In the stands, the spectators watched the Ōtsutsuki duo suddenly appear in the arena without feeling the slightest tension.
"Round two?"
"Another drill?"
"Haha, it looks pretty convincing, but we're not falling for it again!"
Obito looked at Naruto. "Naruto, they're real, aren't they?"
Naruto rested his chin on one hand, his gaze somber. "Yeah, the real deal. How strange. Where exactly did things go wrong?"
Looking around through the barrier of the Sixteen Red Yang Formation, Kinshiki said, "Judging by the grounds, this must be some sort of dueling arena. Powerful chakra has gathered here, so they must be holding a tournament or something. What excellent timing..."
Momoshiki jumped down from Kinshiki's shoulder. His high-heeled boots touched the ground, and he stood straight, his calm words steeped in bone-deep arrogance and contempt. "Perfect. That saves us the trouble of running all over the place..."
Hitomi's thoughts raced. Is this a drill? No... they're talking to each other. If it were a drill, there'd be no need for that!!!
The huge Kinshiki and the dog-eared Momoshiki look exactly like the illustrations in the book. This isn't a drill. They're really here! The hypothetical scenario on the first exam has really happened, right before my eyes!!!
Even though Hitomi had answered those exam questions without hesitation, his mind went blank when the hypothetical became reality!
"What... should I do...?!"
"Hmm?" Momoshiki turned his gaze toward Hitomi. "Those horns... boy, are you a half-breed with our clan's blood?"
"!" Under that piercing gaze, Hitomi involuntarily took a step back. A sharp stone pierced the sole of his shoe and dug into his flesh. The pain brought him back to his senses!
Without hesitation, he thrust his little hand into his Ninja Tool Pouch, grabbed a ninja Flash Bomb, and smashed it against