The Superfluous Mikoto

The three heard Qianye Lan's voice and slowly looked up toward it.

They found three people standing before them, watching them with faint, ambiguous smiles.

Qianye Lan said, "Hand over all your scrolls. You still have three days, enough to steal another pair."

The ninja leading them said resentfully, "Why should we give them to you?"

"Why?" A smile appeared on Qianye Lan's lips at his words. He thrust out his fist and snapped a tree as thick as the mouth of a bowl.

"How about this?"

The examiner beside them raised his eyebrows slightly at Qianye Lan's display.

Seeing this, the three could not help swallowing.

One of them whispered to their leader, "How about we hand over the scrolls? With our strength, stealing another pair shouldn't be a problem."

His voice was quiet, but everyone present was a ninja, with senses far sharper than an ordinary person's.

Naturally, Qianye Lan and his two companions heard him too.

The ninja leading them glared fiercely at the one who had spoken.

He turned to the examiner and asked, "Excuse me, does what he's doing really not violate the exam rules?"

The examiner shook his head and replied, "He hasn't violated any rules. I have no authority to interfere."

Hearing this, the lead ninja turned back, instantly forcing a smile onto his previously gloomy face. "In that case, I'll hand over the scrolls."

With that, he took two scrolls from inside his clothes and placed them on the ground.

Then he bent at the waist and cautiously left.

Qianye Lan lifted the two scrolls with his Ninja Blade and handed them to the examiner. "Have we passed?"

The examiner took the scrolls and checked them, then nodded. "Everything's in order. You've passed. You can go rest in the lounge now."

And so, Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto entered the tower, feeling dazed the whole way.

Led by a staff member, the three entered the lounge.

The lounge was simple, containing only three beds and a bathroom.

Kushina complained, "After two days outside, I'm filthy all over."

With that, she went straight into the bathroom to wash up.

Qianye Lan lazily lay down on a bed and closed his eyes to rest.

Only Uchiha Mikoto seemed somewhat at a loss. She even began to wonder whether she was superfluous.

The sound of splashing water also came from the bathroom.

A quarter of an hour later, Kushina came out.

Water still dripped from her hair. She plopped straight down on Qianye Lan's bed and handed him a towel. "Help me dry my hair."

"Don't you have hands?" Qianye Lan grumbled, even as he helped dry her hair despite his complaints.

Kushina narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin, enjoying it like a kitten.

Soon, Qianye Lan had finished drying Kushina's hair.

He handed the towel to Kushina, who took it as a matter of course and went into the bathroom to wash it.

Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto asked in confusion, "Do you... do this every day?"

Qianye Lan nodded and complained, "Kushina's really lazy. Ever since I helped dry her hair once, she's made me do it every day."

Hearing Qianye Lan's words, Kushina's dissatisfied voice came from the bathroom. "Lan, what do you mean, I'm lazy? Are you so hardworking?"

From inside the bathroom, Kushina complained about Qianye Lan's usual behavior.

Qianye Lan shut his mouth and stopped arguing with her.

He got up, picked up an apple from the table, and began eating it.

While Qianye Lan and his companions rested, the three unlucky fellows they had robbed were crouching beside the tower, ready to find the next lucky victim.

One of the ninjas asked their leader, "Boss, can we really catch anyone here?"

Hearing his question, the man called Boss smacked him on the head in exasperation. "Use that pig brain of yours and think. How did they catch us?"

Realization dawned on the man, and he looked at him admiringly. "You really are the smart one, Boss."

Suddenly, Boss's eyes lit up. "Someone's coming. Get ready."

"What a pain, Minato. We robbed three teams, and they all had the same scroll."

The person called Minato comforted him. "We got it in the end, didn't we? Once we enter the tower, we can rest."

The men hiding in the shadows exchanged glances and stepped straight out.

"Hand over all your scrolls, or else..."

He rolled his neck, making it crackle.

Minato Namikaze stepped forward first and said with a sunny smile, "Everyone, is there some misunderstanding here? And is this sort of behavior allowed?"

After speaking, he glanced at the examiner.

The lead ninja sneered. "Of course the rules allow it. Cut the crap."

Still smiling, Minato Namikaze said, "I have a few extra Heaven Scrolls. How about I give those to you?"

The lead ninja flatly rejected his proposal. "Cut the crap and hand over the scrolls."

With that, he charged straight at Minato Namikaze.

Seeing this, Minato Namikaze's expression darkened too.

The two instantly clashed.

But soon, Minato Namikaze sent him flying with a kick.

Seeing that their boss was no match for him, the other two were about to go help when Minato Namikaze's two teammates blocked them.

Minato Namikaze said, "Leave quietly now, and I'll let you off."

The other two had also calmed down by then.

Their boss was stronger than either of them, yet he had been defeated in fewer than three exchanges.

If they went up against him, they would only fare worse.

Helpless, they could only support their boss and leave with their tails between their legs.

Inside the lounge.

Kushina came out of the bathroom, sat straight down beside Qianye Lan, and snatched the apple from his hand.

"Let me have a taste." With that, she began munching on the apple.

Seeing the apple snatched from his hand, Qianye Lan rolled his eyes at Kushina. "Why don't you get one yourself?"

But he could not be bothered to argue over it. He picked up another apple and began munching on it.

Three days later, they finally came out of the lounge to prepare for the next round of the exam.

Compared with the first two rounds, however, there were far fewer people this time.

Qianye Lan scanned the crowd and happened to spot Minato Namikaze's team. Even the team of unlucky fellows they had robbed had advanced.

There were also two teams he did not remember, which meant only five teams had advanced to this round.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the examiner began announcing the rules for this round.

"This round will be single elimination. Your opponents will be decided by drawing lots, but don't worry: you won't draw your teammates before the first two rounds are over."

After announcing the rules, he looked around and said, "If you have any other questions, ask them now. If there are no objections, the matches will begin."

At that moment, someone from the unlucky team spoke up. "Sir, I have a few questions."

The examiner turned his gaze toward him and nodded slightly. "Go ahead."