Lin Ze hid in the shadows and thought carefully for a while, and then made up his mind:
'It's a little risky, but it's worth a try.'
But the key to this plan is choosing the right place and time.
If you arrive near Tower too early, you may become the target of public criticism; if you arrive too late, you may miss the best opportunity to snatch Scroll.
'You must first find a place where you can observe the entrance of Tower without being easily discovered.'
Lin Ze recalled the Forest of Death terrain map that the instructor ANBU showed them during the training.
Tower is located in the middle of the forest, with a relatively open area around it, but there are also some trees and Rock that can be used as hiding places.
'It's best to choose a big tree that overlooks the Tower entrance.'
'In this way, I can observe people coming and going and take action quickly when necessary.'
After making the decision, Lin Ze no longer wasted time looking for Scroll, but headed directly towards Tower in the center of the forest.
Along the way, Lin Ze speed is no longer maintained, and at the same time, try to avoid contact with other people, and avoid Chakra reactions in advance.
About half an hour later, Lin Ze came near Tower.
After looking around, he chose a big tree about a hundred meters away from the entrance of Tower, climbed up quietly, and was hidden among the dense leaves.
From this position, he can clearly see the entrance of Tower, and it is not easy to be discovered.
'Okay, now we just need to wait for the fish to take the bait.' Lin Ze leaned against the tree trunk, closed his eyes and rested, while sensing the movement around him.
At this time, in the observation room inside Tower, several ANBU instructors were watching this scene through the monitoring screen.
"Hey, isn't that No. 567? Why is he outside Tower?" Instructor Leopard said in surprise.
Instructor Ying narrowed his eyes:
"It seems that he wants to ambush other candidates near Tower and directly snatch Scroll. It is a very smart approach, but it requires strength!"
Instructor Fukurou nodded and said:
"No. 567's Taijutsu is one of the best among the candidate members, but in other aspects it can only be considered average. Choosing to snatch Scroll directly instead of looking for it himself is indeed the best strategy for him, but I don't know if he can withstand it."
Time passed by minute by second, and the sound of distant fighting occasionally came from the forest, but it was unusually quiet near Tower.
"Almost half an hour has passed, and no one has come."
At this time, three hours had passed since the assessment began. Lin Ze thought to himself, "It seems that finding Scroll is much more difficult than imagined."
Just as Lin Ze was thinking, a slight sound of footsteps finally came from the distance.
He immediately held his breath and completely hid his body among the leaves, with only a pair of eyes peeking out from the gaps in the leaves to observe below.
The person who came was a ANBU candidate who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old. He was wearing a Tanuki Mask. His pace was not very fast, and he looked back from time to time, as if he was wary of someone behind him.
Taking advantage of the moment when the man turned around, Lin Ze saw clearly the number printed on his back - 369.
"He was actually the first one to arrive." Lin Ze frowned slightly.
This No. 369 had threatened ANBU when he first came to Lin Ze, speaking in a cold and arrogant tone.
At that time, Lin Ze judged that such people were either fools looking for death, or they were extremely confident in their own strength.
And anyone who can enter ANBU cannot be a fool.
Lin Ze even speculated that he was one of the fifteen people specially selected for outstanding performance in the last assessment, and his strength was most likely Special Jōnin!
No. 369 walked steadily, observing the surroundings vigilantly, holding three Scroll in his hands.
Apparently, he had collected the required three volumes of true, false, and key, and successfully cracked the cipher text.
Lin Ze quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
Although snatching Scroll from No. 369 is the fastest way, as the first one to arrive, his strength is certainly not weak, and Lin Ze is not sure of winning him.
Besides, there are still four spots left, so there is no need to take risks at this time.
"It's better to let him pass." Lin Ze decided, "It would be safer to wait until the weaker people come later to take action."
However, just when No. 369 was still fifty meters away from the entrance of Tower, he suddenly stopped and suddenly turned his head to look at the big tree where Lin Ze was hiding.
"Friends in the tree, you've been watching for so long, don't you want to come down and say hello?" No. 369 said with a sneer, with an obvious hint of provocation in his voice.
Lin Ze was shocked. He thought he had hidden it well, but he didn't expect to be discovered.
It seems that this No. 369 is indeed extraordinary, and its perceptual ability far exceeds that of the ordinary Chunin.
Now that it has been discovered, there is no point in hiding.
Lin Ze quickly scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that no one else was coming, he jumped down from the tree and landed ten meters in front of No. 369.
"No. 369, congratulations on arriving first." Lin Ze said calmly, "Please enter the tower, I won't stop you."
Lin Ze's intention is very clear: he does not want to conflict with the other party, and hopes that the other party can enter Tower in a sensible way.
However, No. 369 obviously doesn't think so.
He immediately recognized Lin Ze from his obviously shorter height and tuft of white hair, and then a sneer came from under the mask:
"Who do I think it is? It turns out to be No. 567. Why, you know that you are not strong enough, so you just want to stay here and take advantage?"
Lin Ze frowned slightly, but did not reply. He did not want to engage in a meaningless verbal dispute with the other party.
Seeing that Lin Ze didn't answer, No. 369 became even more proud:
"I heard that you were specially recruited by Lord Hokage? You are really a genius to be able to join ANBU at the age of seven. But I think you are just a well-connected person and got in through the back door, right?"
This sentence made Lin Ze's eyes turn cold.
He can tolerate others questioning his strength, but he cannot tolerate others questioning everything he has achieved through hard work.
No. 369 saw that Lin Ze still didn't speak, thinking that he was scared, so his tone became even more arrogant:
"What, you got me right? Don't you dare to say anything? I've told you a long time ago that ANBU is not a place for children to play house. If you don't have the strength, get out of here. Don't embarrass yourself here!"
At the same time, in the observation room in Tower.
"What is No. 369 doing?" Instructor Leopard asked in confusion, "He has already gathered Scroll and passed the assessment directly by entering Tower. Why do he still want to provoke No. 567?"
Instructor Ying pondered for a moment and said:
"No. 369 was the best among the last batch of alternate members, and his current strength is Special Jōnin. However, he has a shortcoming, that is, he is too conceited. It seems that he wants to take this opportunity to teach No. 567 a lesson and prove that he is the strongest."
Instructor Fukurou added:
"And he may also be worried that No. 567 will sneak up on him from behind in the end, so he chooses to provoke him head-on and force the opponent to come out for a fight. After all, No. 567 was specially recruited by Lord Hokage, and his strength should not be underestimated."
On the screen, No. 369's provocations became more and more excessive, and he even began to attack him personally.
"This No. 369 is too much." Instructor Leopard frowned and said, "You can obviously pass the assessment smoothly, but you have to create extra problems."
Instructor Ying folded his hands on his chest, with a look of interest in his eyes:
"Okay, let's see how No. 567 will respond. If he really has extraordinary potential as Lord Hokage said, this may be a good testing opportunity."