Training Ground No. 44 — or, more famously, the Forest of Death.
Towering trees blotted out the sky, shafts of pale light breaking through the canopy.The air was damp and heavy, thick with the scent of rot and something faintly metallic and sweet.Fallen leaves squelched underfoot, insects droned endlessly, and distant beastly cries echoed through the woods.
It was gloomy. Strange. And deeply unsettling.
"I'm telling you… this place is way too creepy!" Uzumaki Kushina grumbled, following close behind Hiroki as she looked around nervously.
It felt like something monstrous could leap out at any moment.
"That Orochimaru guy seriously has terrible taste. Who picks a place like this for a meeting?"
Hiroki didn't respond. His eyes scanned the surroundings calmly, but his mind was elsewhere.
Why another test?Did the Third Hokage forget to tell Orochimaru they'd already passed? Or… did Orochimaru reject Jiraiya's evaluation?
Or—worse—was this Danzo's doing?In every Naruto fanfic Hiroki had ever read, any strange, unexplained event was always somehow Danzo's fault.
As he pondered, Kushina opened her mouth to complain again—but then froze.
Both of them stopped dead in their tracks.
Ahead, a figure stood half-concealed behind a thick tree trunk.For a moment, it looked as though he had emerged from the shadow itself—like the forest had shaped him from darkness.
A pale, slender man stood silently watching them. His presence alone sent a chill down the spine.
Kushina almost screamed and instinctively grabbed a fistful of Hiroki's sleeve.
But as her eyes adjusted, she realized the figure was no ghost.He wore a standard Konoha ninja uniform, green vest and all.
A living person—but still not someone who felt entirely human.
His skin was unnaturally pale, almost translucent under the dim light.Long, inky-black hair framed his face, making the whiteness of his skin even starker.And then there were his eyes—golden irises with narrow, vertical pupils like a serpent's.
When he looked at them, it wasn't with curiosity or interest, but a cold, detached intensity—the kind of gaze a reptile gives before striking.
The air itself seemed to drop a few degrees.
That's Orochimaru…?!
He smiled faintly—if it could be called that.It wasn't a warm smile. It was the kind that made your blood run cold.
"You two," he said softly, his voice smooth but venomous."The assessment begins."
The moment his words fell, a bright blue window suddenly flashed before Hiroki's eyes.
[System Resource Monitor]—the tool he had coded himself—appeared without warning, completely overtaking his field of vision.
His data readings spiked violently.CPU Usage: 15% → 99%Memory Load: Soaring
The red bars blinked furiously.
And then came the lag.
His thoughts began to drag, each one heavy and delayed—like an ancient computer choking under too many background processes.
An attack.It was Orochimaru!
There was no time to think—his instincts screamed it was a direct assault.
But how was Orochimaru doing this?
And in that instant, Hiroki made a split-second decision that was half genius, half madness.
"Kushina, I like you!" he blurted out.
"—Eh!?"
Kushina froze as though lightning had struck her.
She blinked at him, completely lost. The forest remained the same—dark, damp, full of distant growls—and Orochimaru stood not far away, smiling that same eerie smile.
Why… was he confessing now!?
"You—what are you saying, you idiot?!" Kushina stammered, her face turning bright red. She waved her hands in panic. "Th-this is a test! A test! Don't just say things like that!"
But her heart was pounding out of control.Shyness, surprise, and something dangerously close to happiness tangled inside her.
Was he joking? No—he didn't look like he was.
"I'm serious," Hiroki said, taking a step closer. His gaze locked on hers with such focus she couldn't look away."When you're in danger… you realize what really matters. I don't want to regret not saying it."
"If I fail this test… I might never get another chance."
Kushina's mind spun out of control.Her thoughts melted into chaos, her fear momentarily forgotten. The forest, Orochimaru, everything else faded away—there was only Hiroki and his stupidly sincere confession.
"I-I…" she stuttered, her face crimson, her voice barely above a whisper. "Let's… let's talk about it after the test, okay…?"
That was the strongest rejection she could manage.
But Hiroki only smiled gently and reached out his hand, as if to touch her cheek.
Her breath caught. Her heart raced.What do I do? What do I do? What do I do!?
Her instincts screamed to move—but she didn't.She just closed her eyes, trembling.
Even if it's just part of the test…It's fine, right?
But then—Just as his fingers were about to brush her cheek—something changed.
Hiroki's face froze.His mouth fell open in a silent scream.
And from the darkness of his throat, something slithered out.
A thin green snake, slick and glistening with mucus, forced its way past his lips.Its tiny eyes glowed red, and its scales rasped wetly against his skin.
It hissed once—then coiled around his neck like a living noose.
"—Hrk…"
Hiroki's hands twitched, reaching out weakly for help, but the serpent tightened its grip.His body convulsed and collapsed backward into the damp leaves, limbs jerking faintly as the forest swallowed his final breath.
"—Hiroki!!!" Kushina's scream tore through the still air.