A black-haired man wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a green flak jacket, holding a file in his hands, was reading out the rules of the exam.
"The rules are simple."
"Before entering the forest test site, each of you will receive one of the two scrolls—Heaven or Earth—from the staff at the entrance."
"You must keep the scroll you are given and seize the complementary scroll from another team, forming a complete set of Heaven and Earth, then proceed to the Central Tower."
"The assessment time is twenty-four hours."
"Your mission is to seize intelligence, avoid enemy-nation ninja you encounter along the way, as well as possible traps, wild beasts, poisonous insects, and so on within the simulated battlefield."
"Anyone who triggers a trap will be escorted out by the patrolling ANBU, and your qualification for the exam will be voided."
After Akimoto finished speaking, the basic rules of the exam came to an end. His gaze swept over the thirty genin candidates and ten teams present.
"Although this is only a simulated battlefield and not a real one, you must treat this mission as if you were carrying out a B-rank—or even A-rank—mission."
"In addition, we are all Konoha ninja."
"Competition is allowed, but killing is absolutely forbidden."
"Any questions?"
Hearing this, the candidates at the front looked at one another and shook their heads. A few especially excited ninja shouted,
"No!"
"Very well." Akimoto nodded, glanced in one direction, and made a hand signal.
Soon, a ninja brought out the life-and-death waiver and had everyone sign it.
Uchiha Mikoto, who had never gone through this procedure before, looked at the document in her hands with a confused expression.
"Didn't you say killing isn't allowed? Then why do we still have to sign this?"
Hearing that, Bai Xing—standing beside Team Eleven—casually signed his name, capped his pen, and explained:
"That's because accidents are unavoidable in ninja combat."
"And becoming a chūnin means facing many high-mortality missions to begin with. This is a test of whether you're prepared to face life and death."
"So that's how it is!" Yakushi Nono nodded slightly and signed her name without hesitation. Might Dai, meanwhile, shouted something about youth never backing down and eagerly signed the waiver as well.
After hearing the explanation, Uchiha Mikoto didn't ask anything further and quietly added her signature.
Bai Xing, on the other hand, read through the clauses on the waiver and complained inwardly:
"As expected, genin really do have more freedom~"
"Chūnin—dogs wouldn't do that job."
The true purpose of this agreement was to prevent unnecessary disputes between the village and the families of genin seedlings who might be crippled or killed during training exercises.
In the Chūnin Exams, injuries or disabilities would be treated for free by the village—but disabilities couldn't always be fully healed, and death was another matter entirely.
This was considered one of the more humane aspects of Konoha's chūnin assessment system.
Compared to a certain Village of the Bloody Mist, where a single genin class would graduate with only one survivor, or a certain Stone Village that sent tens of thousands of genin to "play" with the Raikage—clearly treating genin lives as expendable—Konoha's system was something other villages' ninja could only envy.
[Reference: the plot involving Zabuza and another perpetual genin, Maruboshi Kosuke, encountering Iwa-nin]
Soon, everyone finished signing the life-and-death waivers. Proctor ninja then led each squad to a separate entrance of the Simulation Forest.
Bai Xing walked along a route he knew all too well, looking at the familiar red number ahead of him:
11.
"Why is it this entrance again? I really don't want to crawl through another hole."
Bai Xing's face twisted as his eyes turned lifeless, like a dead fish.
"The entrance locations are randomly assigned." The proctor, holding a key, turned back toward Bai Xing. "I remember you've taken this exam quite a few times, right? Your name was… what was it again…"
Shiranui Kumo flashed a mischievous grin and immediately slung an arm around the black-haired youth's shoulders—who already had a bad premonition—introducing him loudly:
"You don't recognize him?"
"This is Bai Xing, the six-year genin! The heir to the title of Eternal Genin!"
"Pfft—"
Beside them, Yūhi Liuyun burst out laughing. The proctor suddenly realized something and nodded slightly.
"So it's you! No wonder you looked so familiar."
As he unlocked the gate, the proctor said,
"Ninja work is inherently dangerous. Once you reach a certain age, your strength stops growing."
"Maybe changing careers would be better for you."
Bai Xing shook his head.
"No. I want to become a chūnin. Even if I stay a genin for life, I'll still become a chūnin through my own strength."
Holding the lock, the proctor turned back. Hearing Bai Xing's words, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face. Another hotheaded kid who hasn't seen the cruelty of the ninja world yet, he thought. If being a ninja were a job anyone could do, who knows how many people would've joined already.
"All right. Once the time comes, you'll be allowed to enter."
The proctor glanced at his watch—one minute remained until noon.
Then, at Akimoto's order through the microphone to the earpiece-wearing proctors, the exam officially began!
Whoosh! Three figures shot past the proctor's side. He turned his head, sighing inwardly that youth was truly wonderful, and closed the gate behind them.
...
Entrance No. 44.
Team Eleven rushed straight in. This exam filled them with a hot-blooded excitement—the feeling that they could finally fight to their hearts' content.
Tap tap tap—
Inside the forest, along the ground-level paths, the three leapt across tree trunks, the surrounding scenery streaking past them at high speed.
At that moment, a forest viper bared its fangs and struck. Yakushi Nono dodged just in time, glanced back at it, then looked forward again and continued sprinting alongside the other two.
"That really scared me."
"That snake almost bit me just now."
As the environment continued to blur past, Might Dai said, "This assessment won't be that simple. We need to stay alert at all times."
Just as they were about to break through the forest, a flash of light ahead caught Uchiha Mikoto in the eyes—but she still managed to clearly see what lay beyond.
"Stop!"
Tap tap tap—
With six or seven tree trunks still separating them from the light, Uchiha Mikoto halted ahead of the others, half-crouching. Cold sweat immediately broke out on her back.
"It looks like there's a cliff ahead."
"Huh?!" ×2
The three then dropped down from the tree trunks and carefully examined the surroundings for traps. Just as they were about to step out of the forest, a thin steel wire glinted faintly in midair between the trees. Uchiha Mikoto raised her hand, signaling the others to stop.
Standing on the tree trunk, the long black-haired girl stepped closer to the trap and carefully inspected its connections. Then she looked up sharply—
Tied to the branches above was a fist-sized white sphere.
The other two followed Mikoto's gaze upward.
"Is it a falling-rock trap?" Might Dai asked.
Yakushi Nono shook her head. "If I'm not mistaken, it's very similar to the trap I once set for Teacher Bai Xing."
"There's probably anesthetic gas or something like that inside."
Uchiha Mikoto landed and clapped her hands.
"Let's just go around it."
The two behind her followed Mikoto at a slower pace until they reached a steep slope ahead. Below them lay a dense, endless sea of forest.
And in all directions, there were various unique types of terrain.
This wasn't a sheer cliff—it was a mountain escarpment.
Turning her head, Mikoto analyzed, "At first, everything seems smooth and uneventful. Then the strong light at the forest exit blinds you, causing you to walk straight into the trap."
"Really well planned."
This kind of falling-object trap placed on tree trunks was specifically designed to target ninja who moved by running along walls and trees.
"The problem now is how we get down," Yakushi Nono said as she approached the edge, swallowing nervously. From where the blonde girl stood, the forest below was at least one or two hundred meters down.
"Let's use a rope. It'll save chakra and also ensure our safety." Mikoto took out a rope she had brought along, her gaze shifting to a thick tree in the forest behind them.
Suddenly, Yakushi Nono felt that they shouldn't go down so soon. She immediately lay flat on the ground to avoid being spotted by other teams.
"Wait, Mikoto! It looks like we're occupying the high ground. We can observe the surroundings first and confirm which direction the 'intelligence' we need to seize is in."
"Oh, right! Nono, that's exactly like you."
Might Dai immediately imitated her, lying flat as well, sticking out half his head to observe the forest below and the more distant surroundings.
"Okay!"
After agreeing, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly remembered something and turned to look toward the other entrances on both sides.
"But we also need to be careful of other teams approaching."
"I'll handle the lookout."
"I'll cover Dai's retreat. Mikoto, your Sharingan gives you the best vision, so you handle positioning."
"Then it's settled."
The three quickly divided their roles and began working together.
On the other side—
"Ahhhhhh—!"
Shiranui Kumo and Yūhi Liuyun: "..."
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