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Chapter 70: Hunter and Prey 

Friday, 9:00 AM. 

Konoha Training Ground Zero, North Gate. 

A rusted “Zero” sign hung atop the steel gate, supported by a metal pillar. A vast, seemingly endless wire fence encircled the dense forest. A jet-black crow with piercing red eyes perched on the gate, staring down. The sprawling branches of a banyan tree stretched outward, slipping through gaps in the fence as if pleading for escape. 

“Homeroom teachers, announce the rules for this exercise,” commanded Kazama Etsu, the overseer of this survival training. His cold, emerald eyes scanned the group of small, backpack-laden genin—little “carrots,” as he thought of them. His gaze lingered briefly on a silver-haired figure, childish yet familiar. 

The wound on his chest had mostly healed, but a strange, phantom pain still lingered. Returning to the Ninja Academy these past few days, he’d noticed his name had become tied to one in particular: Hikari. Whenever someone mentioned Harii, another voice would inevitably chime in, “Oh! You mean the one who sent Kazama-sensei to the hospital on her first day—!”  

Every time he heard it, regret gnawed at him. Why had he tried to block her enrollment? Why had he underestimated her, holding back his ninjutsu? Why had he gone so far as to teach her the nature transformation of wind chakra? With Harii’s absurd talent, any future achievements of hers would only amplify the humiliating story of how she’d sent him flying with one kick. Just thinking about it made his future seem bleak. 

The other teachers, oblivious to Kazama’s inner turmoil, began explaining the rules to their students. Iruka-sensei rambled on at length, only getting to the point when the kids started fidgeting impatiently. 

The exercise would last three days. Each survival team could bring only one day’s worth of food and water, testing their teamwork. They’d need to hunt forest animals to sustain themselves. If danger arose, they could fire a signal flare for rescue—but that would mean failing the exercise. During the training, Ninja Academy instructors would hunt the students, testing their ability to hide in the wilderness. If caught, they’d lose all their food and water. Three captures meant elimination. 

What was meant to be a survival exercise for safety had morphed into a bizarre kind of test. 

“Line up, everyone! Weigh your food and water on the scale up front. Anything over five pounds, hand the excess to me,” Iruka instructed. 

At those words, Naruto hurriedly pulled instant ramen from his backpack, stuffing it into his clothes. Harii glanced at him—his belly bulged like he was ten months pregnant. Naturally, Naruto’s sneaky attempt didn’t escape Iruka’s sharp eyes. He was dragged to the front as an example, held upside-down by his legs, and shaken until every hidden snack spilled out amid his wails. 

Seeing Naruto’s pitiful state, Kiba—who’d been planning to smuggle food for Akamaru—quickly emptied his pockets of dog treats. With Naruto’s lesson fresh in mind, the others fell in line, and in the end, only Naruto suffered. 

The team assignments for this survival exercise were intriguing:  

• Naruto and Harii in one group.  

• Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, the classic Ino-Shika-Cho trio.  

• Shino, Kiba, and Hinata together.  

• Sakura paired with two minor teammates. 

Aside from Team 7, the groupings mirrored their future squad assignments almost perfectly. The original manga clearly hadn’t paired them randomly. 

Once everyone’s food was weighed and approved, Iruka collected the excess into a towering pile. “Now, line up and enter the training ground in batches!” 

Harii and Naruto stood near the front of the line, watching classmates disappear into the lush, green forest ahead. Naruto, already over his earlier embarrassment, buzzed with excitement, looking around eagerly despite the heavy double load of food on his back. 

That’s right—Harii had stuffed all her food into Naruto’s pack, claiming it was “to build his physical strength and forge his iron will to endure hardship.” Naruto didn’t mind; in fact, he was thrilled. To him, Harii entrusting him with her precious food and water was a sign of deep trust. It also made Harii realize just how terrifying a “lovestruck brain” could be, strengthening her resolve to steer clear of romance. 

Soon, the team ahead vanished into the forest, and it was their turn.  

“Let’s go!” Naruto charged forward eagerly.  

Harii, gripping her blind cane, tilted her head skyward. Activating her Byakugan, she scanned the vast sea of green. The forest teemed with wildlife—prey aplenty. This was the enemy’s domain, but it was also crawling with chunin instructors from the Ninja Academy. To Harii, it wasn’t an ideal place to make a move.  

But if the enemy struck first? That’d be perfect.  

She wasn’t afraid of an open fight—what scared her was an enemy lurking in the shadows, watching her every move, waiting for the right moment to strike. To stay ready for a surprise attack, she’d avoided using shadow clones these past few days, preserving her chakra. 

Crunch, crunch. 

“Ughhh—!”  

From a sealed chamber, a man’s anguished cries echoed, accompanied by horrifying chewing sounds. The wails grew fainter until a final scream cut off, leaving silence. 

Skree! 

A rat in a cage, as if startled, twitched frantically, its red eyes glowing, cheeks puffing in and out.  

Sawada Fuka, dressed in a sleek tracksuit, ignored her animal companion. Covering her nose and mouth, she rhythmically pounded dried herbs into powder with a pestle. Behind her, neat rows of sealed plastic bags held similar powders. 

Hikari and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had entered Training Ground Zero as planned. The Kumogakure ninja were also in position. Only when everyone was in place did Kumo share the full plan with her.  

It was far more meticulous than she’d expected. She hadn’t anticipated they’d send a top-tier elite jonin into Konoha. As one of the five great ninja villages, Kumogakure’s strength was truly formidable. 

With the Uchiha clan’s affairs settled, Konoha had relaxed from its state of high alert. Now was the perfect time to act. 

Fuka finished grinding the powder, packing it into a bag, leaving just a small pinch behind. She rubbed it between her fingers, sprinkling it into the rat’s cage.  

Skree! 

The rat sniffed the falling powder, its front paws scratching wildly. As the powder rained down, Fuka’s handful quickly vanished.  

SKREE!!! 

The rat shuddered, its red eyes darting upward, searching for more. But no more came.  

Skree! 

Its cries turned shrill. Bang, bang, bang! The once-docile rat went berserk, slamming its head against the cage bars, eyes blazing.  

Fuka’s lips curled into a grin. Watching the bloodied, frenzied rat, she was thoroughly satisfied with the powder’s effects. 

Chapter 71: Apex of the Food Chain 

Training Ground Zero, Konohagakure. 

A light breeze rustled the treetops, and sunlight filtered dimly through the dense forest canopy. 

Rustle… rustle… 

From the tall grass about half a meter high, the sound of something moving echoed faintly. 

A trio of kids, the usual bullies who picked on Naruto, lay flat on the ground. 

The tallest boy, clearly the leader, held a kunai tightly in his hand, eyes fixed on the rustling grass ahead. 

Rustle… 

The sound crept closer. 

Gulp. 

The scrawniest of the three nervously swallowed, the sound of his saliva unnaturally loud in the tense silence. 

Rustle— 

Suddenly, the rustling stopped. 

The tall boy shot a glare at his nervous teammate, annoyed. 

Switching his grip on the kunai from a forward hold to a reverse one, he raised his thick arm high, taking aim. 

With a sharp grunt, he flung the kunai at the source of the sound! 

Thud! 

Out of the grass burst a startled grey rabbit. A patch of fur on its back had clearly been shaved off. Kicking its legs frantically, it bolted into the trees and disappeared around a bend. 

The tall boy scrambled up, only to watch helplessly as the rabbit vanished into the forest. 

His kunai, meanwhile, lay buried in the dirt, the only trace of the rabbit a small tuft of gray fur drifting away in the breeze. 

“Boss, i-it’s gone!” the skinny boy stammered, disappointed, eyes still locked on the direction the rabbit had run. 

Hearing this, the tall boy’s face darkened in fury. That rabbit had been the best catch all day—until this idiot ruined it by making noise! 

Smack! 

The tall boy, Yūta, slapped the back of the skinny boy’s head. 

“You couldn’t hold out for five seconds? Are you really that hungry?!” 

“But, Boss! The smell of rabbit meat was just too good! I couldn’t help it…” the freckled boy, Taiji, mumbled, rubbing his head with a pitiful expression. 

Their other teammate, Ryūya—his face still bruised from when Naruto had punched him days ago—hurried forward to break up the argument. 

“Hey, let’s not fight, guys—” 

Before he could finish, a soft, calm voice spoke from above. 

“Now now, little ones. No fighting.” 

All three boys froze, then looked up in unison. 

Perched casually on a thick branch above them was a tall, lean shinobi with blue-white hair and a relaxed smile. 

“Mizuki-sensei!!” 

The three boys blanched in horror. 

“State your class and names. Hand over your food and water, and continue the exercise,” Mizuki said, swinging his fist lazily as he looked down on them. 

“Or don’t. Your choice.” 

“Run!” Yūta shouted, and the three scattered instantly, each darting in a different direction. 

Mizuki’s narrow eyes narrowed further. A moment later— 

All three boys knelt in a line, sorted by height, with red bumps forming on their heads and their gazes fixed firmly on the ground. Mizuki jotted down their names, completely ignoring their bitter looks, then slung their supplies onto his back and bounded away. 

Swish. Swish. 

As Mizuki strolled across the treetops, he patrolled lazily. 

Honestly, calling these students "greenhouse flowers" might even be generous. Letting the upperclassmen handle the training was one thing, but what was the point of sending in the first-years? 

Their stealth was laughable—like a torch in the dead of night. Completely impossible to hide. 

He had already gone easy on them, and still, a large number of students were caught almost immediately after entering the training zone. 

In just one day… 

Many first-years had already been caught twice—one more time and they’d be disqualified. 

Why? Because after getting caught the first time and losing their rations, they resorted to hunting animals and lighting fires. 

No smoke-free fire pits. Just big, dumb smoke signals. 

The thick plumes rising from their fires were practically a slap to his face. 

Whoosh… 

Mizuki hadn't walked far before he spotted yet another column of smoke rising ahead. 

Another clueless first-year, no doubt. 

But this smoke was really thick… What the heck were they roasting over there? 

His brows furrowed. Slinging the bag more tightly, Mizuki headed toward the smoke. 

The closer he got, the thicker the smoke became. Thick, black plumes billowed upward, as if someone intended to set the whole forest on fire. 

Did these idiots actually light the woods on fire!? 

Worried, Mizuki sped up. A few bounds later— 

“Oh-ho-ho! This boar smells amazing!” 

Even before reaching the clearing, loud, unabashed laughter hit his ears. 

Who were these idiots? Were they trying to get caught? 

He finally reached the source of the smoke. 

A massive wild boar head, peaceful in death with its eyes closed, lay on a flat stone, still dripping blood. 

Its limbs and torso had been butchered into five parts, skewered on clean branches, and now roasted over a raging bonfire set between two small trees. 

The flames roared with crackling black smoke. 

And there, in a bright orange tracksuit, a blond-haired boy with his back to Mizuki sprinkled salt over the meat with a contented sigh, clearly drooling. 

This is supposed to be a survival training—not Iron Chef. 

He’s actually grilling a feast out here. 

Mizuki was almost speechless at the absurdity. 

Survival training was about staying alive without getting caught. Finding food and water while remaining unseen was the whole point. 

Hunting wasn’t an issue. 

For a ninja with chakra, most predators were no more than walking meat. 

Even this boar—big as it was—wasn’t too ridiculous. Any Genin with an elemental jutsu could take it down. 

Naruto's combat instincts? Passable. Stealth? Zero. Grade? Lowest. 

Mizuki mentally filed his assessment. 

He had to teach these kids a lesson—how important stealth was in the wild. That boar? Confiscated. 

Thud. 

Mizuki silently dropped from the tree and crept up behind the blond boy as he salted the meat. 

His steps made no sound. 

Not even a flicker of awareness from the boy. 

Mizuki sighed and shook his head. “No situational awareness in the field… That’s another point off.” 

Startled by the sudden voice behind him, the blond jumped and spun around. 

“S-Sensei Mizuki?!” 

Naruto’s shocked face stared up at him. Mizuki instantly recognized him. 

The demon fox brat from Iruka’s class. 

Mizuki’s mouth twisted into a sneer, his eyes flashing with contempt. Seeing that face made his already sour mood even worse. 

“You know the rules. That’s one strike. Hand over all the food. One more time and you're disqualified—” 

“Oi! Mizuki—!!” a voice called from above, interrupting him mid-sentence. 

Mizuki looked up. 

Another teacher, also wearing a shinobi vest, waved from a branch nearby, gesturing for him to back off. 

It was one of his colleagues from the neighboring class—someone he usually got along with. 

What was that supposed to mean? 

Was he being told not to interfere? 

Was this because of the Nine-Tails? 

Mizuki frowned, puzzled, but before he could speak— 

“I won’t let you take it! This boar was hunted by Hikari! I’m not letting anyone touch it!” 

Naruto stepped forward, spreading his arms to shield the boar, eyes blazing with determination. 

He looked like he was ready to go to war over it. 

Hikari…? 

That name struck a familiar chord in Mizuki’s mind. 

Wait a second… 

Then it hit him. 

The blind girl who hospitalized Wind Instructor Kazama on her first day. 

Ever since that story got out, every teacher in the academy had made a silent pact: Do not mess with that girl. 

Mizuki knew for a fact—he couldn't take a beating like Kazama. 

So this boar was hers? 

He quickly looked to his colleague again. 

“Just walk away,” his colleague mouthed silently, eyebrows raised, signaling repeatedly. 

Ohhh… 

So that’s why nobody else had come near, despite all the smoke. 

True bro. 

Mizuki gave him a grateful look, then slowly backed away from Naruto. 

Thunk. Thunk. 

A distant tapping sound echoed through the trees. 

Mizuki turned. 

Approaching was a silver-haired blind girl, walking confidently with a cane. 

No hesitation now—Mizuki turned and bolted. 

Naruto stuck his tongue out playfully at Mizuki’s retreating figure. He flashed an “OK” sign toward the teacher who helped them, then turned back to his barbecue, salt still in hand. 

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