Outside the Forest of Death, Rin Nohara looked at Zoro and Obito Uchiha as they ca over to regroup. A gentle smile naturally appeared on her face, softening her already delicate features.
"Congratulations. You both passed the first round."
"Ow, it was easy."
Obito scratched the back of his head and rubbed his nose out of habit. Standing in front of Rin, the pride and excitent on his face were impossible to hide, as if he had already begun imagining himself becoming a chūnin.
"The next stage is the second round. We've been assigned an Earth Scroll. Within five days, we need to obtain a Heaven Scroll from another team and reach the designated location to pass."
Zoro stood quietly at the side, dressed in a black coat with a black bandana tied firmly in place. Three katana hung at his waist, their presence unmistakable.
His gaze was steady, sharp as steel. His tall, slender figure gave off the faint impression of a blade half-drawn from its sheath—restrained, yet ready to strike at any mont. Even now, there were already traces of a true swordsman in his bearing.
Looking out toward the vast, seemingly endless expanse of green forest ahead, one could not help but imagine what awaited within.
Over the next five days, this place would beco a battlefield.
A hunting ground, and inevitably, a graveyard.
Seventy-eight participants remained—twenty-six teams in total. At least half would be eliminated before reaching the third round.
"Then let's move."
Zoro's voice was calm, but decisive.
Several teams had already begun entering the Forest of Death, disappearing into the dense foliage one after another. The longer one waited, the fewer opportunities remained.
It went without saying—those who reached the goal first would naturally receive higher evaluations.
Without further delay, the three of them stepped forward and entered the forest.
"Captain, they've gone in."
Not far behind, Darui remained where he was, watching Zoro's team disappear into the shadows of the forest. Beside him, the sensory ninja C quietly reported what he sensed.
"Keep tracking them. Maintain distance. Don't let them notice us."
Darui spoke in a low voice, his tone relaxed but carrying clear authority.
C nodded slightly. As a sensory-type ninja, he could monitor targets without exposing himself, detecting fluctuations in chakra and movent from afar.
"Is that guy really that strong?"
Standing nearby, Omoi absentmindedly touched the hilt of the samurai blade strapped to his back. A lollipop rested in his mouth as he spoke with mild dissatisfaction.
"I don't know exactly how strong he is," Darui replied, his gaze still fixed ahead, "but a title like Konoha's number one genius isn't sothing just anyone can carry."
In truth, Darui had not received a direct order to eliminate Zoro.
Aside from completing the Chūnin Exam, his secondary objective was to draw Zoro's attention as much as possible—observe him, test him, and, if possible, provoke a response.
The group moved forward, keeping their distance as they followed the faint traces left by Zoro's team, gradually heading deeper into the Forest of Death.
The deeper they went, the denser the forest beca. The towering trees blocked out most of the sunlight, leaving only scattered rays filtering through the canopy. The air grew damp and heavy, filled with the faint scent of soil and decay.
"It looks like they've encountered soone."
C suddenly stopped, his eyes still closed as he focused on the fluctuations ahead.
"It's two teams. One from Kirigakure, and another from Konoha."
"Oh?" Darui's interest was imdiately piqued. "Who are they?"
"The Kirigakure side… based on chakra fluctuations and positioning, it should be Zabuza Momochi. The one noted in the intelligence reports."
"And the Konoha team?"
"No records."
Darui's brow lifted slightly at that.
Zabuza Momochi.
That na alone carried weight.
According to intelligence reports, during Kirigakure's infamous graduation exam—where students were forced to kill one another—Zabuza had slaughtered every single mber of his class on his own. Because of that incident, Kirigakure had been forced to change the structure of its graduation test.
As for the other Konoha team—
If there were no intelligence records, they were likely considered insignificant.
If those two teams had clashed…
Wouldn't that be a one-sided massacre?
"Keep monitoring. I want the exact situation."
A faint, cold glint flashed through Darui's eyes.
Perhaps… They were about to witness sothing far more interesting than expected.
At the sa ti, Zoro's three-man team crouched atop the thick branch of a towering tree, their figures concealed within the dense canopy as they quietly observed the situation unfolding below.
Beneath them, two teams had already co into conflict.
"That's Konoha ninja down there. We should hurry and help!"
Obito Uchiha spoke in a heated whisper, his fists clenching slightly as he leaned forward, clearly ready to jump in at any mont.
"Don't rush. Look around carefully first."
Zoro's calm voice cut through Obito's impulse, forcing him to pause.
Obito frowned, but still did as he was told, carefully scanning the surrounding area.
Only then did he notice sothing he had overlooked earlier.
In several directions beyond the battlefield, there were faint traces of movent—subtle shifts in the foliage, barely noticeable fluctuations.
Other teams were hiding nearby.
Though he couldn't identify which villages they belonged to, none of them had made a move.
They were waiting.
"But they're about to start fighting!"
Obito said anxiously, his voice tightening.
He had always been soft-hearted. He couldn't stand watching an old lady struggle across the road, let alone stand by while fellow Konoha ninja were about to be beaten down right in front of him.
"Obito, you need to understand sothing."
Zoro's tone remained steady, neither harsh nor gentle.
"The Chūnin Exam isn't a ga. If we step in to help every ti we see trouble, how are they supposed to grow? How are they supposed to learn anything? Or do you think you can protect them forever?"
His words were simple, but they carried weight.
Zoro had already recognized the two Konoha ninja below.
They were Iruka Umino… and Mizuki.
One of them would one day stand as a guiding figure for Naruto.
The other… would betray everything.
"Obito, let's wait and see. If Zoro says so, then he must have a reason."
Rin Nohara added softly from the side, her voice gentle but firm.
Revealing themselves this early was risky.
If the situation below was bait set by another village, rushing in recklessly would only drag them into danger.
Danger?
Zoro hadn't even considered it that deeply.
He was simply sitting there, casually squeezing a grip trainer in one hand, steadily working his fingers.
To him, there was no point in wasting ti.
Between helping those two and training himself, the choice required no thought.
Naturally, he chose the latter.
"What? You still plan to resist?"
Below, a cold, disdainful voice rang out.
Zabuza Momochi stood there, his lower face wrapped in white bandages, a massive sword resting across his back. Even at just ten years old, he already carried the oppressive aura of the future Demon of the Hidden Mist.
"You're that monster from Kirigakure!"
Mizuki's expression stiffened as recognition dawned. The intelligence reports flashed through his mind, and a chill ran down his spine.
Out of all possible opponents, this was one he least wanted to encounter.
"Monster?" Zabuza let out a low, mocking chuckle. "Cut the talk. Hand over your scroll."
His tone was casual, almost bored.
To him, the two standing before him were nothing more than insects.
"Iruka, hurry—take out the scroll!"
Mizuki urged urgently, his voice tight with panic.
He knew very well—if they provoked this person, that massive blade on Zabuza's back would fall without hesitation.
"Are we really just going to give it up like this?"
A trace of struggle flickered in Iruka's eyes.
To surrender without even fighting…
Was that truly what it ant to be a ninja?
"Hurry up and take it out! I don't want to die here!"
Seeing Iruka hesitate, Mizuki lost his patience. He stepped forward and began searching Iruka's belongings himself.
"Here… this is our scroll."
In an instant, Mizuki's expression changed completely. With a forced smile, he quickly handed the scroll over with both hands.
"Hmph. Sa type as mine. What a waste of ti."
Zabuza snorted coldly after a single glance.
Without another word, he turned and walked away, the massive sword on his back shifting slightly with each step.
Despite his brutality, he had no interest in slaughtering the weak for no reason.
They simply weren't worth his blade.
"Ha… he's finally gone…"
Mizuki let out a long, shaky breath. His legs weakened, and sweat soaked through his clothes as he nearly collapsed to the ground.
When he first heard that Zabuza had slaughtered every student in his class, he knew—this was soone who could kill without hesitation.
"See? Nothing happened."
Zoro's voice sounded calmly from above.
A mont later, he leapt down from the tree with ease, landing lightly on the ground.
"Who's there?!"
Mizuki snapped his head toward the source of the sound, his nerves still on edge.
But when he saw that the newcors were Konoha ninja, his expression visibly relaxed.
"Are you two okay?"
Seeing Zoro descend, Obito imdiately followed, rushing over to check on Iruka and Mizuki.
"So it's you, Obito… We're fine. Though… you ended up seeing us like this."
Iruka gave a bitter smile.
Compared to the danger they had just faced, the humiliation of being forced to surrender weighed more heavily on him.
"You were nearby, weren't you? Why didn't you co down earlier? Aren't we all Konoha ninja?"
Mizuki spoke with clear dissatisfaction, his tone sharp.
Iruka's earlier words had already bruised his pride. Now, he redirected that frustration outward.
Obito scratched his head awkwardly, lowering it slightly.
"Sorry… that was my fault."
Seeing him apologize so easily, Mizuki's expression grew even more unpleasant, as though he had found a target to vent his earlier fear and humiliation.
"Mizuki, that's enough."
Iruka quickly stepped in, stopping him from going further, and gave Obito an apologetic look.
"Hmph."
Mizuki snorted coldly, folding his arms as he looked at Obito with disdain.
In his eyes, Obito hadn't acted because he was afraid of Zabuza.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense—
A calm, almost amused voice broke the silence.
"Don't hold back. If you want to keep talking, go ahead. It's your mouth, after all. I was the one who told Obito not to move."
Zoro stepped forward, coming to stand beside Obito.
A faint smile rested on his lips as he looked at Mizuki—but there was sothing cold hidden beneath it.
"Zoro? So you're here too."
Iruka's expression shifted to one of surprise upon seeing him.
"Zoro…"
Mizuki had also heard of Zoro's recent rise.
But seeing that calm, seemingly gentle smile, a trace of contempt surfaced in his heart.
Just another soft-hearted fool.
"Zoro… could we move together with you? That way, we can look out for each other."
Mizuki quickly concealed his disdain, replacing it with a pitiful expression as he spoke in a pleading tone.
In his mind, soone like Zoro—a so-called genius with a good reputation—would never refuse such a request.
Unfortunately—
Zoro didn't even bother to hide his reaction.
He looked at Mizuki as if he were looking at an idiot.
Then, with the sa calm smile on his face, he spoke a single word.
"Scram."
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