First Exam: Gathering Eyes

The forests on the mountain are very deep, and there are many kinds of wild animals and birds.

It didn't take long for Shuyuan to catch two pheasants and a goat.

They slaughtered chickens and sheep, chopped firewood, and started a fire. None of them had brought pots or pans, so they would probably have to eat barbecue for a while. Fortunately, Sasuke had some seasonings in his scroll, which Itachi had given him before he left.

Just what I needed.

A wisp of smoke slowly drifted into the sky.

The orange flames danced in the wind. The wind was strong on the mountain, and seeing the flames weakening, Shuyuan immediately formed a hand Hand Seals and built a square-shaped earthen wall to block the mountain wind. The flames stabilized instantly.

The burning firewood crackled and popped intermittently, sending sparks flying far away.

Sasuke and Naruto were sitting on a blue stone, cleaning chicken and mutton, Shuyuan used Water Release Technique to create water to help them.

This wasn't their first time having a barbecue in the wild. Naruto and Shuyuan had done this kind of thing with Katsuki quite a few times before and were very experienced. In the few months since the three of them teamed up, they had also camped out in the wild twice. Sasuke also had quite a bit of experience in this area.

Therefore, the three of them had a clear division of labor and quickly cleaned the meat. Shuyuan and Naruto's Shadow Clone also found some fruit in the forest.

Thick branches skewered bright red chicken and mutton, which were roasting over the fire. The three men sat quietly to the side, waiting without saying a word.

"Why do I see what looks like smoke over there?"

"Where? Where? How could there be smoke? Are you seeing things? Who would be stupid enough to light a fire at this time? It would be blatantly revealing your location... Oh my god, there really is."

"No way? You're that brave? Are you a hothead?"

A small sand ninja squad crouched in a hole they had dug in the hillside, nibbling on fruit they had found in the forest.

They dared not light a fire, fearing the smoke would attract the attention of other squads.

Unexpectedly, they saw smoke rising from the opposite mountain peak.

Two men and one woman, a standard setup. The three of them stared wide-eyed, stopped eating their fruit, and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I'm saying, how about we sneak over and pull off a heist? I reckon the competition will get fiercer in the last few days. Let's grab a couple of tokens early and then head to the Stone Pagoda at full speed... What do you guys think?"

One of them spoke up, looking at his companion.

The other two hesitated.

One of the female Sand Ninjas spoke up, "I think we should... forget it! Anyone who dares to start a fire on the first day is either a reckless fool, a trap, or one of those weirdos who are overly confident in their abilities, just like those three siblings."

The three Sand Ninja shuddered at the mention of the three siblings.

"What nonsense are you talking about! How could there possibly be... so many freaks!"

The Sand Ninja who had spoken earlier retorted, but when it came to freaks, her voice lowered slightly.

"That's right! There aren't that many freaks! Impossible, haha!"

Another person hurriedly echoed, their dry laughter quite grating.

"It's better to be safe than sorry... Besides, it takes quite a while to get from here to where the smoke is rising. They might leave before we even get there, or someone might be faster than us..."

The female Sand Ninja spoke slowly.

Indeed, the rising smoke couldn't have been seen by only their small team; there were other teams, perhaps even closer.

"We don't necessarily have to head straight for the place emitting blue smoke. We can wait along the way; maybe we can catch a few silly rabbits!"

The Sand Village ninja who spoke first made a hesitant suggestion.

"This is good!"

The female sand ninja's eyes lit up.

The three of them discussed it again, made up their minds, ate the fruit in a few bites, and cautiously made their way towards the opposite hilltop.

"Neji, can you see me?"

"... Yes, I see them, three men."

Should we take action?

A boy in a green bodysuit, sporting a watermelon-shaped haircut and thick eyebrows, clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked, his expression one of intense excitement.

"It's our Konoha team..."

Neji Hyuga said something casually, his brows furrowing slightly.

This test does not restrict fighting between teams from the same village, but... there will be some psychological barriers, some people can overcome them, and some people choose to give up.

The boy with thick eyebrows immediately deflated upon hearing this.

The girl beside him shrugged, a smile on her face, and said nothing, simply watching Neji and waiting for his decision.

"Tenten, Rock Lee, let's go check it out... A Sand Village team is approaching, and those three comrades from the village must be recent graduates..."

Neji's eyes were bulging with veins as he continued to observe the situation on the distant mountain peaks.

"Seriously? Are we going to go and be their babysitters? Neji, when did you become so... compassionate?"

Tenten made an exaggerated expression.

"Let's go take a look! Since we've run into them, we can't just pretend we didn't see them."

Neji shook his head, ignoring Tenten's teasing.

"We're all from the same village, so of course we should help each other out! Neji, your youth is truly burning bright!"

Neji: "..."

Seeing Rock Lee's feverish enthusiasm, Neji frowned in distress and took a step back.

He was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking Tenten.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Neji let out a soft exclamation, his gaze fixed on the distant mountain peaks.

"What's wrong? Neji, let's burn with youthful energy together!" Rock Lee did a handstand and circled around Neji, full of enthusiasm.

"Stop fooling around." Neji pushed aside the annoying Rock Lee and stared intently into the distance. "Something's not right... Two Cloud Ninja suddenly appeared. Very suddenly, like, we hadn't seen them at all before, they just appeared out of nowhere, without any movement."

"And... they're not examinees. I haven't seen their Chakra in the exam hall before... hiss!"

Neji gasped, his face growing increasingly grim.

"Their Chakra also gives off a very... terrifying, very dangerous feeling..."

Rock Lee and Tenten looked on in astonishment; they had never seen Neji with such an ugly expression.

Is it... really that scary?

He asked hesitantly Tenten.

"It's far more terrifying than you can imagine. I... I've seen a similar terrifying aura emanating from the Principal, but the two are different. The Principal was probably very careful to control his aura, but these two... they've completely let loose..."

Neji's expression was uncertain. He hesitated to take a step, even though he had said he would go and take a look. But now his legs seemed to be rooted to the spot, and he couldn't lift them at all.

Tenten's expression also changed. Neji wasn't one to joke around; in fact, she had never seen Neji.

Just seeing him put so much pressure on Neji.

Is this the kind of enemy they can handle? (To be continued)