said quietly.
Kaelen nodded.
"The air is heavier. We need to be careful."
Many students were running blindly through the forest, trying to reach the tower as quickly as possible. But Kaelen remembered the warning of the examinator.
This forest is filled with traps.
Just a few moments later, a loud scream echoed through the trees.
"Aaaah!"
Kaelen and Allan quickly stopped and turned their heads toward the sound.
A group of students had triggered a hidden trap. Sharp wooden spikes suddenly shot out of the ground, forcing them to jump away in panic. One student fell and barely escaped being injured.
Allan swallowed nervously.
"That could have been us."
Kaelen crouched slightly and touched the ground. His eyes carefully scanned the area around them.
"Look here," Kaelen said.
Allan leaned closer and saw thin wires almost hidden under the leaves.
"If someone steps on that wire," Kaelen explained, "another trap will activate."
Allan stepped back quickly.
"Good thing you noticed."
Kaelen's training with Razen had sharpened his senses. During those three months, Razen had forced him to run through forests filled with traps every single day.
Compared to those brutal training sessions, this forest felt less dangerous.
"Let's move slowly," Kaelen said. "Speed is useless if we fall into traps."
Allan nodded.
The two of them carefully continued moving forward through the forest, stepping only where Kaelen was sure it was safe.
As they moved deeper, the sounds of the forest grew louder.
Birds screeched from the branches above.
Leaves rustled in the wind.
Somewhere far away, the sound of running water echoed faintly.
Suddenly—
A loud crashing sound came from the left.
Two students burst through the bushes, running in panic.
"Run! Run!" one of them shouted.
"What happened?" Allan asked.
But the students did not stop.
Behind them, a massive shadow moved between the trees.
A deep growl echoed through the forest.
The ground slightly trembled as something heavy stepped forward.
Kaelen narrowed his eyes.
From the darkness of the trees, a huge creature slowly emerged.
It was a giant wolf-like beast, almost twice the size of a normal wolf. Its fur was dark grey, and its sharp yellow eyes glowed with hunger.
Long claws scratched the ground as it growled again.
Allan stepped back slightly.
"That thing is huge."
The beast suddenly lunged forward, chasing the two students who had run past Kaelen and Allan.
Within seconds, the forest became filled with the sounds of crashing branches and terrified screams.
Kaelen watched carefully but did not move.
After a few moments, the sounds faded deeper into the forest.
Allan exhaled slowly.
"I guess the exam wasn't joking about dangerous beasts."
Kaelen nodded.
"That was probably only one of many."
They continued moving forward again.
As they climbed over a fallen tree, Allan suddenly noticed something.
"Hey… look over there."
He pointed toward a tall tree nearby.
A figure was standing on one of the branches, watching them silently.
It was Ryuzen.
He stood calmly with his arms crossed, as if the dangerous forest meant nothing to him.
Ryuzen jumped down from the branch and landed lightly on the ground.
His sharp eyes moved between Kaelen and Allan.
"So you survived the first part of the forest," he said calmly.
Allan crossed his arms.
"You're following us?"
Ryuzen ignored the question.
Instead, he looked directly at Kaelen.
"Most students are already panicking," Ryuzen said. "But you seem calm."
Kaelen replied quietly.
"I could say the same about you."
For a moment, the two rivals stared at each other.
Then Ryuzen gave a small smirk.
"Good."
He turned and began walking deeper into the forest.
"But don't slow down," he said without looking back.
"The real dangers of this forest haven't even started yet."
Within seconds, he disappeared between the trees.
Allan shook his head.
"That guy really likes dramatic entrances."
Kaelen looked toward the direction Ryuzen had gone.
His instincts told him something important.
This exam was going to become far more dangerous.
And somewhere ahead in the forest, the tower of the first test was waiting.
Kaelen tightened his grip on the cloth covering the sword on his back.
"Let's keep moving," he said.
Allan nodded.
Together, they stepped deeper into the Forest of Trials, unaware that the real test had only just begun.
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