"Hey, Su, what did you do to them!?" At this moment, Deidara, Su, and Chūnko Takashita were rapidly leaping through the forest. Deidara couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked Su.
"Nothing, I just put a suggestion seal on Gaara. At the same time, I sealed a portion of my dōjutsu power in his eyes. As for the others, I merely erased the memories of that period from their minds. We cannot be exposed yet," Su said faintly.
"Was that guy named Gaara important enough for Lord Hokage to do that?" Chūnko Takashita asked somewhat curiously.
"Of course. Gaara's identity is no ordinary one. If we make good use of this, it can be said to be like adding wings to a tiger for our plan," Su said with a smile.
"Alright, the task '887' is done, and we have the scrolls. Now, let's go to the high tower," Su said. The other two nodded, and as they spoke, their figures disappeared into the dark, deep forest.
"Clang!!!" In the dark forest, sparks of clashing weapons flashed. Chūnko Takashita's figure moved rapidly, her movements as swift as a ghost. The short blade in her hand flashed with a sharp, dazzling cold light, displaying the speed, precision, and ruthlessness of her blade skills to their fullest extent. "Ugh!!!" Fresh blood splattered. The neck of the last Rain ninja was instantly slit by the blade's edge. His eyes, filled with unwillingness, slowly fell.
"Huff, huff." Chūnko Takashita knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, her eyes flickering as she looked at the three corpses of the Rain ninja on the ground. A trace of relief flashed in her eyes. If her reaction hadn't been quick enough, she would have been the one to fall just now. Facing the Rain ninja's sneak attack, she clearly didn't have much experience. If her reaction hadn't been quick, the one who died would have been her. Although she had carried out some missions and killed people, this was her first time facing three ninjas alone.
Su and Deidara had appeared on a large tree nearby at some point. Looking at Chūnko Takashita, who was still breathing heavily, Deidara laughed heartily: "What, Chūnko? You're so ruthless. It seems you really can't do it without my help."
"Hmph!!!" Chūnko Takashita glared fiercely at Deidara without saying anything. Su chuckled: "Well done, Chūnko. The cleanup work will be left to you. It's a good way to train and improve your combat ability and experience."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Chūnko Takashita said with some excitement. "Didn't you say not to reveal my true identity?" Su said somewhat helplessly. "Ah! Yes, I'm sorry, Jun-ichi." Chūnko Takashita said, suddenly a little flustered.
Then the three continued to advance towards the high tower. Along the way, they encountered quite a few ambushes and sneak attacks, all trying to snatch the scrolls. However, Chūnko Takashita solved all of them narrowly and dangerously. Su and Deidara did not make a move. Although the process was very dangerous, and she also suffered quite a few injuries, it was clear that her gains were equally immense, accumulating a lot of capital for her future ninja career.
The three maintained a good pace, walking and stopping, and successfully reached the high tower two days later, passing the second examination. However, upon reaching the high tower, they learned from the Konoha ninja that three groups had already arrived. They were the fourth group.
"Oh, they've got some skills, huh? It seems the other ninjas aren't as useless as I imagined, hm?" Deidara said with some excitement. After that, the three of them were led to the rooms prepared for the examinees to rest.
Over the next two days, all the examinees who successfully obtained the scrolls arrived at the high tower. The last group to arrive at the high tower was Squad 7, as well as Yakushi Kabuto. However, Squad 7's faces didn't look very good. At this moment, all the successful examinees were gathered in the central hall of the high tower, while the jonin leaders of the small teams stood on the second floor beside them. Of course, Shizune was also here at this time.
The examinees stood in several rows, in the center of the grand hall. The Third Hokage and the examiners accompanied the Third Hokage. "Is that the Third Hokage?" It was Su's first time formally meeting the Third Hokage, and he was slightly surprised. Although the old man looked short, plump, and unassuming, Su knew that this old man was not that simple. Someone who could become Hokage could not be an ordinary person.
"I am here to congratulate all examinees who have successfully passed the second examination." The Third Hokage's voice, somewhat old and deep, echoed within the hall.
Afterwards, the Third Hokage displayed his eloquent speaking skills and began a lengthy speech. "This old man is really long-winded." Deidara whispered quietly beside Su. "Although it sounds very boring, what he says is not wrong. The most fundamental relationship between nations is that friendship only arises on the premise of a balance of power." Su said calmly.
"Alright, stop nagging. Let's start quickly." The Third Hokage's words were suddenly interrupted by a rough voice. It was Gaara, who looked at the Third Hokage with a face full of impatience. "Hey, Gaara!!" Temari was startled. The other party was the Hokage of Konoha, and now was not the time to turn against Konoha. The others also looked at him in surprise.
"Idiot, this is Konoha. Talking to the Hokage like that is simply seeking death. Even if it were Hashirama, it would be the same. But the Third Hokage..." Su chuckled darkly in his heart. Then he looked at the Third Hokage. He saw no trace of displeasure on his face; he just smiled slightly and then began to explain the third examination.
Su slightly shook his head. The Third Hokage was indeed old; he no longer had the same domineering aura as in his youth. The Hokage was not only the leader of the village but also its representative. Gaara's tone and attitude towards the Hokage were essentially his tone and attitude towards Konoha. Moreover, this was happening in front of so many people from other villages.
In Su's opinion, this was a complete provocation, completely disrespecting Konoha. The Third Hokage showed no reaction at all. If Su were the Hokage, he would absolutely not let Gaara walk out of Konoha alive. This was not a matter of generosity or lack thereof,
but a matter of a village's face. The title of the world's number one village was not earned by eloquent words and magnanimity, but by fists and blood. The Third Hokage's seemingly magnanimous actions at this moment would make others see Konoha's weakness more clearly. Of course, it also didn't rule out that the Third Hokage had other ideas.
However, this was none of his business. He smiled faintly. At this moment, the Third Hokage had finished explaining the rules for the preliminary round of the third examination, which indeed provoked protests from many people, but it was useless. The examination continued. The chief examiner was indeed Gekko Hayate, who kept coughing, looking like a sickly person.
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