107 Forest of Death (2)

We ran through the vast forest at a moderate pace, swiftly but silently. Fast enough to travel at a relatively decent speed, but slow enough not to tire us. Hinata activated her Byakugan to scout our surroundings at set intervals, while Shino kept his Kikaichu in reserve just in case.

Rather than running straight towards the tower, we instead travelled in a diagonal direction towards the left of our starting gate. We had taken notice of the teams closest to our starting point.

To our right was a team from Konoha who we were not familiar with, while the opposite were a trio of Suna genin. Though thankfully, not the one that contained a bloodthirsty jinchuuriki. Instead, it was just a group of no-name, slightly above average shinobi. Perfect targets for our team.

Stored in my inventory was an Earth Scroll, which we had received from the chuunin proctors prior to entering the Forest of Death. That meant we needed a corresponding Heaven Scroll in order to pass this stage of the exam.

The objective of the second stage was rather simple: Each team was given either an Earth Scroll or a Heaven Scroll. We were then given five days to reach the building at the centre of the forest with a pair of each scroll in our possession. How we retrieved the second scroll was up to us, and all restrictions were lifted - killing included.

The chuunin proctors then brought the genin teams to their respective starting gate. There, Team Ten planned for the second stage of the exam.

Following the objectives of my [Chuunin Exam 2] quest, I informed my teammates that I wanted our team to not only complete the test within a day, but also eliminate as many of our competitors as possible at the same time.

I reasoned that the less competition we had going into the third and final stage, the more likely our chances of actually being promoted. Furthermore, completing the second stage as quickly as feasible would give us more time to rest as compared to the other examinees who had to struggle in the forest for a longer period of time.

It was a sound plan, since our team was made up of two heavy-duty trackers who could very effectively locate our prey, for lack of a better word, and myself who could single-handedly take down an entire genin team by alone… with the exception of certain individuals.

Additionally, in order to gather as many scrolls as I could within this time period, I created three shadow clones from the get go to spread out and steal scrolls from opposing teams. They went forth with the instruction to immediately dismiss themselves should they encounter Orochimaru somewhere. That would not only prevent the Snake Sannin from investigating my abilities, but also immediately inform me of his whereabouts in order to avoid him.

And as for the [A Snake's Corruption] quest to stop Orochimaru from marking Sasuke with the cursed seal? Well I obviously rejected it of course. It was foolish to even consider it in the first place.

It didn't matter how good the rewards were, or even how lenient its failure penalties were. Consequences and side effects of quests did not stop upon mission success or failure. I had to also consider what would happen once I got Orochimaru's attention, after trying to save Sasuke.

The moment I caught Orochimaru's eye, there would only be two outcomes: An instant Game Over, or a slow and torturous one with me ending up on his laboratory table. Neither of which were even remotely acceptable results.

I did think of alternate methods to completing the quest indirectly. Such as directly informing the authorities of Orochimaru's presence in the Chuunin Exam, or causing a big enough commotion in the forest to warrant investigation from the ANBU. But the former method would require evidence which I did not have or the time to get some, while the latter method was just as risky as confronting the Snake Sannin myself.

And even if it did somehow work, Team Seven might still get caught up in the ensuing conflict and Sasuke could still be slapped with a curse seal during the commotion. This would still result in a quest failure, leaving me to bear the burden of the penalties despite not being directly involved.

I might have had some theories on how Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body might interact with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, but ultimately that was all they were – theories. Nothing concrete or definite, and that was not a risk I was willing to take.

The only thing that was regrettable would be forsaking Sasuke to his fate. But it was honestly out of my hands at this point. Orochimaru just wasn't someone I could contend with at this point. The fact of the matter is, I am weak. But! Instead of bemoaning my fate and cursing my helplessness, this weakness of mine will be something I eradicate. It was just a matter of time and opportunity.

My number one priority is, have been, and always will be, my personal safety and wellbeing. Nothing could change that, not even the endangerment of Sasuke, whom I already knew would somehow be fine even with a cursed seal attached to his neck. There might be an issue with Team Seven being targeted by the Oto team, but I already had a plan to take care of that as well.

Right now, what the sensible first step to surviving and becoming stronger was completing the [Chuunin Exam 2]'s bonus objective of finishing the second stage within a day and receive a summoning scroll.

Not only were summons incredibly useful and versatile, they were also a potential avenue for learning how to use Natural Energy and eventually acquiring Sage Mode. While it wasn't guaranteed that every animal tribe a shinobi could form a contract with could teach its contractor how to use Natural Energy, it was still a better chance than learning it on my own.

I was also working towards accumulating EXP by gathering Earth and Heaven scrolls. Every pair after the first I gathered would give me 10,000 EXP. Meaning, if I could hypothetically gather eleven total pairs of Earth and Heaven scrolls, I could theoretically receive 100,000 EXP, twice that of [A Snake's Corruption]'s quest reward. Highly unlikely, sure, but at least my safety would be guaranteed.

While I was still mulling over my own thoughts and paying only half attention to where I was stepping, Hinata spoke up next to me.

"200 metres, I have located the team from Suna." She reported, pointing in the direction of our targets with one hand while holding up the other to indicate for us to slow down.

Already? That was sooner than I predicted. They must have been headed in our direction as well, and our two teams coincidentally met in the middle.

200 metres was the limit of Hinata Byakugan's range. Any further would require forcing more chakra than was worth it, plus added strain would be put on her eyes as well. The second stage of the exams was a marathon, not a sprint. So it was wiser to apply ourselves more conservatively.

We stopped, landing on a branch high up in the trees and Shino immediately released a clump of Kikaichu that dispersed into individual, almost imperceptible specks that flew towards the enemy.

A smaller clump of Kikaichu hung back.

"Follow them," Shino prompted, "They will lead you to the Suna team. We will follow from a short distance and provide support if necessary."

If necessary were the keywords here. My teammates knew the extent of my strength, and from my [Observe] as well as Hinata's Byakugan, all signs pointed to the Suna genin being easy targets.

I cracked my neck and nodded, wondering how heavy handed I should be when I took them down. Killing them was indeed cruel, but would also result in three less enemy combatants taking part in the invasion, which might consequently save some Konoha lives.

"Unluckily for us, they have an Earth Scroll as well." Hinata added, her all seeing eyes still activated.

"That's fine," I shrugged, "We could always use a spare."

"Be careful." She advised with a slight tinge of red on her pale cheeks, more out of concern over my wellbeing than any doubt over my abilities.

I thanked her for her concern and leapt off the branch, following Shino's Kikaichu. I'll cripple them, I decided. That should be kinder than taking their lives outright. See that, system? I'm trying to be a good person here.

--------

The plan was clear. The moment the test started, we would dash straight towards that weak-looking Konoha team that started next to us. Three wet behind the ears children barely out of the academy, so green they still smelled of their mother's milk.

They shouldn't have joined the chuunin exam in the first place. It was no place for these inexperienced brats, even if it was being held in their own village. Wouldn't it be nicer, kinder even, for us to relieve this heavy responsibility from their hands by eliminating them early into the exam? We were doing them a favour!

One of them had to even go through that whole charade of 'revealing' that he had 'taken down an elite chuunin rogue shinobi'. Come the fuck on. Anyone who believed that bullshit had to be soft in the head. We shinobi thrived on deception and subterfuge. That whole performance was just theatre to hide their weaknesses.

Konoha shinobi were pathetic. Having to resort to such petty schemes was pitiful. They weren't like us Suna shinobi. We knew true hardship. Let them try surviving a few days in the desert and see if they didn't drop dead on the third day. No, us Suna shinobi were born in hardship, moulded by it. Our brows were beaten black by the smouldering sun, our skin toughened from the never-ending cutting wind carrying razor sharp grains of sand and our spirit tempered by suffering through droughts.

Unlike they who had everything they needed handed to them, we had to fight for what's ours. We even had to compete with other Suna teams for the lowest-paying missions. A single C-ranked mission fought over by ten different teams.

With that limited income, even feeding our families was difficult, not to mention maintaining our weapons and tools. Fuck I was getting pissed just thinking about it.

Even just coming here to take part in the chuunin exam was a brutal competition for the limited slots. Not everyone could be the children of the Kazekage and not have to compete with the rest of us commoners for the chance of a promotion. So for us to see rookie Konoha genin having the opportunity to participate without having to prove themselves… it was a slap in the face for us who had to fight for this right.

And speaking of the Kazekage's children… I was beyond relieved when I saw that they were starting the second stage of the exam on other end of the forest. That monster would not hesitate to kill even fellow Suna comrades if it felt like it. Once it got bloodthirsty, it did not recognize friend or foe, killing indiscriminately.

They say the third stage of the chuunin exams are almost always a tournament style competition that pit two genin against each other. As long as I don't meet that monster on the field, I will definitely have the chance for a promotion. Once I become a chuunin, I won't have to compete so hard for a measly C-rank mission!

More missions means being able to achieve more merits, more achievements would let me redeem better jutsu and shinobi techniques, allowing me to become stronger and secure a better livelihood for my family! This chuunin exam will be my turning point, the stepping stone to the rest of my life-

(3rd person POV)

A [Power Strike] enhanced fist, connected to an arm whose strength was amplified by [Chakra Enhancement], crashed into the sternum of the Suna genin, who looked like he had been daydreaming and thus not paying very much attention to his surroundings.

The impact of the blow formed a tiny shockwave as the foreign shinobi was sent rocketing back and crashing in to a tree, forming a small crater on the sturdy wood trunk. His sternum and ribs fractured under the heavy blow, and blood went rushing out of his mouth and nose. Fortunately for the young man, his eyes rolled to the back of his skull right after as he fell into blissful unconsciousness.

"E-enemy!" The teammate of the fallen Suna genin barely had a chance to react before Shinji used [Flash Step] to connect an axe kick that slammed down on the opponent's shoulder. The kick, similarly empowered by [Power Strike] and [Chakra Enhancement], splintered his clavicle and shoulder blade before the impact drove him to the ground the next instant.

The last remaining member of the Suna team hurriedly fell back his hands hastily forming hand seals for something, anything that could bring forth a miracle to this sudden and confusing situation. The chakra in his veins rapidly surged, being moulded and externalised for a jutsu.

But before the final genin could complete his technique, Shinji had already appeared infront of him in a burst of speed. The foreign ninja's fingers, which had been interlaced together in a haphazard 'Ram' seal was swiftly seized by the Konoha genin with an iron fist.

In that moment, the Suna genin looked into Shinji's eyes and recognized an uncaring, cold indifference to causing pain and suffering.

"N-no, wait!" As soon the words left his mouth, Shinji clenched his fist. His hand, strengthened by [Shinkyoken] and [Chakra Enhancement] crushed the fingers of the foreign shinobi, breaking every bone of each digit within Shinji's vice grip into multiple fragments.

"AAAGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

An intense scream of pain rang out from the genin whose fingers were crushed. His legs buckled under the pain and shock, falling to his knees. Sharp, unbearable pain rocketed through the shredded nerves in his fingers to the rest of his body and up to his brain. Yet, his shattered fingers were still held mercilessly within the fist of Shinji.

'A monster! He's a monster just like Gaara…!'

It wasn't Shinji's strength, speed and young age that led to this conclusion. Rather, it was the almost inhuman disregard for human life that culminated to such a judgement.

They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. Yet, when the Suna genin looked into Shinji's eyes, all he saw was a cold, dark and empty void lacking any basic human empathy where the soul should have been.

If Shinji so desired, he had the strength to rip off those fingers and turn them into paste within his fist. But he was not so cruel. He compassionately ended the suffering of the Suna genin with a quick but decisive hammer fist to his temple, instantly rendering him unconscious.

The surging chakra beneath his skin calmed, and Shinji released his grip on the crushed fingers, letting the enemy flop to the ground unmoving.