Kanemitsu-Uzumaki Naruto¹

Episode Eleven: The Forest of Death

Episode Eleven: The Forest of Death

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It happened so suddenly and so fast, none of the examinees had any time to feel, much less react. First a window broke, then a few kunais zipped through the air, landing on the roof and unfurling a big flag that hid Ibiki. Then a woman stood in front of said flag, hands on hips and laughing boisterously.

“Alright, kiddies! You got no time to be celebrating!” The woman said. “I’m the proctor for the second exam: Mitarashi Anko! Time to move on to the next stage!”

She pumped her right fist into the air. “Follow me!”

Silence followed as the genins in the room stared, shock and flabbergast written on all of their faces. Ibiki stepped out from behind the flag and gave Anko a stern glare, telling her to get a clue. This caused Anko to blush in embarrassment but she brushed off the awkward and failed introduction to examine the participants left.

“Eighty-one?” Anko said in surprise. “Ibiki, you let twenty-seven teams slide by? I guess the first exam was too easy this time.”

“There’s just a lot of great candidates this time around,” Ibiki said.

Anko huffed, whilst not convinced, there was still a sliver of interest in her eyes. “Oh, well. I’ll drop more than half of them in the second exam.” she smirked at the genins.

Kyouka felt his heart drop, Akimitsu flinched and Kagami even looked cautiously curious. It wasn’t just them, the rest of the examinees looked put off and scared by her words and the ways she would implement them. The feeling continued to grow when the woman’s smirk grew devious and downright cunning.

“I’m getting excited. I’ll give you the details tomorrow,” she told them. “We’ll be changing locations, so get the place and time from your Jonin! That’s it. You’re dismissed.”

When Kyoko saw her genin, she smiled and raised a hand to greet them, only to stop when the three silently placed their heads on her stomach, shy of her waist.

“What’s this?” Kyoko asked, despite knowing the reason.

“That was…” Kyouya started.

“The most stressful exam ever,” Akimitsu added.

“And it’s only the first one.” finished Kagami.

Kyoko chuckled, rubbing their heads affectionately. Even with the classes teaching them about being a ninja and the rigorous training they’ve done prior, this exam was the first they ever felt the stress and intensity that comes with being a shinobi. From the tough decisions, to the stakes, it tested their minds, skills and each other as a team. Nothing less from the man that foresaw the first part. And like Ibiki, if Anko's reputation was anything to go by, then it’ll just get worse from there.

Despite that though, Kyoko knows they are up to the challenge.

“Good job, babies,” Their mother said softly. “You three deserve a big meal for your hard work. I’m sure your father has cooked up something special.”

The triplets perked up at the mention of food waiting for them. An emotionally charged day can really make one feel they haven't eaten in days.

“Yes, mom.” They responded simultaneously, letting their mother guide them back home.

“Oh! Mom, can we invite Naruto?” Kagami asked.

“Of course, sweetie,” said Kyoko. “I was thinking about that too. Go get him.”