Within the Ancient Forest, by taking a lengthy trek off the beaten paths, crossing through thick shrubbery and squeezing past densely growing trees, one would eventually arrive at a shallow pond in the middle of a scenic little clearing. This area was deceptively dangerous to approach - the surroundings had been riddled with a variety of crude, improvised traps. As most of them were poorly concealed and circled thinly and unevenly around the clearing, a shinobi could deduce that the primary purpose of these traps was not to keep people away; they were all arranged so as to be within the leaping range of the average ninja, so they had most likely served as an obstacle course for one to cross as a test of reflexes, a not atypical form of training for someone in that line of work. But they nevertheless posed a potential hazard for those less capable or less aware; falling for one of the traps could lead to serious injuries.
The clear sky had been painted a variety of hues by the setting sun. At this time, the traps were almost all spent and rendered inept. The young girl responsible for setting them was in no condition to rearm them: she lied on the ground, her eyes closed and her disheveled black hair mingling carelessly with the grass. As she slept there, she looked anything but peaceful, her body trembling with pain. She would have continued to sleep there throughout the night undisturbed, had it not been for a single detail: one of the trees surrounding the clearing had been set aflame, sending columns of gray smoke towards the orange sky and marking the isolated location for all to find. But more importantly, the flames were taking quite well to the leaves and branches, and threatened to spread across the entire forest given enough time.
[WC:309]
The clear sky had been painted a variety of hues by the setting sun. At this time, the traps were almost all spent and rendered inept. The young girl responsible for setting them was in no condition to rearm them: she lied on the ground, her eyes closed and her disheveled black hair mingling carelessly with the grass. As she slept there, she looked anything but peaceful, her body trembling with pain. She would have continued to sleep there throughout the night undisturbed, had it not been for a single detail: one of the trees surrounding the clearing had been set aflame, sending columns of gray smoke towards the orange sky and marking the isolated location for all to find. But more importantly, the flames were taking quite well to the leaves and branches, and threatened to spread across the entire forest given enough time.
[WC:309]