"Sir, some teams have more people, others have fewer, and some might have only one person. Wouldn't that be unfair?"
One examinee raised his hand and asked.
"Fair..." Mano Taniguchi sneered.
"Once you're on the battlefield, will the enemy care about being fair?"
At those words, everyone recalled their experiences on the battlefield and fell silent.
Then Mano Taniguchi spoke again.
"If you think it's unfair, you're welcome to form alliances. Any means are allowed. This exam judges only the results, not how you achieve them."
Hearing this, they scanned the gathering, looking for potential allies.
Only Yechen remained unmoved. With his current combat strength, he could do as he pleased here. If some fool came looking for trouble, he wouldn't mind killing them.
Yechen was no longer the person he had been six months ago. Comrades, Konoha-whatever stood in his way, he would crush it underfoot.
A few bolder teams approached Yechen during this time.
Although Yechen had a bad reputation, his strength was undeniable. Being on his team was practically a guaranteed pass.
No matter who invited him, Yechen turned them all down. He had no need for a team.
Once all the preparations were complete, the second exam officially began.
The sixty people present appeared to have split into just over thirty teams, but Yechen could tell that many teams had already formed alliances.
They intended to use their numerical advantage to seize other people's scrolls.
Once the scrolls had been distributed, Yechen tucked his Heaven Scroll into his clothes and stepped into the Forest of Death.
The moment he entered the Forest of Death, his surroundings grew incredibly dim. Towering trees crowded around him, their thick foliage letting little sunlight through.
Combined with the damp, chilly air and the occasional roar of a beast nearby, the