Naruto: Flash Reborn — Minato’s Second Life

(Chapter 55 – Please Add to Your Collection and Vote!)

The Chakra Aptitude Test lasts three full days. It doesn't just test an individual's combat skills; surviving in this vast Forest of Death and using every possible advantage to defeat stronger enemies is equally important.

All these advantages favor the Genin, who only make up a third of all test participants.

Given such huge gaps in both strength and experience, it's no surprise that students from the Ninja Academy are being eliminated one after another.

But that's not always the case. Just like Minato and Kushina, there are also several exceptional kids among the Ninja Academy students.

Deep within the Forest of Death, three Genin stood frozen in strange postures. Their feet seemed to be bound by shadows stretching toward a young boy standing before them.

"Shadow Imitation Technique—success!" He said with a slight smile.

"We actually walked right into their trap!"

One of the Genin muttered bitterly. Although the shadow didn't extend quickly or reach very far, their every move had been predicted by that ponytailed boy controlling the shadows.

Beside him, the extremely overweight child suddenly expanded his body. Such power was something even these Genin couldn't withstand head-on.

It wasn't because of pure strength that we lost—it was their teamwork.

Still, those shadows alone couldn't possibly hold all three of them forever!

[Ninjutsu, Mind-Transfer Body Flicker Technique!]

At that moment, Inoichi—who hadn't made a move yet—formed a series of unusual hand seals.

Instantly, two out of the three Genin lost control of their bodies, and the shadows beneath their feet returned to the ponytailed boy.

Seeing this, the only still-conscious Genin couldn't help but smirk—the victory would return to their side once his teammates were freed.

"Puff! Puff!"

But just as he started to relax, the two beside him suddenly raised their fists and smashed them directly into their own chests, shattering the chakra marks on impact...

"How could this happen?"

This sudden twist left him completely stunned. At that moment, the overweight boy stepped forward and punched him square on the forehead.

With his chakra mark erased, he too fell unconscious.

After finishing this, the ponytailed boy retracted his shadows and looked toward the distant chubby kid. "Choza, your punch was a bit too hard. This is only a trial—if you kill someone, we'll be in big trouble."

"Hmm," Choza grunted, then glanced at the two knocked-out Genin before turning back to Inoichi.

"Inoichi truly lives up to being called a genius of the Yamanaka clan. Not only did he take over two Genin with his Mind-Transfer Body Flicker Technique, but he also manipulated their consciousnesses." Choza grinned broadly.

"It's nothing... If it weren't for Nara Shikiku's strategy, I still wouldn't have been useful at all." The blond-haired boy opened his eyes and waved a hand dismissively, clearly a bit awkward with words.

"Alright, let's go. It'll be troublesome if other Genin teams find us," said Shikiku. Choza and Inoichi immediately followed, vanishing into the forest.

...

"Pant... pant..."

At the same time, deep within the forest, two Genin half-crouched on the ground, gasping heavily. Before them stood a boy in black clothes with dark hair.

Around them, the trees showed signs of having been scorched by flames, and the terrain had slightly shifted.

The boy with black hair remained expressionless as he slowly approached the two exhausted Genin. He placed both hands on their foreheads and applied pressure, shattering the Chakra Marks upon them.

"You're truly weak."

With that said, he turned and walked away. Behind him, the two Genin, unwilling to lose to just a student from the Academy, roared in defiance. Despite being nearly drained, they forced themselves back to their feet and charged toward the boy.

Whoosh!

But the boy seemed to vanish from their sight. In an instant, both of their necks suffered heavy blows. They lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground.

After finishing this, the boy cast a calm glance toward the massive bushes around him and said, "You've been tailing me this whole time. How long are you planning to stay hidden?"

As the boy spoke, a girl with black hair leaped out from among the giant trees not far away.

"It seems your teammate isn't here..." The boy glanced at the girl, whose body immediately tensed up.

This guy had just defeated two Genin head-on, and judging from appearances, he even seemed to hold back some strength.

Last time when he fought against her, he definitely hadn't revealed his true capabilities.

"Mikoto Uchiha, you don't need to be so tense. As fellow members of the Uchiha clan, I won't lay a hand on you now."

Hearing this, Mikoto frowned and asked, "Yan Uchiha, what exactly do you want?"

"Just as you can see, whether it's you or those before were simply too weak. For you, this Chakra Trial is just training. But for me, it's real combat."

Yan Uchiha looked at Mikoto and continued, "If you see Minato Namikaze, tell him not to get eliminated by others before we meet again."

Having said that, he immediately vanished from Mikoto's sight.

Looking toward where he departed, Mikoto's expression turned serious.

It was as expected… Yan Uchiha had never abandoned the idea of fighting Minato Namikaze.

"I wonder how those two are doing."

Mikoto always had full confidence in Minato Namikaze, but… there was also Kushina, who was rather carefree, beside him.

However, the Forest of Death was enormous, and they lacked any specific communication methods like those among the Genin teams.

They were bound to cross paths sooner or later...

The ruthless elimination continued relentlessly within the Forest of Death.

...

"No wonder you're the grandson of Hashirama, the First Hokage. Your strength is simply on a completely different level from ours!"

Several Genin leaned weakly against a tree, their Chakra Mark entirely erased. One of them spoke toward the person standing among the opposing three-man squad.

"Brother, sorry about that."

Nawaki smiled slightly. With his squad's strength, they had absolute confidence in defeating any team they encountered within the Forest of Death.

It wasn't just Nawaki's strength—his two teammates were no slouches either.

All of this occurring continuously within the Forest of Death was being observed closely by Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen stared at the ever-changing scenes within the giant crystal orb before him—the victorious and defeated young faces—and let out a slight sigh.

"Sorry, kids... I have no choice but to do this... To separate the wheat from the chaff among you."

...

...

[Author's Note] There'll be four more updates in total. At the very least, I'll finish three chapters tonight, seeing as yesterday was a rest day...

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