We moved out immediately, keeping our pace steady.
The forest around us seemed to exhale — as soon as the fight ended, the air grew quiet and damp again, and the nocturnal creatures cautiously returned to their interrupted routines. But the calm was deceptive: we knew almost every team in this forest was now hunting others, and any wasted time could cost us the exam.
"Upper paths," I said, jumping onto the nearest branch.
Guy soared upward nearly soundlessly. Genma followed, though his movements were heavier — the bites and fatigue were starting to show.
We moved fast. The forest beneath us blurred into a streak of green. Somewhere far away the wind howled; elsewhere branches cracked under someone else's steps.
"How long until the tower?" Guy asked quietly.
"If we keep the pace — fifteen minutes," Genma said. "Unless someone decides to trip us up."
I looked ahead. In the darkness, silhouettes of larger trees began to appear — the ones that grew closer to the center of the forest. The nearer we approached, the denser the branches became. Chakra lingered in the air, as if someone had recently used a technique.
I raised my hand.
"Stop."
Guy froze immediately, balancing on a branch with a single toe. Genma halted as well.
Ahead, it was… unnervingly quiet.
The forest was never silent — crickets, beetles, rustling leaves, even faint bird calls. But now everything was mute, the air so still it felt solid.
"A barrier?" Genma guessed.
"Or someone really doesn't want to be noticed," I said, listening.
I focused chakra into my fingertips. A faint vibration ran along the bark.
There.
A weak, barely noticeable ripple. Someone had set a trap twenty meters ahead — not powerful, but clever enough that an unwary team would walk right into it.
"Guy, left. Genma, right. I'll take the center from above," I whispered. "Carefully."
We split up.
I moved across the thinnest branches — the ones that bent under weight but didn't snap. I channeled chakra only into my fingers, staying hidden. As soon as we passed a small clearing, the oppressive feeling vanished.
"Smart trick," Genma muttered, exhaling. "Good thing we caught it."
"Let's speed up before they come back," I said.
A few minutes later the branches thinned sharply, revealing the night sky. And there, in the distance, like a well of light punched through the darkness, stood the tower at the center of the forest.
"Oh!" Guy grinned wider. "I love seeing the goal! Very motivating!"
He sped up. Genma and I followed a bit behind — his energy was, as always, endless.
The closer we got, the clearer the tower became. Tall, massive, marked with the exam's symbols, it looked like the only stable object in the chaos of the night forest.
"Careful," I said quietly, stopping Guy with a hand on his shoulder.
A fallen branch lay near the entrance — with a fresh stain on it. A small pool of blood.
"Someone got here before us," Genma said grimly.
"And definitely not in good shape," I added.
But I sensed no traps. No auras. No ambushes.
We approached.
The tower door was slightly open, as if inviting us inside.
"Well?" Guy said, raising a fist.
I tapped it with mine. Genma did the same.
"Let's finish this."
We stepped into the tower — one step, then another… the lights flicked on automatically.
A message glowed on the wall:
"Team 4.
Scrolls meet all requirements.
Stage complete."
Guy exhaled with relief as if he'd run ten laps around Konoha.
Genma crouched, pulling out another senbon.
I leaned back against the wall, finally allowing myself to relax.
We did it.
We made it first.
"Well…" Genma murmured, "now we can sleep."
Guy was already smiling.
Two days later…
We had been living in the tower this whole time — as if in a strange, isolated world where time flowed differently. Outside, the dark forest raged with danger, but in here the calm was almost oppressive. The rooms were small, the mattresses stiff, the food standard military rations. But compared to the forest, it wasn't bad.
Each day more teams arrived. Yesterday morning they announced the statistics: only a third of the teams had made it to the center. Some lost their scrolls, others fell into traps, and a few still hadn't escaped the Forest of Death.
We sat in the common rest area where long tables were set up. The smell of boiled noodles mixed with the faint smoke from small heaters, and in the corner examiners argued about something.
Guy lazily stretched on the floor — in a handstand, somehow managing to rest like that.
Genma chewed a senbon...
I studied the wall carved with names — traces of past exams.
By the way, I learned something — "The first to reach the tower were the Hyuga and Uchiha teams," Guy said.
Genma whistled.
"Not surprised," he snorted. "Their dōjutsu is great for long-range detection."
I shrugged.
Hyuga and Uchiha.
A serious lineup. And if they arrived first, our opponents wouldn't be weak.
On the evening of the second day, all the remaining teams were gathered in the large hall.
About forty people.
The Hokage wasn't present — instead, the senior examiner stood before us, a man with a stern face.
He looked at us with a sharp, almost cutting gaze.
And said:
"The third stage of the exam begins now.
No additional rest.
No preparation time.
No option to decline."
"The '+' next to a stat shows how much was added to the previous value. For example, if it was 2 and now it's 2.5 (+0.5), it means the stat was increased by 0.5."
Kotetsu Hagane
Ninjutsu — 2.5 + 0.5
Taijutsu — 2.5 + 1
Genjutsu — 1
Intelligence — 3
Strength — 1.5 + 0.5
Speed — 2.5 + 0.5
Chakra — 1
Seals — 2.5
Total — 16.5
Techniques:
• Body Replacement Technique — Rank E
• Clone Technique — Rank E
• Transformation Technique — Rank E
• Wind Style: Great Wind Gust — Rank C
• Wind Style: Weapon Barrage — Rank ?
• Construction of the String of Light — Rank D
• Wind Style: Weapon Coating — Rank ?
• Body Flicker Technique — Rank D