Half an hour later, the remaining candidates stood before a massive, circular iron fence. Thick chains were draped over it, and every few meters, a weathered sign warned: [EXTREMELY DANGEROUS — DO NOT ENTER]

"What… is this place? It feels… terrifying," one of the Genin whispered, their voice barely audible. A wave of fear rippled through the crowd as they swallowed nervously.

Anko Mitarashi stepped forward, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "This," she announced, her voice dripping with sadistic glee, "is the arena for the second stage of the Chunin Exam: the 44th Training Ground, also known as… the Forest of Death!"

"Hehe, you'll all get to experience exactly why it has that name very, very soon."

Hearing this, Naruto just scoffed, baring his teeth in a defiant grin. "Hah! It's just a forest! You can't scare me!"

"Is that so?" Anko's expression softened for a moment into a deceptively kind smile before she instantly whipped out a kunai, throwing it with blinding speed. The blade grazed Naruto's cheek, leaving a thin, bloody line.

"What was that for?! Hey, where'd she go?" Naruto, snapping out of his shock, was about to start shouting when he realized Anko had vanished from in front of him.

"I'm right here, idiot," her voice hissed from directly behind him. "Kids with your attitude are usually the first to die. Slurp." Anko leaned in, her tongue flicking out to taste the blood on Naruto's cheek. "But I have to say, your blood… it's quite delicious. Hahahaha! Just kidding, kid."

"Alright, time to get down to business." Anko straightened her coat and took out a stack of papers from her pocket. "I'll be passing these out. They're consent forms. Anyone who wants to participate in this exam must sign one first."

Sakura, her voice laced with confusion and worry, asked, "Why… why do we need to sign these?"

A dark, mysterious glint appeared in Anko's eyes. "Tsk tsk. Because some of you might not make it out of there alive, and we proctors don't want to be held responsible. We need your consent first. Ahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the entire group fell into a dead silence. Anko's hearty, unhinged laughter only served to make the hair on their necks stand on end.

"Alright, stop standing there like idiots! If you want to take the exam, come and get a form! If you're scared you're going to die, then get out of here now!"

After a tense silence, not a single person left.

"Very good," Anko nodded with satisfaction. "Then I'll continue with the explanation. Simply put, this exam is an extreme survival challenge."

"The 44th Training Ground is a circular area, surrounded by 44 locked gates. Inside, you'll find rivers, forests, and a single tower at the center. The distance from any gate to the central tower is approximately ten kilometers."

"In this restricted area, you will engage in an all-out survival mission. The objective is… a scroll battle!" As she spoke, Anko pulled out two types of scrolls. "A Heaven Scroll, and an Earth Scroll."

"Half of your teams will receive a Heaven Scroll, and the other half will receive an Earth Scroll. To pass, your team must collect both a Heaven and an Earth scroll and reach the central tower before the time limit expires. Understood?"

"Time limit?" Shikamaru frowned, his lazy demeanor gone. "How long is this exam?"

"Five days."

"Five… five days?!" Choji was stunned. "What about food? How are we supposed to eat for five days?"

"Is that even a question?!" Anko shouted. "You find it yourselves! There's plenty to eat in the Forest of Death. As long as you have the skills, you won't starve!"

__________________________

"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon

[patreon.com /coolperry]

for early access to future chapters.(+30 chapters)