After their brief confrontation with the genin from Tanigakure, Team Eight resumed their advance through the Forest of Death.
Barely thirty minutes had passed since the start of the second phase, yet they had already secured both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Most of the remaining teams had likely yet to encounter a single opponent, still following whatever plans they had devised before entering the forest.
As he leapt from branch to branch, Shinra fell into thought.
'I don't remember who currently holds the record for clearing the second phase… but I do remember Gaara finishing it in under two hours. If we reach the tower without any setbacks, we might end up setting a record that won't be broken for years.'
The thought lingered in his mind.
'If I were to set a new record, it would undoubtedly draw even more attention towards me. The only question is whether that attention would be positive or negative.'
Ever since the mission in the Land of Wind, his name had found its way onto the desks of Konoha's highest-ranking officials. A ten-year-old genin surviving an encounter with an S-rank shinobi and bringing back information of national importance was not something the village could simply overlook.
'The higher-ups are already watching me. A new record would make Danzo even more aware of me, but I need the village's support.'
His greatest weakness had never been talent.
It was his background.
Unlike the heirs of the great clans, Shinra had no clan library filled with secret techniques and accumulated ninjutsu. There was no family member waiting to pass down ninjutsu, no bloodline to rely upon, and no political influence to demand resources from the village.
Everything he possessed had been earned or gifted to him.
'The C-rank jutsus were only possible because Yogi personally requested them from Inoichi. It is a one-time thing. Once I start requiring B-rank or even A-rank ninjutsu, that favor won't be enough anymore, and I can't always rely on Hiruzen to accept my requests.'
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'If I want Konoha to continue investing in me, then I need to prove that every resource spent on me yields greater returns than investing in anyone else.'
A calculated look appeared on his face.
'I may not possess Itachi's talent or Kakashi's genius… but unlike either of them, I don't belong to a clan. Every achievement I earn belongs solely to Konoha. From the village's perspective… that should make me a better long-term investment.'
Shinra's train of thought was cut short.
"We'll reach the center of the forest in a few minutes. It's currently two kilometers away," Inumaki said quietly as Yoshimaru sniffed the air. "Do we slow down?"
Shinra's eyes refocused on the forest ahead.
"Can you sense any chakra signatures in there?" Hyori asked.
Although her Byakugan provided far greater detail than Shinra's sensory technique, its effective range was only about a kilometer. For long-distance detection, Shinra remained the better sensor.
Shinra shook his head. "I can't sense anyone nearby. Once we're close to the center, we should slow down and hide for a little."
Hyori frowned and asked, "Shouldn't we just make a run for it before other teams arrive?"
Shinra nodded his head. "That would indeed be the best-case scenario if there was no one waiting for us already."
"What do you mean?" Hyori asked.
If a team was obstructing their path, they could simply deal with them and pass through. They hadn't spent much chakra during the last fight anyway.
Both of his teammates looked at him in confusion.
"We wasted a bit of time fighting those Tanigakure genin. Other teams could very well be ahead of us already. Most teams know how to suppress their chakra anyway. That's the reason I immediately used my sensory technique early on to catch them off guard."
"Now, assuming multiple teams reach the center, how would they know which team possesses the scroll they need? And would they really waste their chakra fighting another team when they don't even know whether that team possesses the scroll they need?"
"…"
Neither of them answered.
Shinra continued.
"But what if a team makes a breakthrough to the tower?"
Hyori understood immediately.
"They wouldn't know who possesses what scroll until someone starts heading toward the tower."
"Exactly."
Shinra pointed ahead.
"If two Earth Scroll teams meet, fighting is meaningless. If two Heaven Scroll teams meet, fighting is meaningless. But once a team breaks away and heads directly toward the tower…"
His eyes narrowed.
"They've just announced to everyone watching that they possess both scrolls, and it's not far-fetched that every team nearby would immediately target them."
Inumaki scratched Yoshimaru behind the ears.
"So instead of hunting, they're waiting like hyenas. They're allowing others to do the difficult part and swoop in to take the prize."
Shinra nodded.
The comparison fit perfectly.
Most teams lacked the confidence to challenge every opponent they encountered. Instead, they preferred to preserve chakra, observe from a distance and strike only when success was almost guaranteed.
As soon as they closed the distance even further and were only a few hundred meters away, Hyori stated, "I can see chakra signatures ahead."
"How many?"
"…Twelve."
Shinra immediately stopped, and silence settled between the three of them as the implications became clear.
"Four teams…"
His gaze drifted towards the distant tower, hidden beyond the tall trees.
"I may have an idea."
At almost the same time…
Several kilometers to the east…
The forest erupted into flames.
A crescent of compressed wind tore through a few trees before colliding with a torrent of fire.
The collision produced a powerful explosion that sent burning leaves and broken branches across the surrounding area.
Uchiha Mira, who had unleashed the flames, landed lightly upon a broken branch. Two tomoe spun inside her scarlet eyes as she tracked every movement of her opponent across the battlefield.
"Tch."
Across from her, the Sand shinobi lowered her three-section staff.
'Every Wind Release technique I use only makes her flames burn hotter… I can't overpower her head-on.'
"The Uchiha clan truly lives up to its name as Konoha's strongest clan."
Mira smirked but remained silent.
Several dozen meters away, Muta's Kikaichū poured across the battlefield like a living tide, consuming the lingering poison in the air before it could spread further through the forest.
The poison specialist licked his lips.
"So those insects can even eat toxins… This is so fun!"
He flexed the steel claws covering each finger.
Dark green venom slowly dripped from every curved blade.
Nearby, the captain's puppet emerged from beneath the earth, its hidden blades already stained with insect remains after carving through an entire swarm in an earlier confrontation with Muta. It immediately headed straight for Ren's neck.
Ren narrowly twisted his body aside. The puppet's blade grazed his shoulder before burying itself into the tree behind him.
His hands blurred through a sequence of seals.
"Water Style: Wave Surge."
A torrent of water burst from his mouth and crashed towards the puppet.
The water swept across the ground, carrying branches, leaves and loose earth with it. The puppet user immediately leapt backward, but the lower half of the puppet was caught in the current and dragged sideways.
The puppet user's eyes widened.
"Water Style?"
The Sand shinobi had expected another exchange of Fire Release. Instead, the puppet had been forced back by a Water Release technique.
Ren landed on a thick branch above the flooded ground, water dripping from his chin as he watched the puppet struggle against the current.
Without wasting much time, he rushed towards the puppet user to finish him before his puppet could re-enter the battlefield.
Before Ren could enter striking distance, the earth beneath him cracked and a blade suddenly shot towards his neck.
His eyes turned scarlet as a two-tomoe pattern spun inside them. He barely managed to twist his head aside, causing the blade to miss his neck and graze his shoulder instead.
Ren looked down at the ground and noticed another puppet emerging from beneath it.
'He had another puppet prepared this entire time?'
The Uchiha wiped the blood from his shoulder and glanced towards Mira and Muta.
"Be careful. It looks like they are thoroughly prepared."
Mira's Sharingan shifted towards him for a moment.
"You've been hiding Water Release this entire time?"
Ren ignored the question.
Across the battlefield, the Sand puppet user pulled hard on his chakra strings, forcing the first puppet back onto solid ground before positioning the second puppet beside him.
"It looks like this is going to take longer than expected."