First Exam: Encounter

"It smells so good!"

Naruto swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the golden-brown lamb leg in front of him.

Goat meat has a strong gamey smell, but when grilled and mixed with plenty of spices, the aroma actually stimulates the appetite.

"Sasuke, your brother is amazing."

Shuyuan couldn't help but praise it, carefully turning the lamb leg over so that it would be heated more evenly.

Itachi prepared not only various seasonings for Sasuke, but also a detailed recipe for outdoor barbecue.

Sasuke's lips curled into a slight smile, but he remained silent.

The air was filled with a rich aroma, and my stomach started rumbling. Roasted lamb leg was indeed delicious; the only downside was how time-consuming it was.

More than three hours passed before it was finally cooked through.

"Finally, it's done! I was starving!"

Naruto took a deep breath, blowing away the heat from the lamb leg little by little, before taking a big bite.

"Ah! It's so hot... whoosh... whoosh!"

His tongue, burning red from the heat, stuck out as he kept drawing in cold air to cool down; his face had turned pale.

Sasuke stared at Naruto speechlessly, his gaze as if he were looking at an idiot.

Just then, a voice suddenly appeared.

"Hey kids! Not bad! This smells so tempting!"

The sudden praise startled Shuyuan, who didn't notice anyone approaching.

"Cloud Ninja? What are you going to do?"

Sasuke reacted quickly. He had been sitting with his back to the direction from which the sound came, but now he turned around and stood up on the rock where he had been sitting, staring at the two unfamiliar Cloud Ninja he had never seen before.

"You are not examinees... and the invigilators shouldn't be in front of us either. Who are you?"

Judging from their appearance alone, the two looked to be in their early twenties, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them examinees. However, their attire was standard Cloud Ninja uniform, the kind of clothing only Chunin were qualified to wear.

In this respect, the Five Great Ninja Villages are the same: the Genin's clothing is Eight Gates and they prepare it themselves, while only the Chunin and Jonin are issued uniforms.

"Don't be so tense. We really can't resist the smell... Could I have some? We went into the mountains early this morning and didn't eat much for breakfast, we're starving..."

The speaker was a short-haired man with a smirk, his eyes fixed longingly on the golden lamb leg sizzling and dripping with oil that sat on the fire behind Sasuke.

Sasuke blinked, somewhat bewildered, unsure of what these two Cloud Ninja meant.

"Are you hiding your true face and not daring to show it to others?"

Shuyuan stood up with a gloomy expression, walked to Sasuke's right side, and stared coldly at the two of them.

Startled by Shuyuan's words, Sasuke 'Futatsudomoe Sharingan flashed, and he immediately saw through their Transformation Jutsu...

"Who... who... who are you?"

Sasuke stared in astonishment at the short-haired man, catching a fleeting glimpse of those crimson eyes.

"Wow, so young and already has Futatsudomoe... what a genius!"

The short-haired man clicked his tongue, glanced at his companion, and said, "Brother Zen, want to keep playing? We've already been seen through..."

"Bang!"

Chakra smoke obscured the two figures. When a strong mountain wind blew the smoke away, Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso, dressed in black robes with red clouds, looked over.

"Huh? I feel like I've seen this outfit somewhere before?"

Naruto held the lamb leg, tearing small pieces of meat from it, while curiously observing the two uninvited guests.

"The only son of the Konoha Calamity, the only son of the Yellow Flash, the second son of the Uchiha Clan Head... Killing you here would definitely cause a huge commotion," Senju Zen suddenly said.

Those wavy eyes stared at the three of them.

The pressure came crashing down like a mountain.

"What... is that eye?"

Sasuke frowned, looking at those strange eyes, and began to wonder. He had never heard of such a pupil technique before.

Moreover, compared to this bizarre pupil technique, Uchiha Genso gave him a sense of déjà vu, not just in his eyes, but also in his appearance...

Shuyuan clenched her fists, stood still, and silently watched Senju Zen.

Naruto's cheeks puffed out, filled with mutton, and he couldn't speak, "..."

"Tsk! What a bunch of brats with no sense of urgency. Brother Zen already said he was going to kill you all, how come you still have the mood to ask so many questions?" Uchiha Genso sneered, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, shook out a cigarette, lit it, and looked just as relaxed as he was, showing no signs of tension.

"Damn it, when I'm hungry, even smoking doesn't smell good; all I smell is barbecue."

He muttered curses under his breath, his eyes involuntarily darting back to the grilled meat.

Senju Zen: "..."

"Fine, let this one keep you company and have some fun!"

He shook his head helplessly, wondering if these three kids were just thick-skinned or had just gotten rich.

"Dirty······"

"Ah! I remember now, Akatsuki... I heard the Pervy Sage mention the Akatsuki Organization, the black robes embroidered with red clouds, that's the Akatsuki Organization's uniform." Naruto suddenly shouted, waving the half-eaten lamb leg in his hand with great force.

Senju Zen was preparing to Hand Seals, was taken aback. His eyes twitched, and he felt extremely complicated looking at Naruto's foolish and audacious appearance.

"The Akatsuki Organization? I've heard my father mention it. It was an organization that used to exist in the Land of Rain, founded by Suzuran's father. Didn't it disband later and form the current Amegakure)?"

Shuyuan looked at the two of them, somewhat puzzled.

"Uchiha... Genso?"

Sasuke asked tentatively.

"Ha! Even a brat like you knows my name?"

Uchiha Genso, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watched Sasuke with a lewd smile and great interest.

"Of course, the only missing-nin of the Uchiha Clan, I've seen your portrait in the clan more than once!"

Sasuke looked at Uchiha Genso with disgust, as if he were looking at a pile of filthy garbage.

"... What an unpleasant look!" Uchiha Genso's smile faded, leaving only an unyielding coldness and hatred in his eyes. "Brother Zen, should I help you deal with them?"

"No need."

Senju Zen shook his head in refusal, "Just let them play with the toys. Don't forget our original goal. If we go too far, we'll have to come up with a new plan, or even resort to force... It's too much trouble."

Uchiha Genso held a cigarette between his fingers, blew a smoke ring, and did not refute.

"Naruto, Sasuke, let's retreat!"

Shuyuan decisively told the two to retreat.

The two guys in front of him felt too dangerous. If they really fought, one of the three of them would definitely be lying here and never get up again!

His intuition told him he had to escape!

Sasuke glared hatefully at Uchiha Genso, but still turned and left with Shuyuan and Naruto.

"Shadow Clone Technique"

Naruto and Shuyuan released nearly a hundred Shadow Clone that appeared on the open ground, surging towards Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso like a tidal wave.

"Trying to run? Not so easy."

Senju Zen's voice was very calm, without the slightest fluctuation.

"Summoning Jutsu! Impure World Reincarnation! Come out here!"

With a deafening roar, two coffins were lifted from the ground, knocking away five or six of Naruto's Shadow Clone. A cloud of white Chakra smoke enveloped the coffins. (To be continued)