Chapter 300 The Exam Begins
Chapter 300 The Exam Begins
At the entrance to a swampy area, Zabuza Momochi, carrying his heavy sword and with a bloodthirsty smirk on his lips, walked alone into the mist.
No one wanted to team up with him. After all, who knew if this madman who had wiped out all the other candidates in the graduation exam would stab you in the back?
And at another entrance not far from Zabuza.
Mei Terumi was wearing a dark blue fitted dress, her right eye was covered by her bangs, and she looked at the forest in front of her with a cold gaze.
"Lady Terumi Mei, are we really not going to go with them?"
A girl with short, light blue hair, who looked somewhat timid, followed closely behind her.
Hozuki An, a genius from a collateral branch of the Hozuki clan, is an introverted socially awkward person.
"When I'm with that kind of lunatic, I'm more afraid of being wary of my own teammates than of other people."
Mei Terumi replied calmly.
She glanced at her companion, who looked like a frightened little rabbit, and softened her tone slightly.
"An, stay close to me. In this test, we only believe in ourselves."
"Yes...yes, Mei Terumi-sama." Hozuki An nodded weakly, carefully following Mei Terumi's footprints.
"No need to use honorifics."
"Okay... okay, Terumi Mei-sama."
Mei Terumi: "..."
Two seemingly aloof girls, one yearning for sunshine and the other an introverted, socially anxious girl, embark on a journey full of unknowns.
Meanwhile, within the Cloud Village's camp...
"Yo! Yo! The Eight-Tails has made his grand entrance! Konoha brats, get ready to surrender! Yeah!"
Wearing sunglasses and carrying seven short swords, Killer Bee spun into the forest like a top, singing awful rap, completely ignoring the stares from those around him who looked at him like he was an idiot.
On the other side, the two teak figures had cold faces and elegant postures like proud black cats, choosing a secluded route by themselves.
It's not that they don't want to team up, but as Jinchūriki, if they lose control of their emotions during battle and transform into Tailed Beasts, the indiscriminate destruction on such a large scale is something their teammates simply cannot withstand.
Therefore, individual combat is actually better.
……
On the screen, the images kept changing.
The Sunagakure team appeared in a dense patch of primeval bushes.
Maki walked at the front, holding a kunai in his hand, his face full of vigilance.
As the core of this team, he was always observing the surrounding situation.
To his left is Yura.
The boy with short, spiky brown hair was looking down, his fingers rapidly gesturing something in the air, seemingly calculating the trajectory of some kind of trap.
On the right, Yashamaru appears much gentler.
He had long, smooth, light blonde hair, and although he was fully armed, there wasn't much killing intent in his deep blue eyes.
He would occasionally glance back at his teammates walking at the back, as if he were worried about something.
At the very back of the group, Shirasagi sat unkempt on a half-dead tree trunk, yawning listlessly.
"Hey, Captain Maki, how long are we going to be wandering around in this damn forest?"
Shirasa rolled her eyes: "There are more mosquitoes here than sand in the Land of Wind, and it's all damp. There's not even a dry place to sleep."
Without turning his head, Maki lowered his voice and said, "This is an examination hall, and enemies could appear at any time. You'd better put away that nonchalant attitude, or we might not be able to protect you if a fight breaks out."
Shirasagi pouted and muttered something under her breath, but still obediently stood up and patted the dirt off her bottom.
Maki is right, she doesn't want to be the one holding the team back.
……
the other side
"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spear!"
With his arms hardened, Hui Tu slammed his fist into the ground.
"boom!"
Several sharp, rocky spears burst from the ground, pinning a giant, venomous spider that had attempted to ambush them to a tree trunk. Green venom splattered, hissing as it corroded the bark.
"That was close..."
Hui Tu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced at the poisonous spider with lingering fear.
"The Death Forest of Konoha truly lives up to its reputation. The size and ferocity of these poisonous insects and beasts are even more terrifying than the gargoyles of our Land of Earth."
"This is because the chakra environment here has been specially modified."
Hiroshi Tsugami, standing behind Ash, did not show much panic.
"The ecosystem here is extremely complex. In addition to natural dangers, Konoha has also added human intervention in certain areas."
"For example, that poisonous spider just now, its chakra fluctuations were clearly regular. If I'm not mistaken, there should be those mechanical puppets that Konoha deployed hidden nearby."
Hiroshi Tsugami's clear eyes sparkled with wisdom.
"Gray Earth, don't advance blindly. Our primary task now is to figure out the distribution pattern of chakra in this forest. Only by mastering the rules can we survive here."
"clear!"
……
Ōnoki floated in mid-air, watching the images of Killer Bee and Yugito on the screen, and let out a heavy snort from his big red nose.
He turned his head and looked at the Fourth Raikage, Ai, who was sitting on the other side of the sofa drinking tea.
"Hey, you really have no shame at all."
Onoki mocked mercilessly, "For the joint exam of the five great ninja villages, you actually sent out the two trump cards of your village, the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails?"
"What, are you afraid that your ordinary genin from Kumogakure will embarrass yourselves on Konoha's turf, so you can only rely on tailed beasts to save face?"
"Bullshit! Onoki, stop spouting nonsense!"
Ai slammed down his teacup, and with a loud "bang," a crack appeared on the solid wood tabletop.
He glared at Onoki with his one eye: "Our Kumogakure's Jinchuriki are genin! They haven't participated in the Chunin Exams, but according to the rules, they are perfectly qualified to participate! This is called making good use of the rules, understand?"
"Make good use of the rules?" Onoki sneered. "I think you're just desperate because you're afraid of losing to Konoha. If those two Jinchuriki went berserk in the forest, do you believe Konoha's electromagnetic cannons could turn them into sieves?"
"Hmph, if you're so capable, why don't you send out a Jinchuriki from Iwagakure too!" Ai retorted sarcastically.
"I uphold martial ethics, unlike some people who have no shame whatsoever."
"Who are you calling shameless?!"
"I'm talking to you! You defeated opponent!"
The two movie stars started arguing like shrewish women in the private room, spittle flying everywhere.
Among them, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, sat quietly.
A barely perceptible sneer graced his youthful, boyish face.
As the village leader, he was well aware of the true purpose behind Onoki and Ai's argument.
These two old foxes are outwardly arguing, but in reality, every word they say is directed at him.
They are deliberately trying to sow discord between Kirigakure and Konoha.
"The loss of the Three-Tails is Kirigakure's greatest disgrace."
"Aren't these two trying to remind me that Konoha still holds our Kirigakure's tailed beast in their hands? They want to use me to cause trouble on Konoha's home turf and make things difficult for Konoha."
Yagura sneered inwardly.
"Too bad, you've miscalculated."
At this time, Yagura had not yet been controlled by Obito's Sharingan. He was a leader with extremely high political wisdom and the ability to endure.
He knew very well that the Hidden Mist Village was currently under the pressure of the Blood Mist policy, and the political situation was turbulent. It simply did not have the strength to start a war with the powerful Leaf Village at this time.
Moreover, it was thanks to the Three-Tails incident that he was able to oust some of the old guard and reclaim power.
"Since you want to see a show, then I'll just do the opposite of what you want."
Yagura picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and completely ignored the two shadows arguing heatedly beside him.
His purple eyes peered through the glass at the brown-haired girl on the screen, Nohara Rin, who was cautiously making her way through the forest.
"The Three-Tails... let's leave it in Konoha for now."
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