The sounds of fighting and the muffled blasts of ninjutsu still rose and fell in the distant woods. The young ninja and the other candidates were immersed in this real-life battle royale, evading the examiners' pursuit and fighting desperately to survive and advance.
Qingwu, however, had long since strayed from his assigned role as an examiner hunting the candidates. His gaze locked onto a figure hurrying toward Naruto's trio.
Or rather, he had never played by the rules at all.
"Kusa Ninja Jia, right?" Qingwu's voice was quiet, yet it hung in the air like cold iron, brooking no refusal.
At some point, he had already intercepted the man,
leaning against a thick tree trunk with his arms folded, blocking the figure's path.
"Who's there?!"
Kusa Ninja Jia stopped dead in his tracks, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.
His knuckles whitened as he clutched the ninja tools pouch at his waist. As he slowly turned, the impatience on his face gave way to intense wariness—then he saw who stood before him.
His pupils contracted slightly, and a barely perceptible trace of panic entered his voice. "You... you're the examiner for the second round!"
His fingertips tightened around his ninja tools pouch. His impatience to see the Uchiha orphan was completely suppressed by vigilance, leaving his features taut.
"Drop the act."
Qingwu ignored his words, lightly tapping the sword hilt at his waist as his gaze swept over the man's shoulders, tense enough to snap. "You're no ordinary genin from Kusagakure.
"When you took that detour through the woods just now,
"you used Otogakure's Tracking Technique. Even the angle of your footprints carried their habits."
Most importantly, this man actually carried Orochimaru's presence, and it was remarkably strong.
If it had not been a little