Naruto: Nawaki was already dead, how could you bring him back to life?

"Mm." Kosuke nodded, a kind smile on his face. "I'll give you all the scrolls when I get them; I won't need them anyway."

The two hit it off immediately and went to Orochimaru to collect the scroll.

"Good luck, Chiba-kun, but be careful not to die," Orochimaru reminded him with a smile.

"Thank you!" Chiba accepted the scroll and replied very politely.

Chiba and Kosuke stepped over the iron fence and into the Death Forest. The dark forest was like a crouching beast, hiding its fangs and waiting for its prey to venture deeper.

"Senior Kosuke, do you think that with the rules of this assessment, half of the candidates will survive?" Chiba asked suddenly, as if struck by a thought.

“...Difficult.” After pondering for a moment, Kosuke slowly shook his head.

"By the way, Kosuke-senpai, what kind of scroll did you get?" Chiba asked, glancing at the scroll in his hand.

Without saying a word, Kosuke threw the scroll in his hand directly at Chiba.

pat.

Chiba reached out and took the scroll, unfolded it, and frowned: "Your scroll, like mine, also bears the Konoha mark?"

"If the scrolls are distributed randomly, the probability of us getting the same scroll at the same time is only 1/25. Could it be that...?"

Swish!Swish!Swish!

Just as Chiba was pondering, four figures leaped through the forest, quickly approaching them.

"who is it?!"

Chiba and Kosuke quickly spread out, ready for battle.

"Don't be nervous, it's just a few of us. We just wanted to tell you something."

Three figures stopped in the forest. Only one handsome figure walked out slowly with a smile on his face. It was Minato Namikaze.

“If I’m not mistaken, the scrolls you two hold are also ‘Konoha’ scrolls, right?” Minato Namikaze laughed.

"Did all four of you also get the 'Konoha' scrolls?" Chiba asked in return.

“That’s right.” Minato nodded in agreement. “We suspect that the candidates from each of the major ninja villages will likely receive scrolls corresponding to their own village.”

"They're afraid we won't fight, so they're even tampering with the scrolls. It's practically forcing the examinees from the major ninja villages to fight each other," Chiba said helplessly.

These high-ranking officials are really scheming; the abacus beads are practically falling on the faces of these test-takers.

The candidates from the same ninja village all have the same scrolls, which means that in order to collect all five scrolls and win, they must defeat at least four candidates from other ninja villages.

“Yes.” Minato nodded and said, “So I suggest you don’t harm your own villagers. If possible, it would be best to help them out.”

"We understand. Thank you for reminding me, Minato Namikaze."

"Well then, I'll take my leave now. Goodbye!"

The two groups parted ways, considering the number of scrolls each person needed to complete the level; having too many people together would actually reduce efficiency.

boom! boom! boom!

"kill him!"

"Water Release...!"

Not long after, Chiba and Kosuke were still leisurely venturing deeper into the forest when suddenly, they heard the sounds of fierce fighting coming from their left.

"Which ninja village are these people from? They're so impatient. The assessment has only just begun and they're already fighting so fiercely. Aren't they afraid someone will take advantage of their weakness?" Chiba teased.

Grandpa Kosuke analyzed, "It could be a sudden encounter, or the other side might be very confident in their own strength and not afraid of being outmaneuvered."

"Senior Kosuke, shall we go take a look?"

"Well, let's go take a look!"

Chiba and Kosuke exchanged a glance and quickly made up their minds. Perhaps they would soon be able to obtain their first scroll.

(In the original storyline, Sasori became a Chunin at the age of eight. The timeline for Sasori's parents' deaths has been postponed. Please be aware of this.)

Chapter 40 Chiba Saves People, Unexpected Turns

A few minutes earlier, in the Forest of Death, four or five examinees dressed in Hidden Mist Ninja outfits walked together, heading deeper into the forest.

Among them, a young man with short black hair and no eyebrows stood out.

The young man had sharp teeth, a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, bandages wrapped around his ears and neck, and red stripes painted around his mouth.

"Hey, what are you doing standing so close to me?!"

As he walked, the young man suddenly realized that he was being surrounded by several companions, and he immediately whispered warily.

"Oh dear, Juzo, you're overthinking it. We already agreed to form a temporary alliance."

"That's right, that's right! We're standing so close to you, of course, so we can... kill you!"

Swish!

The few Hidden Mist ninjas who were just chatting and laughing suddenly sprang into action, each revealing the weapons they had already concealed, and fiercely stabbed at the young man named Juzo.

"Damn it... Ugh!"

Even though Juzo was on guard, he still couldn't dodge all four sharp blades that came from different angles.

After barely managing to avoid a vital spot, Juzo's left lower abdomen was pierced by a kunai, leaving a deep hole.

"Water Escape·Water Formation Pillar!"

Despite the pain, Juzo formed hand seals and spat out a giant water ball towards the ground.

"Get out of the way!"

One of the Hidden Mist ninjas exclaimed in surprise, and the others hurriedly dodged and retreated.

boom!

The next instant, the water ball that hit the ground exploded with a bang, and the water that cascaded down like a waterfall instantly swallowed the spot where they had just landed.

"As expected of Iron-Blooded Pipa Juzo, even when seriously injured, he can still unleash such a large-scale Water Release technique."

Looking at Kirigakure Juzo, who was holding his lower abdomen with one hand and whose hands were stained with blood, a Kirigakure ninja chuckled and teased.

Such an injury would not be fatal under normal circumstances, but in this perilous "battlefield," it would be enough to take Pipa Juzo's life.

"Chunshui, we agreed to kill the outsiders first, so why did you attack me as soon as you came in!" Pipa Juzo questioned with a grim expression.

"I'm sorry, Juzo."

The ninja named Shunsui laughed and said, "Lord Mizukage said that only one of us can survive, but you are far stronger than us, so we have no choice but to join forces to take you down first."

"Being born in the Blood Mist, there's nothing we can do about it," another Mist Ninja chimed in with a laugh.

"Damn it, you bunch of bastards!"

Pipa Juzo gritted his teeth, blood still gushing from his lower abdomen, the dizziness from blood loss making his legs weak.

Bang!

Juzo slammed the large sword on his back into the ground, propped himself up, and gritted his teeth to intimidate the menacing Kirigakure ninjas around him.

"Juzo is almost dead. Let's go and finish him off quickly, lest things get complicated!" a Kirigakure ninja urged his companion.

"You talk a good game, but he's dying. Why don't you take the lead instead of just spouting nonsense?"

Seeing that his companion wasn't fooled, the Mist Ninja turned to Shunsui and said, "Shunsui, you're the strongest among us. Why don't you lead the way and we'll cover your rear?"

"Get lost! If I charge in, you'll definitely stab me in the back," Chunshui cursed angrily.

After a long exchange of words, no one was willing to take the lead and let others take advantage.

At this point, Juzo Biwa was injured and no longer posed a threat, so their temporary alliance was no longer so stable.

"Just surround him and don't let him escape. Use ninjutsu to wear him down!" Chunshui suggested.

"Water Release·Water Release!"

"Water Release: Water Cannon!"

The group of Mist Ninja reached an agreement once again, and everyone formed hand seals, launching rapid water bullets like cannonballs at Biwa Juzo.

"Water Escape·Water Formation Wall!"

Left with no other choice, Pipa Juzo formed hand seals and spun around to create a barrier of water, barely managing to block the incoming attack.

"Damn it!"

The depletion of chakra exacerbated Juzo's injuries, and a wave of weakness washed over him. Juzo bit his tongue hard, and only under the stimulation of pain and the taste of blood did he regain his strength.

"Look, this time he's really on his last legs, haha."

Chunshui revealed a satisfied smile. Being able to surround and kill the genius Pipa Juzo was a very fulfilling thing.

"Hahaha, kill him quickly! I'm going to use his blood to make my ration pills!"

The other Kirigakure ninjas, while using Water Release techniques, also laughed in a perverse manner. Under the cruel rule of the Third Mizukage, there were hardly any mentally sound people in Kirigakure.

"Damn it, am I really going to die here today?"

Pipa Juzo gritted his teeth in resentment. He had been ambushed first and then trapped by several people working together. He could see no hope of escaping.

"Who's there? Show yourself!!!"

However, just as Biwa Juzo was in despair, the men who were attacking him suddenly changed their expressions, scattered, and looked warily towards the woods on his right.

"Too bad, we've been discovered."

From the woods, two figures, one old and one young, slowly emerged. They were Kosuke and Chiba, who had come to watch the excitement.

"It really is Juzo the Loquat..."

Looking at the extremely weak Juzo Biwa, who was sandwiched between four Mist Ninja, a burning desire flashed in Chiba's eyes.

Juzo Biwa, later one of the first "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" of Kirigakure, was the wielder of the Executioner's Blade.

This guy is a ruthless character who treats Tailed Beast Balls like ping-pong balls, and is worth twenty Amegakure demigods, including Hanzo the Salamander. He's no less formidable than Danzo who stabbed Susanoo with a kunai!

"He's a rather memorable supporting character in Naruto, after all. He's injured like this now. If he recovers, he'll definitely get a hefty reward," Chiba thought with some anticipation.

Chiba originally wanted to wait until Juzo Biwa was more seriously injured, preferably close to death, before coming out to take advantage of the situation. Who knew that he would be discovered by these little Karami from Kirigakure?

"Tch, so it's just an old man and a brat," a Mist Ninja said dismissively.