At the entrance to the Forest of Death, the atmosphere was tense.
The Genin who had survived the psychological torture of the first round were now lining up to sign consent forms under the gleeful supervision of Proctor Anko Mitarashi.
Sakura Haruno stared at the paper.
She was, by her own admission, an ordinary girl content with the status quo.
Her ambitions were simple: she wanted a Naruto who aimed to become Hokage (but didn't annoy her), and she wanted a cool Sasuke to acknowledge her existence.
But the written exam had changed something.
When Ibiki presented the final, cruel question—choose to answer and risk being a Genin forever, or abstain and fail—Sakura had been ready to raise her hand.
She was prepared to withdraw to protect Naruto's dream from shattering, even if it meant he would hate her for it.
But then Naruto had slammed his hand on the desk and delivered that speech.
"I'm not gonna run away! I never go back on my word! That's my nindo: my ninja way!"
Sakura's heart had shifted slightly.
She realized that in the future, she might never surpass the monsters that were Naruto and Sasuke, but she swore to herself that she would at least stop holding them back.
At this moment, Sakura was organizing her ninja tool pouch, checking her supplies.
"Don't eat too many Soldier Pills," a lazy voice drifted over her shoulder. "It'll affect your... development."
Kakashi, who had specifically come along to see them off, glanced pointedly at the contents of Sakura's pouch—and then briefly at her chest.
"...Isn't that sexual harassment?" Temari, who was sharpening her fan nearby and overheard the comment, muttered with a disgusted look.
"Kakashi-sensei, stop joking," Sakura said dryly, paying no mind to Kakashi's "concern."
She finished packing, marched up to Anko, and signed her death waiver.
'Just kidding,' Sakura thought to herself as she walked away.
How could Soldier Pills, something ninjas have consumed for centuries, have such specific side effects? If they really halted growth, wouldn't every kunoichi in the Shinobi World be flat-chested?
Tsunade-sama certainly proves that theory wrong!
...
The Second Round: The Battle for the Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
The gates opened and the teams vanished into the green hell of the forest.
Meanwhile, Makoto nodded to his companions.
"Shall we?"
He levitated off the ground, flying up above the canopy of the Forest of Death to observe from a god's-eye view.
Orochimaru was frighteningly efficient.
Not long after Team 7 entered the perimeter, the Snake Sannin—disguised as a Grass Genin—intercepted them.
Makoto watched from the sky. The view was somewhat obscured by the dense foliage, but his sensory abilities painted a clear picture.
Under Naruto's screaming encouragement, Sasuke finally overcame his paralysis.
He suppressed his fear of death and began counterattacking the monster.
It was a brutal beatdown.
Orochimaru was pummeled, burned, and blasted, yet he didn't lose a single drop of blood.
He played with them like a cat with a mouse.
Finally, satisfied with Sasuke's potential as a vessel, Orochimaru extended his neck.
CHOMP.
He bit Sasuke, injecting him with the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
Sasuke collapsed, screaming, before falling unconscious.
Immediately after, the exhausted team was set upon by the Sound Ninja squad.
Sakura, desperate and alone, cut her long hair with a kunai and stood her ground to protect her teammates.
"Is that the reincarnation of Ashura and Indra you mentioned? And who is this girl?"
Konan's voice floated from behind Makoto.
Makoto glanced back.
Besides Konan, Kurotsuchi had arrived, dragging along Mei Terumi.
They were keeping their distance, slowly floating over the canopy.
Down below, Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the group of S-rank dignitaries fly into the sky.
For some reason, he actually felt more at ease.
When Makoto was alone up there, it felt ominous. With the Kage watching him, it felt... slightly less like an invasion.
"Don't underestimate her," Makoto said, pointing down at Sakura. "In the future, her strength surpasses both of her teammates."
"She's that impressive?" Konan was momentarily stunned.
She frowned slightly. "Then why didn't you consider recruiting her into the organization? Or guiding her? You're joking, right?"
"Not at all," Makoto shook his head with a mysterious smile.
"In the future, one of her teammates lost their Tailed Beast. The other lost their Rinnegan. Their strength declined massively."
"If the power gap wasn't obvious enough... eventually, one got sealed in another dimension for years, while the other became half-dead, essentially a useless waste."
"..."
Konan was speechless.
So this was what "surpassing in strength" meant?
Not by becoming stronger oneself, but by waiting for the others to get nerfed?
It was the ultimate technique!
The False Divine Art: swaps the identities of your crush and your best friend.
The True Divine Art: makes the entire universe align with the statement "I've finally caught up to them" by dragging everyone else down to your level.
"I'm not mocking her," Makoto clarified. "For a civilian ninja from the Hidden Leaf with no bloodline limit to reach her level? It was remarkable. She punches harder than a Tailed Beast."
"It's just a pity," Makoto sighed, looking at the struggling Genin below. "Everyone in the future was immersed in a false peace. The Otsutsuki threat was concealed by her two teammates. By the time it couldn't be hidden anymore, the Shinobi World had grown soft. They had no time to develop."
Kurotsuchi and Mei Terumi hovered closer, overhearing this.
They had been briefed on the Otsutsuki threat by Makoto. Hearing this grim prophecy, they remained silent, but their eyes hardened.
They began to contemplate their own training regimens.
Makoto hadn't just modernized their economies for fun; he was preparing them for war.
"Huh? What's that..." Kurotsuchi pointed downward.
She noticed the black, flame-like patterns spreading across Sasuke's body as he twitched in feverish agony.
"The Cursed Seal of Orochimaru," Makoto explained. "It's a crude form of utilizing Natural Energy."
"Natural Energy? Isn't that Sage Art?" Mei asked.
"Pretty much," Makoto nodded. "It draws energy from the environment to boost power, but without the balance and discipline of true Sage Mode. It corrodes the mind."
"His mental state seems quite unstable," Konan noted.
"Don't mind him," Makoto waved his hand dismissively. "If he remains obsessed with this cheap power even after knowing how to advance the Sharingan properly, then he's essentially useless to us."
...
While the group chatted in the sky, Sasuke managed to suppress the Cursed Seal through sheer willpower.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Orochimaru wiped his mouth.
He sensed eyes on him.
He looked up and detected Makoto, the Mizukage, and the Tsuchikage observing him like patrons in a zoo.
He recognized Mei and Kurotsuchi—the ones who had accused Konoha of harboring a "silver demon."
But he didn't care.
Even if they saw him using snakes, they wouldn't necessarily connect him to the "Kazekage." And even if they did... would they help Konoha?
'No,' Orochimaru sneered internally. 'The Leaf Destruction Plan proceeds. Those two hate Konoha. They'll enjoy the show for sure.'
He slipped away into the shadows.
...
An Hour Later.
"I can't watch this anymore."
"Me neither. Let's head down."
Mei Terumi and Kurotsuchi, both sporting dark expressions, informed Makoto they were leaving.
They had come to witness "expert duels" between the future of the ninja world. Instead, they saw the incompetence of their own villages' participants.
It was embarrassing.
After the written exam eliminated the illiterate ones, the remaining Iwa and Kiri ninjas were pitifully weak.
To be fair, Konoha's exam was insanely difficult.
Between Orochimaru, the Sound Ninja hit-squads, and Gaara, the difficulty was reaching its limits.
Passing the Forest of Death required mid-Chunin skills at minimum.
But the participants from Iwa and Kiri? They were older—some in their twenties—yet they were getting low diff by twelve-year-olds.
Some were even kneeling and begging for mercy, handing over their scrolls like lunch money.
No wonder the Kage couldn't bear to watch.
It was a national disgrace.
Makoto stopped watching too. He had seen what he needed to see: Sasuke had survived.
Instead of flying back to the Hokage Tower, Makoto descended and returned to the streets of Konoha.
He walked through the village, eventually finding himself in a quiet, upscale district.
He saw the distinctive fan emblem on the gates.
The Hyuga Compound.
A young girl with Byakugan eyes was jogging near the entrance.
"Why is no one here?" Makoto glanced around, genuinely puzzled.
He found it hard to imagine that in Konoha—the village of "comradery"—children would chase the Hyuga heiress shouting "Byakugan Monster."
"What do you mean 'no one'?" A sharp voice called out from the residence directly opposite Makoto.
"And what are you trying to do, lurking around here?"
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator