They'd managed to get together, but they hadn't said a word the whole way.
Tenten had rehearsed what to say and finally spoke.
"Sorry, I accidentally ruined your tactics."
"What tactics?"
"Just now..." Tenten explained.
"Oh." Shinna understood. "That wasn't a tactic. I just felt like doing it."
"Just felt like it..." Tenten fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Could you explain it to me?"
"Sure." Shinna nodded, then asked in turn, "First, you know this exam tests your ability to gather intelligence, right?"
"I do."
"But we'd only just returned to Konoha. Showing off our strength was more important... I thought that was what Shinmoku had in mind, so I used genjutsu to fool the proctor, went over to Hinata Hyuga, and copied her answers."
"But Shinmoku didn't think that way?" Tenten asked curiously.
"Right. He only answered one question. I didn't understand it during the exam, but thinking back, it seems more like a test of how we handle pressure.
"I was wondering why Shinmoku had said those things. Turns out he was reminding you." Shinna spoke calmly. "I acted on my own."
"Ohh." Tenten suddenly understood, then asked, "Are you good at genjutsu?"
"I'm all right."
"Then... could you tell me how to deal with genjutsu?"
Tenten felt a little embarrassed. She couldn't help it—she'd never encountered genjutsu before, but she had to consider the possibility that her opponent might be Shinna.
"Disrupt your chakra. Usually, you can use the Genjutsu: Release technique, or stimulate yourself—hurt yourself. The pain can help you regain control of your body.
"Of course, those methods only work against ordinary genjutsu. Some special kinds, like ocular genjutsu, require your mental strength to be greater than your opponent's. If you can't manage that, you'll have to rely on your teammates."
"Got it! Thanks!" Tenten had somehow produced a notebook.
"No problem. It's common knowledge."
"Oh, right. What about ocular jutsu? Is Shinmoku good at that?" She had to consider the possibility that her opponent might be Shinmoku, too.
"Probably average."
Probably?
They were likely siblings—or at least teammates. They should know each other's abilities well.
Tenten glanced at Shinna cautiously. Her expression remained as cold as ever, with not a trace of emotion in her eyes.
She'd gone too far. Tenten shut her notebook and awkwardly changed the subject.
"There's a clothing shop over there. Let me buy you a few things."
"You don't have to."
"Come on." She took Shinna by the arm. "You haven't been back in the village long. You probably don't have any spare clothes, right?"
Shinna looked over Tenten's outfit.
A sleeveless white jacket and standard ninja pants—the same outfit she'd worn the last time they met.
Tenten seemed to notice Shinna's gaze and hurried to explain, "I have other clothes for everyday wear! I just dress like this when I'm on a mission!"
"I didn't say anything."
The progress bar for [Return] had risen to 93%. It could only be because of the Cloud Hidden bounty.
Thanks to Yugito for the rocket.
As Shinmoku examined the system interface, four soft paw pads suddenly landed on his head.
"Boss Cat, any news?"
"Yes. Three Kusagakure ninja were killed in the southern suburbs. They passed today's Chunin Ninja Exams."
[Quest Triggered] [Investigate the cause of death of the Kusagakure ninja] [Quest Difficulty: C]
That was high.
Shinmoku could complete this quest right away.
"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 do.
At his command, the system generated a slot-machine-like interface.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!
Ohh~
So that was how it worked.
The hand seals flowed into his mind. Shinmoku wanted to give it a try, so he raised his hands and formed them.
"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique!"
"..."
Shinmoku fell silent.
He'd discovered something incredible. The hand seals had flowed perfectly, and the technique had worked far better than the one he'd used before the exam.
So the ninjutsu the system gave him came with perfect proficiency. Now that he thought about it, his Fire Release and Lightning Release proficiency had been so high that he'd overlooked the fact that the Water Release technique he'd gotten from his first quest had also been perfectly mastered...
He'd been careless!
There were plenty of great C-rank techniques!
No matter how well he mastered False Surroundings, it could only fool children!
"Grrrr..."
The axle turned, and the wooden door slid open. Shinmoku saw the bewildered look in Shinna's eyes.
"You really fell for it?"
"No." Shinna formed hand seals and dispelled the illusion. "I came to find you."
"I thought so. You're a genjutsu master, after all."
"Mm." Shinna's cheeks flushed. She handed him a bag. "Here."
"What is it?"
"Clothes."
Only then did Shinmoku notice that Shinna's outfit had changed.
He'd let it slip. He hadn't considered what she needed to wear, and now she was the one looking after him.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. Tenten paid for them."
She'd only picked them out.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, the two met in the courtyard.
They wore matching outfits: white short-sleeved T-shirts, black pants, and high-collared vests, with the Uchiha Gunbai emblem embroidered on the chest.
"Let's go!"
A clone used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance from the previous day. The two of them and the clone arrived at the entrance to the Forest of Death.
Many people had already gathered, including the three Kusagakure genin.
Shinmoku didn't expose Orochimaru. His target was Sasuke, and Sasuke was the heroine. Nothing would happen to her.
"Welcome to the Forest of Death."
Mitaraishi Anko wore a brown trench coat, open at the chest, with fishnet covering her from head to toe. Smiling, she said,
"Next, I'll hand out the consent forms."
"What?" asked Uzumaki Naruto, the attention seeker.
"These." Anko pulled a stack of papers from her cleavage. "Everyone taking the exam has to sign one first."
"Why?"
"Someone might die in there." Her smiling eyes narrowed. "If you don't sign, I'll be held responsible."
The Forest of Death was a circle surrounded by dozens of entrances. It had rivers and woods, with a tower in the middle.
With the consent form, examinees could receive either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll. The test was a survival exercise in the wilderness, and they also had to seize the scroll they didn't have. Those who completed the task and reached the Central Tower within five days would pass.
As Shinmoku listened to the rules, he received his consent form.
As he signed it, a scorching body pressed against his back.
"So, how was the test I set? Was the difficulty about right?"
"Auntie, what are you doing to a young man in his prime?"
"Auntie?" Anko's smile froze. She was instantly on the verge of losing her temper.
"Don't get mad... I mean, you can stay close a little longer."
"I hope your exam goes well... I mean, if you do well, I might consider going on a date with you~"
Shinmoku's looks were exactly her type. He was a little sharp-tongued, but at least she wouldn't be losing out.