The ambush beneath the tower and the eyes in the shadows

No sooner had Kabuto Yakushi left than Wu Chiwu and the others crept towards the central tower.

Gorō Satoru tightened the bandage on his arm as he walked.

The Kabuto Yakushi had left, but he knew in his heart that this was only a temporary respite.

That guy's eyes keep glancing at Sasuke; he'll be sticking to him again sooner or later.

That's so annoying.

On the bright side, however, Orochimaru is unaware that he is still alive.

If they try to recruit him into the Snake Den again, like before, that would be a huge problem.

Little Sasuke, you'll have to shoulder this sweet burden all by yourself.

This is an old tradition of the Uchiha brothers; now it's your turn to carry it forward.

Wu Chiwu no psychological burden whatsoever; he was having a wonderful idea.

"Oh, right, Mr. Bandage," Naruto suddenly said.

"What's wrong?" Wu Guanwu pulled himself out of the pile of thoughts in his mind.

He looked at Naruto, his eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

"How can you be so sure the central tower is this way?" Naruto blurted out his question.

Several battles, big and small, have taken place in this forest. Can Mr. Bandage still distinguish east from west?

Sasuke and Sakura glanced over as well, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Are they making fun of them again?

"Didn't we look at the map before?" Gojo Satoru, resting his chin on his hand, his tone flat.

His eyes held a look of utter bewilderment, as if to say, "Is that even a question?"

"A map?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, trying hard to remember.

After thinking for a long time, I finally managed to come up with some images in my mind.

"You mean that thing that was only talked about for a few minutes?"

"You can say that if you want. Anyway, according to the map, the general direction is this way." Satoru Gojo tossed a stray strand of hair and said casually.

"It really is that thing! Mr. Bandage, you really remember it!" Naruto exclaimed immediately upon hearing this.

I didn't realize Mr. Bandage had this trick up his sleeve.

Having a good memory is awesome!

Sasuke and Sakura, on the other end, looked at Wu Chiwu with a changed expression.

They had looked at the map and had a general idea of the location of the central tower.

Knowing only the general direction is not enough.

To get from the outside to the central tower, you have to overcome so many obstacles.

In some places, you can only take a detour, as the road ahead is completely impassable.

But the ground beneath their feet was incredibly flat as they walked along the way.

Not only did they not encounter any impassable roads, but they also didn't run into a single trap or danger.

How did this guy do that?

How come the path I chose was so perfectly unobstructed?

Or did he memorize the entire map and pick out the easiest route?

Is it really that amazing?

Memorizing by rote is easy; you can store it all in your brain with just one scan of the Sharingan.

However, accurately selecting the useful information from tens of thousands of pieces of data and then analyzing and processing it on the spot is no easy task.

Not to mention that the route has to be changed at any time depending on the actual situation.

The amount of calculation required is quite substantial.

In an instant, Wu Chiwu regained a lot of points from his previously steady and reliable image.

"So, does that mean we're about to pass the level?" Naruto clapped his hands, beaming with joy.

We've finally made it through!

"You're getting ahead of yourself." Wu Chiwu casually jumped up onto the tree ahead.

The closer you get to the central tower, the denser the danger becomes.

"An ambush?" Sakura asked after a moment's thought.

Where would those without the scrolls lie in ambush?

"Pretty much," Wu Chiwu said calmly.

"It's not just those without the scroll who will take action."

Those who have scrolls in their hands but are unsure of their abilities will also squat there and block the way, hoping to ensure they pass the exam.

There were also those who wanted to exchange information, and that's why they were lying in ambush there...

"In short, keep your skin taut," Wu Guanwu concluded.

Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately became highly vigilant.

It was nighttime, near the central tower.

"Alright, at least we can see the tower now." Wu Chiwu yawned, his tone relieved.

"Now we'll have to get real weapons."

It seems the exams are almost over.

If I hurry back, I should be able to catch the last of the pastry shop's discounts.

It's beautiful.

"Then let's go!" Naruto roared.

He showed no signs of pressure or burden, and excitedly raised his right arm high.

Suddenly, Naruto and the others seemed to sense something and abruptly stopped in their tracks.

"Someone's here already?" Sakura asked, her voice tinged with surprise.

"Over there." Naruto turned around and threw a Kunai behind him.

The Kunai, gleaming with a cold light, swiftly pierced the tree.

A large centipede was pierced through on the spot and stuck tightly to the tree root.

"What? It's a centipede." Naruto pouted, quite disappointed.

Wow, it's huge!

"Disgusting, so many legs." Sakura's face couldn't hide her disgust.

"You've caught a real cutie." Wu Chiwu's voice also carried a hint of disdain.

The eyes beneath the bandages remained cold and unmoving.

It's Genjutsu.

They've already stepped into the realm of Genjutsu.

However, Wu Chiwu didn't offer any warning this time; they should be able to handle opponents of this caliber on their own.

They need to practice on their own.

A very, very long time passed.

"Aren't we there yet? It feels like we've traveled so far," Sakura said, panting.

Why haven't we arrived yet?

"We've been here before," Sasuke in a cold voice.

"You've been here before?" Naruto asked back.

He looked in the direction Sasuke was looking.

Hey, isn't that the centipede we just killed?

How did you end up here?

"It's Genjutsu; we've probably fallen for it." Sasuke quickly figured it out.

Gorō Satoru listened and nodded meaningfully.

It's alright.

You figured it out so quickly.

They do have a good eye for observation.

He rested his chin on his hand, his gaze sweeping through the dense forest into its depths.

His black clothes made him blend into the night.

Wow, there are quite a few people squatting here.

Besides the Land of Rain ninjas who were planning to attack them, there was another person hiding among them.

Kabuto Yakushi.

I guess he wanted to take this opportunity to observe from the sidelines and gather some data to take back.

Gorō Satoru nodded silently to himself, putting his thoughts back.

"Damn it, where did he hide?" Naruto searched everywhere without stopping, but found nothing.

Sasuke, standing to the side, remained silent, only gripping his kunai Kunai and rolling his eyes, keeping a close watch on everything around him.

"Why haven't the enemies come out yet?" Sakura, one of the three, asked after catching her breath, her face full of confusion.

If we keep wasting time like this, we'll be wasting everything.

Gorō Satoru brushed a stray hair from his forehead and said in a relaxed tone, "Hey, naturally I want to wear you all out first."

Then he can get his hands on you little rascals without any effort.

"You talk like you're some old man, Mr. Bandage." Naruto's voice was as sharp as ever, his energy undiminished.

He turned to look at Wu Guanwu beside him, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

They look about the same age as them.

Gorō Satoru didn't respond to that, and instead looked into the distance.

It's about time.

It's time to make a move.

The first step is to use Genjutsu to steer the path off course, which will deplete your energy.

The second step will likely involve using similar tactics to continue the attrition.

It's obvious that this guy is physically weak, which is why he resorts to this method to deal with the enemy.

Wu Chiwu rested his chin on his hand and thought for a while, then he had a plan in mind.

He has accumulated a lot of experience in the art of "wearing out the opponent's stamina and turning a disadvantage into an advantage".

Therefore, he saw right through what the other person was thinking at a glance.

At the same time, countless identical and strange-looking people crawled out from the surrounding tree trunks and surrounded the four of them, killing them completely.

"What the hell?" Sakura stared at the ninjas who had suddenly appeared, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"That's way too many," Naruto added.

"Hehe..." The people on the other side let out a burst of laughter.

"What's this? Like catching a turtle in a jar!"

"Shut up!" Naruto was blown away by those words and swung his fist to smash into them.

In the blink of an eye, he did hit one.

This is way too easy!

"Well done, Naruto!" Sakura shouted from the side.

I didn't expect the enemy to be so weak.

Gorō Satoru shook his head, his eyes curving slightly beneath the bandages.

It's not that simple.

In the blink of an eye Naruto found himself passing directly through the ninja's body.

Unable to stop his speed, he fell headfirst to the ground, landing hard.

The ninja who was hit didn't disappear; a new ninja emerged from the pierced wound.

"What on earth is going on?" Naruto's mind was a complete mess.

Before he could even stand up, the newly emerged ninja had already pointed his Kunai at him.

Not far away, on a tree branch, Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and took in the scene.

This attack wasn't orchestrated by him.

I just happened to run into them.

However, this is a good opportunity to collect the data that needs to be collected.

I really don't know how they'll handle this.

Kabuto Yakushi calmly glanced at Gorō Satoru and Sasuke.

Finally, his gaze settled on the white-haired boy Wu Chiwu.

Will he intervene in this fight?