Two more days passed in a flash.
Right now, Kaito waited in front of the massive, imposing front gate of the Forest of Death.
"Get ready, Team 6. You will be entering the arena shortly," the Jōnin proctor said, looking down at his stopwatch.
Mirei clung nervously to Kaito's arm as always, whereas Hiashi folded his arms nearby, his face completely stoic.
After getting the official signal, the Jōnin unlocked the heavy iron door. The trio immediately scattered into the dense, dark woods.
"Hiashi, remember, don't ever let go of the Heaven Scroll!" Kaito warned as they leaped onto a thick tree branch.
Hiashi nodded firmly and replied, "I understand."
The main point of Stage Two in this Forest of Death was to test the Genin's ultimate survivability and tracking skills.
Each team was given either a Heaven or an Earth Scroll, which must be fiercely protected.
They must head to the designated tower in the center of the forest within exactly five days.
If they failed to collect both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, lost a teammate, or arrived late, they would be immediately disqualified.
"Listen up, you two. From this point onward, we will establish a strict safe code," Kaito said, stopping on a high branch.
"Say 'Dattebayo' if we ever get separated and meet again."
He quickly added, "If either of us doesn't say 'Dattebasa' in response, do not trust that person! Attack immediately!"
After Kaito explained this bizarre rule, both Hiashi and Mirei looked deeply confused.
"What happened, Uchiha? Why would we need such a ridiculous safe code?" Hiashi asked, furrowing his brows.
Kaito didn't look back as he stared into the dark canopy.
He said, "We will definitely be encountering some deadly ambushes later on. Enemy ninjas are likely to disguise themselves as us to drop our guard."
He did this in direct response to the severe assassination threat mentioned by Hiruzen.
As for the weird code itself, it was actually inspired by Team 7's solution during the Chūnin Exams arc in the original Naruto anime.
"Basically, don't let your guard down for a single second!"
"Understood!" Mirei nodded seriously.
They kept leaping from one massive tree to another in rapid motion.
Suddenly, a deafening, terrifying roar echoed through the dense forest.
All of Team 6 stopped on a giant branch to analyze the situation.
"Wild Beast... What should we do, Kaito?" Mirei asked, gripping her kunai tightly.
Kaito used his bright blue Six Eyes to peer through the thick trees and foliage.
His vision finally landed on a chaotic scene several miles away, where three Genin were being brutally attacked by a giant, mutated tiger.
"There is someone fighting the local beast. Should we investigate? Maybe they have an Earth Scroll with them," Kaito explained calmly.
Hiashi quickly responded, "I agree. If possible, I would like to finish this stage as quickly as possible."
"Me too!" Mirei added with newfound confidence.
"Then, all of you, let's go!"
-
A mile away, Yuto Kawashima was a Genin from Sunagakure.
He wore a red protective jacket and had messy, gray-blue wavy hair.
He held his standard-issue sword tightly as the giant, bloodthirsty beast got closer.
The tiger was the size of a small house, with razor-sharp claws that easily tore through thick tree trunks.
Both of his teammates, Teppei Ono and Mio Nakajima, were already severely injured from the sudden ambush.
"Yuto, I don't wanna die!" Teppei cried out, holding a bleeding wound on his leg.
Mio, a young girl with blue twin-tails, cried loudly. "Huaaa...!!"
Yuto's brows twitched in deep frustration.
He thought, 'These two are completely useless!'
Unlike the two of them, Yuto was actually quite capable.
He often passed his academy grades with top marks and could perform basic Wind Ninjutsu with ease.
But against a monster of this size, he was rapidly running out of chakra and options.
"They're completely scared, eh?" a calm voice suddenly echoed from above.
Kaito suddenly emerged from the tree line, landing gracefully on the grass.
His sudden appearance completely shocked the Sunagakure ninjas.
Mirei and Hiashi landed right beside him a second later.
Mirei looked up at the towering monster and asked, "Kaito, can we even take down a large beast like that?"
Kaito smirked and crossed his arms.
"Of course! Remember your training, Mirei! Hiashi, take its left flank. Let's see what you can do."
The giant tiger roared furiously, ignoring the Suna Genin, and charged directly at the newcomers.
Hiashi didn't hesitate for a second.
"Byakugan!"
Thick veins bulged around his pale eyes as he dashed forward with incredible speed.
He gracefully dodged a massive swipe of the tiger's paw.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!"
Hiashi's hands became a blur as he struck the beast's massive pressure points.
The tiger roared in pain, its left leg buckling under the precise chakra strikes.
It angrily swung its heavy, tree-trunk-like tail to crush the Hyuga prodigy.
Before it could land, Kaito blurred into motion.
He didn't even use his Black Flash. He simply infused his fist with basic chakra and punched the massive tail head-on.
Boom!
The sheer physical force sent the giant tiger skidding backward into the dirt. Kaito was completely toying with the beast.
"Now, Mirei! Finish it!" Kaito ordered.
Mirei's Single-Tomoe Sharingan spun to life.
She quickly formed a series of hand seals and channeled the volatile energy deep within her Chakra core.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
A glowing, concentrated orb of blazing orange-white heat materialized in her palm.
She threw the fiery orb directly at the beast's chest.
Upon impact, the extreme heat exploded outward.
The giant tiger didn't even have time to scream. The intense Scorch Release instantly evaporated all the moisture in its body.
Within seconds, the terrifying monster collapsed to the ground as a completely dried, lifeless husk.
When Yuto saw the large beast that had previously toyed with his team easily taken down like that, he was utterly shocked.
He swallowed hard, trembling slightly.
Was this even the strength of a Genin?
"Amazing..." Yuto muttered under his breath.
When Kaito stepped closer to him, his bright blue eyes glowing in the dim forest light, Yuto unknowingly smiled widely in pure relief.
"T-Thank you so much!" Teppei said first, trying to stand up.
However, a cold voice interrupted their gratitude.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Hiashi said,
He stepped forward with his Byakugan still active, before glared at the exhausted Sunagakure team.
"We are here to take your scroll. Tell us which scroll you have, Heaven or Earth?" Hiashi say shortly.