"Ugh! Why can't we find any weak teams?" Ino swung her long blond ponytail, looking troubled.
Shikamaru frowned and sighed. "Maybe we're the weakest ones!"
Choji kept eating and nodded in agreement with Shikamaru.
"Why can't we find Shinsei? We haven't seen him since we came in! If he were here, he could just give us a scroll." Ino twirled a shuriken, looking irritated.
"He probably couldn't," Shikamaru replied. "Did you see Shinsei's teammates this time?"
Ino nodded.
"I did. I didn't recognize either of them. Damn it! That woman actually got to team up with Shinsei!"
Shikamaru recalled the pretty female ninja who had appeared beside Shinsei. She had a great figure, too, and looked much gentler than the violent girl beside him. But he certainly wouldn't say that aloud.
"You know Shinsei wasn't assigned to a team like we were, so his teammates might be from a special department."
"A special department? So Shinsei came to take the exam on some secret mission?" Ino clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking lovestruck. "I knew it! With Shinsei's strength, why would he still have to take the exam like us? That old Hokage could just promote him straight to chunin! Shinsei really is amazing!"
"But that means we can't count on Shinsei!" Shikamaru acknowledged Shinsei's strength. He also knew that not every ninja needed to take an exam to become a chunin.
Choji kept eating his snacks and nodded in agreement.
"What a drag..." Shikamaru put his hands behind his head. "There's something going on over there. Want to take a look?"
"Oh? Could it be Naruto's team? If Sasuke's there, he could help us get a mission scroll, too." Ino couldn't help imagining it.
"Hard to say. Sasuke might not be willing to help us." Shikamaru shook his head. "But if both teams have fought until they can't fight anymore, we might be able to swoop in and take advantage!"
The three headed toward the source of the noise.
Bang!
"Watch out!" Shikamaru shoved Ino aside and kicked Choji out of the way, then rolled to the ground, drew shuriken with both hands, and nervously scanned their surroundings.
"What is it?" Ino drew a shuriken. Just as she asked, she spotted a shuriken embedded in the clearing ahead.
A stack of paper covered in symbols was wrapped around the shuriken's handle.
"They're explosive tags!" Shikamaru examined them closely. "They haven't been lit."
The three watched their surroundings for a while but found no targets.
"What does this mean?" Ino asked in surprise. "Is someone giving us explosive tags?"
Shikamaru approached cautiously, checked, and found no danger.
"Who would be kind enough to give us explosive tags?" Ino asked Shikamaru in confusion. He had always been clever.
"Giving us explosive tags out of kindness without showing themselves?" Shikamaru pondered. "Probably Shinsei. Maybe he can't show himself because he's on a mission."
"Didn't you bring any explosive tags?" Ino asked.
"I did." Shikamaru tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Maybe he wants us to help the people up ahead?"
"He gave us explosive tags, so maybe there are enemies ahead, and we aren't strong enough? There are so many!" Shikamaru counted the explosive tags in his hand, roughly twenty, then turned to Ino. "Should we go?"
Hearing that Shinsei had sent them, Ino didn't think there would be any danger and hurriedly said:
"Let's go, let's go!"
"What a drag!" Shikamaru shrugged. "All right, let's take a look!"
Choji put away the snacks in his hands and nodded firmly.
Sakura took out a shuriken and gripped it.
The female ninja chuckled. "How could a trick like that work on me?"
"Ah!" Sakura raised the shuriken and swung it backward, slicing off her pink hair. The female ninja looked astonished.
I won't be so weak anymore. I won't be the weakest one on the team anymore!
Sakura rolled away from the female ninja and looked at the pink hair drifting down in the wind.
Say goodbye to the past. Stop being the one who drags everyone down, the girl who can only be protected by Sasuke and Naruto! Become a ninja who can stand on her own! Not someone who can only watch their backs!
Tears blurred Sakura's eyes, falling one after another.
For a moment, Sakura seemed to see a group walking ahead. At the very front was Shinsei, always confident and strong, followed by the cool Sasuke and cheerful Naruto. Sakura seemed to see Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, and her good friend Ino, who seemed to wave at her, urging her to catch up!
Sakura wiped away her tears, pressed her lips together, and fixed a resolute gaze on the female ninja before her.
Then come on!
"Way to go, Sakura!" Naruto couldn't help shouting. The choice just now had been unbearable: the girl he loved on one side and Sasuke on the other. He couldn't lose either of them! Sakura's successful escape from her captor let him breathe a sigh of relief.
Naruto formed hand seals.
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
Dozens of Naruto clones instantly appeared on the field. Orochimaru's ninjutsu had affected him too severely, leaving him with little chakra to use, so he could only create a few dozen.
Zaku stared at the mass of Narutos covering the field, momentarily stunned, then laughed.
"So many clones? Having more people doesn't necessarily help in a fight!"
Dozens of Narutos surrounded the two, then shouted and charged together.
Zaku raised both hands, revealing two round metal openings in his palms, and aimed them at the charging Narutos!
Bang! A tremendous blast rang out!
Violent currents of air burst from the round metal openings, blowing away the surrounding Narutos. Those closer to him had their bodies blasted apart directly, turning into clouds of smoke.
Dosu Kinuta threw a punch. One Naruto dodged sideways, then clutched his head and crumpled to the ground before dissolving into a cloud of white smoke as well.
The many Narutos showed no fear and kept charging one after another.
Dosu Kinuta raised his hand, and a piercing sound came from the metal guard on his arm.
The loud, piercing sound rang across the field. Everyone scattered involuntarily, and all the Narutos who failed to escape in time were shattered into white smoke.
Sakura charged toward the female ninja opposite her, with several Narutos following beside her.
The female ninja flung a shuriken at Sakura. Naruto blocked it with his body and burst into a cloud of smoke, and Sakura immediately thrust down with the shuriken in her hand.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Five shuriken flew from the female ninja's hand, sealing off the attack's entire range.
Thud!
Sakura's figure was replaced by a log, and the five shuriken embedded themselves in it.
The Substitution Technique? Let's see how many logs you've prepared!
The female ninja launched several more shuriken. Two Narutos moved back and forth to block them with their bodies, bursting into smoke, while the shuriken fell limply to the ground.
Sakura raised her hand and flung a shuriken at the female ninja's head.
"I told you, tricks like this... What?" The female ninja had just tilted her head to dodge the shuriken when it turned into Naruto behind her. He reached out with both hands and held her fast.
Two shuriken thrown by Sakura followed immediately, striking the female ninja.
A moment later, a shuriken was already pressed against the female ninja's throat.
"Stop!" Sakura shouted. "Or I'll kill her!"