Since this was the Chunin Ninja Exams, whether Konoha arranged real enemies or fake ones, their strength would be at most Chunin level. Otherwise, the exams would not be viable in the first place.
Therefore, as long as dozens of people did not charge at Yuhara all at once, he basically would not have any problems.
After Yuhara entered the examination grounds, he did not encounter any enemies right away. He went deep into the woods and eventually found a relatively flat, open spot near a stream. Then he blatantly lit a campfire.
This man did not look like he had come to take the exams. He looked like he had come for a picnic... Well, it would be more accurate to say that Yuhara was too lazy to look for enemies. He planned to wait by a tree for rabbits, quietly waiting for those who were supposed to appear to show up here.
Anyone who lit a fire in an area with such a high density of ninjas would definitely be discovered, unless all one hundred people were blind.
Things went exactly as he expected. Before long, a pair of enemies noticed something strange about the area.
"Why did someone get in here so quickly? Didn't they say it would take at least an hour or two before anyone could reach our area?"
"Maybe a Genin who had worked in intelligence or code-breaking is taking this exam."
"Then here's the question: Would a ninja who had done that kind of work light a fire right beside himself?"
"...You've got me there."
For a ninja in a particular line of work, the first rule was caution. If they were careless, either they would die very quickly, or they would cause their comrades to die very quickly.
Thus, the two ninjas immediately began to suspect that something was seriously wrong with Yuhara.
"What do we do?"
"What do you mean, what do we do? It's time to get to work."
The two really were Konoha Ninjas playing the role of enemies. But perhaps they had relaxed after leaving the battlefield. In any case, they fell into a mental blind spot and completely failed to realize that Yuhara's blatant behavior was actually bait.
The two pulled up their masks, covering their faces, and charged straight toward Yuhara, who was not far away.
"Konoha Ninja, prepare to die!"
This showed that the two really were carrying out a mission. Under normal circumstances, when ninjas attacked, who would bother shouting a warning first...? That shout was actually a reminder for Yuhara to get ready for battle.
Yet Yuhara sat motionless on a rock, as if he had been scared witless. When the two ninjas were almost upon him, they realized that they could not move either.
"Mm... Huh?"
One of the ninjas looked down and saw black bands as thick as fingers slithering over his body like snakes.
"Shadow Binding Technique? You're from the Nara—"
"No. It's actually the Binding Curse Technique."
Ever since leaving the Ninja Tool Shop, Yuhara's control over metal had clearly improved to another level. His Chakra could now attach itself to metal much more smoothly, so once he had set a trap, he could immobilize enemies directly as they charged toward him.
Although it had absolutely nothing to do with the Nara Clan's Shadow Binding Technique, and the move Yuhara used could not even be considered a technique— it was merely metal control—its effects did indeed look somewhat like the Shadow Binding Technique.
Of course, the Shadow Binding Technique activated faster.
Yuhara firmly bound all four of the men's hands together. Then he searched them and found two scrolls containing coded messages. After stuffing their mouths shut, he hung them up and hid them inside the trunk of a nearby tree.
Two coded messages were definitely not enough. Yuhara's plan to wait by a tree for rabbits had to continue.
His fishing operation was unexpectedly efficient. In just half a day, he had dealt with four waves of "enemies" who attacked him, as well as two candidate teams that had tried to take him out along the way.
At that point, he had fifteen coded messages in his hands, not counting his own.
The examiners had finally noticed what was happening on Yuhara's side. After all, a population black hole had appeared inside the examination grounds: people went in, but no one came out. They had to figure out what was happening there.
While notifying the chief examiner, the examiners summoned a Hyuga Ninja and prepared to have him investigate the situation.
The Hyuga Ninja activated his Byakugan, faced the direction, determined the distance, and then saw a sight that made him suck in a cold breath—an entire tree was densely covered with "ginseng fruits."
The "ginseng fruits" that had just been hung up were still twisting awkwardly, trying to break free. The ones who had been hung up earliest had already put on utterly hopeless expressions, as if they had resigned themselves to being butchered.
"What do we do? We've run into someone here to wreck the place. This person's strength is definitely beyond Chunin level. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid he'll hang everyone in the area from the trees."
"He passed. Bring him out."
Before long, someone made that decision.
This was the first Chunin Ninja Exams since the Fourth Hokage took office. Who would dare ruin it?
Yuhara would, because he was not in charge and had not violated any exam requirements. Therefore, since his actions complied with the rules, he did not have to bear any responsibility.
"I'll go notify him."
Hearing the examiners say this, a ninja in the back who had been listlessly watching the show in silence took the initiative to accept the task.
After receiving an affirmative answer, the ninja quickly left and charged straight into the examination grounds. Before long, he found Yuhara, who was still loyally carrying out his fishing plan.
Yuhara's harvest had already exceeded his expectations. At this point, he had started thinking about making the number a nice round figure.
Then he saw a relatively short and slender ninja wearing a Konoha Headband and sporting white hair walking toward him step by step... It was Kakashi Hatake.
It was a pity that Yuhara had gray hair. Otherwise, with his current appearance, he and Kakashi could have formed a special bond—a father-and-son sort of thing.
Kakashi was a Jonin, so he definitely was not here to take the exams. Therefore, Yuhara did not do anything unnecessary.
The genius Jonin approached step by step, then stopped and looked up...
"This is quite a sight... You've passed these exams. Come with me," Kakashi said.
Yuhara: "..."
He had been looking forward to displaying one coded scroll after another before the examiners. Who would have thought he would be told that he had passed?
But since the genius ninja had put it that way, Yuhara could only accept the result.
"Do I need to let them down?" Yuhara asked.
"No. Someone will come to rescue them soon... It's good to teach them a lesson."
Kakashi was quite outrageous himself. His mission was to take Yuhara away, so he had no intention of bothering with the happy companions dangling overhead.
Since he did not need to deal with them, Yuhara followed directly behind Kakashi.
Perhaps the journey was a little boring. After a while, Yuhara asked, "Kakashi-senpai, what do you think of ninja from the shinobi clans? Compared to ordinary ninjas, they seem to grow faster, and their potential as ninjas also seems to be higher..."
"You know me?" Kakashi had not expected this unfamiliar ninja to suddenly ask such a question.
"I've seen you from a distance a few times," Yuhara said.
"Shinobi-clan ninjas have a better starting point, so their early performance at the Ninja Academy is far better than that of ninjas from ordinary backgrounds. But... as for their later achievements, those depend more on the ninja's own efforts. After all, even the Fourth Hokage came from an ordinary background."
Yuhara glanced at Kakashi, a hint of surprise in his eyes. For one thing, he had not expected Kakashi to actually answer his question. For another...
In short, what Kakashi meant was: "Brilliant in childhood, but not necessarily outstanding in adulthood."
As for what Yuhara's gaze meant...
"You must have been brilliant as a child."
Before you continue