Your mission is to plant the rods!

The Chunin Ninja Exams Kumogakure are also very simple; the Land of Lightning, which values martial prowess, chose the simplest and most brutal examination system.

Everyone participates in small teams, divided into two camps.

Group A is the intelligence Scroll escort team, and Group B is the intelligence Scroll interception team.

Since the two sides lack intelligence, Group A's advantage lies in its ability to impersonate members of Group B, thus avoiding becoming a target for all members of Group B.

If the disguise is successful, Team A will not need to engage in any combat; they will simply need to deliver the intelligence to the destination to complete the mission.

Similarly, Group A's disadvantage is also obvious: once their identities are exposed, they will become Group B's target, half of whom will be considered Genin!

Group B's advantage lies in being hunters, while their disadvantage lies in their lack of intelligence.

It's also possible that the A group member you hunt down after going through all the trouble is actually a B group member, wasting time and resources while losing the real opportunity to intercept the intelligence Scroll.

Before entering, Hozuki Mangetsu took out three Scroll and handed them to Kimimaro.

"Teacher, what is this?" Karin glanced curiously at the Scroll in Kimimaro's hand, wanting to snatch it to take a look, but afraid that the icy-faced Kimimaro would beat her up.

"Three Lightning Rod." Hozuki Mangetsu glanced at the sky. The Land of Lightning was filled with countless towering mountains that reached into the clouds, echoing with deafening thunder.

Upon hearing this, Karin instantly lost interest. She had thought it was something valuable, but it turned out to be just three Lightning Rod.

Kimimaro solemnly put away the three Scroll. Hozuki Mangetsu was a puppet controlled by Tōka, and what Hozuki Mangetsu gave him was what Tōka gave him.

Tōka held Kimimaro in the highest esteem.

Finally, Hozuki Mangetsu's voice rang out once more, carefully instructing Kimimaro.

"The starting point of this exam is the Kumogakure School atop the Cloud Gorge, and the finish line is a point along the central mountain range extending to the coastline."

"Three Lightning Rod: one at the starting point, one at the ending point, and one in the middle. They must be placed in the most concealed location."

"Yes, teacher," Kimimaro replied in a measured tone.

"Don't be so nervous. Those of you who are qualified to take the exam will have no problem entering this area. Just be careful to stay hidden when inserting the Lightning Rod." Hozuki Mangetsu patted Kimimaro on the shoulder, signaling him not to be nervous.

"Take good care of your two junior sisters, Kimimaro."

"Yes!" Kimimaro glanced at Yakumo and Karin, and answered loudly.

Kimimaro kept Yakumo and Karin's abilities in mind. Yakumo awakened the Kekkei Genkai of the Kurama Clan, gaining the ability to True Illusion Nightmare Genjutsu and the Magic Illusion: Five Senses.

Karin possesses exceptionally strong sensory abilities from birth...

Let's go.

As Hozuki Mangetsu finished speaking, Kimimaro and the other two turned and walked towards the Kumogakure Ninja Academy. During the Chunin Ninja Exams, Jonin leading teams were Jonin from entering the foot of the Cloud Gorge.

Rustling...

The wind rustled the leaves, and scattered among the Small Woods near the rocks were hidden Cloud Ninja Anbu, monitoring the path leading to the Ninja Academy.

After taking one last look at the three figures disappearing above the Cloud Gorge, Hozuki Mangetsu turned and left.

When Kimimaro and his companions arrived at the Kumogakure Ninja Academy, it was already packed with hundreds of Genin preparing to take the Chunin Ninja Exams.

The Forehead Protector worn by the three of them from Kirigakure) became the center of attention almost immediately upon entering the Ninja Academy.

All eyes turned to the gates of the Ninja Academy —some were curious, some excited, some admiring the cute girls, and some filled with hostility.

"Does Kirigakure look down on us? Sending such a brat?" A dark-skinned boy of about eighteen years old sneered, staring at Kimimaro and the other two with jealous eyes.

The youngest, Karin, is only six years old, while Yakumo and Karin are both under ten.

"Hey, what are you trying to do?" A teammate nearby saw this and quickly pulled him back.

"What am I doing? Of course, I'm going to tell these brats that Chunin anyone can be a Chunin!" The dark-skinned boy, with his nose in the air, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to walk towards Kimimaro and the other two.

"You forgot what just happened? Those three guys over there?" The teammate glanced at another group of kids in the crowd, the group of Genin from Iwagakure.

Upon hearing this, the dark-skinned boy's expression tightened, and he glanced at the blond-haired Deidara in fear.

My gaze fell on the large pit in the wall, from which black smoke was billowing.

If it weren't for the intervention of the Cloud Ninja Jonin, the Cloud Ninja squad that went to provoke them would probably have been blown to smithereens!

"That's just Iwagakure!" The dark-skinned boy snorted defiantly, glancing warily at Deidara, and abandoning his plan to teach Kimimaro and the others a lesson.

"I hope so." His teammate sighed; he always felt that the white-haired kid from Kirigakure was even more terrifying.

Bang!

Just then, a burly man fell from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground, smashing a hole more than three feet deep into the hard stone floor!

Hearing the noise, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it.

A tall man dressed in a healthy color appeared in the square, with a physique that gave the impression that he was very good at hand-to-hand combat.

His wide belt is also a distinctive feature, along with his thick forearm armor and bulging muscles, powerfully conveying a sense of immense strength!

This person was none other than the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure!

"Kids, quiet down!" The Raikage's gruff voice echoed throughout the plaza, instantly silencing the noisy Ninja Academy.

The Raikage nodded in satisfaction, his face as stiff as stone, his unsmiling expression making everyone tense.

A somber atmosphere then enveloped the entire square.

"Raikage? A muscular giant?... Hmm!" Deidara's voice, neither loud nor soft, rang out from the crowd, and instantly, the Raikage's piercing gaze fell upon them.

Lock onto the three-man Iwagakure team!

Kurotsuchi and Akane shuddered, feeling as if they were being stared at by a tailless Tailed Beast; their hair stood on end and their muscles trembled involuntarily.

"Why are you two shaking? Have you had epilepsy?... Hmm!" Deidara glanced at Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, bewildered, and asked as if he were missing a screw.

Boom!

The Raikage stomped the earth, his entire body transforming into a blur as he charged towards Deidara, his fist, protected by heavy arm guards, crashing down.

Sand and gravel flew everywhere, and dust filled the sky.

A powerful blast of air sent all the Genin flying backward, floating in the air like weightless paper dolls.

Even from more than ten steps away, Kimimaro felt an immense pressure, like a mountain, as his legs sank into the ground.

He stood in front of Yakumo and Karin, blocking most of the impact of the airflow.

"Kid, you're Ōnoki's disciple, right? Not bad composure!" The Raikage withdrew his fist from beside Deidara, the ground dented from his punch.

The ground was cracked in a spiderweb pattern, with dark fissures spreading out.

Only the spot where Deidara and the Raikage stood remained intact, and Deidara secretly swallowed hard.

Good composure? He didn't even realize what was happening!

Deidara stood there expressionless, but his mind was on high alert. Although he knew the Raikage wouldn't actually attack him, his body involuntarily became wary.

"The Chunin Ninja Exams are now beginning!" The Raikage glanced around and his powerful voice rang out.

"The Exam Rules are divided into two camps, A and B. Camp A is the intelligence Scroll escort team, and Camp B is the intelligence Scroll interception team."

"Each team that signs this no-regret agreement can go to that room and collect a box. The team with an intelligence Scroll inside is Group A, and the team without an intelligence Scroll is Group B."

"Team A successfully completes the mission by safely delivering the intelligence Scroll to the outpost on the coastline; Team B successfully completes the mission by delivering the intercepted intelligence Scroll to the outpost on the coastline."

As soon as Raikage finished speaking, a commotion erupted in the square.

This seems very unfair to Group B, because they have to go through an extra step compared to Group A: intercepting the intelligence Scroll!

In fact, this is precisely the advantage of Group B members; they don't need to worry about other Group B members coming to steal the Scroll.

Of course, nobody knows whether the other teams are in Group A or Group B.

After everyone received their boxes, they left on their own. Even the Cloud Ninja Jonin the room didn't know whether the boxes each team received contained intelligence Scroll.

Three minutes passed, and the noise in the arena gradually subsided.

"If you understand, go and collect the box!" The Raikage waved his hand, and instantly the Cloud Ninja squad closest to the mission collection hut went inside.

The others who were about to take action immediately stopped in their tracks, all showing expressions of indignation.

Undoubtedly, the team that set off first had a certain advantage.

Whether assigned to Group A or Group B, they gained the upper hand. Group A could head straight for the coastline with the intelligence Scroll.

Group B can also take the lead and find a favorable position to ambush.

"Kimimaro, let's hurry over there!" Karin glanced at Yakumo, whose face was slightly pale, and then her gaze fell on Kimimaro had white hair.

"No rush," Kimimaro replied calmly.

He stood in the shadows, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, seemingly planning to wait until everyone had left before collecting the mission box.

Yakumo clearly had the same plan, and sat down Budong, which made Karin very anxious.

"Didn't the teacher say that we had to..." Karin was startled and cursed herself inwardly, almost revealing the task that Tōka had given them.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly, changing the subject and saying, "Wouldn't it be better to leave earlier?"

Kimimaro remained silent and instead quietly closed his eyes, giving off a "keep away" expression that infuriated Karin, making her face turn bright red.

Of the group present, to be precise, apart from that blond brat from Iwagakure, Kimimaro Genin.

Tōka made Karin and Yakumo listen to Kimimaro, in other words, Kimimaro was the captain of the squad.

Kimimaro Budong, and Karin was helpless.

Two hours later, the once crowded square was now reduced to just a few scattered groups that had not yet set off.

Kirigakure 'Kimimaro Squad from Kirigakure and Deidara's squad from Iwagakure remained in place.

At this moment, Kimimaro had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and said calmly, "Let's go."

Karin, who had been dozing off with her head tilted to the side, suddenly woke up with a start. "Huh? Go? Where are we going?"

"The mission has begun." Yakumo helped Karin to her feet, then followed Kimimaro's steps.

Seeing this, Deidara, who was not far away, immediately set off and headed towards the mission hut.

Kurotsuchi looked helpless. No wonder Deidara refused to collect the mission box; he was waiting for that kid.

"Deidara, can you stop causing trouble?"

"We didn't decide the winner last time, but this time I'm determined to defeat you... Hmm!" Deidara ignored Kurotsuchi's Kurotsuchi and stared intently at Kimimaro, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

"Not interested." Kimimaro glanced at Deidara indifferently. If it weren't for Tōka's orders, he wouldn't have fought Deidara last time!

"Are you looking down on me?... Hmm!" Deidara glared at Kimimaro with displeasure.

Unexpectedly, Kimimaro withdrew his gaze, stepped aside to bypass Deidara, and led Karin and Yakumo into the mission hut.

Deidara, furious and red-faced, was about to chase after them when he was stopped by Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi.

You can only enter the task box after the teams inside have left; otherwise, you will be disqualified from the competition!

Deidara realized what was happening, snorted coldly, and stood aside with his arms crossed.

Inside the hut were three ninjas.

A Jonin carrying a large sword and two Chunin from the Cloud Ninja Chunin.

"Just pick any box from here," a Chunin a formulaic manner, his expression as rigid as a robot.

"Let's go." Kimimaro casually picked up a box, but instead of opening it, he turned and left with Karin and Yakumo.

Whether there was an intelligence Scroll in the box or not was irrelevant to him.

Karin felt a strong urge to open the box, but she knew this wasn't the right place.

The three of them quickly left the cabin and headed down the direction of the Cloud Gorge, hoping to find a river to reach the coastline more quickly.

"Kid, don't run away if you dare!... Hmm!" Deidara yelled at Kimimaro's back before quickly turning around and disappearing into the mission hut.

In a corner of the Land of Land of Lightning, Tōka, dressed casually, and Kisame, in a Red Cloud Black Cloak Kisame, stood on the rocks by the sea.

Gazing at the distant waves crashing against the beach, Tōka's expression suddenly shifted as he noticed the entire Chunin Ninja Exams team setting off across his vast field of vision.

Kimimaro Squad, with its white hair, was among the last group.

"They've already set off, let's start preparing too," Tōka said lazily, rubbing her cheeks which were salty from the sea breeze.

"Weren't there supposed to be six Scroll like this? What about the last Lightning Rod?" Kisame asked.

"Isn't there also Hozuki Mangetsu?" Tōka replied meaningfully. He was currently operating two systems simultaneously, controlling Hozuki Mangetsu to head towards the predetermined location in the southwest corner.

"Then he..." Kisame was slightly taken aback. Hozuki Mangetsu's Water Transformation Technique was most vulnerable to Lightning Release.

"Just a puppet, no need to worry about it." Tōka said calmly. His control over the Land of Water was merely a prelude to the Lightning Prison Plan.

As long as the Lightning Prison Plan succeeds, it doesn't matter whether the Land of Water's power is retained or not.

"Heh... what a pathetic fellow!" Kisame grinned, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace.

Rustling...

Light footsteps sounded, and the two figures gradually disappeared into the depths of the beach.