"Seriously?!" Shiyu was taken aback. It felt like their squad had been set up by Konoha White Fang.
Shiyu's brow twitched. He could already feel countless examinees' eyes on them. How could he not see what Sakumo was up to?
"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. As the top-ranked team, we're sure to become a target for plenty of examinees."
"White Fang, that guy—was he trying to make everyone hate our squad?!"
Nao and Kurenai seemed to have noticed the other examinees' hostile stares, too.
But who was Shiyu? He was a rising star in Konoha. Afraid? Not a chance! If he was going to do something, he'd do it better than anyone!
"All examinees, listen up! I, Uchiha Shigure, will be waiting for you in Konoha Forest! If you're not cowards, come fight me!" Shiyu shouted, acting completely out of character.
"My squad will head near the Tower of All first. We'll be waiting there!" With that, Shiyu's squad entered Konoha Forest.
"Haha! What a kid! He's certainly bold for his age!" Hatake Sakumo didn't dislike young people like that.
As Shiyu entered, the other ninja began pouring in as well. In less than ten minutes, every examinee had entered Konoha Forest.
"Close the entrance. Get ready for the first zone contraction in two hours," Hatake Sakumo instructed.
"Yes!" the ninja answered in unison, then vanished.
Deep in the forest, three figures moved swiftly. They were small and still looked like children: Shiyu's squad.
"Shiyu, why are we drawing everyone's attention when we've already become their target?" Nao asked.
"Where are we going now? Near the Tower of All?" Kurenai asked as well.
Before they knew it, Shiyu had become the heart of the squad.
"We'll head to the southern outskirts of the Tower of All as