Rain Hidden Ninja, Paper Ninjutsu

The group of five arrived safely outside Yugakure.

Yugakure did not look much different from the surrounding towns; it was still wreathed in hot spring steam, filled with the songs of birds and the scent of flowers, and boasted beautiful scenery with a highly consistent architectural style.

In this beautiful land, it was truly easy for one to forget the clamor of the outside world.

Kyohiko cast his gaze across the area.

Within the village, many ninjas were coming and going; aside from the ninjas of Yugakure, there were also those from Kirigakure and Kumogakure.

Most of them had arrived early.

As for Konoha, only their group had arrived so far.

"Is this Yugakure?"

Kurenai Yuhi gripped the book in her hands, her eyes filled with curiosity.

A village that had forgotten war.

A village of peace.

She scanned her surroundings with her beautiful eyes, observing the state of the roadside, and then her brows furrowed slightly.

The streets were bustling with crowds, yet noise and conflicts occurred from time to time.

They arrived at their temporary lodging.

"I heard that Yugakure is a peace-loving village, but after entering, I feel like they don't seem to welcome us at all."

Kurenai Yuhi whispered.

"It might be because they believe our arrival has disrupted the tranquility within their village."

Minato Namikaze sighed.

To the ninjas of Yugakure, people from major ninja villages like them were aggressive and combative, and it was certain they could not coexist in complete peace.

With the sudden increase in ninjas...

It was only natural that small-scale chaos would break out in Yugakure.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since we have arrived in Yugakure, we must follow the local rules and avoid conflicts with others as much as possible."

"Understood!"

Everyone agreed in unison.

"Aoh! Kyohiko, let's have an exciting duel!"

"Then let's have a round of rock-paper-scissors; it's a contest that truly tests one's eyesight and reflexes."

Kyohiko calmly extended his hand.

Might Guy's eyes lit up, and he agreed wholeheartedly.

"Well said! Come, come..."

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"..."

Watching the two of them change their hand gestures with lightning speed, Kurenai Yuhi sighed helplessly and shifted her gaze back to the book in her hand.

These two were truly bored out of their minds!

However.

It had been several days now.

Master Jiraiya had told them not to go out, and Kyohiko held the same attitude; she had no idea what was happening outside.

"I'm back."

"Huh?"

Kurenai Yuhi was startled. She looked up and saw Kyohiko jump down from the roof, landing right beside her.

She was stunned for a moment, then looked toward the courtyard—

So, it was just a Shadow Clone?

"Where did you go?"

"Minato-senpai had to go to Iwagakure, so I went to see him off."

Kyohiko jumped down.

They had been in Yugakure for several days now, and Minato Namikaze had received orders to head to Iwagakure to negotiate regarding the recent attacks—

Just as he had expected, the situation had blown up!

Because...

It wasn't just Konoha that had been attacked; the team from Kumogakure that had come to Yugakure had also been ambushed, though the attackers had struck and fled, making it difficult to determine their origin for the time being.

With the "pearl of wisdom" that was the Konoha attack serving as a precedent, Jiraiya's propaganda followed closely behind.

The Kumogakure attack had occurred, and Genji of Kirigakure was quick to declare that they had nothing to do with it.

However.

Dodai clearly did not believe it—

The relationship between Kirigakure and Kumogakure could hardly be called good.

Because the Land of Lightning was mountainous, its terrain and environment were harsh, making it value maritime resources even more than the Land of Fire.

The friction between it and the Land of Water, caused by shipping lanes and oceanic resources, was far greater than that with the Land of Fire.

As subordinate ninja villages, the rift between the two was naturally significant.

Therefore.

The Kirigakure ninja who had now arrived in Yugakure had all tucked away their murderous intent, behaving as obediently as the Yugakure ninja themselves.

Over there, Might Guy had been rowing for ages when he suddenly saw Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi sitting nearby chatting idly; he froze for a moment before realizing—

"Aha! So it was a Shadow Clone!"

"A Shadow Clone doesn't affect a duel."

Kyohiko smiled, but he still dispelled the Shadow Clone.

Guy felt a sudden sense of boredom.

Just as he was about to speak, a "thump, thump, thump" sound came from outside.

"There are three people."

Kyohiko listened carefully.

"I'll go open the door."

Kyohiko rose to greet them.

After opening the door, he saw three Konoha genin slightly older than them standing outside, one of whom looked quite familiar.

Yamashiro Aoba?

Judging by his attire and style, it should be him.

The one beside him should be Namiashi Raidō, and the last one was someone he didn't recognize; they were a few years older than Kyohiko and his group, having graduated in the same class as Kakashi, which indeed met the criteria for taking the exam.

"Hello, we are the second team participating in this exam."

Yamashiro Aoba introduced himself.

For this exam, every village was very cautious and did not easily send ninja to participate.

Those who could come were all elites.

Kyohiko nodded and was about to speak when he heard an unusual sound.

"Hmm?"

He cast his gaze behind them.

Kyohiko looked thoughtful, then said, "Everyone, come inside first."

"Alright, thank you."

Yamashiro Aoba thanked him.

Subsequently, they entered the courtyard.

However.

The moment the three turned and entered, Kyohiko vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.

On a tree across the street, a figure flashed by rapidly, running toward the rear, but the next moment, he stood frozen on a wall, not daring to move—

A blade was held horizontally against his neck.

So fast!

He hadn't seen anything clearly just now; he had only seen a blur of afterimages, and when he focused his eyes, the person was already in front of him.

What a terrifying Body Flicker Technique!

The intelligence was correct.

This guy's strength was truly too terrifying!

The ninja with the blade at his throat felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Although my swordsmanship is quite average, I still advise you not to move; your Body Flicker Technique is definitely not faster than my blade."

Kyohiko said indifferently.

He scrutinized the other party and couldn't help but be stunned upon seeing the forehead protector—

The other party was not the Kirigakure or Kumogakure ninja he had expected, but a ninja from Amegakure.

There were indeed Amegakure ninja in this exam.

However.

Why was he here to monitor him?

Kyohiko felt a surge of surprise in his heart, then pressed his blade a little closer to the man's neck.

"Who are you?"

"Kyosuke. I am a ninja from Amegakure."

The man's face turned slightly pale.

Kyohiko frowned.

Kyosuke.

Who was that?

He had no deep impression of the name...

"Why were you following my companions?"

"I have no ill intent. I simply heard some things about you and followed out of curiosity to see for myself."

Kyosuke explained.

Kyohiko's gaze narrowed slightly.

Even ninjas from Amegakure knew about him?

Someone was trying to put him on the spot!

"Where did you get information about me?"

"This..."

The man hesitated.

Just then, a sudden "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sound rang out.

Sheets of paper flew toward Kyohiko.

Hearing the sound, Kyohiko immediately sidestepped, backhanding his blade to shred the incoming paper, but Kyosuke had already slipped from under his blade, escaping under the cover of the remaining sheets.

Paper.

Konan?

Kyohiko looked in the direction from which the paper had flown—

The person had hidden their presence well, with only the sound of the attack being caught by his ears.

Was it them?

Yahiko and his group shouldn't be Genin anymore, and they didn't have such deep ties to Amegakure, so why would they come to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams?

Or perhaps.

They didn't come because of the Joint Chunin Exams.

Kyohiko hesitated for a moment, then sheathed his blade without giving chase.

"Who were they?"

"Ninjas from Amegakure, but they didn't seem to have any ill intent. They were just interested in us."

Kyohiko replied.

"Ninjas from Amegakure?"

The others were very surprised.

Konoha and Amegakure had gone through a great war, and in recent years, Amegakure's policy had shifted toward isolation and moderation, rarely interacting with major villages like Konoha.

Unexpectedly, they had actually sent people to Yugakure for this Joint Chunin Exams.