Akagahara

The, is a place where Chūnin Exams were held in the past. The genin in these old days always dreamt of becoming the best ninja and went there. Only those who returned safely were accepted as chūnin. But as time passed, it turned into a legend which said that your wish would come true if you returned safely. There are a lot of traps to prevent anyone from entering. In the centre of the area there is a statue surrounded with crimson clovers. When the statue is removed from its place, marionette ninja squad was activated and they can be stopped only when the statue is returned to its original place.

Trivia

 * Akagahara shares similar name with Ahaggar, volcanic mountain in central Sahara.
 * Because "aka" and "seki" are both words for the colour "red", it is likely that this place is also a reference to "Sekigahara", a key battle in Japan's Sengoku Era that paved the way for Tokugawa Ieyasu's rule.
 * It was featured in the OVA: Find the Four-Leaf Red Clover!.