The proctor had yet to declare the end of the second exam.
The twelve remaining genin on the field quickly noticed this. What seemed like a clear-cut outcome suddenly became clouded with uncertainty. Each of the remaining twelve ninja began to grow wary.
"So, what exactly is going on?" Jiraiya, who still had no idea what was happening, climbed up from the ground, scratching his head in confusion. "Weren't we already declared the winners? What's going on now?"
"The victory condition for the second exam is when the number of standing participants drops below thirteen."
As Orochimaru explained this, he cast a glance at the silently brooding Tsunade. He could guess that Jiraiya was clueless about the exam rules because Tsunade had forgotten to explain them. Not that Orochimaru would ever say it aloud—he wasn't foolish enough to provoke Tsunade, who was known to lash out when her faults were exposed.
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya looked around and began counting the remaining contestants.
"There really are only twelve left, huh?"
"If you count the proctor, that makes thirteen."
A gentle voice suddenly came from behind. Jiraiya instinctively turned to look and saw Dan Katō and Might Duy walking toward them, both wearing unusually serious expressions. Dan stepped beside Tsunade, giving a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Big Brother, Lord White Fang, Lord Orochimaru, Lord Bahamut, Jiraiya."
"..."
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Jiraiya always felt looked down upon by Dan. It was as if he were ranked just slightly beneath Tsunade and Orochimaru. With a cold snort, he turned his head away, not even bothering to glance at Dan's handsome face.
In truth, Jiraiya had felt an instinctive aversion to Dan since their first meeting. Dan's consistently gentle demeanor only made Jiraiya more unsure of how to deal with him.
Also… who the hell was Bahamut?
"My goddess, are you alright?"
Might Duy flashed a dazzling smile, his pearly white teeth gleaming so brightly that Tsunade instinctively averted her eyes.
How had this guy lasted this long?
It defied logic!
Tsunade had half a mind to punch Duy square in the face, but considering the mission and the current situation, she unclenched her fist.
You can't lose face in front of outsiders. Always be graceful.
(Of course, punching Jiraiya earlier had been pure reflex.)
"Tsunade."
Hatake Sayun's voice suddenly rang out. He stood up and, gripping his sword in reverse, held it out solemnly to Tsunade.
"No matter what, this belongs to you. Please take good care of it."
"..."
Don't make it sound like you're handing over your soulmate! I'm not some sword maiden, and I don't even like using swords!
Tsunade was left speechless. Among her peers, she was one of the fastest to develop physically, already nearing 150 cm at the age of ten—taller than both Jiraiya and Orochimaru. But still shorter than the nearly 170 cm-long sword.
Holding such a long weapon was definitely eye-catching—like a petite loli wielding a giant warhammer. The contrast alone was enough to charm some people.
Too bad she didn't know how to use it. Swinging it around recklessly would only make her look clumsy. She'd rather throw it aside and use her fists.
Still, under Sayun's sincere gaze, Tsunade eventually accepted the sword. She couldn't help but worry for this genius's future—could someone who treated girls like this ever find a wife?
She was genuinely curious who he ended up having Kakashi with.
"Right now, Konoha has two teams left, Cloud has one, Rock has one, while Sand and Mist have withdrawn. The team from Iwagakure has been flying above the battlefield since the beginning, not participating in any fights. They've basically conserved all their energy." Dan calmly analyzed the current situation.
"What's the problem with that?" Jiraiya scoffed. "Anyone can see that."
"Jiraiya, no one would think you're mute if you stayed quiet," Orochimaru sighed and stepped forward. "The point is, for the exam to end, one more person has to be eliminated. So to conclude the exam, either one of the remaining four teams has to forfeit… or defeat the proctor."
Everyone's gaze turned toward Orochimaru. Being the center of attention made him slightly uncomfortable, but he continued.
"Leaving aside the near-impossible odds of genin defeating a special jōnin, the reality is that—except for Iwagakure's team—everyone else has used up quite a bit of stamina in the last battle. Even if we somehow joined forces and managed to take down the proctor, we don't know if someone might get killed in the process. This is a team-based exam. If even one person dies or withdraws, the entire team fails. No one's going to risk everything like that."
"But if we don't defeat the proctor, we'll never get down to twelve people, right?" Jiraiya still didn't get it.
Even the dog had enough at this point.
"Idiot. The exam only says that if there are more than twelve people standing, it doesn't end. It never said we had to have exactly twelve people. Ten, seven—those all work too!"
"Who are you?"
Even though he'd seen talking toads before, Jiraiya couldn't help but stare at the talking dog.
"That's my summoning beast, Bahamut," Tsunade said after a long pause.
"..."
Jiraiya couldn't shake the feeling that Dan had somehow humiliated him again.
Orochimaru clearly didn't care about Jiraiya's feelings. Even if Jiraiya heard everything, he wouldn't come up with any brilliant strategies anyway, so Orochimaru continued.
"As I said, only four teams remain: one from Kumo, one from Iwa, and two from Konoha. The fact that Konoha has double the teams than any other village… well, that's not exactly a desirable outcome for the other nations."
His tongue flicked out slightly in excitement as he spoke.
"Under these circumstances, instead of risking a fight against an unknown-strength proctor, they might try to cooperate… to eliminate one of Konoha's teams. After all, if our exhausted teams have to go up against the fresh Cloud and Rock squads, there's no guarantee we'll all come out unscathed."
At that moment, everyone—except Jiraiya—turned to look at Might Duy.
"Youth never gives up!"
Might Duy, as if fueled by their stares, clenched his fists, eyes blazing like twin suns. His spirit surged high, radiating hot-blooded determination!
(End of Chapter)
PS: Akii( ◜‿◝ )♡ is working hard to squeeze out a second chapter today. With a bit more effort, it should be doable.