First Victory

Unfortunately, when Minato Namikaze drew lots, he got no scroll. That meant Qingyun's team had to eliminate another team of examinees if they wanted to advance to the next round.

"All right, I declare the match underway!"

The chief examiner sent the examinees into the Forest of Death one team at a time, with at least five minutes between each group. Qingyun's team entered rather late, but he didn't think much of it. After all, the exam lasted three days.

As soon as they entered, Yoshihime asked, "We don't have a scroll. What should we do now?"

"I figure plenty of people have already set their sights on us. After all, we seem pretty weak," Qingyun said.

"Teams with scrolls probably won't attack us. The ones most likely to attack are the teams without scrolls," Minato said.

"That's right. But I never turn away anyone who comes looking for a fight. If someone attacks us, we'll fight back."

"The teams with scrolls will probably head for the Central Tower as quickly as they can, so that's our destination too."

"If anyone attacks, we take them down! If no one does, we keep moving!" Qingyun promptly shared his strategy.

Which team had gotten the scroll was purely a matter of luck.

Unfortunately, when Minato Namikaze drew lots, he got no scroll. That meant Qingyun's team had to eliminate another team of examinees if they wanted to advance to the next round.

"All right, I declare the match underway!"

The chief examiner sent the examinees into the Forest of Death one team at a time, with at least five minutes between each group. Qingyun's team entered rather late, but he didn't think much of it. After all, the exam lasted three days.

As soon as they entered, Yoshihime asked, "We don't have a scroll. What should we do now?"

"I figure plenty of people have already set their sights on us. After all, we seem pretty weak," Qingyun said.

"Teams with scrolls probably won't attack us. The ones most likely to attack are the teams without scrolls," Minato said.

"That's right. But I never turn away anyone who comes looking for a fight. If someone attacks us, we'll fight back."

"The teams with scrolls will probably head for the Central Tower as quickly as they can, so that's our destination too."

"If anyone attacks, we take them down! If no one does, we keep moving!" Qingyun promptly shared his strategy.

Just as Qingyun had predicted, they had kept such a low profile that a team of ninjas attacked the Qingyun Squad not long after they entered the Forest of Death.

"Clang, clang, clang!" Kunai flew at them from every direction. Their enemies were clearly hiding nearby.

The Qingyun Squad knocked down all the kunai thrown at them, then called out, "Come out! What kind of hero hides in the bushes?"

The enemy didn't reveal their position. They were likely hoping to take Qingyun out with a sneak attack.

But Qingyun saw through their hiding places at once. After all, the Byakugan could see through objects and observe from afar.

"Minato, Yoshihime, they're at three o'clock and five o'clock." Qingyun quickly located them with his Byakugan. The system had concealed it, so no one else could see his eyes.

The hidden ninjas hadn't expected the kid in front of them to find them. With no other choice, they jumped out.

"I didn't expect Konoha's ninjas to have a sensor among them. That's quite a surprise." The speaker wore a filter over his mouth, and his Forehead Protector was held on by several cords. They were clearly Rain ninjas.

"Since you've found us, so be it. Hand over your scrolls, and I'll let the three of you live," one of the Rain ninjas said.

"Oh? Even if I had a scroll, do you really think I'd just hand it over?" Qingyun thought the guy wasn't using his head.

"If that's how it is, then attack!"

The Rain ninjas immediately used clones, then followed up with a genjutsu.

Combining their physical attacks with the genjutsu, they caught Qingyun and the others off guard for a moment.

"These guys aren't ordinary opponents. We need to break the genjutsu quickly." Minato and Yoshihime deflected several Shuriken with their Kunai as he spoke.

Qingyun calmly addressed the Rain ninjas. "Not a bad idea. Trap your enemies in a genjutsu, then attack them physically while it's in effect? That could wear down ordinary ninjas, but it won't work on me."

"Genjutsu Rebound!" Qingyun broke their genjutsu with ease.

"How is that possible!? Our genjutsu didn't work!?" The Rain ninjas were stunned. Their technique had always worked before. They couldn't believe a child had broken it.

"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!" Not only did Qingyun break their genjutsu, he gave them one of his own. The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique instantly robbed them of their sight.

"Why can't we see!? We're under a genjutsu!?"

"This seems to be the Second Hokage's genjutsu!" Minato loved studying techniques, so he recognized it at once.

"Minato, take them down." Qingyun couldn't be bothered to fight the Rain ninjas himself.

Minato had improved rapidly too, and he was already learning the Flying Thunder God. With his speed, taking on a group of Genin trapped in a genjutsu was a piece of cake. He defeated all three Rain ninjas in an instant.

The Qingyun Squad defeated the three Rain ninjas with ease, but just as they'd expected, the trio had no scroll.

"That's a shame," Yoshihime said, a little disheartened.

"It's all right. This is only the beginning. We still have three days until the exam ends!" Qingyun smiled. They had plenty of time, and there was no way they'd be eliminated.

After defeating the Rain ninjas, the three stayed alert and continued toward the Central Tower.

They traveled for about three hours, and all of them were starting to tire. Qingyun said, "Let's take a break. We have to stay alert at all times here, and being so focused is exhausting."

"Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique!" Yoshihime was a member of the Senju Clan and had mastered this technique.

After forming Hand Seals, she created a small wooden "mansion" right in front of Qingyun.

"That's amazing! I had no idea you could do that!" Qingyun and Minato praised Yoshihime.

"Ha, it's a Wood Release technique." Yoshihime smiled.

"Let's set some traps and genjutsu. Then I'll use a Shadow Clone to keep watch." Qingyun didn't take turns keeping watch with his teammates; if they did, they wouldn't get much rest.

"Shadow Clone Technique!" Qingyun created a Shadow Clone, and he and Minato had a good rest inside the house created by Wood Release.

Then Qingyun heard something, and his expression suddenly changed.

The Shadow Clone and Qingyun were connected by a kind of wireless signal.

"What happened, Qingyun?" the two of them asked.