It Seems We've Provoked Someone Truly Dangerous

Deep in the dense forest, beside a massive, gnarled willow tree, stood three dashing young male ninjas.

They were Nara Akiteru of the Nara Clan, Yamanaka Koichi of the Yamanaka Clan, and Akimichi Kenta of the Akimichi Clan.

Ever since entering this forest shrouded in the shadow of death, the three had stuck together, facing every challenge as a team.

The three clans had always been on good terms, and the three had agreed to cooperate in this second scroll-grabbing round.

Although Orochimaru had said this round was an individual battle, the three had decided to work together first and try to gather three sets of Wind Fire Mountain Forest Scrolls so they could all advance.

If they only managed to get one set, they would discuss among themselves who should advance.

They weren't the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of this generation, but their teamwork was still pretty good, thanks to their understanding of one another's family techniques.

"Akiteru, what should we do next?" Koichi looked to Akiteru, waiting for his decision.

Akiteru gently rubbed his chin, his eyes revealing a calm, thoughtful nature. "Let's take stock of what we've collected so far." His words were brief and firm.

Kenta, on the other hand, was as carefree as ever. He simply emptied the scrolls from his ninja pouch onto the ground. "Take a look. I'm going to get some energy first."

As he spoke, he pulled all kinds of snacks from his clothes and began chewing noisily, replenishing his strength.

Akiteru and Koichi exchanged a glance, then began carefully tallying the spoils before them.

"One Wind Scroll, two Fire Scrolls, one Mountain Scroll, and three Forest Scrolls." Akiteru's voice was calm and clear. They had come away with quite a haul, thanks to their coordination and brave fighting just now.

They had originally owned two of the Fire Scrolls and the Wind Scroll. The remaining four scrolls had come from defeating other opponents together.

"Now we have two choices: we can ensure one person advances while one leaves the team and the other two work together to try; or we can keep working together and do our best to get all three of us through." Akiteru's gaze shifted between his two teammates as he waited for their response.

Kenta waved a hand, unconcerned. "You two decide. I'll go along with anything."

So the burden of deciding once again fell to Akiteru and Koichi. They looked at each other, and no words were needed; they already understood one another.

"I'd rather play it safe. Let's keep moving as a team of three. There's still time before the exam ends," Akiteru said, his words firm and resolute.

Koichi smiled and nodded in agreement. "That's what I think, too."

"Then let's rest for a while. It's important to get our strength back." Akiteru found a thick tree to lean against and sat down. He slowly closed his eyes to rest and recover.

However, while they were resting, a pair of sharp eyes watched them intently from a nearby thicket.

It was Hayato. He crouched like a leopard lying in wait, watching the three below with interest.

"So there really are people in this exam who can't stand being alone and have decided to band together," Hayato said, the corner of his mouth curling into an amused smile as a crafty glint shone in his eyes. "Heh, are they resting? Or... fishing for a bite?"

Among the three with their eyes closed, Koichi quietly shifted and asked in a voice only Akiteru could hear, "Akiteru, do you think he'll take the bait?"

Akiteru gave a slight shake of his head, signaling him to stay calm. "Don't let him see through us. We deliberately showed him our scrolls. There's no way he won't be tempted. Let's wait a little longer. Patience is the key to success."

Hayato was already beyond the maximum range of Akiteru's Shadow Possession Technique.

All Akiteru could do was wait patiently for Hayato to step into his trap.

At last, Hayato slowly stood and began walking toward them.

As he drew closer, the hearts of the three sped up. The moment Hayato finally stepped into the ideal range for the Shadow Possession Technique, all three moved at once!

"Now!" Akiteru shouted, rapidly forming hand seals.

"Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Technique!"

Under the midday sun, Akiteru's shadow writhed as if it were alive, instantly entwining itself with Hayato's shadow.

Beforehand, Akiteru had carefully adjusted his position to ensure his shadow could reach Hayato's. Now the two shadows were tightly connected, as if they had become one.

"Koichi!" Akiteru shouted his teammate's name, preparing to launch the next attack.

No matter who their opponent was, they always went all out. That was one of the main reasons they had kept winning so far.

Koichi was already poised to act. Wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, he formed hand seals and focused on Hayato, preparing to use his secret technique.

Their teamwork was flawless, as if they had practiced it countless times.

Yet in the face of the sudden attack, Hayato remained exceptionally calm. "So it really was bait," he said with a soft laugh, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"But you still walked right into it, driven by your own greed." Akiteru maintained the Shadow Possession Technique as he tried to distract Hayato with his words and buy Koichi time.

Hayato merely smiled. "You've got it wrong. I just have absolute confidence in myself."

Hearing that, Akiteru felt a flicker of unease, but he quickly regained his composure. "The fact is, you're in our hands now."

"Your technique can control my movements, but it can't control my chakra." Hayato's tone was calm, yet carried unquestionable confidence.

Before he had even finished speaking, the Flying Thunder God Technique activated! His figure vanished without a trace.

"What? He shouldn't be able to form hand seals!" Akiteru exclaimed in shock.

But it was too late. With Hayato gone, the Shadow Imitation Technique's hold had been broken.

In the next instant, Hayato appeared to their right, wearing a triumphant smile. "That's what happens when you're up against absolute strength. All your schemes are futile."

Seeing this, Akiteru realized their original plan was no longer going to work. "Looks like we'll have to go with Plan B! Kenta!"

"Got it!" Kenta clapped his hands and immediately activated his secret technique.

"Secret Technique: Multi-Size Technique!"

At his low growl, Kenta's body suddenly swelled, growing to an astonishing five meters tall in the blink of an eye.

Then he curled into a giant ball, like a cannonball about to be fired.

Akiteru quickly formed hand seals. "Shadow Gathering Technique!" His shadow connected with Kenta's, like an invisible puppet string, and guided him into a charge.

"Human Bullet Tank!" As the ground shook violently, Kenta, transformed into a human cannonball, charged at Hayato like a runaway truck.

However, Hayato deftly dodged every attack with the incredible power of the Flying Thunder God Technique. Once he had steadied himself, he calmly said, "You may not be this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho, but I'll give you this: your teamwork is impressive."

As he spoke, two dazzling Spirit Bombs formed in Hayato's hands. He fired one at Akiteru and the other at Koichi.

"What the heck? A jutsu without hand seals?" Akiteru cried, leaping backward and barely dodging the attack.

But in the process, his shadow link with Kenta was briefly severed.

Driven by his momentum, Kenta crashed straight into a tall tree nearby, the impact booming loudly.

Akiteru had just narrowly escaped. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face revealing a hint of panic. "Wait! His real target wasn't Kenta or me—it was Koichi!"

Their plan had been for Koichi to build up his mental energy from the side and wait for the perfect moment to use the Mind Body Switch Technique to control Hayato.

But Hayato seemed to have seen through their plan and had attacked Koichi directly.

Akiteru hurriedly looked toward Koichi and shouted anxiously, "Are you okay, Koichi?"

Koichi stumbled out of the smoke.

He staggered out of the thickening smoke, his face as pale as paper. "I'm all right for now..." But before he could finish speaking, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He had been disrupted at the crucial moment while building up his mental energy. The forced interruption had backfired badly, leaving him with internal injuries.

"Akiteru... it looks like we've provoked someone truly dangerous..." Koichi said with difficulty.

Akiteru nodded gravely. "Yeah... We're in trouble now!"