They Were All Schemers

"Go on. I'll stay behind to cover the rear too." Terai stood beside Lin Chuan. He couldn't let Lin Chuan show off alone; he wanted to make an appearance too.

"I'll stay too." Fū Yamanaka glanced at Lin Chuan. He had clearly sensed those two leaving the camp last night. The ones who came back afterward must have been Shadow Clones. No wonder those two weren't afraid and had been stalling here—their real bodies had probably already escaped.

As it happened, after sensing Lin Chuan and the other fleeing, he had also taken Torune and run, leaving Shadow Clones behind to pretend to sleep. Not many children their age could learn the Shadow Clone technique. They happened to be among them.

"Sai, let's go." Shin grabbed Sai and ran without hesitation. He had no idea that Lin Chuan and the others were all Shadow Clones, but the four of them were indeed doing something that moved him deeply.

As Shin and Sai left, the others gradually departed as well. Anyone who remained was an infiltrator. Lin Chuan and the other three surrounded No. 24, all wearing baffled expressions that were almost smiles.

"I didn't expect there to be another infiltrator." Lin Chuan's hand had already gripped the hilt of his blade. He could take this infiltrator down at any moment.

"I'm not an infiltrator. I stayed to help you." The infiltrator hurriedly defended himself, but Lin Chuan and the others didn't believe a word of it.

If he wasn't an infiltrator, he would have fled long ago. The fellow recruits Terai had gathered were already frightened out of their wits. The four of them were only so calm because they were Shadow Clones. What right did this guy have to stay so calm?

Why did he think he wouldn't die while surrounded by enemies? Other than being a Shadow Clone or an infiltrator planted by the enemy, they couldn't think of any other reason for him to stay!

Mind Body Switch Technique. Fū Yamanaka raised a hand and took control of the infiltrator, then made him draw his blade and hold it to his own throat.

Splat—

Before the infiltrator could slit his own throat, Lin Chuan's short blade stabbed into his chest. Lin Chuan glanced at his personal panel, but his Life Points hadn't changed at all. It seemed this guy wasn't even worth as much as a nameless extra—not even background scenery. What bad luck.

After the infiltrator was killed, Fū Yamanaka glanced at Lin Chuan and released the Mind Body Switch Technique. At that moment, the enemy leader stepped forward as well.

"All four of you are here. Perfect—I can catch you all in one go." No. 29 looked at Lin Chuan and the others. Their goal was to eliminate all four of them, since their numbers were the highest.

As for why No. 29 hadn't died?

He was actually wearing No. 29's clothes. This guy wasn't No. 29 at all.

And why hadn't they saved the infiltrator?

One fewer person meant one less competitor. He wished everyone else would die so that he alone could pass the selection. Everyone except himself was an enemy, so why would he save an infiltrator?

"Get them!" No. 29 waved a hand. Everyone in the trees dropped down and launched a joint assault on Lin Chuan's group, while he charged at the front.

Lin Chuan and the other three were surrounded by more than a dozen people. They didn't use any ninjutsu, instead drawing their short blades to block kunai as they fled in every direction.

Their goal was to stall for time, not fight to the death. Besides, Shadow Clones didn't have much chakra to begin with. They still hoped their real bodies could get farther away.

The four fought as they retreated, keeping Torune protected in the middle. It had been Fū Yamanaka's suggestion, and Lin Chuan and Terai agreed to cooperate. As their Shadow Clones were destroyed one after another, they gathered the enemies together. Then Torune's Insect Clone exploded.

Purple venomous insects burst across the sky, turning into a purple mist that shrouded an area five meters wide. Several unlucky people nearby inhaled the poisonous mist and immediately collapsed, foaming at the mouth and writhing on the ground. Before long, their entire bodies turned purple and they stopped breathing.

"Damn it! They were all clones, and the sunglasses guy's clone was poisonous!" No. 29 turned to look at his group. They hadn't lost anyone while fighting Lin Chuan's group, yet Torune's poisonous insects had killed five of them in the end.

"Are we still chasing them? Those bugs are way too poisonous. Touch even a little, and you die..."

Seeing their companions' miserable state, everyone showed fearful expressions. No one had died in the fight, but the final self-destruction of the Insect Clone had poisoned five people to death. When it came to killing efficiency, secret technique clans were truly terrifying!

"Chase my ass. We can't even gather ten people here." No. 29 counted them. Including himself, there were only eight left. Adding the fellow recruits they had killed during the past few days and the companions who had been counter-killed, everyone else was on the enemy's side. If that group joined forces again, it wouldn't be them hunting others—it would be others hunting them.

He picked up the weapons and ninjutsu scrolls of the dead companions. These spoils had to be divided equally so that everyone got something. Otherwise, why would the others listen to him?

The forest became eerily quiet afterward. Then, in the early hours of the next morning, a firework bloomed in the night sky. Everyone saw the assembly signal and ran toward the clearing where they had entered the Forest of Death.

When everyone arrived, they naturally split into three camps. One side was Lin Chuan, Terai, Fū Yamanaka, and nine others. Another was No. 29 and his group of eight. The remaining six stood in the middle, having hidden themselves until now.

When Lin Chuan and Terai saw Torune and Fu appear, the four of them tacitly stood together. None of them mentioned the Shadow Clones. Lin Chuan and Terai had only learned after their clones were destroyed that Fu and Torune had also used Shadow Clones. It seemed they all thought alike—each of them had the makings of a schemer.

"Twenty-three survivors. Not a bad survival rate. You may all return to Root." Leopard checked the number of survivors and the numbers on each of them. Every missing number was crossed out in his notebook; a cross meant death. Specialists would retrieve the corpses in the forest.

Hearing that they could return, everyone followed Kabuto Yakushi back to Root's underground training ground. Kabuto Yakushi then smiled and called out, "Put down any extra weapons and scrolls you have. I'll treat you, then you can go see the chief instructor. Come forward in order of your number rankings..."

Next, everyone handed over their excess weapons and ninjutsu scrolls according to their number rankings. All the spoils they had gained from attacking others were surrendered at this point.

Those who didn't need treatment could go directly to the target range. When it was Lin Chuan's turn, he entered the range and saw only Ryūma Aburame. There were also many scrolls on the table. Lin Chuan placed his own scroll on it before hearing Ryūma Aburame's question.

"What ninjutsu did you choose? Demonstrate it once..."

"Yes, Chief Instructor. The ninjutsu I chose is Water Release: Heavenly Weeping." Lin Chuan immediately condensed a water needle in his mouth. By creating negative pressure in his oral cavity, he sprayed the water needle toward a distant target with a red circle. With a sharp hiss, the water needle pierced through the red mark on the target.

"Not bad." Ryūma Aburame opened the ninjutsu scroll. Seeing that Lin Chuan's Water Release technique differed little from the description on the scroll, he deemed Lin Chuan qualified. "Go rest for now. Assemble at the training ground tonight..."

"Yes." Lin Chuan left the target range and returned to the dormitory. Kabuto Yakushi wasn't there, and Lin Chuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He could sleep soundly now. He didn't know when Kabuto Yakushi would return, so he needed to sleep as soon as possible. He couldn't sleep while sharing a room with the big boss, Kabuto Yakushi. Who knew how he would be tortured next?