"Huh? It's nothing, I just don't know if it's just my imagination..."
Hinata turned around and saw Naruto and Sasuke looking at her. She quickly waved her hand and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"An illusion?" Sasuke frowned.
"Yeah, I just felt like someone was watching us from that spot."
Hinata pointed in the direction she had just been looking.
"That spot?" Naruto squinted at it, then shook his head, saying, "I didn't sense any Chakra fluctuations there just now."
"It was just a fleeting feeling of mine, so I'm a little unsure." Hinata nodded.
That feeling vanished in an instant, and when she looked over, there was nothing there anymore.
Sasuke nodded thoughtfully; his teacher had said something similar.
With their current perception, unless it's some ancient monster or some strange secret technique, they shouldn't be completely unable to detect any clues.
Hinata may have really sensed it, but that guy was just too cautious... or perhaps he used the environment to his advantage, interfering with her perception and movements.
"Be careful from now on."
Thinking about this, Sasuke couldn't help but become a little wary.
"No problem!" Naruto and Hinata nodded in agreement immediately, a testament to their teamwork.
--
"It seems Naruto and the others have grown quite a bit."
In the conference room, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Naruto and his group's performance on the screen and nodded with satisfaction.
Hagoromo put down her teacup, chuckled, and said, "They just lack a formidable enemy now."
"After all, reaching this level of strength sometimes means that they have lost their rivals among their peers."
"So all I can do is tell them to be more careful, so they don't get taken down."
Upon hearing Hagoromo's account, Hiruzen Sarutobi into laughter.
"Alright, having this level of ability at this age is a good thing in itself."
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's smile vanished in an instant, "Orochimaru, that guy, did send Genin for reference."
He himself never showed up.
Upon hearing the name Orochimaru, Hagoromo rubbed his temples in exasperation.
Even before the Chunin Ninja Exams began, he had already been thinking about finding Orochimaru.
But this guy is really like an eel, slippery and hard to handle.
I had just found a trace, but by the time I got there, it had vanished.
"Anyway, there are only a few targets, and I'll keep an eye on them."
With this in mind, Hagoromo could only temporarily put aside his concerns about Orochimaru.
The entire Forest of Death is now under surveillance, and he can go there at any time if there is any unusual activity.
"Well, the main thing is to finish the second exam as soon as possible."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "This second exam has changed its nature."
The major powers will compete for dominance in this event, and even in the first test, each side will swallow its pride and seek out the other.
The goal is to ensure that their Genin pass through as quickly as possible, at least to the point where they are on par with the Konoha (Hidden Leaf Village) teams.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only eliminate some of the ninja from Konoha.
We'll see who's suitable for promotion to Chunin later, since they're different from Jonin.
If Chunin meets the requirements in all aspects, it's relatively easy for him to be promoted directly to Hokage.
Hagoromo looked up and continued watching the surveillance footage, while the other four Kage were watching from another location. However, the footage mostly focused on the Genin from their respective villages.
In another meeting room, Mei Terumi silently covered her face.
Just now, Suigetsu's figure occupied several surveillance screens, and now Mei Terumi felt that the other figures were looking at her with a hint of mockery.
"That damn guy... all that effort I put into bringing him back was wasted. Compared to his brother, he's a complete waste."
"No... it's stupid!"
Mei Terumi was furious and muttered a curse under her breath.
Ao, standing to the side, took a slight step back; he dared not provoke Mei Terumi in her current state.
Raikage A had a beaming expression on his face; compared to the other villages, their Kumogakure's performance was truly outstanding.
A small team consisting of Killer B's two disciples and an ordinary Genin Kumogakure has successfully gathered the Heaven and Earth Scroll and is heading towards the Central Tower.
"Killer B, your two apprentices are quite good."
"Baka yarou, that's for sure~" Killer B was also very happy, waving his arms and legs around.
Although there was an element of luck involved, they were the first team in all the villages to collect Heaven and Earth Scroll.
Karui and Omoi have definitely brought honor to Kumogakure.
Samui remained silent, letting his Raikage be happy as he pleased, since they were indeed in the lead at the moment.
Looking up at the wall beside him, he saw that the number of teams that had obtained the Heaven and Earth Scroll was updated in real time.
Once you successfully reach the Central Tower, it will turn red.
Even the lone green patch is only found on the Kumogakure side; the host village, Konoha, remains completely black.
"What luck! I actually ran into you."
In the dense forest that blocked out the sunlight, a Kumogakure team found the location of Shikamaru and the others.
Unfortunately, they ended up in the same exam room as Shikamaru in the first exam, and they were also quite unhappy with Shikamaru and the others' performance.
After all, they only managed to pass thanks to their own Raikage's skillful play.
Otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have even gotten a perfect score of 100 on their test papers.
Listening to the Kumogakure's taunts, Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets, quietly observing the group before him.
Even Choji didn't pay any attention, just glanced around to confirm that there was only one team in front of him.
"Damn it! What I hate most is that look on your faces! You guys from Konoha!"
The leader of the Kumogakure Village squad, a Genin, drew his Ninja Blade and angrily pointed it at Shikamaru and the others.
Swish--
Genin had the words left his mouth than three Kumogakure genin launched an attack on Shikamaru and the others.
In their eyes, only Choji might be a threat to Shikamaru's team; the others are a sleepyhead and a girl.
It can be resolved in minutes.
Shikamaru remained calm as he watched the three people before him, unmoved by their attacks.
"Die!"
The moment they landed, the lead Kumogakure Genin charged straight at Shikamaru.
Um?
The next instant, a hint of panic flashed across the face of the Kumogakure's Genin.
What's going on? Why can't he move?
"What a... foolish guy."
Shikamaru twitched the corner of his mouth. He never expected that these guys would be so easily connected to his Shadow Imitation Technique.
"The Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Ino, who had been hiding behind Shikamaru, launched an attack and Genin one of the Shikamaru Ino Kumogakure.
"Ah! What's going on?!"
The Ino Kumogakure, wielding Ninja Blade, was immediately controlled by Genin the moment he broke free from the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Ino then used the Ninja Blade to slash at his companion.
"Hey! Dedeta! What are you doing!" The leading Kumogakure Genin at his companion, who was wielding Ninja Blade and slashing at him.