On the other side.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto formed hand seals, and dozens of shadow clones instantly appeared, surrounding the Kusagakure's Ninja in front of him.
"What?! So many?!" That Kusagakure's Ninja clearly hadn't expected Naruto to have this trick up his sleeve. Normally, one or two shadow clones were impressive, but this guy could actually create dozens of shadow clones!
For a moment, he panicked, and several of the clones took advantage of his opening, pinning him to the ground.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!" Hinata executed a beautiful Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. A condensed shockwave of Chakra struck the Kusagakure's Ninja in the chest from a distance. He grunted and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, colliding with a large tree, sliding down, and falling unconscious.
The battle, from start to finish, lasted only a few minutes.
Three Kusagakure's Ninja: one seriously injured, two unconscious.
Naruto dispelled his shadow clones, panting as he ran over: "Menma-nii! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Menma shook his head and walked over to the Kusagakure's Ninja pinned to the tree.
That Kusagakure's Ninja, seeing Menma approach, had a terrified expression on his face.
He laboriously raised his still-functional right hand, pulled a scroll from the ninja tool pouch at his waist, and tremblingly handed it over.
"M-Mercy—" His voice was broken from the pain.
"Our scroll… take it… it's a Heaven scroll… just what you need…"
Menma looked at the scroll in his hand: black silk, a white character for Heaven.
It was indeed a Heaven Scroll.
And exactly what they needed.
Menma reached out to take the scroll.
Just as his fingers were about to touch the scroll,
A flash of ruthlessness crossed the Kusagakure's Ninja's eyes.
He suddenly opened his mouth and flicked his tongue.
Swish!
A small steel needle, thin as a cow's hair, shot from his mouth straight at Menma's face!
The steel needle was almost invisible in the dim light of the forest, its speed astonishing, and the distance was short, making it nearly impossible to dodge.
This was this Kusagakure's Ninja's life-saving killing move.
He had hidden a special launcher under his tongue. At a critical moment, he could unexpectedly shoot the steel needle, and many opponents stronger than him had fallen to this trick.
Naruto's eyes widened: "Menma-nii, look out!"
Hinata also cried out in alarm.
When the steel needle was about ten centimeters from Menma's face, it seemed to hit an invisible wall, abruptly stopping in midair.
It just hovered there, its tip trembling slightly, unable to advance any further.
The ruthlessness on the Kusagakure's Ninja's face instantly turned into disbelief and terror.
His mouth hung open, his eyes bulging almost out of their sockets, as if he were seeing the most inconceivable thing in the world.
"Y-You—" he croaked, his voice filled with fear.
Menma calmly took the scroll, tossed it lightly in his hand to confirm it was real, then looked at the steel needle suspended in midair.
"I was going to let you off," Menma said quietly. "After all, it's just an exam. No need to kill."
His finger flicked lightly.
As if an invisible force acted upon the steel needle, it shot back at an even faster speed than it had come.
Pfft.
A faint sound rang.
The steel needle precisely pierced the Kusagakure's Ninja's brow, exiting through the back of his head and embedding itself in the tree trunk.
The Kusagakure's Ninja's eyes remained open, but the light in them had completely faded.
His head drooped limply, blood streaming down the bridge of his nose, dripping onto the beige suit on his chest, blooming into a dark red flower.
Dead.
Naruto and Hinata stood where they were, watching this scene, their faces somewhat pale.
Although they had seen some dead people during the Land of Waves mission… whether Zabuza or those samurai of the Matsuo Group…
That was during a mission, and they hadn't killed them with their own hands.
But this time, Menma had ended a person's life so casually, right in front of them.
That calmness, that composure, sent a strange chill through Naruto.
"Menma-nii—" Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.
Menma put away the scroll and looked at Naruto, his eyes calm: "In the world of Ninja, mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself. He tried to kill me, so I killed him. It's as simple as that."
He paused and added, "Of course, this doesn't mean Ninja can kill arbitrarily. But you must understand that sometimes, there is no other choice."
Naruto was silent.
He looked at the dead Kusagakure's Ninja, then at Menma, and finally nodded firmly.
Hinata lowered her head, her small hands clenched tightly.
She could understand Menma's actions, but the impact of confronting death directly, the smell of blood mixed with brain matter slowly reaching her nose, made her somewhat nauseous.
"What about them?" Naruto pointed to the two Kusagakure's Ninja unconscious not far away.
Menma was about to say 'forget it'. He didn't want to show too much cruelty in front of Naruto and Hinata.
These two Kusagakure's Ninja were already unconscious, with serious injuries, posing no threat. There was no need to exterminate them.
Just then, Hinata issued another warning: "More people are coming! One o'clock direction! Very fast!"
Before her words faded, two kunai with sharp whistling sounds shot out from the depths of the dense forest!
Swish! Swish!
The two kunai precisely pierced the necks of the two unconscious Kusagakure's Ninja.
Blood gushed out.
The bodies of the two Kusagakure's Ninja twitched a few times, then lay completely still.
"Who?!" Naruto and Hinata instantly entered combat mode, standing back-to-back, watching alertly in the direction from which the kunai had come.
Menma also looked up at the large tree.
In the shadows of the canopy, a figure slowly emerged.
He stood on a horizontally growing branch, wearing the grey combat uniform of Otogakure, a sedge hat on his head.
The shadow of the sedge hat covered most of his face, but those golden vertical slit pupils, even from this distance, their cold aura rushed straight at them.
Despite the disguise of his appearance, that aura, Menma recognized it at a glance.
Orochimaru.
"Oh dear, it's better to be a bit more ruthless, don't you think?" Orochimaru chuckled, his voice soft and sinister.
"In a place like this, leaving survivors is just burying hidden trouble for yourself. Who knows if they might come back seeking revenge once they wake up?"
His gaze lingered on Menma, his eyes thoughtful and amused.
Naruto and Hinata's bodies tensed up completely.
Just being stared at by those eyes, they felt a primal fear, like prey targeted by a natural predator.
Cold sweat seeped from their foreheads, their bodies trembling involuntarily.
Menma raised his hands and placed them on both their shoulders.
A gentle yet powerful Chakra passed from his palms into their bodies, dispersing that icy sensation.
Naruto and Hinata finally relaxed, but still watched the uninvited guest in the tree alertly.
Menma then stepped forward, positioned himself in front of the two, and said, "There's nothing fun about the second exam."
"Now that someone has delivered a scroll, we're heading straight to the tower."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of curiosity. "I thought you might be interested in Genin from other villages."
"After all, there are quite a few geniuses from the major villages this time: Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen members, Kumogakure's Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki's disciple, Iwagakure's Explosion Release genius... all good 'material'."
He emphasized the word 'material', his golden vertical slit eyes shimmering with greedy light.
Naruto and Hinata were slightly stunned.
'The way they talked… how did it seem like they knew each other?'
'But wasn't the other guy from Otogakure?'
'How did Menma-nii know him?'
Menma shook his head: "I'm not interested in any of that. You play your game, I'll play mine. No interference."
He paused and added, "Of course, just don't touch my people."
This sentence clearly drew a line: Orochimaru could do whatever else he wanted during the exam, but Team 7 was Menma's bottom line.
Orochimaru laughed, the corners of his mouth pulling back, his long tongue extending to lick his lips.
"Heh heh." He chuckled softly, his voice particularly eerie in the silent forest.
"Don't worry. I know my limits. You go play house with this Nine-Tails brat."
Naruto's body jerked when he heard the phrase 'Nine-Tails brat'.
He instinctively looked at Menma, his eyes full of confusion, wondering how did this Otogakure's Ninja know about him.
"Good then." Menma nodded.
Orochimaru gave Menma a deep look, a complex glint flashing through his golden vertical slit pupils, as if weighing something.
"I wish you a pleasant time. We'll see each other at the third exam."
With that, his body leaped backward and soon merged into the shadows of the forest, disappearing from sight.
Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened.
"What was that guy doing?" Naruto rubbed his head.
"He's already gone. So fast!" Hinata said quietly. Her Byakugan was still trying hard to search, but soon the other disappeared from her field of vision.
Menma didn't explain. He turned and said to the two: "Let's go. Straight to the tower."
"But Menma-nii—" Naruto hesitated for a moment, then finally asked.
"That Otogakure's Ninja… do you know him? He just said 'Nine-Tails brat'—"
"There are some things that now isn't the time to tell you," Menma interrupted him, his tone gentle but firm. "When the time is right, you'll naturally know. For now, we just need to complete the exam."
He looked at the Heaven and Earth scrolls in his hand, then toward the direction of the tower.
"The forest is probably going to be very lively these next few days," Menma said quietly. This Chunin Exams had brought together elites from various villages... the level of excitement would likely be several times higher.
"That Orochimaru guy… he's not going to stay quiet."
"Orochimaru?" Hinata was startled. "Was that—"
"A dangerous guy," Menma said simply.
He said no more, turned, and walked deeper into the forest.
Naruto and Hinata exchanged glances, both seeing confusion and concern in the other's eyes.
But they trusted Menma, so they didn't ask further. They just silently followed.
The three disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
And in the place where they had just fought, only three gradually cooling bodies and the lingering smell of blood in the air remained.
The first kill of the Forest of Death had ended silently like this.
But the hunt had only just begun.