The Secret of the Second Battle

"Jin, what exactly is going on?"

Uchiha Kenichi's scarlet eyes flickered toward Hyuga Xiangning, who was observing their surroundings with her Byakugan. He frowned slightly, asking the question with a tone of disappointment.

Inuzuka Jin and his massive blue hound exchanged a glance. Both wrinkled their noses, sniffing the air for a moment before looking at each other again. Inuzuka Jin then spoke with a solemn expression: "There are indeed three unfamiliar signatures approaching. The scent doesn't match the examinees from earlier!"

"Tch, they arrived so quickly. What a buzzkill." Uchiha Kenichi let out a cold snort, turned his head toward Sato Hideaka, and said, "Kid, you'd better not get eliminated in the first round. I'm looking forward to finishing our fight later."

With that, Uchiha Kenichi leaped onto a large tree. After Inuzuka Jin called out "Aomaru," he and his wolf-like hound jumped onto a tree as well. The two of them and the hound bounded through the forest, speeding off in the three o'clock direction.

However, the moment Uchiha Kenichi turned back to look at him before leaving, Sato Hideaka could clearly feel the killing intent radiating from those scarlet eyes. It wasn't the ominous, cold, and eerie aura inherent to the Sharingan itself, but the genuine bloodlust in the man's heart!

This guy is definitely not as simple as he appears on the surface. Perhaps his target was me from the very beginning!

Sato Hideaka watched the retreating figure for a long moment. He signaled to Yuhi Kurenai and Hyuga Xiangning, and the three of them departed in the four o'clock direction.

The guy who had been terrified by Yuhi Kurenai's Hell Viewing Technique had already taken advantage of the duel between him and Uchiha Kenichi to escape with his team's scroll. This meant that, so far, they had only collected one scroll.

Three minutes later, near the ground pitted and scarred by Lava Release, three dark figures appeared in a flash. They wore Konoha headbands and chunin uniforms. The middle-aged ninja on the left examined the environment, knelt, and placed his index and middle fingers on the ground. He closed his eyes to sense the area and said:

"The targets seem to have a sensory ninja; they've already fled quite far. They split up and headed in the three o'clock and four o'clock directions. Captain, should we pursue?"

The captain leading the team closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, before suddenly snapping them open. "Since they have a sensory ninja, there's no point in chasing them. Find other teams! Notify the Cleanup Squad to take these five away; they have already been disqualified."

"Understood."

The ninja on the right pulled a signal flare from his pouch and fired it into the sky, where it burst into red smoke. Led by the captain, the three of them departed in the ten o'clock direction, vanishing from the land left in shambles by the battle.

At their destination, the legendary Tower of Death, a dozen people dressed in various attires stood in a dim room.

A large crystal ball sat in the room, displaying scenes of the various examinees in the Forest of Death. One of the images showed the three chunin who had just come from the battlefield, having arrived near Sato Hideaka and Uchiha Kenichi to stop their fight before leaving.

A man of about forty, with bandages wrapped around his head, one eye exposed, and a cross-shaped scar on his chin, watched everything that had just transpired in the crystal ball. He said coldly, "Hmph, it seems the Uchiha, as Konoha's premier noble clan, already view the village as their own backyard. They can't even tolerate a new 'Kekkei Genkai' family in the village. What a bunch of damned fools."

At this moment, a young man with a golden ponytail, wearing a green tactical vest, sat in a corner. He wore a strange device over his eyes and held a hand seal, saying:

"The target is moving in the four o'clock direction. They are estimated to reach Area 4 within ten minutes. I have already notified the chunin in charge of that sector to place this team on the protection list."

"Inoichi, thank you for your hard work. The rules for this Genin Exam are stricter than ever, and this is the largest-scale exam in recent years. It includes not only geniuses secretly cultivated by the major clans but also many other family heirs... so, try your best to ensure their safety."

Sitting in the center seat was a lean old man wearing a red-and-white Hokage Cloak. He took a heavy drag from his pipe and spoke with a grave tone.

"Hiruzen, are you blaming me for changing the rules of this Genin Exam?" the bandaged, one-eyed man asked with a dissatisfied tone.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Danzo, that is not what I meant. Kumogakure has quietly established a presence in the Land of Hot Water, Sunagakure in the Land of Rain, and Iwagakure in the Land of Grass. We have lost over twenty percent of our Anbu spies in those three countries. I fear the war will break out soon... Speaking of which, the fact that Konoha's various clans are able to contribute is thanks to you."

"The victory in the Second Shinobi World War was largely due to the Senju Clan. While they held the line alone, our families took the opportunity to rest, regroup, and accumulate merit and power. Now, these families actually want to use the same tactics to avoid the shifting tides between nations..."

Danzo's single exposed eye revealed a look of disdain. "Hmph, Uchiha, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Mito, Utatane... no matter the family, none can escape the fact that they drove the Senju Clan away. Now that war is imminent, having lost the Senju, do they still intend to hide their own strength?"

"It is not just your Sarutobi Clan; my Shimura Clan and all the other families in Konoha have reaped the greatest fruits of victory, and we must bear the corresponding responsibilities and pressures."

"Cough, cough..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed violently, as if choked by his smoke, and said with difficulty, "Danzo, Nonō's 'Medical Ninja System' project has already begun implementation in the Medical Department and has received their support. As the acting head of the Medical Department, it is no longer appropriate for Nonō to continue as a spy for Root. I think you should..."

"Hmph, whether Nonō's plan can actually succeed is still a big question. Let's talk about it after it succeeds..."

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen change the subject again, a flash of contempt crossed Shimura Danzō's exposed eye. If he couldn't bear the guilt of driving away the Senju, and couldn't accept the fact that he had acted against his own conscience, then why make such a decision in the first place? How could someone with such a small heart like Hiruzen have earned the teacher's approval?

Thinking back to the incident during the meeting with the Raikage, when he had hesitated for a moment while choosing to cover the retreat, he had completely lost his chance to become Hokage. Shimura Danzō felt a deep sense of fury. He wasn't angry at his teacher or at Hiruzen, but at his own cowardice back then.

"Also, Hiruzen, bring me a copy of the data from this Genin Exam. Root needs to increase its manpower to strengthen our infiltration of the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Grass. If we lose control over these countries, this war is very likely to break out within the Land of Fire, which would cause massive losses to our nation..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "You may select thirty people from these examinees, but you must obtain the consent of their families. Otherwise, inciting hostility from these clans toward the village will have a negative impact on the current situation."

"I don't need you to tell me that; I know all of this!"

Shimura Danzō replied coldly and left the dim room with his two subordinates.