"Forest of Death!!?"
Just hearing the name gave people a very uneasy feeling.
Minato had heard from Master Jiraiya that the Forest of Death was frequently used as the site for the Chunin Exams. It was also where most candidates were eliminated during the exams.
Even more importantly, there were no shortages of examinees who had lost their lives within the forest...
He never expected this Chakra Aptitude Test would be held in a place like that.
After the man finished his announcement, he turned to leave.
The students in the classroom reacted with varied expressions upon hearing the ominous name; some were clearly nervous.
Only Minato paused in thought before rising to his feet and saying, "Wait a moment, I have a question to ask you."
"Speak," the man slowly turned around, looking at the blonde boy who calmly met his gaze.
"What are the conditions required to pass this test?" Minato asked. When the man heard this, his eyebrows slightly lifted. He turned fully toward Minato and smiled, "You're sharper than most—caught the most important question right away."
"But still, you're too hasty... The answer to this final question will be announced tomorrow directly to all participants."
With that, he walked out of the classroom.
Not receiving an answer, Minato felt slightly surprised. It seemed that the method of passing must involve fairness issues and thus wasn't disclosed early.
Still, he'd find out everything tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Kushina still wore an expression of dissatisfaction. Seeing her like this, Minato frowned slightly.
She was also a student at the Ninja Academy and naturally had to participate in the Chakra Aptitude Test. Would Anbu follow her constantly throughout the deadly Forest of Death?
Or perhaps protecting Kushina's safety was also part of the Third's trial for him?
But even without that, Minato wouldn't allow anyone to harm her anyway.
Soon after, Moto Kouda entered the room. His odd expression clearly showed that he had just learned about the training location.
To these students, obviously none knew anything about the unfamiliar name "Forest of Death."
According to Teacher Kouda, staff members would lead all the students from the Ninja Academy into the Forest of Death tomorrow morning.
After school ended, each student left the Ninja Academy with different expressions.
At this moment, inside the highest room of the Ninja Academy, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked through the window at these children below, his expression somewhat complicated.
"Making you face all this so soon... it's my failure," sighed the Third, though deep down he also felt a bit excited.
It wasn't just about Minato Namikaze or Yan Uchiha... but also several other promising students.
After school, Minato went straight back home instead of training. Rather than practicing temporarily, he decided to organize everything he had learned over the past year. Last-minute training was meaningless now.
Only by summarizing everything thoroughly could he perform better when the time came.
Earning the Third's recognition was no easy task. Aside from Yan Uchiha and Senior Nagare, who had graduated nearly a year ago, there were several other exceptionally strong upperclassmen.
Furthermore, he recently heard that among the Academy students, there were also a few remarkably outstanding individuals.
...
Each lost in their own thoughts, they spent a restless night.
Early the next morning, large crowds had already gathered at the entrance of the Ninja Academy, standing in small clusters. Among them naturally stood Minato, Kushina, and Mikoto.
"Those two guys' eyes look really strange... They don't seem to have pupils at all..."
Kushina glanced around, noticing a pair who looked about the same age with slightly similar faces. The only peculiar thing about them was their eyes—completely lacking pupils.
Mikoto gently explained beside her, "Those are Senior Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga. Both come from the Hyuga clan, a prominent and noble family within the village, and have inherited the Byakugan."
"Byakugan? What is that?" Kushina wasn't particularly good with theoretical knowledge.
"One kind of dojutsu. The Byakugan grants extraordinary observational powers—with a full 360-degree vision and the ability to see chakra flow and vital points inside the human body. [The Gentle Fist]—one of the most revered techniques of the Hyuga clan—uses taijutsu to strike these pressure points and disrupt chakra circulation. It's incredibly powerful."
Born into the renowned Uchiha clan, Mikoto naturally knew everything there was to know about the Byakugan, and she intentionally shared this with Kushina.
Because Kushina tended to act impulsively, often charging recklessly into battle.
That might work against ordinary opponents, but brute force wouldn't stand a chance against those two brothers.
Although she didn't know the specific details of this trial either, she hoped to help Kushina as much as possible.
"Mikoto, thank you for telling me this," Kushina smiled at Mikoto, clearly understanding her intentions.
At this moment, Minato carefully observed his surroundings—the Anbu guards protecting Kushina were still hidden somewhere in the shadows.
Yan Uchiha slowly approached. His first sight upon arrival was Minato scanning his surroundings, frowning slightly. With just a brief glance, Yan's expression gradually became more serious.
Clearly, Minato wasn't the only one who noticed the presence of Anbu.
"Yo, Minato! Long time no see!"
A figure moved swiftly, landing before Minato and the others, a warm smile on his clean face.
"Senior Nagare!" Seeing the newcomer, joy flickered across Minato's eyes.
Behind Nagare stood a boy and a girl, both wearing Konoha forehead protectors.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy and becoming Genin, students usually formed teams of three.
These two clearly made up Nagare's squad.
Apart from Nagare, the other Genin participating in this trial did not bother mingling with the Ninja Academy students, preferring instead to stay in their own small groups—most likely their teammates.
After a while, nearly two to three hundred people had gathered here. About three-quarters were students from the Ninja Academy, most of them around the same age.
Minato and the others were actually quite young.
When nearly all the participants had gathered, ten Chunin appeared around the academy, organizing the crowd.
After counting everyone present, each of these Chunin took charge of a group and led dozens of contestants into the Forest of Death.
By the time everyone reached a more secluded location within Konoha, the eerie area enclosed by iron fencing was clearly visible ahead.
That was the venue for this trial—the Forest of Death.
At this moment, a young man with white hair also stepped before everyone. He had a rather handsome face, and unlike other ninjas, he carried a Tanto blade on his back.
He looked upon the massive group of contestants with a calm, warm smile before he spoke.
"I am Sakumo Hatake, the chief examiner for this trial..."
...
....
Sorry, I've been going through reference books for ages, and it's gotten really late.
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