About a hundred meters from the battlefield, under a giant tree, a dense thicket of bushes rustled slightly.
Three heads carefully poked out. They were the Ino-Shika-Cho team: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji.
The three held their breath, their eyes wide as they stared at the riverbank in the distance, where mist churned, and from which bursts of firelight, water waves, and the sounds of metal clashing erupted. Astonishment showed on their faces.
"So scary—" Choji lowered his voice, his chubby face full of lingering fear. "Those are the Kirigakure and Land of Stars' people, right? This commotion is terrifying! It feels even more intense than when I saw Asuma-sensei sparring with someone!"
Ino's face was also somewhat pale. She tugged at Shikamaru's sleeve, her voice trembling: "Shikamaru, we should take a detour! That fight is way above our level! We can figure out the scrolls some other way, but we only have one life!"
As a Sensor-type Ninja, she could feel even more intensely the rampant and chaotic Chakra Fluctuations coming from the distant battlefield. Anyone caught up in that would be in serious danger.
Shikamaru didn't speak.
His forehead was already covered in fine cold sweat. His dead-fish eyes were full of helplessness and exasperation.
He had been observing since the fight started.
Although the thick fog obscured the battlefield, thanks to Ino's sensory abilities, she could not only sense the number of people fighting but also their Chakra and the Ninjutsu they were using.
She then passed this information verbally to Shikamaru, allowing him to know that every party in the thick fog had demonstrated strength far beyond that of ordinary Genin.
No, it even exceeded that of many Special Jonin.
This was no longer at the level expected of a 'Genin Exam'.
This was almost… a small-scale war!
"What a drag—" Shikamaru said quietly, his voice dry.
His plan had been perfect originally: use Ino's sensory abilities for short-to-medium-range reconnaissance, have Choji provide frontal containment, use his own Shadow Imitation Technique to control, quickly find a weak team to take their scroll, then head straight for the tower, minimizing combat.
Who would have thought that, not long after leaving the entrance, they would run into these two monstrous teams going at each other hammer and tongs!
"So what do we do now?" Ino asked. "Take a detour?"
"We have to," Shikamaru nodded, quickly making the most reliable judgment… stay away from this place of trouble.
"While they're fighting hard and haven't noticed us, we'll quickly—"
Before he could finish.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
A bone-chilling killing intent, like a snake, suddenly struck from the side and rear!
"Look out behind you!" Shikamaru's hair stood on end instantly. Almost on instinct, he grabbed Ino with one hand and kicked Choji in the rear with one foot, and the three of them threw themselves to the side and rolled with all their might!
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Five streaks of cold light fell from the sky, chopping the bushes they had been crouching in into countless fragments.
Broken branches and leaves fell like rain, the cuts as smooth as mirrors.
If Shikamaru's reaction had been half a second slower, what would have been chopped up now would have been their bodies.
Shikamaru and the others rolled several times before regaining their footing, looking back at their attacker in shock.
The attacker stood where they had been.
It was a tall, dark-skinned female Ninja with short red hair and golden pupils, holding a gleaming Ninja Sword in her hand, standing where they had been hiding.
She wore a Kumogakure-style white flak jacket and a dark long skirt. Her forehead protector was tied over her red hair. Her eyes were sharp, and her body radiated an undisguised fighting spirit.
And on a tree trunk not far behind her, the other two Kumogakure's Ninja also revealed themselves.
One was exceptionally tall and burly, with short blonde hair, a handsome and sunny face, and a wide-bladed greatsword on his back. That was Atsui. The other had brownish skin, short white hair, a lollipop in his mouth, and a somewhat lazy and worried expression on his face. That was Omoi.
"Kumogakure's Ninja—" Shikamaru recognized them.
Before the Chunin Exams, they had seen these three at a BBQ restaurant.
Members of the Kumogakure's team, reportedly including two disciples of the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki, Killer B.
Shikamaru's heart sank. When it rains, it pours!
Just as they were about to avoid those two terrifying teams, they got targeted by these three troublesome guys!
"I told you to keep the noise down. We're too close to those two monster teams. It'll attract trouble… Karui, you never listen, you just had to make a move."
Omoi rubbed his neck helplessly, his expression complaining.
He had a lollipop in his mouth, making his speech somewhat slurred.
His eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly, clearly very dissatisfied with suddenly being caught up in this chaotic situation.
"Now we're in trouble," Omoi added. "Konoha, Kirigakure, the Land of Stars… all right here together. If we start fighting, the commotion will definitely be big, and then we'll attract all the other teams—"
"Shut up!" Karui turned her head and glared at Omoi, her tone hot-tempered.
"Stop being so wishy-washy! Since we've found prey, why wouldn't we go after it? Wait for them to beat each other up and then pick off the survivors? That's not the Kumogakure way!"
She turned her gaze back to Shikamaru and the others, pointing her Ninja Sword at them, her fighting spirit high: "Hey, Konoha brats! Tough luck running into us! If you don't want to get beaten up, hand over your scrolls!"
Omoi shrank his neck at her shout, mumbling quietly: "I was just saying—"
Atsui also leaped down from the tree trunk, landing steadily, pulling out the greatsword from his back, a bright smile on his face: "Sorry, everyone, but the Chunin Exams is cruel like that. If you hand over your scrolls willingly, we can save you some physical pain."
He seemed polite, but his massive frame and the oppressive presence of that Ninja Sword made even Choji swallow nervously.
Shikamaru's mind was racing.
'Ahead, the fierce battle between the Kirigakure's team and the Land of Stars' team.'
'Behind, the blockade of the three Kumogakure's Ninja.'
'Escape was probably impossible—'
Among the three opponents, he found that Karui was clearly the main attacker, impulsive in personality but sharp in swordsmanship. Atsui had astonishing strength, likely the frontal breakthrough type. Omoi appeared laid-back, but being able to team up with these two meant his strength was certainly not to be underestimated, and he seemed to be the tactical or support type—
On their side, Ino's Mind Body Switch Technique required preparation time and was easily interfered with. Choji's Multi-Size Technique consumed a huge amount of energy. His own Shadow Imitation Technique had a limited control range—
"Now this… is really a huge problem," Shikamaru sighed, but his eyes gradually sharpened.
'There was no avoiding it. We would have to fight!'
…
About three hundred meters above the Forest of Death, a giant white clay bird with a wingspan exceeding five meters was gliding steadily.
Deidara stood on the bird's back, his right hand shading his eyes as if looking into the distance. His golden short hair streamed backward in the high-speed air currents.
The Iwagakure's forehead protector sat crookedly on his head, exuding an air of casual unruliness.
"Oh~ I see it! Over there!"
He pointed excitedly toward the center of the forest, where a grey-black tower stood, its spire particularly conspicuous above the sea of trees.
"That's the destination for the second exam! Hmph, looks like we're the first ones here! Yeah!" Deidara's tone was full of confidence, even a bit cocky.
He maneuvered the clay giant bird, slightly adjusting its direction, flying straight toward the tower, completely disregarding the enemies that might be in the forest below. Or rather, he simply didn't care.
"Deidara, before that, we still need an Earth Scroll."
A voice came from behind.
Ku stood to Deidara's right and rear. This light brown-haired boy had little expression on his face, but his eyes were very serious.
He reached into the ninja tool pouch at his waist and pulled out a scroll: white silk, a black character for Heaven.
"We have a Heaven Scroll. According to the exam rules, we must collect both Heaven and Earth to pass."
Ku continued: "Also, flying over there now is too conspicuous. Any team below can see us as long as they look up."
"What's there to be afraid of!" Deidara waved his hand dismissively, his golden ponytail swaying in the wind.
"Anyway, all those guys will eventually head to the tower. We'll just wait outside for them to come to us! Rob them one by one, so much simpler! Yeah!"
This simple, crude logic made Ku frown slightly.
As an artificial human secretly created by Onoki, the knowledge Ku had been instilled with had all parts concerning the Land of Stars labeled as 'extremely dangerous' and 'approach with caution'.
In this Chunin Exams, Iwagakure was nominally a subordinate of the Land of Stars, but in reality, Onoki had sent them to participate with the goals of both gathering intelligence and testing the strength of the Land of Stars' younger generation.
And Deidara's plan to 'block the door and forcibly rob' seemed to Ku to be little different from suicide.
Kirara, with short golden hair and as delicate as a doll, stood to Ku's left, looking down at the forest below. The outline of the sea of trees was reflected in her pale purple pupils.
"Deidara, there are probably quite a few people with that idea."
Kirara spoke softly, her voice like wind chimes: "Also, the teams that usually choose to 'wait by the stump' outside the tower are those with sufficient confidence in their own strength. If we really go block the door, we might encounter multiple strong teams simultaneously."
She paused, adding the most crucial point: "Most importantly, the Land of Stars sent two teams this time, neither to be underestimated. If they join forces, we'd be fighting one against two. Even discounting other teams, just dealing with those six people from the Land of Stars doesn't give us high odds of winning."
"Tch—"
Deidara curled his lip, just about to retort "What's so great about the Land of Stars", when he was interrupted by the commotion coming from below.
Boom!
Boom!
One explosion came from the middle reaches of the river, from the area shrouded in thick fog. Muffled explosions and the sounds of metal clashing could be heard, faintly audible even from hundreds of meters away.
Another explosion came from further south in the forest, seeming to also be mixed with beast-like roars.
"Oh?" Deidara's eyes lit up, and he immediately craned his neck to look.
The clay giant bird, under his control, began to circle and descend. When the altitude dropped to about a hundred meters, the view became clearer.
In the middle reaches of the river, thick fog rolled, making it impossible to see the specific situation, but at the edges of the fog, occasional flashes of firelight could be seen, clearly the result of Ninjutsu clashes.
And on the riverbank outside the fog, there seemed to be another fight. Several figures were moving quickly, blades flashing.
"It's Kirigakure's Hiding in Mist Technique," Kirara observed, adding: "Judging by the density and range of the fog, it should be at the level of a Jonin's execution, but the participants are Genin, which means that among the teams Kirigakure sent this time, someone is particularly skilled at this technique."
Ku also nodded gravely: "Kirigakure dispatched two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen this time. The white-haired, sharp-toothed one is Hozuki Suigetsu, an orphan of the Hozuki Clan, skilled in the Hydrification Technique and Taijutsu. The other, wearing glasses and with a shy personality, is called Chojuro. He's said to be very strong and is the successor of the Blunt Sword: Kabutowari."
He looked at Deidara: "The opponents that can force them into a tough fight, even using the Hiding in Mist Technique to create a home-field advantage—"
"Probably aren't ordinary examinees."
"It must be the Land of Stars' team," Kirara interjected, her tone certain. "Surely only those two teams from the Land of Stars would make Kirigakure place such importance on them."
Deidara licked his lips, his pupils glimmering with excitement.
"Why talk so much? Let's go down and see!"
He maneuvered the clay giant bird to begin its dive, aiming straight for the area of thick fog.
But Ku reached out and pressed on his shoulder.
"Wait, Deidara."
"What?" Deidara turned his head in dissatisfaction.
Ku looked him straight in the eye, his tone serious: "If we go over there now, we'll be intervening in the fight between the Kirigakure's team and the Land of Stars' team at the same time. We might end up being attacked by both sides. And—"
He pointed to the forest further south: "The fighting over there is also very loud. If we expend too much here, we might be easy pickings for a third or fourth team."
"So?" Deidara raised an eyebrow.
"So, we should continue heading to the tower," Ku said, releasing his hand and stepping back. "Choose favorable terrain outside the tower to observe the teams that arrive later. If there's a team that's alone or already injured, we can make our move to take their scrolls. That's the safest and most efficient."
Deidara stared at Ku, then looked at Kirara.
Kirara nodded gently, agreeing with Ku's plan.
"Tch, what a drag—" Deidara scratched his hair, finally compromising: "Fine, fine! Have it your way! But if we wait until the end and there are no weaklings to pick on, I'm taking matters into my own hands! Mmm!"
He maneuvered the clay giant bird to climb again, circling around the foggy area, continuing toward the tower.
Ku and Kirara exchanged glances, both breathing a sigh of relief.
They weren't afraid of fighting, but meaningless fighting was completely unnecessary.
Especially before they had figured out the depth of the Land of Stars' team's strength, they didn't want to lose any of their combat power.