Surging branches, like a tidal wave breaking through a dam, came crashing in, causing the very earth to wail and tremble without end!
Amidst the sea of trees, a towering purple skeleton giant stood unyielding, roaring as it tore through the roots and branches, like a reef standing firm against the crashing waves!
By the side of the purple skeleton giant, the roar of the Rasengan thundered ceaselessly!
Each explosion unleashed a shockwave, sending shards of splintered wood dancing through the air, momentarily halting the relentless advance of the tree sea!
On the other side.
The spinning cyclone of the Rotation, the howling of the Eight Gates Release, and an array of dazzling, named and unnamed shinobi tools turned the battlefield into a vision of hell itself!
At the heart of the battlefield, Mizuen, who had previously exuded the calm confidence of a Jonin, now trembled like a frightened quail.
"What kind of monsters are these?!"
He wailed in his heart.
If given another chance, he would never tangle with these Hidden Leaf brats. He would have fled to the Land of Hot Springs to lay low, like the other rogue shinobi.
Sharing the same thoughts as Mizuen were Shikamaru and the others.
Back at the Shinobi Academy, those geniuses had always held back during their spars. But now, in a foreign land, their competitive spirit seemed to ignite all at once, escalating the battle to a scale so grand that Shikamaru and his group could only huddle together, barely finding a place to stand.
Ino asked, "Shikamaru, what do we do now?"
Shikamaru, with a helpless expression, replied, "We wait!"
In a battle of this magnitude, there was nothing they could do but quietly wait for the chaos to end. Fortunately, Yakumo and the others had steered clear of their position, sparing them from the brunt of the conflict.
Not only Shikamaru and those at the center of the battlefield, but even the Jonin squads hiding in the distance had gathered, whispering among themselves.
Kai marveled, "These kids are the future of the village!"
"Mm!"
Kurenai nodded.
Initially, she couldn't understand why the village had poured so much effort into organizing this so-called Shinobi Academy final exam.
But witnessing the battle before her, she realized the new generation was overtaking the old. These academy students had grown, almost imperceptibly, to a level that left even a Jonin like her quietly astonished.
Asuma, standing nearby, watched the battlefield silently, his expression complex.
Kakashi had shed his usual laziness, his brow furrowed as he worried about Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan.
With such relentless exertion, he wondered if Sasuke's dojutsu could hold up.
Tsunade's expression was far more relaxed. Yakumo's performance in this exam was flawless. Even under the combined assault of Sasuke's and Neji's squads, she held her ground without losing momentum.
It was safe to say that, barring any major surprises, Yakumo's team would claim first place in this exam!
Swish.
At that moment, a shinobi from the Communications Corps landed beside them, urgently announcing, "Command Center's orders: the exam is suspended! All Jonin squads are to immediately reinforce Uchiha Shinji's team!"
With that, the Communications Corps shinobi handed Tsunade a directive personally signed by Jiraiya and informed the gathered Jonin of Shinji's team's current location.
"The exam is suspended!?"
Tsunade frowned slightly, taking Jiraiya's directive. Upon reading its contents, her expression froze, then flared with anger!
Kakashi whispered, "Lady Tsunade, what's happened?"
Noticing the crowd around them, Tsunade suppressed her anger and said vaguely, "The village just intercepted intelligence. A sizable group of shinobi plans to assassinate Uchiha Shinji during this exam!"
"What!?"
The group gasped in unison.
For Jiraiya to issue an order to suspend the exam, the scale and strength of the assassins must be formidable. Instinctively, they began to wonder which faction harbored such deep hatred for Uchiha Shinji that they'd go to such lengths to kill him!
Though reluctant, the Command Center's orders were clear. Tsunade didn't hesitate and immediately stepped forward to halt the distant battle.
"The exam is suspended?"
"Why suspend it?"
"What's going on?"
Upon hearing the exam was halted, Yakumo and the others, still in the heat of battle, were utterly baffled.
To secure victory in this exam, they had poured in nearly a month of effort. Some, like Sasuke and Kimimaro, had even sustained serious injuries.
A sudden halt was unacceptable to anyone.
Kakashi, already sensing the gravity of the situation, explained to the students, "The village received credible intelligence that a group of shinobi plans to assassinate Shinji. That's why the Command Center suspended the exam and ordered us Jonin to reinforce Shinji's team to ensure their safety."
Yakumo exclaimed, "What, someone's trying to assassinate Shinji!?"
Sasuke stepped forward sharply, "Who is it?"
Neji, with a grim face, asked, "Where is Shinji's team?"
Almost simultaneously, the three team captains—who moments ago were fiercely dissatisfied with the suspension—shifted their focus entirely away from the exam upon learning of the potential attack on Shinji.
Others, like Kimimaro, Naruto, Sakura, Lee, and Tenten, also showed worried expressions.
Only Shion's expression was somewhat peculiar.
Asuma said, "You students don't need to worry about this. We Jonin will handle it. Just return to the Command Center and rest!"
Sasuke ignored Asuma, staring straight at Kakashi. "Who is it?"
Kakashi brushed it off, "We don't yet know the identity of the attackers, only that the assault team includes several Jonin and is very strong. Leave the rest to us senseis!"
Sasuke turned to Sakura. "Where's Shinji's team?"
Sakura, who had previously inquired about Shinji's team's general location, quickly answered, "Not far from here, about fifty kilometers north!"
Whoosh.
Without a single unnecessary word, Sasuke activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.
"Wait for us!"
Naruto and Sakura shouted, hurrying to follow.
Yakumo bowed to Tsunade. "Sorry, Tsunade sensei!"
With that, she too zoomed off toward the north.
Shion and Kimimaro followed without hesitation.
Neji turned to Lee and Tenten. "You two head back to the Command Center."
"What are you saying? We're not going to stand by and let them die! Especially not Shinji, Haku, and Karin!"
As Tenten spoke, she slung a scroll packed with sealed weapons and shinobi tools over her shoulder.
Lee bounced on his feet, loosening up, then said to Neji, "Neji, let's race to see who gets there first!"
Neji glanced at his teammates, nodded, and said, "Let's go!"