In the depths of a vast forest, Uchiha Hayashi, Mikoto, and Nawaki pushed themselves to their limits in a harsh survival exercise.
In the shinobi world, the presence of chakra and its influence on nature gave rise to an environment unlike ordinary lands. Animals grew to staggering sizes, and even plants seemed larger, wilder, and more dangerous. This was most evident in places like Mount Myōboku, where the toads lived, growing to immense proportions without restraint.
This forest was no exception. Towering trees loomed over them, their thick canopies blotting out the sunlight. Countless predators and oversized insects lurked within the undergrowth, their hostility making the forest as dangerous as any battlefield. For ordinary travelers, it would be suicide to step foot here.
At the moment, Hayashi, Mikoto, and Nawaki stood over the corpses of two enormous beasts they had just brought down. The kunai in Hayashi's hand was still glowing faintly with wind-style chakra, its blade embedded deep into the head of one of the creatures.
"Alright, today's mission is complete. Let's call it a day," Nawaki said, clapping his hands and rising with relief.
It wasn't as though they had gone hunting on purpose. Rather, the beasts of the forest had come after them, one wave after another. In just a few hours, they had been attacked five or six times. Survival itself was a test.
Though none of the three specialized as reconnaissance shinobi, their awareness was sharpened thanks to Hayashi's white snake companion, which he had summoned to help detect ambushes.
Orochimaru, their assigned instructor, had disappeared only three days into training. He had left them to their own devices, intending for them to learn survival the hard way.
Theory meant nothing without practice. For Hayashi and the others, this training was more than simply battling wild beasts. It was about learning to live as shinobi—eating what they could find, sensing threats, and fighting with instinct.
Hayashi had naturally assumed leadership after Orochimaru left. Together, he, Mikoto, and Nawaki traveled from one point to another while constantly preparing for Orochimaru's ambushes. Their teacher was ruthless, attacking them at any time to sharpen their senses.
By nightfall, Mikoto started a fire with practiced movements. The flames flickered, chasing away the creeping darkness. They quickly roasted what little food they had found, eating fast before it could be tampered with.
"If we eat too slowly, Orochimaru-sama might poison it again," Nawaki muttered grimly.
Hayashi gave a small nod. "He won't kill us, but being stuck with diarrhea for a day is enough to drain our strength."
Mikoto grimaced, remembering the unpleasant lesson from before.
Sitting by the fire, Hayashi bit into a wild fruit he had foraged earlier. Thanks to his academy training, he recognized which fruits were safe to eat, but seeing them firsthand in the wild was still new to him.
Suddenly, his white snake hissed.
"Hissss—"
"Ding~"
A soft ringing followed, echoing through the clearing. The bell tied to Nawaki's tripwire trap had gone off.
The three instantly tensed.
"Another ambush?" Mikoto whispered.
Hayashi signaled for silence and moved forward cautiously. He scanned the ground, spotting animal tracks pressed into the damp soil. His sharp eyes studied them closely.
Small creatures. No human prints.
Have we grown too paranoid these past days?
He exhaled, tension easing slightly. Yet behind him, a bulge slowly formed in the soil, swelling upward.
If this had been a true assassination attempt, Orochimaru would have already succeeded in killing them. But this was training, so he left just enough signs for them to notice—if they were alert.
Still crouched over the tracks, Hayashi's eyes widened when pale hands suddenly shot out of the dirt, reaching for his legs.
Before they could grab him, a massive fireball roared toward the spot.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Mikoto's voice rang out.
Flames surged across the ground, forcing Orochimaru to emerge from hiding.
But the Hayashi caught by those hands burst into smoke with a poof. A substitution. The real Hayashi appeared several meters away, kunai in hand, eyes cold and sharp.
The three had suspected the trap would attract Orochimaru. Hayashi had deliberately played the bait. It wasn't the most complex tactic, but it worked.
Under the intense heat, Orochimaru slithered out of the ground, his expression unreadable.
"Now!" Hayashi barked.
His chakra flared, exploding beneath his feet as he surged forward. His fist glowed with concentrated strength.
"Super Strength Fist!"
Orochimaru began to counter, but for a split second, his body froze.
Genjutsu!
Though Orochimaru instantly broke free, that brief moment was all Hayashi needed. His fist slammed into Orochimaru's chest with bone-cracking force, bending the Sannin's body backward.
The impact launched him like a cannonball.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" Nawaki shouted, hands flashing through seals.
A massive wall of earth rose ahead of Orochimaru. He was seconds away from crashing into it—when several snakes shot from his sleeves, latching onto a nearby tree and pulling him aside at the last moment.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Before he could recover, a genjutsu feather drifted past him. Orochimaru's body slackened, his eyes momentarily losing focus.
Hayashi's gaze sharpened. This was their chance. A kunai spun from his grip like a bullet, whistling straight for Orochimaru's head.
If everything went perfectly, they could have taken down even a shinobi like Orochimaru. But nothing in battle was so simple.
At the last instant, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with eerie light. He twisted his neck unnaturally, the kunai barely grazing him.
"Snakes sense more than eyes and ears," Orochimaru said coldly as serpents poured from his sleeves, striking at Hayashi, Mikoto, and Nawaki. "Genjutsu doesn't deceive me so easily."
The battle was far from over.
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