Anko Mitarashi led the genin who had passed the first exam into the Forest of Death.
The woods were dense, ancient. The massive canopy choked out the brilliant sunlight, plunging the place into deep, unnatural shadows. Anko's malicious grin and hushed, ominous tone only thickened the oppressive air.
It didn't faze Hanataki. But for others? The effect was clear.
Naruto was victim number one. He squirmed between Sasuke and Sakura, launching into a ghost story he'd heard from Hanae, ignoring their deadpan stares.
"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura said. She was a firm materialist.
"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke echoed. The forest was creepy enough. Naruto's story made it worse. But Sasuke clung to his 'unshakable mountain' facade.
The exam's goal was simple. The process was the nightmare.
Thirteen Heaven scrolls. Thirteen Earth scrolls. Randomly distributed among twenty-six teams. Get one of each and reach the central tower within five days. A fifty percent elimination rate.
Teams were supposed to be in threes. Hanataki was the odd one out. Anko had no choice but to group him with Shigure's team, forming a four-man cell. They received a Heaven scroll.
Shigure took the scroll and immediately handed it to Hanataki. He knew it was safest with him.
Hanataki glanced at it. Tossed it back.
Shigure blinked. "?"
Hanataki's gaze swept over the other examinees, then settled on the forest ahead—a dark, gaping maw. "Relax."
Two words. That was all Shigure needed. Not only would the scroll be safe. They wouldn't have any trouble either.
They arrived at their assigned gate. Other teams from different villages were here too. Glances crossed. Sharp. Lethal. Everyone had signed the waiver. Inside, it was kill or be killed.
Hanataki's group drawing attention was no surprise. Amegakure was a minor village. After Hanzō's "death," it was viewed as a fading power. Its genin weren't expected to be much.
Anko gave the signal. The iron gates swung open.
Hanataki's team vanished into the forest.
Silence. Instant, heavy. The canopy's shadow swallowed them whole. The summer heat vanished, replaced by a deep, bone-chilling cool.
Shigure scanned their surroundings, cautious. The forest's dangers weren't just other ninja. Poisonous insects, snakes, pitfalls—plenty of ways to die here.
"Ah!"
Mai's scream was cut short.
A cord of golden light shot from Hanataki's hand, snagging the falling boy and yanking him back up. Mai landed beside him, heart hammering.
Where he'd stood was a pit. Deep, black, bottomless.
Shigure frowned at Mai's carelessness. "Don't let it happen again."
Comradeship in Amegakure was thin. Without Hanataki, Shigure wouldn't have bothered.
Mai nodded, chastened.
The golden light in Hanataki's palm dissipated. He walked forward. Shigure's team followed close.
For Hanataki, the exam, this forest… zero challenge. He looked like a tourist on a nature walk. And honestly, he didn't mind the view—a primeval forest like this was a rare sight. The tree trunks were wider than ten of him. Sunlight couldn't pierce this canopy. You could only wonder how many centuries these giants had stood.
A glint of cold steel flashed in Hanataki's green eyes.
Shuriken trailing explosive tags shot toward the four of them. An ambush. Standard procedure for the Forest of Death.
Shigure's team moved. Black umbrellas snapped open from their backs. Six dark shields blocked the blast and shuriken. The dark fabric gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen, the tips sharp as blades.
Simultaneously, a dense volley of black needles—fine as rain—erupted from their surfaces.
Hanataki heard the wet thwip of needles finding flesh. A few choked grunts from the bushes.
Shigure's team closed their umbrellas. Mai stepped forward. Sure enough, three genin from another minor village lay there, paralyzed by needles.
POOF!
White smoke.
Three figures appeared behind Shigure's team.
Shigure's eyes widened. Too late.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
A massive sphere of flame roared from an enemy's mouth. The distance was too close. No time to open the umbrellas.
Hanataki's lips twitched. Fine. He'd do it.
A silvery-white light bloomed from his palm. A disc, bright as the moon, materialized before Shigure's team. The fireball touched the light—and vanished.
The attackers froze, stunned by the impossible sight. Before they could react, threads of silvery light bound them tight.
"The scroll." Hanataki held out his hand.
The bound ninja gritted their teeth. "We give it, you let us live."
Hanataki wasn't a sadist. He nodded.
One of them handed over a scroll. Heaven. Again.
"Bad luck," Hanataki sighed softly. The scroll crumbled to ash in his hand. This meant the team he'd just defeated was out. And somewhere in the forest, another team was now doomed to fail, too.
"Go."
The light-bindings vanished. The three ninja bolted.
Shigure looked ashamed. Hanataki felt nothing. In his eyes, shame was pointless. Not everyone in this world was a genius. Steady, solid growth was what mattered. No shame in that.
But… if that shame fueled their desire to grow stronger? Not a bad thing either.
They pressed deeper. The three black umbrellas proved incredibly versatile here. Defense. Offense. And, when necessary, eye protection. The Forest of Death had every bizarre creature imaginable. Some designs truly tested Hanataki's aesthetic limits.
He remembered. In the original story, Shigure's team ran into Gaara's squad from Suna here. They became mere props to showcase Gaara's brutality and power.
Inside, the darkness made time meaningless. Day? Night? Impossible to tell.
Eventually, a small lake appeared ahead.
And just like in the story, they ran into Gaara.
Even without the One-Tail, Gaara's power could crush most genin in this exam. His teammates, Kankurō and Temari, were no weaklings either.
The atmosphere froze solid the moment they saw each other.
Freed from Shukaku, Gaara was less volatile. But the cold detachment remained. His gaze slid past Shigure's trio and locked onto Hanataki.
Temari and Kankurō flanked him. Gaara didn't move. They didn't dare.
Meanwhile…
Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka held their breath, hidden in distant bushes.
Kiba whispered, "It's Gaara of Suna."
Shino nodded. "They are strong." His insects confirmed it.
Hinata's gaze was fixed on Hanataki. "The one from Ame… he's strong too. Neji-nii-san told me after the first exam."
At her words, Kiba and Shino subtly shifted their focus to Hanataki. If Neji Hyuga called someone strong… they were a real threat.
"Don't get spotted," Kiba muttered. They had enough sense to know neither of these teams was in their league.
"Should we leave now?" Hinata asked.
Kiba and Shino exchanged a look. Shook their heads.
"Let's gauge their strength first." A perfect intelligence opportunity. Not to be missed.
The three hid, breaths soft as ghosts.
Back at the lake, Hanataki motioned for Shigure and the others to fall back.
Gaara wasn't an opponent they could handle. Against Temari and Kankurō? Maybe.
As the Amegakure trio retreated, Gaara's form blurred. He reappeared, already in front of Hanataki. He used chakra to enhance his body's movements—speed almost invisible to the naked eye. The heavy gourd on his back meant nothing.
Shigure's eyes widened again. Worry for Hanataki flickered.
"Worry about yourselves!"
Temari and Kankurō struck, pulling Shigure's team into their own separate battle zone. The clearing split into two distinct arenas.
In the bushes, the watchers were stunned by Gaara's speed.
"So fast!" Hinata breathed, shocked.
Kiba and Shino were equally alarmed.
"But… that guy isn't simple either," Shino said gravely, watching Hanataki block Gaara with a casual, silvery disc, his expression calm.
"Tch. Nothing but trouble," Kiba groaned. Competing against monsters like these? The future felt hopeless.
Gaara's figure flickered away.
A pillar of silvery light speared through the space he'd just occupied.
CRACK!
The flat ground where he'd stood shattered, fissures spiderwebbing out.
The hidden spectators:
Shino: "…"
Kiba, mouth agape: "…"
Hinata tried to comfort them. "Don't worry too much. We might not have to fight them."
Kiba and Shino thought about it. True. After seeing this, they'd make damn sure to avoid these teams at all costs in this forest.
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