"I'm a cloth merchant from the Land of Lightning. These are my travel papers.
I came to watch the genin exams and take the opportunity to look into Konoha's market-" The merchant spoke quickly, with a heavy Land of Lightning accent. A few beads of sweat from his long journey still clung to his forehead.
"Please sit down.
Roll up your sleeve first," Kotetsu said expressionlessly, following the procedure Chisen had taught him.
The merchant paused. His smile froze for an instant, but he quickly recovered.
"What's this for? Do you need to draw blood too?"
"A routine public health screening.
Postwar infectious disease prevention." Izumo picked up a blood lancet. "Just a prick on your fingertip. It'll be quick."
The merchant reluctantly held out a chubby finger.
Beep.
A drop of blood was placed on a test strip, which was inserted into the device.
A few seconds later, two readings appeared on the screen.
Cortisol: abnormally high. Creatine kinase: borderline jonin level.
Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged a glance.
Neither made any unnecessary movements. Izumo even smiled at the merchant.
"All your readings look healthy.
Here is your entry pass.
Next."
The merchant breathed a sigh of relief, took the pass, and hurried out of the tent.
What he did not know was that Izumo had just used a special solution to draw a tiny mark on the back of that pass.
Beneath the chair the merchant had occupied, trace amounts of purple gold vine juice from a foot mat lined with porous sponge had already entered his nasal passages with his rapid breathing.
Ten minutes later, as the merchant reached the passage to the observation stands outside the training ground, his nose suddenly itched unbearably, and he let out three loud sneezes in a row.
**"Achoo! Achoo!