The Forest of Death.
Yuki Haku, accompanied by Kimimaro and Hozuki Suigetsu, acted as if they were on a picnic, showing no sign of tension.
So, what do we do now?
Kimimaro looked at Haku.
"Or should we just kill everyone we see?"
Hozuki Suigetsu flashed his signature jagged smile.
No, there's no need.
Bai gently shook her head.
We don't need to look for anyone.
"Didn't you notice who came to participate in the Chunin Exams this time? They're all just a bunch of ordinary guys. Apart from the ninjas from Kumogakure who have some strength, most of the others are just there to make up the numbers."
"Young people from all over the world are in the Academy. What we need to do is not simply flex our muscles, but rather showcase these things."
Bai Liang revealed the Scientific Ninja Tool on his wrist.
"Oh, I see."
Hozuki Suigetsu had an "I see" expression on his face.
"Besides that, there should be other tasks. Lord Yuzuru should have arrived in Konoha by now, and we need to assist him. Alternatively, we could try to attract everyone's attention in some way, whether it's through our own strength, bloodstains, or Scientific Ninja Tool."
Yuki Haku shared his guess.
How do you know so much?
Hozuki Suigetsu couldn't help but ask.
"It was the president who told me before he left, instructing me to cooperate unconditionally with Lord Yuzuru."
"Huh? Then why didn't we receive any orders?"
Hearing this, Yuki Haku looked at them.
One was taciturn and always wiping his sword—yes, that's typical of the Kaguya Clan. The other was a complete ADHD chatterbox who would liquefy and disappear into the water to play whenever he felt like it.
Both of them were somewhat abnormal, but fortunately, they were strong enough that Bai was quite confident in their abilities—and that was all that mattered.
"Perhaps it's because the two of you are bad at planning?"
Yuki Haku gave the two of them a "gentle" smile, practically screaming "You two are idiots" on her face.
Even so, the oblivious Suigetsu still didn't see it, and Kimimaro was completely baffled.
"I see. Hmm, I'll leave this brain-taxing task to you. By the way, I smell river water, shall we go check it out?"
Hearing this, Yuki Haku didn't speak, but just looked at him, her tone even more "gentle": "If you dare to go into the water before we've finished resupplying, I'll freeze you in the river!"
"Uh, okay, I understand."
Feeling the chill emanating from the gentle-faced Shiro, Hozuki Suigetsu silently swallowed, not daring to utter a single word.
Liquefaction is very powerful; normally, its only counter is Lightning Release, because Ice Release is generally uncommon.
But the Yuki Haku in front of him. He truly possessed Ice Release, and Suigetsu's skills were completely useless against him.
If Bai slightly lowered the temperature, Suigetsu could take any shape he wanted; it was practically a giant, malleable Fiji Cup.
As for Kimimaro, he had nothing more to say.
Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse) is not weak, after all, it is inherited from the Ōtsutsuki clan, but it is still not comparable to the true Ōtsutsuki Battle Body. The hardness of their bones is harder than ordinary steel. But the problem is that Yuki Haku's ice is even harder, easily creating ice more than a meter thick at minus eighty degrees Celsius.
Kimimaro is like a machine gun, unleashing endless Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets. The damage he inflicts on the ice wall is less than the ice wall's repair speed.
Soon, the three arrived at a river, tested the water quality, and then rested there. A day passed just like that.
Are we just going to wait like this?
Finally, Kimimaro couldn't help but ask.
"Let's rest for the night. All the teams are heading towards the tower now. We'll set off tomorrow morning. We should run into other teams along the way; we can just steal their scrolls while we're at it."
"All right."
Without saying anything more, the two rested by the fire.
Why two people? Because Suigetsu dissolves in water and rests in it, which is considered a peculiar habit.
The next day, after the three had rested, they began to move quickly toward the building on the other side of the Forest of Death.
About half a day later, the three of them stopped walking at the same time.
After exchanging a glance, they continued walking forward.
Suddenly, several Kunai the air, accompanied by a nasty, sinister laugh.
"We've caught our prey."
Fire Style: Fireball Technique!
The three of them were not surprised at all by the traps that had been set up all around Yuki Haku.
Bai simply sighed softly, and instantly, ice walls appeared around the three of them, blocking all attacks.
The falling rocks overhead were also pierced directly by the ice spikes that suddenly burst from the ground, and the Explosive Tag on them immediately detonated, but only shattered the tops of the ice spikes, scattering ice shards in all directions.
The fierce attack lasted only a few dozen seconds. Just when the three who had set the trap thought the battle was over, an impregnable igloo appeared in the center of the trap. The three who had stepped into the trap were inside the igloo, and one of them was waving to them.
"Oh no! Run!"
Without exchanging a single word, the three prepared to retreat.
"Bang!"
Kimimaro and Suigetsu kicked through an ice wall and suddenly appeared in front of them, wielding Ninja Blade.
"Since you're already here, don't leave."
"Your village's hospitality isn't very friendly, but it's alright, I'm the same."
Without further ado, the three bodies were separated.
Kimimaro took their ninja tool pouches and retrieved their scrolls.
"It is the Earth Scroll."
"Just like us, what a pity."
Hozuki Suigetsu was a bit of a disappointment.
"Keep going, there will be plenty of opportunities along the way."
After the ice thawed, Bai looked at the two of them and said.
"That's true."
After discarding their belongings, the three continued their journey quickly.
Not long after, they encountered a new team.
"They are... Cloud Ninja?"
Upon seeing their ninja Forehead Protector, Haku immediately recognized them.
" Mist Ninja?"
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
"Killing them should allow us to obtain the scroll."
Suigetsu looked at the three people opposite her who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, and couldn't help but rub her hands together.
"Yes, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they have collected all the scrolls."
Bai nodded slightly, indicating her approval.
"Then let's not waste any more words."
Suigetsu picked up the Hiramekarei and pointed it at the three people opposite her. "Come at me all at once."
"You wretched bastard, don't look down on me!"
Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!
The three activated their Lightning Armor simultaneously, with lightning constantly flashing across their bodies.
" Lightning Release, huh? That's a bit tricky, but..."
I'll help you!
Kimimaro, who could no longer contain himself, charged forward with his sword drawn.
"Hey, you bastard!"
Seeing this, Suigetsu quickly followed.
Bai Jingjing watched them quietly, without doing anything.
" Mist Ninja! Wait a minute, this is... the Shikotsumyaku? It's the Kaguya Clan!"
With the help of the Lightning Armor, one of the Cloud Ninja, during a close-quarters battle with Kimimaro, discovered a finger bone that suddenly shot out from Kimimaro's fingertip, but unfortunately it was too late, and he could only watch helplessly as the finger bone struck his own heart.
"You guessed correctly, and I'll reward you with a complete corpse!"