The next day, in front of the massive iron gates of Training Ground 44.
The towering wire fence stretched out to both sides, seemingly endless, completely isolating the dense, dark primeval forest within from the outside world.
The air was thick with the smell of damp earth, the faint sweetness of decaying plants, and a subtle hint of blood. Just standing outside the gate, one could feel the primal and dangerous aura blowing against their face.
"This is the venue for the second exam, Training Ground 44—alias, the Forest of Death!"
Anko Mitarashi stood before the crowd, her voice loud and carrying an undisguised excitement.
"How is it? Just being here, you can smell that exciting scent, right?"
Her words made many Genin turn pale.
Anko began to explain the rules.
Within five days, the three-man teams needed to carry both Heaven and Earth scrolls to the tower at the center, and the scrolls had to be seized from other teams.
"In other words, at least half of the teams will fail!"
Anko's smile was cruel.
"Moreover, in this forest... there dwell countless fierce beasts and poisonous insects beyond your imagination! One careless move, and you really will lose your life."
She pulled out a stack of consent forms.
"Now, those who choose to give up don't have to sign."
The scene was silent; no one withdrew. Those who could pass the first cruel psychological test had at least a fair amount of resolve.
"Then, each of you come up to receive a scroll, and then choose a different entrance to enter! The exam starts now!"
With the distribution complete, the teams scattered into the forest, and the exam officially began.
Team 8's efficiency in moving through the Forest of Death was extremely high.
With Hinata's Divine Sense, which far exceeded the range of the Byakugan, scouting the way, they perfectly avoided all pointless trouble—lurking beasts, natural toxic barriers, and traps set by other teams.
The occasional scroll-snatchers they encountered didn't even require Hinata to truly exert herself.
Facing an ambush from a Rain Ninja team, Hinata simply knocked them out with a few punches, and they 'voluntarily' handed over their Heaven Scroll.
"Is... is it over... just like that?"
Kiba looked at the scroll in his hand, still a bit dazed, while Akamaru let out a confused whimper on his head.
It seemed he also felt it was too simple.
Shino pushed up his sunglasses, silently watching Hinata's back.
Hinata ignored her teammates' shock; her main focus was immersed in the spread-out Divine Sense network, acting like the most efficient radar, precisely filtering every Chakra fluctuation in the forest.
She was looking for that unique, cold, and massive target—Orochimaru.
"Aren't we going to the central tower? We already have both scrolls."
Kiba couldn't help but ask, noticing that the direction Hinata was heading was not a straight line to the central tower.
"I still have something to do."
Hinata's answer was brief, and her footsteps didn't stop.
She sensed a violent and familiar Chakra collision from afar—it was Uchiha Sasuke's Lightning Release, along with another extremely uncomfortable Chakra carrying a viscous Killing Intent and Earth Release properties.
"Over there."
Hinata changed direction, her speed suddenly increasing, her figure flickering several times through the trees before vanishing into the distance.
"Hey! Wait for us!"
Kiba and Shino hurriedly followed. Although they had doubts, the absolute strength and unquestionable decisiveness Hinata displayed made them choose to follow unconditionally... Deep in the dense forest, in a clearing.
Uchiha Sasuke knelt on the ground, panting heavily. The clear bite mark on his neck was radiating an ominous burning sensation, and the intense pain and erosion from the Cursed Seal of Heaven were nearly swallowing his sanity.
Sakura Haruno stood fearfully in front of him, facing the figure that slowly emerged from the ground, twisting like a snake—Orochimaru in the guise of a Grass Ninja.
"Hehehe... the taste of fear is truly delicious."
Orochimaru extended his long tongue, licking his lips, his golden vertical pupils full of mockery and greed.
"Now, let me see how far the Cursed Seal can push you..."
He was about to make a move when he suddenly paused, his golden snake eyes snapping toward the dense forest to the side, a flash of genuine surprise in his eyes.
A figure appeared silently at the edge of the woods; it was Hyuga Hinata.
Her pure white eyes looked calmly at Orochimaru. There were no signs of violent Chakra fluctuations around her, but that mountain-like stillness made Orochimaru sense something abnormal.
"Oh? You're from the Hyuga Clan..."
Orochimaru sized Hinata up with interest.
"It seems I've discovered some unexpected surprises. I've heard of you, the Genius of the Hyuga Clan."
"Hinata?!"
Sakura was both surprised and happy, but then became even more worried; even Sasuke was... Hinata ignored Sakura, her gaze locked onto Orochimaru.
"Oi, come and exchange a few moves with me?"
Orochimaru was a bit surprised by her words; she was even more arrogant than Sasuke.
"Hehehe... interesting. Just you? Little fledgling of the Hyuga Clan."
Orochimaru formed hand seals, his body blurring as he instantly transformed into four or five indistinguishable afterimages, pouncing toward Hinata from different directions. Each afterimage carried a chilling Killing Intent, interfering with judgment while his true body remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity.
Hinata's pure white eyes didn't even move as she precisely locked onto the second figure from the left.
She didn't dodge. At the moment Orochimaru's true body lunged with a shuriken from a tricky, snake-like angle, her right hand reached out like a butterfly through flowers, her index and middle fingers together, precisely flicking the side of the shuriken.
"Clang!"
A crisp metallic ring echoed.
The shuriken shot back even faster than it had come, heading straight for Orochimaru's face!
Orochimaru's pupils constricted, and his head twisted at a biomechanically impossible angle to avoid it. The shuriken grazed his cheek, taking a few strands of hair with it.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru flicked his sleeve, and several hideous poisonous snakes hissed as they shot out like living ropes, coiling toward Hinata's limbs.
Hinata shifted her steps, her body moving as lightly as willow catkins, avoiding the snakes' bites.
At the same time, her left hand made a grasping motion toward the air, and several scattered stones on the ground floated up silently, shooting out with a flick of her fingers.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
The stones were enveloped in a layer of imperceptible Spiritual Light, as if fired from a heavy bow, precisely striking each snake's vital point!
"Puff puff puff—"
The snakes instantly stiffened and vanished into white smoke.
"Manipulating objects? Since when did the Hyuga Clan have this technique? Truly interesting."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his offensive changing again.
He opened his mouth, and a cold, gleaming kusanagi sword slid out. The blade was wrapped in chilling Chakra as it lunged straight for Hinata's heart!
Facing this sharp thrust, Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly, finally becoming a bit serious.
She no longer relied solely on her movement. Her right hand formed a sword-finger, Spiritual Light condensing at the tip. Without dodging, she met the point of the kusanagi sword head-on!
"Ding—!"
The fingertip collided with the sword tip, actually producing the sound of clashing metal!
An invisible shockwave spread out from the two of them, blowing the surrounding fallen leaves into the air.