That evening, after dinner, Zeyu sat at his desk, sorting through his ninja tools as he thought about the situation.
"Tomorrow, we'll be entering the Forest of Death. I need to be fully prepared."
"Orochimaru and Gaara are both troublesome. I'm not afraid of them right now, but if I run into either one, I'll have to go all out. That would expose my trump cards."
"And draw attention."
"Danzo's the biggest concern right now."
"Danzo has Root. If they attack together, things could get rough. And he still has one use of Kotoamatsukami left. I can't afford to let my guard down."
"I'm not afraid of thieves. I'm afraid of them setting their sights on me."
"I've nearly mastered every jutsu I can train in, but I can't use them. It's so frustrating."
Zeyu sighed, picked up a kunai, and twirled it a couple of times before casually tossing it behind him. It struck the bullseye on the target across the room.
He used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear beside the target, retrieved the kunai, and put it in his pocket.
The next day, the examinees gathered at the entrance to the Forest of Death.
Before things got started, Zeyu brought Megumi and Shota over to find Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.
They formed a circle around Zeyu and looked at him.
Kiba: "Zeyu, what is it? You're being so mysterious."
Hinata: "You must have something important to tell us, Zeyu. What is it?"
Megumi: "What are you up to now?"
Shota: "Megumi, let him speak first."
Shino: "..."
Zeyu folded his arms and spoke with a serious expression.
"Well, it's nothing much. I just wanted to remind everyone to stay safe and be careful."
Without moving, he glanced toward Gaara in the distance and continued, "Especially that guy with the gourd. If you run into him, run. Don't fight him."
At that, everyone discreetly turned their attention to Gaara in the distance, careful not to stare directly at him.
Kiba: "Yeah, you can tell at a glance that guy's bad news."
Hinata: "Mm, I understand, Zeyu. Thank you."
Shino: "Interesting."
Megumi: "Is it really that bad?"
Shota: "He does seem pretty strong. I really want to fight him."
Zeyu broke into a nervous sweat and said, "With your current strength, Shota, you can't beat him. The best I can say is that you might die looking good."
Shota looked a little unconvinced.
Suddenly, Gaara noticed them and looked over. He and Shota met eyes.
Gaara's cold gaze made Shota shudder. Sweat broke out across his back, and he immediately looked away. He turned his head stiffly toward Zeyu, looking wronged.
Zeyu said helplessly, "What's wrong? One look and you're already scared? Weren't you just saying you wanted to fight him?"
Shota laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
Zeyu glanced at Shota, then turned back toward Gaara. Gaara happened to be looking at Zeyu, too.
The two locked eyes, their gazes sharp as they stared each other down.
The people around them chatted about other things.
But from the two boys' perspective, everything had gone quiet, and even the air seemed to have frozen.
Hinata noticed the tension. She stepped forward, took Zeyu's hand, and looked at him with concern.
Zeyu broke eye contact and reached out to pat Hinata on the head.
He smiled at her.
"Are you all right, Zeyu?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah, don't worry. Hinata, be careful later and stay safe," Zeyu said.
Just then, Anko loudly called for the assembled ninjas' attention. Everyone turned to look at her.
Zeyu, however, glanced at the three Grass Ninja standing farther ahead. His gaze settled on the tallest one, who had a purple rope tied around his waist.
That must be Orochimaru. He'll go after Sasuke as soon as the exam starts. Should I go help?
Zeyu looked away and pondered. In the distance, Gaara glanced at him, too, seemingly deep in thought.
As Anko explained the rules, the examinees signed the death waivers and received the Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Each team then headed to its assigned entrance according to its number.
At Anko's command, the gates swung open, and the teams rushed inside.
Zeyu wasn't in a hurry at all. He strolled into the Forest of Death.
Behind him, Shota watched him take his time, growing more and more impatient.
"Come on, Zeyu! Why are you taking a stroll? Hurry up! I can't wait any longer!"
Zeyu ignored Shota, walked along with his hands in his pockets, and went at his own pace.
Megumi sighed and said helplessly, "Brother, forget it. What are you in such a rush for?"
"Yeah, what's the rush?" Zeyu said. He stopped and closed his eyes.
He activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and extended his sensory range into the distance. Veins bulged on his forehead.
The two beside him stared at Zeyu, baffled.
"What are you doing, Zeyu? Taking a nap?" Shota asked.
"Seriously, Zeyu? We're in the middle of an exam," Megumi said, breaking into a nervous sweat.
It was no wonder they were confused. Zeyu had never used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura in front of anyone. He hadn't wanted anyone to know about it, but with the three of them together for five days during the exam, there was no way he could keep it secret.
"Ah, found them," Zeyu said. The two beside him looked even more puzzled.
"Let's go, Megumi, Shota." As soon as he finished speaking, Zeyu leaped away.
Megumi and Shota exchanged a confused glance, then followed him.
I'd better not go to Sasuke. According to the original story, Orochimaru will go after him as soon as the exam starts and mark him with the Cursed Seal.
If I go, I'll inevitably end up fighting Orochimaru. I could take him on now, but there's no point. It'd only draw his attention to me.
Zeyu thought as he hurried along.
I should find Hinata first. She'll run into Gaara not long after the exam starts, and she'll nearly get killed. I warned her beforehand, but I'm still worried.
Zeyu felt the Scroll of Heaven in his pocket and thought, I'll worry about the scroll later. Hinata comes first.
Shota caught up, looking puzzled. "Zeyu, why did you suddenly take off? Where are we going?"
Zeyu was just about to answer.
Megumi caught up, too, and said, "Isn't it obvious? We're going to find Hinata."
"Megumi really knows me," Zeyu said with a chuckle.
Megumi looked disdainful and snorted.
Then she turned to Shota and said, "Shota, you wanted to fight, didn't you? How about I take you to one?"
At the mention of a fight, Shota's eyes lit up.
"Sure! I can't wait!"
The group picked up the pace and raced through the forest.
Halfway there, Zeyu suddenly stopped. Megumi and Shota stopped, too.
He signaled for them to be quiet. They understood and watched their surroundings in silence.
Three people suddenly burst out of the bushes and raced away across the ground. Once they were gone, Zeyu was about to tell the others to keep moving.
He turned and saw Shota looking at him with excitement.
Zeyu immediately knew what Shota was thinking. He wanted to go pick a fight. Megumi, standing nearby, had the same deadpan look as ever.
Helplessly, Zeyu nodded.
Shota grinned, rubbed his hands together, and leaped out after them.
The three ninjas ahead noticed the movement behind them and stopped at once, drawing their kunai.
The lead ninja warily watched their rear and signaled to his teammates. The two of them spread out.
"Earth Style: Rock Bullet!"
Shota burst out of the bushes and spat out several rocks. They grew larger in midair and hurtled toward the lead ninja.
The ninja jumped backward to dodge, then threw several shuriken at Shota.
Shota darted to the side and avoided them. But several more shuriken flew out from the shadows, right in his blind spot.
Shota hadn't noticed them at all and made no move to defend himself.
Just as the shuriken were about to hit, several shuriken came flying from the other direction and knocked them all aside.
The shuriken collided in midair, sending out a few sparks.
"Wind Style: Drilling Wind Bullets!"
Several gusts of wind shot toward the bushes on either side. Two figures immediately sprang out and landed in the trees flanking the lead ninja.
Only then did Shota notice them. He was secretly relieved.
Megumi jumped out and said, "You idiot, big brother. Don't let such a simple trick beat you."
Shota chuckled. "Thanks, Megumi. That didn't count. Now I'm going to show you my real skills." His gaze sharpened as he spoke.
"I'll help you, so you don't drag me down," Megumi said, twirling a kunai in her hand.
Farther back, Zeyu sat cross-legged against a large tree, not interested in getting involved at all. He waved a hand and said, "Well, I'll leave it to you two. Finish quickly, and don't play around too long."
The siblings smiled and sized up the three opponents.