dmims Chapter 20 The Forest of Death
Chapter 20 The Forest of Death
The next day, Hoshino went to Konoha Hospital for his shift as usual and also paid his respects to Tsunade as usual.
Tsunade did not show any unusual reaction to her grandmother's words last night—at least not face to face.
Hoshino Senju reported that a Root ninja had come to the Hokage building last night, demanding information about the students. This angered Tsunade, who slammed her fist on the table and stormed off to the Hokage Building.
He was pleased to have given Tsunade a chance to vent her emotions.
More venting, less idle speculation—being busy can always help time wash everything away.
Unfortunately, he was unable to witness Tsunade's argument with the Third Hokage.
Hoshino Senju, who was back in the clinic preparing to see patients, had no idea that there would be a follow-up to the treatment of Inuzuka Tsurugi and Kuromaru yesterday.
He received a mission from the Dark Guard, requiring him to enter the Forest of Death with the Inuzuka Claw Squad to investigate why the beasts had become ferocious.
The Forest of Death, also known as Training Ground 44, is located on the outskirts of Konoha, with a radius of ten kilometers.
The forest is teeming with large wild beasts, poisonous insects, and poisonous plants, and in the original story, it served as the testing ground for the second round of the Chunin Exams.
Hoshigen Chisaku, Inuzuka Tsuru, and the other two reunited.
Blackball's right eye was covered with a black eyepatch, making him look even more ferocious with only one eye and one ear.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Blackie led the way into the Death Forest to find the location where they had killed the mad black bear the day before.
The trees in the forest are thick and dense, their branches casting eerie shadows that block out the sun.
Xingyuan Qianshuo even suspected that this forest was created by Senju Hashirama using Wood Release, and that its vitality was exceptionally strong, nourishing a large number of wild beasts and unique plants.
He quietly activated his "sensitive sense of smell," and the scents of various plants and animals in the forest rushed towards him. Because he was unfamiliar with the sources of the scents, he couldn't distinguish them one by one at first.
"Huh..." Xingyuan Qianshuo smelled the scent of the ANBU ninja who issued the mission, as well as another person who might be his teammate—they had followed the team into the Death Forest.
The black ball leading the way suddenly turned around and explained, "There's a giant snake 500 meters to the right."
Xingyuan Qianshuo confirmed with his sense of smell that there was indeed a unique fishy odor.
He decided to pretend he hadn't noticed the presence of the Dark Guard.
With Kuromaru and Inuzuka Tsuru's keen sense of smell, they should have already noticed that someone was following them.
The task assigned to Xingyuan Qianshuo by the Dark Division was to investigate the cause of the beasts' frenzy, not to kill them.
Yesterday, the Inuzuka Claw Squad's mission was to kill a rampaging giant black bear.
But since it's not just this one that's gone mad, this isn't an isolated incident; there must be a reason behind it—hence today's investigation.
Led by Heiwan, the group navigated around the territory of the multi-headed beast and finally found the dead black bear.
Black bears are enormous, standing over four meters tall, and when they lie on the ground, they resemble small mountains.
Even in death, the beast's aura still scare away the surrounding animals.
Although this type of beast is not as powerful as the summoning beasts of the three legendary Sannin of Konoha, it can still serve as an aid to ordinary ninjas if trained.
According to intelligence, there are at least five such top-tier beasts remaining in the Death Forest, two of which have already shown signs of ferocity, leaving their territory to hunt wildly.
The three people and one dog were responsible for guarding the area, while Xingyuan Qianshuo collected congealed blood from the black bear carcass and put it into test tubes to bring back for testing.
The black bear has been dead for over a night, since yesterday afternoon, and its carcass has begun to stiffen and decompose. In another day, the stench will spread and attract many predators.
To be on the safe side, they also need to collect blood from at least one live, ferocious beast for comparison.
Between the tiger and the wild boar, Xingyuan Qianshuo decisively chose the tiger.
Blackball led his team to explore the tiger's territory.
The sense of smell is extremely useful for tracking, the only problem is that the scent can be eliminated or confused by drugs—but ordinary wild animals don't have this intelligence.
Sniff sniff
Blackie suddenly stopped and said, "There's a smell of blood ahead, everyone be careful."
"Senior Chisaku, you'll be in the back for a while. Be careful to avoid danger if you encounter any," Inuzuka Tsuru, who considered himself the temporary captain, instructed Hoshigen Chisaku, a medical ninja.
"Uh, okay." Hoshino Chisaku hesitated for a moment, then decided to continue playing the role of a medical ninja who was "not good at fighting".
The group proceeded cautiously and eventually found an injured deer in the bushes.
Its right hind leg was covered in blood, clearly injured by the claws of a wild beast.
"The wound smells of a tiger, but there are no tigers around—it may have escaped from the tiger's jaws," Inuzuka Tsuru determined after sniffing the wound.
Xingyuan Qianshuo thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "Don't come any closer, I'll treat it."
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he slowly walked towards the wild deer.
Wild animals are usually very alert, especially deer, which are herbivores and will flee at the slightest disturbance.
The deer was injured and bleeding and unable to escape, but it was not alarmed by Xingyuan Qianshuo's approach. After being slightly startled, it gazed at him docilely, as if it could sense his kindness.
The "Animal Affinity" talent gained from healing the Black Orb is like a passive aura, naturally radiating an aura that makes animals feel close to it.
"Yo~ Yo~"
Xingyuan Qianshuo gently stroked the deer's body, and the wild deer responded with a soft call.
The wound is deep, and if left untreated, it will bleed to death sooner or later, or attract other predators before it dies.
However, being able to escape from the ferocious tiger's claws is already considered lucky.
After stopping the bleeding and cleaning the wound, the deer was treated with palm magic... After more than ten minutes, the wild deer was fully healed.
It got up, kicked its legs, nuzzled Xingyuan Qianshuo with its nose, chirped a few times, turned around, and hopped into the forest.
Xingyuan Qianshuo quickly glanced at the system notification:
[You healed the injured wild deer and received the reward: a slight increase in animal affinity.]
"Senior Chisaku, you're amazing! Can you work full-time as a veterinarian from now on? My Kuro-maru always gets injured and I ask you to treat him." Inuzuka Tsuru stepped forward and exclaimed.
"Woof!" Kuromaru agreed in dog language.
"Haha, you're welcome anytime I'm on duty at the hospital. But I still hope you don't get injured while on your mission," Xingyuan Qianshuo replied with a smile.
The group continued their pursuit, following the scent of the wild deer, and soon discovered the trail of the ferocious tiger.
With a shoulder height of over two meters and a body length of over four meters, this giant tiger is undoubtedly the overlord of the forest, exuding a powerful aura of dominance.
Unfortunately, physical size alone is not enough against ninjas who possess chakra.
Roar! !
With a roar, the tiger charged towards the group. The hundred-meter distance was covered in an instant, and it was right in front of them in the blink of an eye.
"Beastman Ninja Art: Beastman Clone - Fang Over Fang!"
With the characteristic impetuousness and recklessness of the Inuzuka clan, Inuzuka Claw made no attempt to test the tiger. Two spinning tornadoes attacked from both sides, heading straight for the tiger.
In its berserk state, the tiger's reaction and speed are significantly enhanced, allowing it to dodge the impact with a sudden stop and turn.
boom!
The tooth struck the ground, creating a deep crater, scattering soil and rocks everywhere.
Undeterred, the tiger lunged forward, its claws flashing left and right, sending Inuzuka Tsurugi and Kuromaru, who had been lingering in the pit for a moment, flying away.