Witnessing his prized Wind Release being effortlessly countered, the Sunagakure ninja gripping a fan growled,
"Damn it, what kind of jutsu is that?!"
"A kekkei genkai, maybe."
"What are you panicking for? It's three against two—we have the advantage! They're just fresh academy graduates. How strong could they be?"
Yet, those three had already participated in the Chunin Exams three times since graduating.
The Sunagakure ninja in the center scoffed, tilting his head down to sneer,
"Look at the weakest one—that little brat who hasn't even grown all his hair! And he needs a girl to protect him! Hahaha!"
"Alright."
Seeing Ringo Ameyuri's stance, Yagura withdrew his weapon and nodded.
"Thanks."
A smirk curled on Ameyuri's lips as she lifted her gaze toward the three Sunagakure nin.
They were in trouble.
Sizzle!!
Before the words even fully left her mouth, a crack of thunder erupted. In an instant, Ameyuri vanished, leaving behind only a scorched, blackened ground flickering with arcs of blue lightning.
---!!
The shocking sight made the three Sunagakure nin widen their eyes in disbelief.
They hadn't even caught a glimpse of Ameyuri's movement.
Where did she go?! Where was she now?!
Reacting swiftly, the three immediately shifted their footing, forming a back-to-back triangular defense while scanning the surroundings frantically.
There was no way she could be that fast. She had to still be nearby.
Drip.
Cold sweat trickled down a Sunagakure ninja's face and dripped to the ground.
"This mist..."
Hidden in the shadows of the trees, veiled by the thick fog, Ameyuri grinned wickedly, flipping her blade in her grip before grasping the hilt once more in a reverse hold.
"Slow idiots."
The mocking taunt reached the ears of the Sunagakure nin, making them snap their heads upward in alarm.
Boom!!
With a powerful leap, Ameyuri propelled herself downward like a falling star, her twin blades spinning outward in a lethal arc, encased in crackling electricity—
"Above us!"
"She's fast! Scatter!"
"Ahhh!!"
One of them reacted a split second too late. Ameyuri had already chosen him as her first target. Moving with the precision of a whirlwind, she spun midair, her blades carving into him from head to toe in a spiraling motion.
Lightning-charged steel bit into flesh, leaving behind deep, DNA-helix-shaped wounds. The Sunagakure ninja barely had time to process what had happened before terror flooded his vacant gaze.
"S-Save..."
Before he could even finish his plea, Ameyuri had already flickered away, and blood sprayed in all directions.
"Heh! One down!"
Without pausing, she locked onto the remaining two and lunged forward once more.
The last thing the Sunagakure nin saw before their deaths was a blur of red and the serpentine dance of lightning coiling around her blades.
One was cleaved apart before he could even launch his Wind Release technique, his fan splitting alongside his body.
The other tried to flee—but escape was impossible. The hunt ended with Ameyuri's blade severing the exposed back of his neck in a seamless motion.
Blood spurted forth—
"Don't squirm too much. If you move around too much, I can't carve you up neatly."
With a few flicks of her wrist, Ameyuri rid her blades of the excess blood before kicking a corpse onto its back.
"Pathetic. What a waste of time."
Crouching down, she rifled through the last one's belongings and found the core item for this exam.
"Number 13... and on the back, Number 9."
"Idiots."
Ameyuri shot a glance at the corpses, scoffing. "Trash should just stay on the ground—like this."
Returning to Yagura and Mukumo, she planted one hand on her hip while holding up the tags in the other, flashing a toothy grin.
"Well? What do you think?"
Yagura's eyes widened at the sight of the black-and-white Number 9 tag.
"No way!"
Mukumo nodded approvingly. "Ameyuri, that was insane!"
"Of course! Those three were weaklings—weak, weak~!"
Crossing her arms, Ameyuri chuckled.
"Looks like we got lucky. So, can we just head to the lookout tower now? We might be the first ones to pass the exam! So fast!"
But it wasn't enough.
Reading the unfulfilled excitement in her bloodstained eyes, Yagura glanced at the number on her chest.
"That means we're now Number 13—the target. Should we wait for challengers, or go after Number 55?"
"What kind of question is that? We hunt!"
Mukumo had already spread his Cloud Release across the majority of the Death Forest, monitoring numerous battles.
The exam had just begun, and blood was already being spilled all across the battlefield. Their skirmish was just one of many.
Some teams were strategically targeting and defending their designated numbers, while others fought purely for revenge.
One Iwagakure team, for instance, was currently being ganged up on by squads from Konohagakure, Sunagakure, and Kusagakure. They were struggling.
After hearing Mukumo's intel, Yagura couldn't help but pity the Iwagakure team's awful social standing.
Mukumo closed his eyes momentarily, focusing his sensory technique.
"Our target has been located. They just died—it was a team from Amegakure."
"Amegakure, huh? Not much of a challenge," Yagura remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Who's got their tag now?"
"A squad from Konohagakure."
Mukumo frowned slightly, gazing in the direction of his sensing range.
"They noticed my technique and are retreating. Distance: approximately 2.3 kilometers."
Yagura made the call instantly. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's move."
They could pass the exam now if they wanted.
But that didn't mean they wanted to pass yet.
Both Yagura and Ameyuri shared the same thought—they needed more warm-up!
With that unspoken agreement, the two instantly bolted forward using Lightning Release-enhanced speed, dashing in Mukumo's indicated direction.
Mukumo lingered for a moment, watching their retreating figures, his usually gentle eyes turning sharp.
Realizing Mukumo wasn't following, the other two glanced back—only to see him dissolve into a mist.
Yagura recognized the technique instantly. "Oh, come on—he's using Cloud Body Flicker?!"
Annoyed, Yagura quickened his pace. "This guy! Thick-browed and honest-looking, but he's trying to hog all the action?!"
He wasn't worried about Mukumo's strength.
Having fought him before, Yagura could vouch that Mukumo could handle most Genin or Chunin, and if things went south, he could always escape.
But back-to-back enemy encounters where he couldn't even get a hit in? That was unbearable!
Ameyuri chuckled. She hadn't expected Mukumo, usually the most reserved of them, to pull a move like that.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Having snatched the tags from the Amegakure ninja who had ambushed them, the Konohagakure team wasted no time leaving the scene.
A female Inuzuka ninja glanced uneasily at their Hyuga teammate.
"Are you serious? The chakra above us belongs to just one person?"
"Yes."
The Hyuga ninja nodded, his Byakugan still activated.
No matter what, being under constant surveillance was bad news.
The Aburame ninja adjusted his high-collared coat. "My insects... are uneasy."
"Woof! Woof!"
The Inuzuka kunoichi patted her ninken reassuringly. "If Gukumaru says so, then it's real."
The pale-colored ninja dog whined nervously. "Woof! Woof!"
"Don't be scared, Mama's got you."
"Wait!"
The Hyuga ninja's eyes sharpened. "The chakra around us is shifting—"
A dense fog coalesced ahead.
The Aburame spread his arms, releasing a swarm of insects in preparation for battle.
The mist solidified into a human figure—
A young, sharp-featured Kirigakure ninja stood in their path.
"Apologies."
Mukumo lifted a hand, pointing at the tag on the Aburame's chest, his expression unreadable.
"Hand it over. Then you can leave."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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