Yo, You're Not Hurt, Right? Scaredy-Cat

The burly man lying on the ground heard Kanami's words and knew that the other party had realized he was awake.

The man sat up and tremblingly pulled two Earth Scrolls from his clothes.

After Kanami took the scrolls, the man hurriedly dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

"D-Don't kill me."

He had seen everything that had happened when Kanami clashed with his companion.

His companion's strength alone had already been terrifying, yet when facing such a secret technique, the boy before him had remained utterly calm.

With a mere wave of his hand, he had reduced him to dust and ashes.

That kind of strength made him no longer dare to entertain any thoughts of resistance or escape. His instinct to survive made him kneel on the ground and bow his head before the red-haired boy.

After taking the scrolls, Kanami ignored him and returned to Yuzuki's side.

"Yuzuki, the scroll you have is a Heaven Scroll, right?"

Yuzuki was somewhat dazed. What had just happened lingered in her mind. She knew Kanami was already strong, but she had never imagined he was this strong!

This was not the first time he had shattered her understanding of him. It seemed that every time he made a move, he became stronger.

She knew that the gap between them would only grow wider, until they were as far apart as clouds and mud, never to cross paths again.

At that thought, Yuzuki's eyes dimmed.

"Yeah, it's a Heaven Scroll."

She took out her scroll and looked at the character "Heaven" written on it, yet felt none of the joy she had imagined.

Perhaps it was because she had not truly contributed at all.

"Sis, Kanami, let's go to the designated tower and turn them in!"

At the thought that her team would pass so quickly, Fūka's face overflowed with uncontrollable excitement.

Yuzuki nodded mechanically.

Kanami scratched his head and followed behind Fūka.

He was a little troubled.

They had gathered the Heaven and Earth Scrolls so quickly that he did not know what excuse he could use to keep the two of them from going to turn them in.

He had not yet accomplished his goal of showing off in front of the proctors.

Meanwhile, after the burly man kneeling on the ground realized that Kanami and the others had completely left, he finally tipped sideways and lay down.

"He already killed two of my teammates. Why was I the only one he didn't kill...?"

"Could it be that I'm so weak, he couldn't even be bothered to make a move against me?"

The burly man merely gave a bitter smile. Not only did he feel no resentment whatsoever, but he was even somewhat relieved.

Relieved by his own weakness.

As Kanami's group of three slowly advanced toward the tower, the sounds of fighting and clashing Shuriken reached their ears.

Fūka, who was walking in front, was the first to spot several people fighting ahead.

She hurriedly gestured for them to lower themselves. "It looks like other teams are fighting up ahead. Let's be careful and go around them..."

Yuzuki walked forward in a crouch, then suddenly widened her eyes and turned to look at Kanami.

"It's that Grass Ninja you mentioned. She's fighting someone else."

At her words, Kanami's eyes gradually lit up.

Wasn't this a chance to show off delivering itself right to his doorstep?

Seeing his eyes practically sparkle, Yuzuki's expression turned strange.

"Didn't you tell us to run whenever we saw her? Why do you look so excited?"

Kanami said calmly, "I told you two to run. That doesn't mean I have to run too."

Fūka, at the very front, rolled her eyes at him and muttered quietly.

"Wonder who got punched into a tree so hard he couldn't even pull himself out."

Kanami racked his brains and finally came up with a good way to keep them from going to the tower to turn in the scrolls for now!

"Fūka, wait. Let's turn them in later."

"Why?"

"We still have plenty of time. I'll give you a little heads-up about the final exam."

"The final test is an individual match, a one-on-one. Watching how they fight here is a great chance to build up combat experience."

Fūka and Yuzuki looked at each other, then fell into thought.

Honestly, if the final test really was one-on-one, Yuzuki felt that watching from the sidelines was even more meaningless.

Because she knew her chances of winning a one-on-one fight were extremely low.

"I'm fine with anything."

After stating her position, Yuzuki looked at Fūka and let her decide whether they would stay or go.

Fūka was much more capable than Yuzuki. In a real one-on-one, as long as she did not encounter anyone famous, she would still have a very good chance of winning.

After hesitating for a moment, she nodded.

"Then let's hide and watch."

Seeing that Fūka had agreed to stay as well, Kanami was delighted.

This brought him another step closer to accomplishing his purpose here.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru and the three members of Team 7 were already locked in a heated battle before them.

No, that was not quite right. He was fighting only two members of Team 7.

Pink-haired Sakura merely stood in the back, worriedly calling Naruto's name one moment and Sasuke's the next.

When Fūka and Yuzuki saw Sakura's behavior, they immediately thought of themselves.

Wasn't that exactly like the two of them?

The two could not help but blush.

The battle ahead had already reached a stalemate.

"Wait," Sasuke said with a grim face as he pulled a scroll from his backpack. "If you want the scroll, take it."

Naruto and Sakura were immediately confused by Sasuke's actions.

Naruto loudly demanded, "You're giving the scroll to the enemy? What are you doing?!"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then casually tossed the scroll toward Orochimaru.

As the scroll flew through the air, Naruto gritted his teeth, leaped up, and intercepted it midair.

Sasuke said with a grim face, "Naruto, don't get in the way—"

Bang!

Naruto sent Sasuke flying with a punch.

With a dark expression, he muttered, "You really are a fake, aren't you?"

Sasuke wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Idiot! What are you talking about? I'm the real one!"

"The real Sasuke isn't a cowardly wimp like you! Do you think handing over the scroll means she'll spare us?"

Orochimaru, who had been quietly watching them argue, slowly rose to his feet. The corners of his lips curled upward as he looked at them with amusement.

"Naruto, congratulations. You got the answer right."

"As for the scroll, I can just take it after I kill you."

"Damn it!"

Naruto roared and charged at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru pulled up his sleeve, bit his finger, and drew a bloody line across his arm.

He calmly formed hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu."

A massive brown snake appeared beneath his feet in an instant, sweeping Naruto away with a flick of its tail.

Fūka, watching from the side, widened her eyes.

"What a huge snake! How can there be such a disgusting summoned beast?"

Kanami glanced at Fūka from the corner of his eye.

This was disgusting?

If she saw a toad summon, would she not throw up even yesterday's meal?

After sending Naruto flying, Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue and controlled the giant snake beneath him as it charged toward Sasuke.

Sasuke was still immersed in the fear of being unable to win. His entire body trembled, and he could not react.

Just as the giant snake was about to slam into Sasuke, Naruto, having collected the Nine-Tails' rent, got there first and stood in front of Sasuke.

With his back against the giant snake, he viciously drove a Kunai through its massive mouth.

Then he slowly raised his head and flashed Sasuke a grin.

"Yo, you're not hurt, right? Scaredy-cat."