Ti passed quickly, and before anyone realized it, another half year had already gone by.
Early that morning, thick mist still lingered throughout the outskirts of the Forest of Death while twenty-three young figures stood neatly lined up outside the warning cordon surrounding the training ground.
No one whispered, and no one chatted quietly. Even Obito, who was usually the loudest and most restless person in the class, now wore a tense expression while staring directly toward the mist-covered forest ahead.
Guy stood slightly behind the center of the line while silently observing everything around him.
Half a year.
An entire half year had passed.
He slowly lowered his head and looked at his own hands. Compared to six months ago, they had beco even larger and rougher. Thick callouses layered over one another across his palms, while the knuckles protruded prominently from constant training.
At so point during these months, he had unknowingly entered another growth spurt. Three months ago, he had already asured nearly one ter sixty-eight. Now, judging by his current height, he was probably already above one ter seventy.
The giant cleaver-like blade remained strapped across his back. Standing among a group of eight-year-old children, he looked exceptionally out of place.
During the past half year, he had continuously used the bandit leader's giant machete for training. Several new chips had appeared along the spine of the blade, yet the edge itself still remained extrely sharp. anwhile, the hemp rope wrapped around the handle had already been replaced three different tis. Now the grip had been polished smooth from constant use.
Guy slowly raised his gaze again before quietly scanning the classmates standing ahead of him.
Everyone had changed quite noticeably over the past six months.
Obito stood near the very front of the group. He had grown taller, his shoulders had broadened significantly, and although his face still looked just as easy to punch as before, the childish recklessness inside his eyes had beco much steadier now.
Beside him stood Rin. Her short brown hair had grown slightly longer and was tied into a small braid resting gently over her shoulder. A dical pouch now hung from her waist, bulging with all kinds of dicines and bandages.
Ebisu had switched to a brand-new pair of sunglasses with noticeably thicker lenses. Standing beside him was Aoba Yamashiro. His hands were empty now, no longer carrying feathers or small tools around casually like before. However, thick callouses had clearly ford around his fingers and knuckles from endless Shuriken training over these past months.
Even Asuma had changed considerably. The arrogance still remained, but compared to before, he had beco far calr and more restrained.
anwhile, Gekkō Hayate sohow looked even thinner and paler than before. Anyone who didn't know him might genuinely think he had been starving for half a year straight.
The other students had changed similarly. So beca taller, so beca quieter, so carried weapons now, while so carried visible scars. The atmosphere surrounding the class had already beco completely different from half a year ago.
Guy eventually withdrew his gaze before looking toward the very front of the line once more.
Kurenai stood there quietly.
Compared to before, her black curly hair had grown longer and now reached her shoulders naturally. She had also beco taller. Standing beside Rin, the difference between them was now only about half a head. A dark training outfit wrapped around her body neatly while a Kunai pouch rested securely against her waist.
This was the first ti Guy had seen her in nearly half a year.
As though sensing his gaze, Kurenai slowly turned her head slightly.
Their eyes t instantly.
Then the corners of Kurenai's lips lifted upward into a smile.
It was no longer the shy smile from six months ago where she lowered her head while blushing helplessly. This smile was completely different. Bright. Open. Confident.
Her eyes curved beautifully into crescents before she calmly turned back around and continued looking toward the forest ahead.
Guy froze briefly.
Then a strange expression crossed his face.
"Half a year without seeing her... and sohow this girl beca bolder instead?"
The mont that thought appeared, Guy suddenly rembered the fleeting kiss beneath the forest sunlight half a year ago, along with that soft nervous question:
"Do you... like ?"
The corner of Guy's mouth twitched slightly.
He imdiately shook the distracting mory away.
Now was definitely not the ti to think about things like that.
At the very front of the line, Umino Iruka stood quietly with an unusually serious expression. Today, he wore a standard Chunin flak jacket instead of his usual Academy clothes. His hands were empty. There was no notebook and no relaxed smile either. His expression was at least ten tis more serious than normal.
Iruka slowly scanned the entire line before finally speaking.
"Is everyone here?"
No one answered verbally.
Twenty-three students stood lined up silently without a single absence.
Iruka nodded slightly afterward.
"Good."
Then he slowly turned around before pointing toward the massive mist-covered forest behind him.
"Do all of you know what this place is?"
The students remained silent, and Iruka continued speaking calmly on his own.
"This is the Forest of Death. Konoha Training Ground Forty-Four. It stretches across a diater of twenty kiloters, with a central tower located directly in the middle. All kinds of dangerous beasts, poisonous insects, venomous plants, traps, and chanisms exist inside this forest. Many of those traps were left behind by previous generations of Konoha Ninja."
His voice remained calm and flat throughout the explanation, yet every word landed heavily against the students' hearts.
The atmosphere imdiately beca even quieter than before. Soone swallowed nervously, while soone's fists tightened unconsciously.
Then Iruka continued:
"Your final pre-graduation mission is to cross the Forest of Death."
As he spoke, he slowly raised one finger.
"You will each carry only three days' worth of rations."
Then he raised a second finger.
"Within seven days, all of you must reach the Central Tower. I will be waiting there personally. Other than a few special cases approved beforehand, everyone must enter alone."
He slowly swept his gaze across the students again.
"What happens after you enter, who you encounter, and whether you et other classmates will all depend on yourselves."
Then Iruka's expression beca much more severe.
"But rember one thing clearly. Once inside this forest, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself."
Guy quietly listened without speaking.
Crossing the Forest of Death alone at eight years old within seven days.
He slowly turned his head toward the enormous forest ahead. Dense white mist covered everything completely, making it impossible to see what existed deeper inside. Yet from ti to ti, low beastly growls echoed faintly from sowhere beyond the trees.
Dangerous beasts.
Poisonous insects.
Traps.
chanisms.
And if soone was truly unlucky, they might even encounter enemy spies hiding near Konoha territory.
After all, this was still warti. Although the Forest of Death belonged to Konoha, stray infiltrators occasionally slipped into the outer regions.
Was this cruel?
Perhaps.
But compared to the battlefield itself, this environnt was still rciful. Failing inside the Forest of Death at least left room for survival. The real battlefield would only be far crueler than this.
Guy slowly inhaled deeply.
Then suddenly, sothing caught his attention.
He turned slightly toward another part of the line.
Anko Mitarashi stood there with her head lowered while secretly stuffing Dango into her mouth at lightning speed. Apparently, she was still sneaking food even now.
Guy stared at her puffed-up cheeks silently.
Then the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
"No wonder she ended up holding such a deep psychological grudge against the Forest of Death later on..."
So this was where everything began.
Eight-year-old children entering the Forest of Death alone without even signal flares for ergencies. If sothing truly happened inside, surviving alone might already leave psychological trauma behind forever.
However, Iruka clearly had no intention of giving everyone additional ti to ntally prepare. Or rather, before arriving here today, he had already given them enough preparation ti.
Soon afterward, Iruka began calling students forward one by one.
"Number One: Uchiha Obito. Step forward."
Obito's body visibly stiffened.
Then he inhaled deeply before walking out from the line firmly.
Iruka looked directly toward him.
"Once you enter, head east imdiately. Do not look back. If you encounter danger, run whenever possible. If you cannot run, hide. And never force yourself into unnecessary fights."
Obito nodded seriously.
"Yes."
Iruka pointed toward a narrow forest path nearby.
"Enter from there. Everyone else, turn around and face away from the entrance."
The remaining students all turned around obediently.
Guy now stood with his back facing the forest entrance while listening quietly.
Behind him, Obito's footsteps echoed clearly. At first they sounded quick, then slightly slower. When Obito finally reached the forest edge, the footsteps paused briefly for one second.
Then he entered.
Soon afterward, even the sound of footsteps vanished completely into the mist.
Iruka then led everyone farther down the line.
"Number Two: Asuma. Step forward."
Asuma walked out calmly, glanced briefly toward everyone, then entered the forest directly without hesitation.
The process repeated continuously afterward.
One student after another stepped forward, and one after another disappeared into the mist-covered forest.
Before every student entered, Iruka repeated the exact sa instructions:
"Head east. Don't look back. Run if you can. Hide if you can't. Never force a fight."
Several rounds later, Iruka finally called another pair of nas.
"Kurenai Yuhi. Rin Nohara. You two may enter together."
Both girls blinked in surprise.
anwhile, Guy quietly relaxed slightly inside his heart. Although he already knew both of them were capable enough to survive, having them together still felt more reassuring.
As the two girls approached the forest entrance, Kurenai suddenly stopped walking.
Then she turned around.
Her gaze crossed over rows of classmates standing with their backs toward her before finally landing directly on Guy.
Guy still faced away from her.
Yet he knew she was looking at him.
"Guy!"
Her voice was not loud, yet within the silent atmosphere, it sounded exceptionally clear.
Guy's body paused slightly.
However, he still did not turn around.
Kurenai quietly stared toward that green figure standing with his back facing her.
Then she slowly inhaled deeply before smiling brightly.
An especially sweet smile.
"I'll go in first! You'd better hurry up too!"
Guy still did not turn around afterward.
However, his left hand slowly rose beside his shoulder.
Then he gave a thumbs-up.
Although his face remained hidden, Kurenai already knew he was definitely smiling right now.
Her own smile imdiately widened further.
Then she finally turned around again before grabbing Rin's hand.
Soon afterward, both girls disappeared completely into the white mist together.
Guy slowly lowered his hand afterward.
Then he followed Iruka farther down the line once more.
One student after another disappeared.
Eventually, only one remained.
"Number Twenty-Three. Might Guy. Step forward."
Guy finally turned around before walking calmly toward the entrance.
Iruka looked directly toward him.
"Head east. Do not look back. Run if possible. Hide if you cannot. Do not force unnecessary fights."
The exact sa instructions.
Guy nodded naturally.
"Yes."
Then he turned around and began walking toward the narrow forest path.
After taking several steps, however, he suddenly stopped.
Then he turned back around once more.
"Teacher Umino."
Iruka raised an eyebrow.
"Hm?"
Guy suddenly grinned brightly before raising a massive thumbs-up.
His white teeth flashed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
"Youth will never die inside the forest!"
Iruka froze briefly.
Then unexpectedly, he burst into laughter.
A genuine laugh he had not shown in a very long ti.
"Get lost already."
He waved his hand dismissively.
Guy laughed before turning around again.
Then he strode directly into the mist-covered forest.
Behind him, Iruka quietly remained standing in place while watching that green figure gradually disappear deeper into the white fog.
Several seconds later, Iruka slowly raised his head toward the sky above.
The morning mist had already begun dispersing.
Warm sunlight filtered down gently through the gaps between tree branches overhead.
Twenty-three children.
Twenty-three eight-year-olds.
Only three days of rations.
Seven days to cross the Forest of Death.
Iruka stared toward the forest silently for a long while.
Then finally, he murmured softly to himself:
"I just hope... all of them co back alive."
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