The night had been anything but peaceful. Only after Moriyue and the others returned to their assigned accommodations did they learn that another conflict had broken out in the cafeteria.
Apparently, it started when an excessively greasy ninja sent sweat flying everywhere while he ate. The other ninja could not stand it and wanted to throw him out, but the fat man's teammates firmly refused. That was how the conflict began.
At first, the two sides merely traded insults, but no one knew which troublemaker struck first. A brawl immediately erupted.
Still, they showed some restraint. No one used ninjutsu; they all fought hand-to-hand. Avoiding fatalities was one reason, but more importantly, the satisfying feeling of every punch landing squarely on flesh was hard to resist.
In the end, the farce was resolved when Rock Lee and Shira, two taijutsu practitioners, stepped in together. The examinees had only wanted a proper meal, but the food had either been contaminated by sweat or knocked onto the floor. No one got more than a few bites before they had to part on bad terms.
Afterward, they summed it up: every mistake had begun with the person who threw the first punch. Looking at the outcome, they had neither rested well nor eaten their fill. This selfish behavior, harmful to everyone else, made them all think of the same person.
"Why are you all looking at me? That's really weird." When Moriyue got up early for breakfast, he felt countless hostile gazes around him. He was utterly baffled. He had clearly done nothing yesterday. Though he had considered coming up with some bad ideas, he had only thought about them and never put them into action.
"Captain, tell us honestly. Did you secretly do something immoral again? And you didn't even invite me along when you were doing bad things? That hurts..." Ando swallowed half a bun in one bite. Putting aside his other abilities, their captain was truly unmatched when it came to attracting hatred.
"Cut it out. I didn't do anything yesterday. If you don't believe me, ask Zero. See whether she sensed me leaving."
"Zero is in cahoots with you. Even if I ask her... Ow, ow, ow, ow! Stop pinching me! I admit I was wrong, okay..."
Kazeki released Ando's neck. Her expression was grim, and she looked deeply troubled, as though something weighed heavily on her heart.
"What is it, Zero? If something's bothering you, say it. Keeping it bottled up isn't good."
The group left the cafeteria and headed toward the site of today's exam.
"Captain, this exam will be a test of strength. We made too many enemies in the previous two exams. This battle... may be very difficult..."
Kazeki finally voiced what was on her mind. She was not as carefree as Ando. She only appeared indifferent to everything; in truth, she was extremely thoughtful.
"Ah, that's what you meant? I thought it was something serious. Don't worry. Your captain is plenty strong, so there's nothing to worry about. This time, I'll make you Chunin."
Moriyue flashed a bright, hearty smile, looking as though he truly had complete confidence. But Kazeki knew it was merely an act for their sake.
Their opponents were genuine ninja. Not only had they mastered all sorts of long-range ninjutsu, they had already joined forces to eliminate Moriyue. And what about their captain?
Although Kazeki was satisfied with Moriyue's performance and trusted him as their captain, that could not change one fact—Moriyue was only a ninja who had been rapidly trained through forbidden techniques. His understanding of Chakra and ninjutsu was surely inferior to those seasoned veterans.
She had barely seen Moriyue use ninjutsu even a few times. She was starting to worry that he had not even learned hand seals.
If those possibilities were ruled out, Moriyue's only option was to keep using forbidden techniques that burned away his life. Rather than let him waste his life for nothing in the arena, she felt there was no need to participate in the third exam.
Ando realized it at that moment as well. Moriyue's outstanding performances in the first two exams had swept him along. In his impression over this period, Moriyue seemed capable of anything. But after Kazeki's reminder, he realized that their captain had been a ninja for even less time than they had.
"That... that's right, Captain. We've already completed our mission beyond expectations. The people back in the village probably never imagined we'd get this far, right? The intelligence... we've gathered almost enough intelligence too. How about we just go back..."
Moriyue looked at Kazeki and Ando. He knew they were genuinely worried about him and wanted to withdraw only because they feared something might happen to him. His heart warmed at the thought.
"I said I'd make you Chunin. Besides, intelligence can be gathered more effectively in battle. How else can we prove Kumogakure's strength if we don't pass this exam?"
"Don't worry. Believe me, your captain isn't that weak. Let's go."
Moriyue led the two toward the exam site. Asuma and Kurenai had already been waiting there, patiently explaining the rules to the examinees while holding a thick stack of papers.
"The third exam requires you to sign a liability waiver. Examinees who are prepared may come forward to sign it and receive a Heaven and Earth Scroll. The rules for this exam are very simple: the Forest of Death is the starting point, and the desert tower at the border between Konoha and Sunagakure is the destination. Each team will receive one of the Heaven and Earth Scrolls."
"Only teams that gather both the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll will pass the exam. Until then, keep your scroll safe."
"That concludes the rules. Prepared examinees, come forward. To ensure fairness, every team will start from a different location. Rest assured, we are very fair."
After Asuma announced the rules, the examinees who had been chatting and laughing fell silent in an instant. How could those taking the exam for the first time have ever seen blood? The moment they heard their lives might be in danger, they all began to hesitate.
Moriyue was not frightened. Leaving aside the Dog Talisman he possessed, which meant he was not too worried about dying, the ninja world was cruel by nature. Without that resolve, what kind of ninja could one be?
Still, he needed to find a way to make the Dog Talisman fully merge with him. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if someone really tried to rip out his heart. At least before he figured out that forbidden technique, Myanmar would remain his lifelong enemy.
Without the slightest hesitation, Moriyue stepped forward to claim a scroll. He signed his name with a flourish, then called Kazeki and Ando over as they headed for their starting point.
"It's still the Heaven and Earth Scroll format. This is easy. Interested in becoming scroll collectors? We can rob every team we encounter, then sell the scrolls afterward. What do you think?"
Moriyue smiled as he tossed the dark purple scroll marked with the character for "Earth" in his hand. He showed none of the tension one would expect from someone who had just signed a liability waiver.
"Captain, stop joking around. We'll be lucky if we don't die here. My suggestion is that we lie low first and ambush injured teams that are alone. You have to pick on the weak ones."
The moment Ando heard Moriyue's bold idea, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Selling scrolls? Captain, you really dared to dream. Was this really the time for fantasies?
Before you continue