The Central Tower
How could three ordinary Anbu possibly find White Zetsu? Since that White Zetsu dared to infiltrate Konoha, I don't know if it was Tobi, but it was no ordinary White Zetsu either.
While the Anbu were searching for him, the White Zetsu had already disappeared. The White Zetsu that Yemo was dealing with was the kind that could use Wood Release, while the White Zetsu that Hiashi and Hizashi were dealing with were not so terrifying. Before the two of them could escape, they were defeated by Hiashi and Hizashi.
However, the monsters created by White Zetsu were not human. After they died, they turned into a cloud of white liquid and merged into the ground. This infuriated the three Anbu. They searched for the Grass Ninja for a long time, but one of them escaped, and the other two didn't even get their bodies back.
According to the registration for the second exam, only three Grass Ninja participated. With all three confirmed, Minato and the others immediately left the dense forest and headed to their comrades' office to report the situation.
Upon receiving news from the Anbu Ninja that Kusagakure had been killed, the entire Konoha High Command was shaken; no one had expected such a thing to happen right under their noses.
The Third Hokage made the decision to suppress the news, letting only a small number of people know about it. If the news were to spread, Konoha would lose all face. The prestigious Konoha had been infiltrated, and the Konoha High Command was completely unaware.
Immediately afterwards, the Third Hokage dispatched Minato to lead a group of Anbu Ninja to capture three Grass Ninja without affecting the exams, while Orochimaru personally captured the leading Jonin of Kusagakure.
Unfortunately, when Orochimaru found the Jonin of Kusagakure, the other party seemed to have already realized that he had been exposed. The Kusagakure Jonin suicide, leaving only a pool of blood.
When the news reached the Konoha High Command, even the usually mild-mannered Third Hokage slammed his fist on the table in anger and gave the Anbu and Konoha Military Police Force, who were responsible for Konoha's security, a severe dressing-down.
The security for this Chunin Ninja Exams was handled by these two departments, which were responsible for confirming the identities of the ninjas entering the various villages of Konoha. Now that something has gone wrong, someone has to take responsibility, and the Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force are the first to bear the blame.
However, none of this had anything to do with Yemo. Because of the Grass Ninja incident, the higher-ups were in turmoil, but the Chunin Ninja Exams proceeded smoothly as planned.
The battle with White Zetsu had progressed into the night. Yemo and his companions were quite lucky. Hiashi and Hizashi each obtained two scrolls from the White Zetsu impersonating Grass Ninja, while Yemo snatched one scroll from Mei Terumi. Therefore, the three of them now possessed six scrolls.
The rest was simple. After obtaining the scroll that would grant them the right to pass the exam, Yemo discussed it with Hiashi and Hizashi and decided to head to the center of the dense forest first to pass the second exam.
With everyone's forces in disarray, this dense forest, which is neither too big nor too small, spanning twenty miles in circumference, is not an easy task to search aimlessly for people within.
Having decided to head straight to the heart of the dense forest, Yemo and his companions set off immediately without resting.
As the fiery sun disappeared behind the mountains, the carnage in the dense forest subsided somewhat with the arrival of night. The bright moon hung in the sky, its pale light like a veil of shimmering white covering the forest. The crescent moon looked down upon the earth, surrounded by twinkling stars. The weather was fine tonight; not a single dark cloud graced the dark sky, and billions of stars adorned the heavens, their brilliance dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.
The arrival of night gave some people a chance to catch their breath. They used the cover of darkness to conceal their whereabouts and rest in preparation for tomorrow's battle.
Even by nightfall, many people still hadn't found their teams. Because of the Teuchi, the dense forest was in chaos, and many didn't know whether their teammates had been eliminated or not. But as long as it wasn't certain whether their team was eliminated, no one was willing to give up, even if there was only a one percent chance.
Under the moonlight, Yemo and his two companions rapidly approached the center of the dense forest. A mere ten kilometers Yemo so was not a long distance for them without any obstacles.
As they approached the center of the dense forest, the thick bushes and tall trees on both sides began to thin out, and a clearing appeared before Yemo and his companions.
The deep yellow earth was devoid of trees, a desolate expanse, yet just a few dozen meters away lay a lush, verdant forest, creating a sense of incongruity.
A tall tower, over ten meters high with four stories and eaves, stands in the middle of the deep yellow earth. Because it is Yemo, even with the moonlight, it is difficult to see what color the tower is.
The area around the tower was completely calm, so calm that only the faint sound of the wind whistling past their ears. Yemo and the others exchanged glances, slowed their pace, and cautiously made their way towards the tower.
There was no attack. Yemo and his companions reached the foot of the tower without incident. They were still a little worried that some village ninjas might be hiding around the tower, waiting for those who had obtained the scroll to come.
It makes sense. Which team would dare to wait here? Every team that manages to get the scroll intact is strong. The success rate of fighting such teams is too low. Even Yemo wouldn't dare to wait here with Hiashi and Hizashi. He doesn't care, but Hiashi and Hizashi don't have Yemo's strength. If one team is eliminated, then the whole team will be eliminated.
Instead of waiting here for prey to come to us, we should take the initiative and find some lone ninjas; that would increase our chances of success.
Therefore, the anticipated ambush did not occur. Yemo and his companions reached the five stone steps of the tower, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, as it seemed that no one had indeed laid an ambush.
Yemo looked up slightly and saw a plaque hanging under the eaves. The plaque was very strange. It wasn't strange that the plaque was broken or cracked, but that it had no inscription. It was a plaque without any inscription.
Slightly startled, Yemo quickly withdrew his gaze. Although it was strange, it had little to do with him. His sharp eyes swept over the heavy red-lacquered door in front of him.
Yemo took the lead and stepped onto the stone steps, one step after another. Yemo took five steps in total, reaching the base. Without pausing, Yemo strode towards the gate, with Hizashi and Hiashi following carefully behind, watching their surroundings warily.
Reaching the gate, Yemo stopped. Looking at the vermilion gate, which was several times taller than him, Yemo took a deep breath, stretched out his hands, and exerted a little force. The gate creaked loudly, the sound sharp and amplified by Yemo.
As Ye Yemo pushed the vermilion gate open, it slowly opened. There was no warm light shining through the cracks in the door like in movies or TV dramas. Through the ever-widening cracks in the gate, Yemo could clearly see that it was pitch black inside, even darker than the night outside. Although it was night outside, there was still the pale moonlight.
No warm light shone from inside the door; instead, the bright moonlight streamed into the room through the crack in the door, as if draping the bluestone floor with a layer of frost.
The door was pushed open more than halfway, not because he didn't want to push it further, but because his arms were only so long, and he couldn't push it any further.
It appeared to be empty and completely dark inside, but Yemo remained vigilant. Who knew if someone might have already entered and was hiding somewhere in the shadows, their footsteps lurking beneath the surface?
Lowering his hands, Yemo stepped over the threshold, his right foot entering first, followed by his left. There was no attack as expected; everything was perfectly calm, as if they were the first to arrive.
Seeing that everything was alright, Hiashi and Hizashi followed Yemo cautiously inside. As soon as the two entered, Yemo had already stepped inside.
With the help of the moonlight streaming in from outside, Yemo could barely make out that the room was completely empty, supported only by four huge black wooden pillars.
Yemo took a few steps forward. Just when Yemo thought they were the first team to arrive, an unexpected change occurred, with several soft sounds.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...