Looking at the map, I found my next destination — the Forest of Shadows. It was also called the Shadow Polygon. This polygon was much larger than the one I had just been at, and it included dozens of training areas. But it was located a bit farther — about six kilometers from my current location.
"Six kilometers..." I sighed. After several hours of searching at Polygon 34, fatigue was starting to set in, but there was no point in turning back. I needed more weapons for training, and I wasn't planning to stop. Moreover, the Forest of Shadows was known for being a place where experienced shinobi often trained, and if I was lucky, I could not only find equipment but also observe some techniques.
I adjusted my kunai and shuriken, hiding them in my pocket, and quickly headed toward the next polygon.
Leaving the residential part of the village, I noticed how the streets grew quieter. Rare passersby walked by — mostly shinobi with headbands, who seemed not to notice me. I crossed a few bridges and turned onto a narrow path leading to the outskirts of Konoha. The forest around became denser, and soon I found myself in the shade of tall trees. The silence here was only disturbed by the rustling of leaves underfoot.
The Forest of Shadows lay beyond the old part of the village, and the path to it wasn't the easiest. The trail twisted between roots and rocks. I started running faster, trying not to waste time, and soon I saw an iron fence ahead. This could only mean one thing — I was getting closer.
When I finally reached the entrance to the Forest of Shadows, a vast space opened up before me, surrounded by massive trees, with light rarely piercing through the canopy.
"So, I'm here..." I thought, looking around.
It was much better here than at Polygon 34 — almost no tall grass. I needed to go deeper to find the dummies.
I moved toward the nearest dummy, scanning the ground around it. At first glance, there were more scraps than intact equipment. Usually, more intact gear could be found in the bushes behind the dummies or on a tree across from them, so I headed for the bushes.
I approached the bushes and began carefully pushing aside the branches, keeping an eye on the ground. The branches crackled under my hands, but I ignored the noise. It was more important to find something useful that could come in handy.
Suddenly, my eyes fell on something metallic, barely noticeable among the shadows of the bushes — a shuriken. It wasn't in the best condition, but it was much better than the rusty metal I had found earlier.
"Good, this might come in handy..." I thought, hiding the item in my pocket.
A few minutes later, I stumbled upon a kunai — not new, but sharp and without cracks.
Suddenly, I heard a light sound behind me. Someone was here.
I quickly turned around and saw a figure moving between the trees. It was a guy, looking slightly older than me. He was holding a kunai and was clearly looking for something.
"I'm not the only one who decided to use this place..." I thought, watching him. He moved confidently, without rushing — definitely not a newbie.
At some point, he noticed me and stopped.
"Hey," he said, not lowering his weapon. "Are you new here?"
I nodded, not hurrying to answer, scanning him: chestnut hair, shoulder-length, dark baggy suit with a red hood, and a black jacket. He also wore a belt around his leg and had senbon in his mouth.
"Looking for gear?" There was no hostility in his voice, more like curiosity.
"Yes," I replied shortly.
He grunted and stepped closer, not taking his eyes off me.
"If you want to find something, you'd better go deeper. Everything's been taken here," he said, nodding toward the forest. "But it's harder there. There are traps, and even explosive seals."
I nodded gratefully, remembering his words.
"Thanks for the advice."
"No problem," he shrugged. "Just don't get into trouble."
With that, he turned around, but I managed to call out to him:
"Wait, what's your name?"
"Genma," he said, not stopping.
"Bye," I muttered to myself, looking toward where he had pointed. "If there are traps, it's not too safe to go deeper; I'd better look around here some more."
Less than ten minutes later, I heard noise again, but this time it was much louder. Several more people appeared in the forest, also with kunais in hand. They clearly hadn't expected to run into anyone else.
Things were moving too fast.
"Hey, what's going on here?" asked one of them, starting to approach me with a wary expression on his face. He was a tall guy with short black hair, looking much older than me.
"Are you alone?" he looked around.
Without waiting for my answer, they exchanged glances and seemed to realize I wasn't a threat. But they clearly weren't planning to be friendly. One of them, smiling mockingly, said:
"Don't you know that the Forest of Shadows is no place for kids? Give us everything you found, and we'll let you go!" said the oldest of them, looking at my pocket with shuriken.
With these words, they began to surround me.
In my childhood, I had been in such situations, and the only real option was to run. Sometimes kids can be very cruel, and even if they took everything I found, I'd still get a beating, and there would be more of them.
As they began to surround me, I instinctively felt my heart start to beat faster, and adrenaline filled my body. Everything I had accumulated, everything I had found, could end up in their hands, but that wasn't as scary. What was worse was if they decided to beat me here, in the forest. At times like this, my instincts told me only one thing — run.
As soon as they started surrounding me, my instincts kicked in. Knowing that standing still was a surefire way to get into trouble, I didn't hesitate and bolted. I instantly felt the blood rushing to my temples, and my breathing became shallow. I didn't know how long I could last, but I knew one thing for sure — I had to run.
Two of the ones surrounding me didn't expect such a quick reaction. A moment of confusion, and I used it. I jerked to the side, cutting my way through the bushes, but the sound of footsteps was already behind me.
One of them shouted:
"Catch him!"