Careless

She had invited them, but they hadn't spoken a word the entire way.

Tenten cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry, I accidentally disrupted your strategy."

"What strategy?"

"Just now..." Tenten explained.

"Oh," Shinna said, understanding. "That wasn't a strategy, it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing."

"A spur-of-the-moment thing..." Tenten paused, then pressed, "Can you explain it to me?"

"Sure," Shinna nodded, then countered, "But first, do you know this exam is about intelligence gathering?"

"I do."

"But we just returned to Konoha, and more importantly, we need to show our strength... I thought Shinmoku thought that way, so I used genjutsu to deceive the proctor and copied Hinata's answers."

"But Shinmoku didn't think that way?" Tenten asked curiously.

"No, he only wrote down one question. I didn't understand it during the exam, but looking back now, this exam was more like a stress test.

"I was wondering what Shinmoku meant by those words, but it turns out he was trying to remind you," Shinna said faintly. "I acted on my own."

"Oh~" Tenten suddenly understood and continued, "Are you good at genjutsu?"

"I'm alright."

"Then... can you tell me how to deal with genjutsu?"

Tenten felt a little embarrassed. She had no experience with genjutsu, but she had to consider Shinna as an opponent.

"Disrupt your chakra flow. Generally, you can use Genjutsu: Release, or stimulate yourself, like causing self-harm. The pain can help you regain control of your body.

"Of course, these methods only work against ordinary genjutsu. Some special ones, like dōjutsu genjutsu, require your mental strength to be stronger than the opponent's. If you can't do that, you'll have to rely on your teammates."

"Mhm! Thank you!" Tenten, without anyone noticing, pulled out a notebook.

"It's nothing, just common knowledge."

"Oh, right, speaking of dōjutsu, is Shinmoku good at it?" She also had to consider Shinmoku as an opponent.

"Probably average."

Probably?

They were supposed to be siblings, or at least teammates, and should know each other's abilities well.

Tenten glanced over cautiously. Shinna's expression remained as cold as ever, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

She had overstepped. Tenten closed her notebook and abruptly changed the subject:

"There's a clothing store over there. Let me buy you some gifts."

"No need."

"Let's go," she said, pulling Shinna's arm. "You haven't been back in the village long, you probably don't have any spare clothes, right?"

Shinna looked at Tenten's attire.

A white sleeveless jacket and standard ninja pants. She had worn the same outfit the last time they met.

As if sensing Shinna's gaze, Tenten quickly said, "I have other clothes! I just wear this when I'm on a mission!"

"I didn't say anything."

The progress bar for [Return] had reached 93%, likely due to the bounty from Cloud Village.

Thanks to Yugito for the rocket.

Shinmoku checked the system interface. Suddenly, four soft paw pads landed on his head.

"Boss Cat, any news?"

"Yes, three ninjas from Grass Village in the southern suburbs were killed. They passed today's Chunin Exam."

[Quest Triggered]

[Investigate the cause of death of the Grass Village ninjas]

[Quest Difficulty: C]

Too high.

Shinmoku could complete this quest immediately.

"Orochimaru killed them."

[Quest Complete, please choose your reward]

"Whatever."

There were too many items on the C-rank page, and he wanted to see what a random reward would be.

At his command, the system generated an interface resembling a slot machine.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!

Oh~

So that's how it is.

With the hand seals imprinted into his mind, Shinmoku wanted to give it a try, so he raised his hands to weave them:

"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!"

"..."

Shinmoku fell silent.

He had discovered something incredible; the process of weaving the seals was incredibly fluid, and the effect was quite impressive—far better than it had been before the exam.

So, the ninjutsu provided by the system came with perfect proficiency. Now that he thought about it, because his proficiency in Fire Release and Lightning Release was already high, he had overlooked the fact that the Water Release he received from his first mission was also perfectly mastered...

He had been careless!

There were many excellent C-rank ninjutsu out there!

No matter how proficient one was with the False Surroundings Technique, it could only ever fool children!

"Gurgle, gurgle~"

As the bearings rolled and the wooden door slid open, Shinmoku saw the slightly dazed look in Shinna's eyes.

"Did it really fool you?"

"No." Shinna wove a seal to dispel the illusion. "I came here specifically to find you."

"I thought as much; you are a master of illusions, after all."

"Mm." Shinna's cheeks flushed as she handed him a bag. "For you."

"What is it?"

"Clothes."

Only then did Shinmoku notice that Shinna's attire had changed.

He had been negligent, failing to look after her clothing needs, and instead, he had been the one looked after.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me; Tenten paid for them."

She had only been responsible for picking them out.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, the two gathered in the courtyard.

They were dressed identically: white short-sleeved T-shirts, black trousers, and high-collared vests, with the Uchiha fan crest embroidered on their chests.

"Let's go!"

A Clone used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance from the day before, and the two of them, along with the clone, arrived at the entrance of the Forest of Death.

Many people had already gathered, including the trio from the Hidden Grass.

Shinmoku did not expose Orochimaru; his target was Sasuke, and since Sasuke was the female lead, she would be fine.

"Welcome to the Forest of Death."

Anko Mitarashi wore a brown trench coat, open at the chest to reveal a fishnet bodysuit that accentuated her towering figure, and she said with a beaming smile:

"Next, I will distribute the consent forms to you."

"What?" Uzumaki Naruto, the attention-seeker, asked.

"These." Anko pulled a stack of documents from her chest. "Those participating in the exam must sign here first."

"Why?"

"Because people might die from here on out." She narrowed her eyes with a smile. "If you don't sign, it becomes my responsibility."

The Forest of Death was a circle surrounded by dozens of entrances, containing rivers, forests, and a tower in the center.

Based on the consent form, examinees would receive either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll. The exam objective was wilderness survival, while simultaneously seizing the scroll they lacked. Those who completed the task and reached the Central Tower within five days would pass the exam.

While listening to the rules, Shinmoku received his consent form.

Just as he was signing it, a scorching body pressed against his back.

"How is it? Is the test I set difficult enough?"

"Auntie, what are you doing to a hot-blooded young man?"

"Auntie?" Anko's smile faltered, and she instantly reached the verge of losing her temper.

"Don't be angry... I meant that you can lean in a bit longer if you want."

"I hope you do well on the exam... what I mean is, if you perform well, I might consider going on a date with you~"

Shinmoku's appearance was exactly to her taste; although his mouth was a bit sharp, at least she wouldn't be losing out.