Contact with Fu, the Seven-Tails

Most other ninja were the high-attack, low-defense type. Their offensive methods were incredibly varied, but their defenses were clearly lacking. Their bodies could be pierced by cold weapons, and once they lost their Chakra, they were no different from ordinary people.

But Nintaijutsu users were different. They abandoned long-range, large-scale ninjutsu and chose to concentrate their power within themselves. If traditional ninja were mages who wielded the energy of heaven and earth, then they were brutish vajras who achieved sainthood through their flesh.

"Our Kumogakure Nintaijutsu is invincible!" Ando thought of that as well and could not help feeling proud of his captain's underhandedness... no, of his captain's ingenuity.

"I thought we'd be eliminated in the first round, but who would've thought? We're now in first place in the second round. It feels like a dream." Ando was somewhat dazed. Once upon a time, he had stayed up all night studying just to pass the Chunin Exam Written Exam, yet he always got stuck at some point during the test.

Before, he had not understood why and could only desperately study. But after Moriyue's "guidance" this time, he had come to understand the tricks behind the exam.

"Even if I can't become a Chunin this time, I'll have experience for the next exam."

Moriyue glanced at Ando. He seemed to be thinking about something negative, and just as Moriyue was about to comfort him, a series of piercing buzzing sounds came from behind them.

Looking back into the distance, Moriyue seemed to see a small figure flying through the air and rapidly approaching them.

"That person... the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki?" Moriyue narrowed his eyes and spotted Fu's carefree smile from far away.

"Captain, someone is rapidly approaching from five hundred meters behind us," Kazeki warned in time. Logically, no one should have been able to get through those clusters of traps so quickly. The approaching person was moving at an incredible speed, not like they were running through the desert at all, but more like they were flying through the air.

Fu rapidly closed in on Moriyue's group. Since they were in the desert, the wind and sand in the sky also affected her to a degree. The wind direction changed quickly; flying with the wind was manageable, but once she faced a headwind, even flying became strenuous.

Wind Release: Sand Dance!

Kazeki swiftly formed hand seals. Before Fu reached them, she spent roughly five or six seconds forming a series of complex seals. Taking a deep breath, Kazeki's mouth seemed to become the eye of a storm as she expelled a mass of wind.

The wind mass was tiny at first, only the size of a palm. But once it came into contact with the sand, the palm-sized whirlwind rapidly drew in the endless surrounding dust and expanded outward at tremendous speed. A small sand tornado formed behind Moriyue's group, naturally catching Fu, who was flying through the air behind them, in its path.

"Wooah! What a strong wind! This is so exciting!" Fu showed no panic at the approaching danger. On the contrary, she was grinning happily, like someone who had barely seen the world and was curious about everything around her.

"In that case, I can't fall behind either." Fu did her best to stabilize herself amid the ever-expanding sandstorm as streaks of orange light appeared from the wings behind her.

At that moment, her small Scale Blades erupted with immense power. Orange-yellow scale blades shot from the wings at Fu's waist, fearlessly slashing into the oncoming sandstorm.

Wing Slash!

One Wing Slash might not have amounted to much, but Fu had no intention of stopping. The Seven-Tails within her supplied an endless stream of Chakra, allowing her to expend only a tiny amount of her own Chakra to fire one powerful wing blade after another.

Though the sand tornado came with ferocious momentum, it had not yet reached its strongest stage. Worn down continuously by the powdered-scale wing blades, the raging sandstorm gradually subsided. Like two spinning tops grinding against each other, the sand tornado was ultimately the first to give out, dispersing into the air.

"Yes! It's been so long since I got to unleash my strength so freely!"

Fu flipped one hundred and eighty degrees in midair like a little sprite, looking utterly delighted.

"She broke Sand Dance that easily. Captain, that person is strong."

Kazeki had thought that technique would hold the other party back for a while. She had never expected Fu to break through it so quickly, and she was greatly surprised.

"Don't worry. She doesn't seem hostile, and have you forgotten? Fighting isn't allowed while traveling." Moriyue softly reassured Kazeki. Strictly speaking, what the two had just done counted as combat. But rules were dead, while people were alive. Moriyue could simply claim they had encountered a magical beast in the desert and needed to deal with it, or say that he had not noticed someone behind them.

After all, the majority of examinees had followed Moriyue in setting traps. The law did not punish the masses. If Shikamaru enforced the rules strictly, then practically no one would pass this exam.

Moriyue was banking on Shikamaru's role in building good relations between Konoha and Sunagakure. He could not possibly make Sunagakure lose face, and Moriyue's own borderline actions had not affected too many people. As long as Fu did not tell anyone, it would not be a major problem.

Thinking this, Moriyue looked at Fu, who was steadily drawing closer from behind, and revealed a slightly devious smile.

"Hey! You in the back, why are you interfering with us?"

Fu had just drawn level with Moriyue's group when she heard his rebuke from below.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand at all. But that ninjutsu just now was really strong! Wind Release using sand to form a sandstorm—this is a move that can only be done in the desert, right~?"

"I never thought Kumogakure had such powerful ninjutsu too. Hey, hey, can you tell me about it? What's Kumogakure like? I really want to go see it~"

Fu talked to herself, completely failing to understand what Moriyue meant. Compared to all that nonsense, she wanted to learn about the fresh new things outside the village. She had been stifled in Takigakure for too long, and now that she had finally gotten out, she naturally wanted to enjoy life properly.

"Uh..." Moriyue had wanted to accuse her before she could accuse him. They had merely been bored and decided to play around by making a sandstorm; it was Fu herself who had attacked their sandstorm, so it had nothing to do with them.

But when he saw Fu's innocent expression, the words would not come out. This girl... did not seem to care about it at all. Even if he said it, she would probably just laugh and apologize.

"Nothing. If you want to visit Kumogakure later, I could take you there after the exam."

Moriyue looked at Fu, who had not the slightest guard up. Thinking of how she would be captured by the Immortal Duo after this battle, he felt irritated.

Hidan and Kakuzu... they'll probably go after Yuzu too. I need to get properly acquainted with them. Immortal? That overlaps a little with my own attributes. I can't let them stay alive...

Moriyue once again wore a sunny smile like Fu's, as though he had made some kind of decision.