Chapter 50: Chakra Marking Seal

The enormous forest was filled with towering, sturdy trees whose intertwining trunks and leaves almost completely blocked the sunlight, giving off an exceptionally eerie feeling.

After entering the Forest of Death, Minato and Kushina separated from the others because in an unfamiliar situation, anyone could potentially be an enemy.

The two of them were hiding in a tree with lush foliage. Right before them, a one-sided battle was unfolding.

A team of three genin was confronting a group of about ten students from the Ninja Academy. Although outnumbered, within just a few minutes, the chakra marking seals on the foreheads and chests of those ten students had been completely removed.

These chakra marking seals were imprinted on the participants when they entered the exam. The simple way to remove them was either through physical force to shatter them or by using chakra to erase them.

Having one's seal removed meant disqualification from the exam. However, even if they failed, they would not be allowed to leave the Forest of Death and would still have to undergo three days of wilderness survival training.

With this approach, the village's higher-ups were not only testing these children's abilities but also tempering their willpower and forcing them to mature quickly.

Most of the students whose seals were removed looked resentful, but their strength and experience were no match for their opponents.

"Such pathetically weak brats," the three genin mocked after easily defeating the ten students, then left.

After the three genin had completely departed, Minato led Kushina away from there.

Now, they had no need to engage in direct combat. Out of nearly three hundred participants, only ten would ultimately pass this exam.

Confronting others directly would only waste their energy, and in such a perilous environment, any unnecessary expenditure could impact their chances of success.

Although Kushina disliked the feeling of lurking in the shadows, even she understood the futility of meaningless battles, despite not being as prudent as Minato.

However, she still couldn't stand the genin's contemptuous attitude toward the Academy students.

The two continued moving through the forest, stopping occasionally. Noticing Kushina's displeased expression, Minato reassured her, "Don't worry, we'll eventually face them. For now, conserving our strength is the top priority."

Minato knew that this exam was like a sieve, sifting out all but the most capable participants. The final battle would be anything but easy for the sole remaining candidate.

Upon hearing this, Kushina pursed her lips but fully trusted Minato's words.

Minato smiled gently, his eyes subtly scanning their surroundings. He noticed that the Anbu agents who had been assigned to protect Kushina did not follow them into the Forest of Death.

Did this mean the Third Hokage had entrusted Kushina's safety in the forest entirely to him?

"I wonder how Mikoto is doing," Kushina said worriedly about her friend, who was not in their group.

After confirming no immediate threats nearby, Minato replied, "I'm sure Mikoto is hiding somewhere in the Forest of Death. With her abilities, there's no need to worry about her being eliminated easily. I believe we'll reunite in a day or two when fewer participants remain."

He had witnessed Mikoto's formidable strength during her previous clash with Uchiha Homura and was confident she could handle this situation better than they could, given her extensive training from a young age.

Minato wasn't concerned about Mikoto being disqualified.

"Yeah," Kushina nodded, then excitedly added, "If we encounter Uchiha Homura again this time, you can't stop me. He's our rival!"

Hearing this, Minato couldn't help but twitch his lips. Kushina, the "Red Hot Habanero," clearly hadn't forgotten about being disrespected.

Of course, how could she easily forget an opponent who had ignored her? 

Minato also recalled his conversation with Uchiha Homura in the classroom a year ago. If they met again this time, Homura would likely come after him.

The two continued their cautious progress through the forest, stopping occasionally but encountering no significant troubles.

With their current abilities, as long as they remained hidden, no one could detect them.

Around lunchtime, Minato gathered some wild berries from the forest.

Since they couldn't start a fire, which would reveal their location, they could only eat these for now.

The bright red berries were about the size of a fist.

Kushina, who had grown hungry from all the traveling, grabbed one to eat, but Minato stopped her first.

"What's wrong?" Kushina asked.

Minato smiled at her, then took a berry and bit into it himself.

"Wait," he said, swallowing it. He couldn't differentiate whether these berries were poisonous because Master Jiraiya had warned that the Forest of Death contained many poisonous insects and fruits.

After a while, he showed no signs of discomfort, so he told Kushina, "It's fine, you can eat them."

Kushina looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes wavered as she gazed at Minato.

"Minato, thank you," she said, taking a berry to eat.

Minato smiled faintly, realizing his own inadequacies. If his knowledge were more extensive, he could not only identify poisonous berries but also anticipate their flavors, rather than having to test them every time before eating.

Although chakra could counter poisons, his current approach was still quite reckless.

But there was no other choice.

Whoosh.

Just as they were about to finish eating, a strange gust of wind suddenly blew in from the side.

"It's a Wind Release Ninjutsu!" Minato's sharp senses detected the unnatural movement of air caused by the technique.

Swish!

Kushina also immediately became alert and leaped up into the tree behind them.

For the wind to reach this far meant that not too far away, there was definitely a battle happening, with at least one side using Wind Release Ninjutsu.

The Academy students were unlikely to know how to use such techniques, which meant that at least one party involved was a ninja.

The two concealed their presence and moved closer to the direction the wind came from. Soon, they approached a clearing in the forest.

A few battered figures also came into view.

Two of them were actually Minato and Kushina's classmates from the Academy.

"Takenouchi Rin and Akasaka?"

(End of chapter)