Ren did not immediately assume that someone had deliberately placed the giant lizard near the underground shelter.
The Forest of Death was vast, ancient, and filled with dangerous creatures. Bears, tigers, enormous snakes, venomous insects, and all kinds of mutated ninja beasts lived beneath its dense canopy. Finding a giant lizard in the wetlands was hardly enough to prove that someone had interfered with the examination.
If a Cerberus-like dog capable of multiplying itself had appeared, or perhaps a gigantic three-legged crow, then Ren might have suspected that something was wrong.
A camouflaging lizard, however, was unusual but not impossible.
In the end, it did not matter.
Whether the creature had wandered into the area naturally or had been planted there as part of the examination, Ren had already decided what he wanted to do with it.
As long as he could capture and tame the beast, it would become his.
Its frontal combat strength was not overwhelming, but its natural camouflage was extremely useful. Such a creature could hide in plain sight, carry out reconnaissance, ambush enemies, and transport people through hostile territory.
Compared with simply killing it and taking a few scales or claws as trophies, capturing it alive was far more valuable.
With that goal in mind, Ren subtly changed the rhythm of the battle.
He stopped aiming for the creature's vital organs and instead focused on weakening its mobility. His blade struck the joints of its limbs, the base of its tail, and the thicker muscles along its body. Every attack was calculated to exhaust and disable the beast without inflicting irreversible damage.
Unfortunately, the moment Ren began holding back, the pressure on Obito increased sharply.
Obito alone did not possess enough firepower to seriously threaten the giant lizard. His Fire Release techniques could burn through its outer camouflage and damage its scales, but the creature's extraordinary vitality allowed it to continue attacking.
The lizard twisted its head and opened its jaws.
A mass of thick, dark-green mucus shot from its mouth.
"Obito, move!"
Ren's warning came a fraction too late.
Obito saw the attack through his Sharingan, but his body failed to react quickly enough. He tried to twist aside, only for a portion of the mucus to splash across his forearm.
A sharp hissing sound immediately followed.
The fabric of his sleeve dissolved.
The skin beneath it began to blacken and melt.
Obito's face drained of color.
"What the hell is this?!"
The corrosive substance spread rapidly toward his elbow.
Ren appeared beside him in a blur. Without wasting time on an explanation, he drew his short blade and sliced away the contaminated layer of flesh before the corrosion could reach deeper into Obito's arm.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
"AAAAAH!"
Obito's scream echoed through the wetlands.
His knees nearly buckled as half his body became covered in blood. The corrosion had burned horribly, but Ren cutting away the damaged flesh hurt even more.
Obito clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw trembled.
"You could've warned me before doing that!"
"There wasn't time."
"You cut me!"
"And now you still have an arm."
The giant lizard charged again, its enormous claws tearing through the mud.
Obito glared at it through watering eyes.
Anger briefly overwhelmed the pain.
He forced chakra through his body, raised his uninjured hand, and formed seals as quickly as he could.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
A cluster of small fireballs burst from his mouth.
Unlike the Great Fireball Jutsu, the scattered flames approached the beast from multiple angles. Several struck its thick forelimb joints, while two more exploded against the base of its constantly whipping tail.
The lizard recoiled with an enraged hiss.
Despite his injury, Obito released another volley.
"You ugly overgrown gecko! I'm not letting you get away with that!"
The creature had already suffered dozens of wounds. Pale green blood covered its scales, dripping from its limbs and pooling beneath its stomach.
As the blood loss worsened, its natural camouflage began to fail.
The outline of its massive body became increasingly visible within the thinning steam. Its scales continued shifting colors, but the effect flickered unevenly, revealing patches of dark green hide and scorched flesh.
Its movements also slowed.
The lizard's attacks became less coordinated, forcing it to rely on desperate swipes of its claws and tail rather than the silent, calculated ambushes it had used earlier.
Ren noticed the change in its eyes.
The cold, predatory confidence was gone.
For the first time, fear appeared in its narrow vertical pupils.
The giant lizard released a reluctant, rumbling growl. Then it abruptly turned away, dug its claws into the wet earth, and sprinted toward the deepest section of the wetlands.
Thick mist and marsh water waited ahead.
Once it entered the swamp, locating it again would be extremely difficult.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"You want to run now?"
He stabbed his short blade into the ground and brought his hands together.
"Too late."
Chakra surged through his body.
"Binding Seal—activate!"
The wounds covering the lizard's body suddenly began glowing.
Purple-black symbols emerged from every cut Ren had inflicted with his blade. They spread outward like twisting veins, connecting with one another until an enormous web of sealing formulas covered the creature from head to tail.
The lizard stumbled.
Its limbs stiffened as the seal tightened around its muscles and disrupted the flow of chakra through its body.
It roared and tried to force itself forward.
The earth tore beneath its claws, but its movements became slower with every step.
Ren formed another seal.
"Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu!"
His white hair rapidly lengthened.
Thick locks shot across the clearing like living ropes, wrapping around the lizard's forelimbs, neck, and upper body. The strands hardened under the influence of chakra and pulled in opposite directions.
The giant beast struggled violently.
Its tail struck the ground, splashing mud across the surrounding trees. Its claws dug deep trenches through the earth, and its jaws snapped at the hair binding its throat.
Ren braced his feet and increased the flow of chakra.
The lizard resisted for several more seconds.
Then its remaining strength finally failed.
Its enormous body crashed into the mud.
The monster that had swallowed a Grass shinobi whole was completely restrained.
Obito's eyes lit up.
"Nice, Ren!"
He grabbed a kunai and ran toward the creature.
"Hold it still! I'll cut off its head!"
"Stop."
Ren's voice froze him in place.
Obito turned in confusion. "What?"
"This creature is still useful. We're keeping it alive."
Obito stared at the lizard.
The beast bared its jagged teeth and tried to bite through the hair wrapped around its jaw.
Obito then looked at the bloody wound on his arm.
"Useful? It nearly melted my arm!"
"It failed."
"That doesn't make it better!"
Despite his complaints, Obito lowered the kunai.
Ren had clearly made up his mind. Arguing would only delay Rin from treating his injury, and Obito was beginning to feel light-headed from blood loss.
"Rin!" he shouted. "Please hurry! I think I'm dying!"
"You are not dying," Rin called back as she approached with the hostages. "But you will be in trouble if you keep moving that arm."
The thick steam had mostly dispersed by then.
Rin stopped in surprise when she saw the giant lizard lying in the mud, completely wrapped in seals and hardened white hair. Its chest rose and fell heavily, while green blood seeped from the many wounds across its body.
Even the disguised Konoha shinobi acting as hostages looked impressed.
They had entered the Forest of Death expecting to evaluate genin.
Instead, they had watched a team of children defeat and capture a beast that could have troubled an ordinary jōnin.
Rin guided Obito to sit against a tree and immediately began treating him. Green medical chakra surrounded her hands as she examined the section of flesh Ren had removed.
Obito hissed through his teeth.
"Can you make it hurt less?"
"I can stop the bleeding and prevent infection. I can't magically make you stop shouting."
"I'm not shouting!"
"You screamed loudly enough for the entire forest to hear you."
"That was because Ren cut me!"
Ren ignored their argument.
He released the Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu but kept the Binding Seal active. Then he removed a prepared storage scroll from his equipment pouch and spread it across the ground.
The lizard sensed danger and began struggling again.
Its body trembled, but the seal prevented it from gathering enough strength to escape.
Ren placed one hand on the scroll.
"Seal."
A web of characters spread across the paper.
Smoke engulfed the giant creature, and its enormous body distorted before being drawn into the sealing formula. A second later, the wetlands became strangely empty.
Only shattered trees, scorched mud, and pale green blood remained behind.
Ren rolled up the scroll and secured it carefully.
He would study the creature after the exam. If it possessed enough intelligence to communicate, he could attempt to form a summoning contract with it. If not, he would find another way to tame it.
Either way, killing it would have been wasteful.
Ren slowly released a breath.
"Let's move. We'll find somewhere safe to rest, recover our chakra, and then head for the central tower."
Far from the Forest of Death, inside the Hokage's office, a crystal ball displayed the aftermath of the battle.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk with his pipe in one hand, observing the examination through the Telescope Jutsu.
This era was still more than a decade away from the Chūnin Exams that Naruto Uzumaki's generation would one day participate in. The technological development of the shinobi world had not yet reached the point where Konoha could place surveillance cameras and communication devices throughout the Forest of Death.
Many such inventions remained experimental.
For now, Konoha still relied primarily on traditional ninjutsu.
The twelve people acting as hostages were examiners in disguise, capable of recording and evaluating the candidates' behavior. Under ordinary circumstances, their reports would have provided enough information.
This examination, however, included several unusually important candidates.
The Hokage's own son was participating, along with several young shinobi believed to possess the potential to become elite jōnin—or perhaps even Kage-level figures.
For that reason, Hiruzen had temporarily set aside his administrative work to observe the proceedings personally.
Several leading jōnin stood behind him.
Minato Namikaze remained closest to the crystal ball. Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza watched from nearby, both studying the performance of their respective students.
One person, however, appeared completely out of place among them.
Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, wearing a dark green robe over her usual clothes. Her golden hair had been gathered into two long tails that swayed lightly whenever she moved.
Compared with the formal jōnin surrounding her, she looked as though she had wandered in from a gambling hall.
Shikaku broke the silence first.
"Minato, your students are rather frightening."
His eyes remained on Ren's image.
"That giant lizard wasn't weak. Ordinary genin wouldn't have stood a chance, and even an average jōnin might have needed considerable effort to defeat it. Ren dealt with it in a very short time, captured it alive, and didn't suffer a single injury."
Shikaku paused.
"And that was after his clone defeated two Grass shinobi underground."
He released a tired sigh.
"Ren's strength has already exceeded the scope of this examination. If he weren't so young, he would probably meet the combat requirements for promotion to jōnin."
Minato smiled faintly.
He was about to respond when Tsunade snorted.
"Jōnin and chūnin are ranks based on capability. What does age have to do with it?"
She shook her head, causing her golden hair to sway.
"Minato, didn't you already have jōnin-level strength when you were around ten?"
Minato's smile became slightly awkward.
Tsunade continued, "That's how geniuses are. Not everyone is a late bloomer like that idiot Jiraiya."
Several people in the room wisely avoided commenting.
"Besides," Tsunade added, "the battle report from the southwestern front clearly stated that Ren captured Pakura by himself."
Although she spoke casually, Tsunade was no less surprised than anyone else.
Her presence in the Hokage's office had little to do with the examination itself. She had come mainly to observe Ren and Rin.
Over the past six months, she had spent enough time with both of them that she had begun viewing them as half-disciples, even if she refused to admit it openly.
Since she had no urgent missions and the two children were taking the Chūnin Exams, she had decided to watch their performance.
Many members of Konoha's jōnin corps had already heard that Ren had captured Pakura alive. Most believed there had been an element of luck involved.
Perhaps Pakura had underestimated him.
Perhaps Ren had used a trap or some strange trick.
The story was generally regarded as an exceptional case of a weaker shinobi defeating a stronger opponent through preparation and fortune.
After watching this battle, however, Tsunade understood the truth.
Ren had not been the weaker combatant.
His Instant Hell Shadow Kill Formation clearly drew inspiration from Minato's high-speed fighting style, carrying traces of the Flying Thunder God combat method that Minato had named the Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style.
The Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu came from Jiraiya.
His swordsmanship contained clear elements of the Hatake style once used by the White Fang.
His seals originated from the Uzumaki clan.
And according to his official file, Fire Release was supposedly his greatest specialty.
Tsunade's lips twitched.
The boy was collecting the signature techniques of every famous shinobi around him.
Minato's speed, Jiraiya's hair techniques, the White Fang's swordsmanship, and Uzumaki sealing arts—Ren was practically becoming a disciple of four different clans.
Calling him the "Four-Clan Prodigy" would not even be an exaggeration.
More impressive was his ability to combine those completely different fighting styles into a single coherent combat system. Most shinobi struggled to master one field. Ren moved effortlessly between swordsmanship, seals, elemental ninjutsu, sensory techniques, and close combat.
If his bloodline had been stronger, even Kakashi might have appeared ordinary beside him.
Choza rubbed his chin.
"Why didn't he kill the lizard? Sealing something that large seems unnecessarily troublesome."
Minato considered the question.
"He may intend to tame it and turn it into a summoning animal. I taught him the Summoning Jutsu recently."
"That creature?"
Tsunade gave a dismissive laugh.
"Other than changing color, what is it good for? It isn't especially intelligent, and its direct combat strength is only around the level of an average jōnin. A skilled sensor could probably find it despite its camouflage."
She looked at Minato.
"Why didn't you give him the contract for Mount Myōboku?"
Minato scratched the back of his head.
"I mentioned it, but Ren seemed hesitant. He said he wanted to consider his options first."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
"Hesitant about signing with Mount Myōboku?"
Her first thought was Katsuyu.
Among Konoha's known summoning contracts, few could rival the toads of Mount Myōboku. The most notable alternatives were Katsuyu of Shikkotsu Forest, Orochimaru's snakes, and Hiruzen's contract with Enma.
Could Ren be waiting for her to offer him a contract with Katsuyu?
Did the boy actually want to become her official successor?
A second, less pleasant possibility entered her mind.
Perhaps he wanted to follow Orochimaru and summon snakes.
Tsunade's expression darkened.
At that moment, Minato's smile disappeared. He turned toward Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, did you notice the container Ren took from the Grass shinobi?"
Hiruzen slowly exhaled smoke from his pipe.
"Yes."
The lightness in the room faded.
"The Telescope Jutsu allows me to see what is happening, but I cannot hear their conversation. Still, judging from Ren's lip movements while questioning the prisoner, I believe they mentioned the Uzumaki clan."
Minato's gaze hardened.
Hiruzen continued, "Lady Mito once told me that certain Uzumaki possessed blood with powerful healing properties. During the Warring States Period, several clans captured and imprisoned Uzumaki descendants for that reason."
His eyes returned to the crystal ball.
"If Kusagakure has done the same…"
He allowed the sentence to fade.
The implications were serious.
"The examination is still ongoing," Hiruzen finally said. "We will question Ren and the prisoner after it ends."
Minato nodded.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Shikaku and Choza silently looked away.
The destruction of Uzushiogakure and the scattering of the Uzumaki clan involved too many old alliances, political failures, and hidden secrets. Neither of them wished to offer an opinion without knowing the full situation.
Only Tsunade continued frowning.
After leaving the wetland, Team Minato resumed its journey toward the tower at the center of the Forest of Death.
They followed the route Ren had planned earlier, stopping only briefly to allow Rin to treat Obito's arm and restore enough of their strength to continue.
Along the way, they encountered several teams from smaller shinobi villages.
Most of the foreign genin were considerably older than the Konoha candidates. A few appeared to be in their twenties, having spent years taking low-level missions without ever earning promotion.
Some possessed the combat ability of an ordinary chūnin but had been overlooked because of politics, failed examinations, or limited opportunities within their villages.
Most, however, were simply mediocre.
They were older, physically stronger, and more experienced than newly graduated genin, but their ninjutsu, coordination, and tactical awareness were far below the standards of the major villages.
Ren had little interest in fighting such opponents personally.
Instead, he remained beside the hostages and allowed Obito and Rin to handle them.
It was useful experience.
Obito's Sharingan allowed him to identify attacks quickly, while Rin used careful positioning and chakra-enhanced strikes to break through enemy formations. Whenever either of them made a mistake, Ren offered a brief correction.
The foreign teams were defeated without much difficulty.
At one point, two squads joined forces and attempted to ambush Team Minato.
One of them had already rescued a hostage.
The surprise attack failed.
After Obito and Rin defeated the attackers, Ren confiscated their supplies—and their hostage.
The group now consisted of eight people: Ren, Obito, Rin, four rescued hostages, and the unconscious Grass prisoner.
Obito glanced repeatedly at the people following them.
"Ren, are you sure we're allowed to bring this many hostages?"
Ren looked at him. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"The rules say each team only needs to rescue one. We've taken four, and we're carrying a prisoner. Won't the examiners consider that a violation?"
"Nothing in the rules limits how many hostages we can save."
"But three other teams could fail because we took the hostages they needed."
Ren remained completely calm.
"If those teams can be eliminated so easily, their strength isn't sufficient. On a real battlefield, failing to find or protect a hostage could result in death. It's better for them to train for another year than receive a promotion they aren't ready for."
Obito opened his mouth, but Ren continued before he could respond.
"Besides, we can wait near the central tower. If another team arrives without a hostage, we can sell them one."
Obito nearly tripped.
"Sell them?"
"Thirty thousand ryō per hostage seems reasonable."
"Are hostages supposed to have prices?!"
"We rescued them and transported them through dangerous territory.
That's a service."
The disguised Konoha shinobi walking behind them exchanged looks.
Ren considered the matter further.
He would also accept ninjutsu scrolls that he had not studied before.
He was not unreasonable.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen and the jōnin stared silently at the crystal ball.
Minato coughed.
"The number of hostages is certainly unusual, but technically, he hasn't violated any examination rules."
No one answered.
Before moonrise, Team Minato finally reached the area surrounding the central tower.
The trees became thinner and more widely spaced, allowing silver moonlight to fall across the forest floor.
Through the branches ahead, the upper section of the tower was clearly visible.
They were less than a kilometer away.
Obito pointed excitedly.
"That's it! That has to be the final destination!"
Even beneath his goggles, his Sharingan seemed to shine.
"We must be the first team to arrive! The rules gave us three days, but we're going to finish in less than half a day. Kakashi would be speechless if he saw this!"
Rin smiled.
"We wouldn't have reached it so quickly without Ren."
Obito immediately protested.
"I helped too! Ren couldn't have defeated that giant lizard without my Fire Release!"
Ren barely listened to them.
He looked toward the sky, using the moon's position to estimate the time.
It should be close.
The examination had allowed six hours before the next phase began.
Ren's gaze moved across the trees surrounding the tower.
He had expected an examiner team to appear personally and test the strongest candidates.
The only question was how they intended to make their entrance.
A heavy bell suddenly rang from the direction of the tower.
Dong!
Its sound rolled across the forest.
A second bell followed.
Then a third.
The bell rang six times in total, each strike sending powerful echoes through the trees.
The six-hour period had ended.
The second stage of the examination had begun.
As the final echo faded, Ren heard the sharp whistle of displaced air.
His eyes moved toward the sound.
Two of the four rescued hostages attacked simultaneously.
The first lunged toward Ren, fingers curved like claws and aimed directly at his throat. The second drew a hidden kunai and drove it toward Obito's back.
Their movements were swift, ruthless, and completely different from the helpless civilians they had portrayed.
Rin's smile vanished.
Obito's eyes widened.
Ren had expected a trap.
He had not expected the proctors to have been walking beside them the entire time.
The attacker's fingertips were already inches from his neck.
Ren's hand moved toward his blade.
The real Chūnin Exam had finally revealed its fangs
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