Swish
As soon as Gen entered the forest, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from everyone's sight.
The official exam would only begin once all participants had entered, followed by the launch of a flare by the Cloud personnel.
Therefore, while Killer B and the others entered the forest after Gen, there were no immediate confrontations.
However, as time passed, the last participant also entered the forest.
And with that, the Cloud personnel immediately closed the iron gates and launched the flare.
Whoosh…Pop!
A red light ascended at high speed and exploded above, forming a dense red mist, bright enough for all the participants inside the forest to see it clearly.
"Ahhh!"
The appearance of the flare was like activating the switch for slaughter.
Instantly, multiple screams of pain and agony were heard throughout the forest.
It was evident that, even though the test had just begun, some had already been turned into prey, pursued and stalked by others.
Now that the exam was underway, the stalking quickly turned into a hunt.
The mud-covered ground was surrounded by tall, hairy trees.
Beneath a thick enough tree, the bark was soaked in hot, scarlet blood. A ninja from Amegakure collapsed to the ground, clutching his slit throat as he convulsed, until he finally lay lifeless.
In front of the corpse, a ninja from Kumogakure stood, holding a bloodstained kunai, making it clear that he was the killer.
A hundred genin had entered the second phase of the exam. Although the Five Great Villages had the majority of participants, some smaller villages had also sent their elites.
However, entering the second phase of the exam was not always good news for ninjas from small villages, as they became easy targets for the stronger ones.
Just as it happened here.
Since this Amegakure ninja entered the forest, a Kumogakure ninja, who had entered earlier, had been following him in the darkness, and as soon as the exam began, he killed him.
Without wasting a second, the Cloud ninja crouched down and ripped the number off the lifeless chest of the corpse, ready to leave immediately. However, just as he was about to depart, he heard a sharp whistling sound coming from behind a nearby tree.
Whoosh
A kunai wrapped in flames flew toward him, aiming straight for his head.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.
The weapon's hum was the only warning he had. With a tense face, he threw himself to the side to dodge the kunai, which barely grazed him.
Boom
The explosion shook the mud as the kunai detonated, thanks to an explosive tag tied to its handle.
Although the ninja managed to escape the direct hit, the shockwave struck him full force. He felt a sharp pain throughout his body and a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth.
Refusing to remain defenseless, he quickly rolled through the mud and forced himself to his feet. He knew that, wounded as he was, staying and fighting was suicide. He had to escape.
Swish
But in an instant, a blurry figure appeared beside him with an imperceptible movement.
And without giving him time to react, a swift and forceful fist crashed into his temple, sending him flying sideways as if he were a mere rag doll.
The ninja slammed into a sturdy tree with such force that it split in two. The resulting crash made the surroundings tremble, and the Cloud ninja ended up sprawled on the ground, motionless and covered in mud.
The side of his head bore a deep dent—undeniable evidence that he had died instantly.
The figure that had just appeared beside the corpse was none other than Gen.
Sometimes, a hunter can also become the prey of another.
Being the first to enter the forest had given him enough time to choose his target.
"The snake stalks the frog, unaware that the hawk watches from above."
Looking expressionlessly at the dead Cloud ninja, Gen picked up both insignias from his body without hesitation before leaving without wasting time.
"There's no doubt he is a prodigy of Konoha... The exam has just begun, and he has already gathered the two required insignias."
"His precision in choosing the moment to strike is impeccable. This is the true strength of an elite Uchiha..."
"The Cloud ninja he killed was quite strong, yet he eliminated him with a single blow..."
Near the forest where the second phase of the exam was taking place, inside a building resembling a surveillance room, the representatives of each village watched the wall-mounted screens attentively.
Each screen displayed different areas of the forest, with constantly shifting images monitoring the zone.
On one of them, Gen Uchiha's figure was clearly recorded, finishing off his prey and obtaining two insignias with ease.
The way he obtained them caused many of the village representatives who witnessed the scene to display varied expressions and begin murmuring in low voices.
Just like the Telescope Jutsu that Hiruzen Sarutobi used to monitor Konoha, Kumogakure was also employing a similar Jutsu to constantly oversee the situation within the forest.
This was something inevitable.
On one hand, it served to supervise whether any examinee was violating the rules by forming teams or committing other infractions. On the other hand, it also responded to the request of the various village representatives.
Since the exam was being organized by Kumogakure and they also had the largest number of participants, it was natural for the other villages to remain vigilant.
Among them, Orochimaru also observed the process in which Gen obtained the two insignias, though his reaction was rather indifferent.
Unlike the others, he was much more familiar with his disciple's strength. Seeing his performance in killing the Cloud ninja seemed completely normal to him.
________
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