Chapter 60 : Test

In the dense jungle, a masked ninja with a nose ring gracefully leaped and ran across the treetops, causing branches to tremble slightly, and leaves fell in his wake.

"Shu——" A black-clad ninja followed closely, maintaining a remarkably silent movement despite the large group.

The lead ninja suddenly halted and gestured with a closed fist. The ninja trailing behind promptly stopped, thankfully without making any noise.

One of the ninjas stepped forward, obviously an elite, with piercing white eyes. He scanned the surroundings and gave a reassuring gesture, indicating that everything was safe.

"Take a break," said the leader, a sturdy and bull-headed instructor, as he jumped down from the tree first.

"Huh~ Finally..." The group of ninjas behind him visibly relaxed, but they refrained from speaking loudly. They didn't require instructions from the instructor to start setting up camps, searching for food, and setting traps while also taking charge of patrolling.

Orochimaru ignited a fire using a basic E-level Fire Release Technique, and then employed the Water Release Technique to fill several large earth-made containers.

Ninjutsu is such a convenient life skill. Legend has it that the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, constructed thousands of wooden houses in just one day using this ability.

Everyone behaved in an orderly manner. Although some tasks were still challenging, the progress was commendable.

After a week, everyone had become more disciplined, and their clothes bore the marks of their training. Luckily, being ninjas, their attire endured well. In the light of this remarkable change, the fierceness of Instructor Bull became more evident. People privately nicknamed him "The Bull Demon King"!

From Orochimaru's perspective, the average ninjas seemed to maintain a loose connection with their interests, taking on tasks and earning a living. Unless facing a formidable adversary or during war times, these individuals possessed low cohesion. Additionally, it followed a master-apprentice system, which made it easy for multiple factions to arise.

As for the Konoha Military Police Force, it was like a police station led by Uchiha's clan.

Only Anbu functioned as a real army, but their numbers were limited, and their roles constrained.

In the original story, Orochimaru executed the Konoha Collapse plan, but very few ninjas took direct action. They were outmaneuvered by a Kage-level individual, leading to Hokage's death. The powerful clans only dealt with issues directly affecting them, as illustrated by the Hyuga clan's actions. Suna's strength ranked the lowest among the five great powers, and Naruto dealt with their one tailed beast. There was no one capable of handling the situation as a whole.

Ultimately, Orochimaru departed sadly losing both arms, and Sarutobi passed away with a smile.

Orochimaru couldn't fathom what Sarutobi found amusing. Did the Will of Fire hinder him?

In reality, Orochimaru had every reason to laugh unbridledly. Old man, this is your Konoha. You alone defend it, while others hope for your demise to make way for change.

The Uchiha massacre left people's hearts shattered. You cast me aside with your own hands. Is there any clan supporting your so-called Hokage status?!

Konoha had decayed from its roots. Orochimaru wanted to tear off the Hidden Leaf entirely. He hoped Sarutobi would awaken and liberate himself, but the old man met his end with a smile? How pitiful.

Orochimaru looked at his pale yet powerful hand. The surrounding Anbu were still busy, and occasional reprimands from the instructor could be heard.

Sighing, Orochimaru realized he might be able to change all of this in the future, but Danzo could still expose him due to his human experiments, and Sarutobi might banish him from the village.

If he hadn't come to Konoha to ruin his own life, would Sarutobi have found peace in his passing? It seemed unlikely.

Men who have seen the finale must bear the burdens of their time.

"Little brats, today is your last day of training!" Instructor Bull suddenly shouted as he climbed up.

"Hooray!" Some of them cheered.

"Happy? It's too early!" Instructor Bull wore a devilish smile. "The next step is the assessment I told you about. You'll stay here for three days, one team per four people, and one scroll for each team. Find me at a designated location after three days. Want to rest? Those with more scrolls can rest! If you have no scrolls, you won't be eligible to rest!"

"Ah-ah-ah?!"

Instructor Bull observed the group of sighing individuals in front of him with a sinister smile. "You're still too naive!"

"Form your teams tonight and start tomorrow morning!" Instructor Bull departed, seemingly indifferent to the sad eyes following him.

"Why does this feel like the second test of the Chunin exam?" Orochimaru pondered indifferently. In his current bad mood, whoever provokes him might face repercussions.

"Captain, you're so powerful. You must lead us to triumph." Nightingale cheerfully wrapped herself around Orochimaru, resembling a lively elf.

"Captain, what's our plan?" Hyuga Kazuki asked, looking at the silent Orochimaru.

Falcon remained silent but also fixed his gaze on Orochimaru. Over the past few days, it was evident that Orochimaru had established himself as their leader.

"Rest for now!" Orochimaru calmly responded and went to rest.

The next day, Instructor Bull called everyone up early in the morning.

Instructor Bull took out a whistle and blew it loudly. After a while, four ninjas dressed in black robes "Shu Shu" emerged.

" Instructor Bull, what are your instructions?"

"Go, give them a scroll, and mark the boundaries!"

The four Anbu ninjas moved with incredible speed, coming and going like the wind, displaying the gap between themselves and true Anbu.

Three hours later, red signals rose from the four corners of the Forest of Death.

"This is your fighting area. You can't fight to the death with your opponents. The Anbu ninjas will be monitoring secretly.

Don't lose hope if your team gets its scroll stolen. You can recover it, or even form temporary alliances with other teams!"

Instructor Instructor Bull looked at everyone maliciously, "Three days from now, come to the center of the field to find me. You can't attack each other within 30 meters of my location. Understand?"

"Understood!" Everyone shouted in unison. After a week of training, it was time to put their progress to the test in a three-day battle royale for vacation and glory.

"Captain, why do you seem so lethargic? We all rely on your combat prowess!" Nightingale chatted around Orochimaru.

"I got it." Although Orochimaru had contemplated the questions that troubled him, he was in a better mood now, thanks to Nightingale's enthusiasm. His face under the mask appeared less tense.

In truth, when a person feels down, they often wish for someone to console them, even if they don't show it.

The four-man team entered the forest one by one. Before entering, Shiro approached Hyuga Kazuki and said, "Kazuki, be careful, I won't hold back." Then he led his team away.

Temporary captains like him would only remain in that position if they were exceptionally skilled.

"Hyuga Shiro!" Kazuki was taken aback, looking at his back with some concern.

"Captain, my clan brother is formidable, and he's much older than us. I'm afraid he's at Jōnin level!" Hyuga Kazuki said, laughing, to Orochimaru.

"Why worry? You seem timid. Do you think our captain would fear your clan brother?!" Nightingale jumped forward, surprising Hyuga Kazuki, "Isn't that right, Captain?"

"Yeah. The captain is very strong."

Falcon was more reserved than Nightingale.

"Don't worry; I'll handle him if we encounter him." Orochimaru stood up and stretched his muscles, producing a gentle "pop" sound.

He glanced at the scroll, "It's just an ordinary one, not a Heaven and Earth scroll." He then stashed it in his backpack and silently ventured into the forest.

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