"Roar!"
By the river, a giant black bear monster roared deafeningly, baring its fangs and claws.
The reason was that while it was sleeping, a tiny creature dared to encroach on its water source!
Rough burlap clothing and red hair covering most of the Grass Hidden forehead protector proved her identity.
Her exposed arms were covered in scars, making one wonder what kind of battle she had endured to get into such a state.
Gulp
The 'tiny creature' swallowed in fear, and the bamboo tube in her hand, used for collecting water, fell to the ground.
If it were just a moment ago, she would have been heartbroken, but now she couldn't even care about whether she would have water to drink later, let alone whether she would live to drink the next sip.
"Ah!"
The 'tiny creature' forced down her fear and turned to run.
But with the giant bear's second roar, she stumbled and fell in panic.
Logically speaking, although the Forest of Death was full of various dangers, it was not an insurmountable situation for these examinees aspiring to become Chūnin.
Take this giant bear for example. Although it was huge, it had many weaknesses.
Any stronger examinee wouldn't even spare a glance at such a brainless beast. Even ordinary examinees could easily kill it by working together.
But this 'tiny creature' only knew how to run, never thinking of fighting back.
This was because she never intended to participate in the Chūnin Exam in the first place. She was forcibly brought to Konoha by her 'companion' as a 'mobile medical kit.'
However, in the last battle, they encountered a formidable enemy and scattered in a desperate escape.
This resulted in the 'tiny creature,' whose combat power was almost zero, facing the giant bear alone.
Shinji, who happened to be passing by at this moment, saw this scene and paused his steps.
"Red hair?"
In the ninja world, red hair had once been almost synonymous with the Uzumaki clan.
Shinji recalled for a moment, then saw the Grass Hidden forehead protector faintly visible on the other party's head. He roughly guessed the identity of this unlucky person.
"What a pity. If I weren't about to get the Reverse Cursed Technique - Healing, perhaps she would have been worth training."
"But she's lucky. I just happened to want some honey-glazed roasted bear paw."
Rumble, rumble...
The earth seemed to tremble. As the black giant bear opened its gaping maw and bit towards her, the 'tiny creature' lying on the ground could only close her eyes and wait for death.
But in the next moment, a cold light flashed.
A massive bear head flew into the sky, its eyes still showing a hint of confusion, as if it didn't understand how it suddenly started flying.
Thud!
Without a head, the giant bear's corpse crashed to the ground, startling a flock of birds.
The 'tiny creature' then opened her eyes, revealing a nervous and surprised expression.
"Thank... thank you for saving me. My name is Karin, from the Grass Hidden Village. Um... are you also an examinee?"
Shinji glanced at her, his gaze lingering slightly on the scars on her arm. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm a proctor here. I just came out because I suddenly wanted to eat roasted bear paw."
Not an examinee...
Karin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Her scroll was safe.
But then her eyes widened. "Huh? A proctor?"
As if to prove his words were true, Shinji raised his decapitation sword, which he had repaired countless times, and chopped off the giant bear paw. Then he prepared to start a fire.
Karin stood by, watching foolishly as Shinji busied himself, looking like she wanted to help but was too timid to dare.
"Do you know where there's any honey? Never mind, you probably wouldn't know either. I'll find it myself."
He said he wanted honey-glazed roasted bear paw, so he'd have honey-glazed roasted bear paw!
Shinji's ninja way was always to do what he said!
Then he heard a voice, no louder than a mosquito, weakly say, "I... I know where there is."
"What?"
Karin secretly glanced at the handsome face of the person in front of her and mustered her courage to say it again.
Shinji was somewhat surprised. "You lead the way. We'll go and come back quickly."
While looking for honey, Shinji casually asked why she knew where the honey was.
Because her mother had once told her that when she couldn't bear the pain, she could smear a little honey on her wound, and it would stop hurting.
However, she usually couldn't afford honey, so she always found ways to get it herself from outside.
This time was no different. While others were thinking about how to steal scrolls or reach the finish line early,
She was still paying attention to these 'useless' things while collecting water.
Shinji was momentarily silent, not knowing what to say.
A short while later, the two successfully collected the honey, practically clearing out the entire hive.
Upon returning, Shinji unceremoniously ordered Karin to do the work, yet Karin still looked flattered and relieved, feeling much more at ease.
After all, the Forest of Death was too dangerous for her. It was better to stay by this proctor's side.
As for whether this would violate the rules and disqualify her from the exam, Karin no longer cared.
She knew that she couldn't possibly pass this stage alone.
After preparing the ingredients and applying the honey, she started roasting them over the fire.
Before long, a mouth-watering aroma wafted out.
Gurgle, gurgle...
As a strange sound arose, Karin's face instantly turned as red as a monkey's backside. She wanted to explain but couldn't utter a word.
Shinji pretended not to hear, took out a kunai, cut off a few pieces of meat, skewered them with branches, and handed them to her.
"Thank you, Mr. Proctor," Karin said with a blush, then couldn't help but take a bite.
The bear paw, soaked in honey, was tender and chewy, sweet but not greasy, leaving a lingering fragrance.
She had never eaten anything so delicious in her life. In no time, she finished the meat skewer in her hand.
Just as she was feeling embarrassed, a few more meat skewers were handed to her at the right time.
This time, Karin shyly took small bites and chewed slowly. Then, at some point, a series of raindrops began to fall on the meat skewer in her hand.
Shinji looked up at the still clear sky, said nothing, and simply enjoyed the meal.
Finally, the large bear paw was completely consumed by the two of them.
"I should go."
"Mm."
Karin's eyes reddened slightly. She wanted to ask something but lowered her head again.
"Here, this is for you."
Karin fumbled to catch the bamboo tube. Upon opening it, she saw it was the leftover honey from earlier.
At this moment, Shinji said, "If you're unhappy staying in one place, you can try changing your environment. If you have this idea, you can come find me after the exam. The Land of Water is a bit far, but it's much better than staying in the Land of Grass."
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he didn't care whether she went or not. So, after speaking, he prepared to leave.
Karin, however, mustered her courage and suddenly asked, "Can you tell me your name, Mr. Proctor?"
"Mist Hidden Mizukage Consultant, Akagi Shinji. If you get there, just give this name."
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