"Such luck, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is right here."
"Should we grab him while we can?" Kisame asked eagerly after Orochimaru had left.
Deidara quickly objected, "No, that would alert others right now."
In the matter of reviving the Ten-Tails, the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails were never the issue, as only a portion of their chakra was needed. The current challenge was the disappearance of the Five-Tails and Six-Tails; without these two Tailed Beasts, any further actions would be futile.
"Hey! You liar! What did you do to Sasuke?" After finally defeating the snake, Naruto ran over, demanding answers.
"Relax, nothing much happened. He just received a bit of brotherly love," Deidara replied to Naruto.
After watching the spectacle, everyone gradually departed, leaving Kakashi alone, clearly unsure how to face his former subordinate.
Deidara remained in the exam area, wandering around in search of Kurotsuchi and the others.
"Ah! It's so hot!"
"Feels like I'm going to die from dehydration," Suigetsu complained on the backside of a hill, carrying his large sword.
The Hōzuki Clan's bloodline limit was advantageous, but its downside was obvious—they were prone to dehydration.
This exam area wasn't the Forest of Death from the original series but rather a desolate loess region, where the primary challenge was obtaining food and water.
Thus, finding the pre-stored supplies became the top priority for each team. Of course, if you had Bear Grylls-like skills, surviving without those supplies wouldn't be an issue.
But clearly, girls like Kurotsuchi and Karin wouldn't be eating bugs.
"Shut up, Suigetsu! You're so annoying!" Karin scolded Suigetsu, who had been complaining non-stop along the way. How could there be such a talkative guy?
"Karin, can't your sensing ability find the supplies?" Suigetsu's head burst into water droplets, then slowly reformed.
"Idiot! My sensing ability is for chakra! Does food have chakra?" Karin retorted irritably.
"What should we do then?"
"Let me use Earth Release to search," Kurotsuchi suggested. "The exam lasts five days, so the supplies must be plentiful."
"It's only the first day; it shouldn't be too hard to find them."
"Earth Clone Technique!" Kurotsuchi formed two Earth Clones, each performing hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Concealment Technique!" This was a jutsu that allowed stealthy underground movement and provided environmental sensing, making it superior to Earth Swimming and Decapitation jutsus.
It was perfect for locating hidden underground supplies.
"Got it!" About ten minutes later, Kurotsuchi emerged from the ground, having found a hidden cave with enough supplies to last the three of them for a day.
"Earth Release: Earth Movement Core!" Under Kurotsuchi's control, the ground beneath them sank, leading them into the cave. Once inside, Kurotsuchi carefully sealed the cave entrance, allowing them to relax a bit.
"Water! Water!" Suigetsu exclaimed happily, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking it eagerly.
Kurotsuchi and Karin glanced at him disdainfully; teenage girls especially couldn't stand such boisterous boys.
"What now? We can't just stay in here forever, right?"
"We still need to collect map scrolls," Suigetsu said, his fighting spirit reignited after hydrating.
"We can wait until the last two days to snatch them from others," Kurotsuchi suggested.
"That's a good idea, but surely others are thinking the same," Karin added.
Kurotsuchi smiled confidently, "Don't worry, we're quite strong."
The three of them stayed in the cave, passing the time until evening when they ate some food.
The first day passed peacefully.
On the second day, they had to search for supplies again, but with Kurotsuchi's Earth Release, it wasn't much trouble. They soon found another cache in a pile of rocks on a nearby hill.
Kurotsuchi brought the supplies back to the cave, and the three of them settled in again.
But this time, something different happened.
At night, all three fell asleep, clearly lacking experience and lowering their guard due to the cave's hidden location.
In short, they didn't leave anyone on watch, nor did they set up many sensing traps or barriers, giving the attackers a chance to strike.
There were only two attackers, but from their demeanor and physique, they didn't seem like Genin exam participants; they resembled seasoned ninjas accustomed to secret missions.
The attackers quietly infiltrated using Earth Release, observing the trio before exchanging a glance and launching their attack.
"Who's there?" When the attackers got within two meters of them, an alarm trap was triggered, ringing loudly as Kurotsuchi, Suigetsu, and Karin sprang to their feet.
But being caught off guard came at a cost.
Slash!
Blood spattered!
Suigetsu's chest was slashed open, but he quickly liquefied, rendering the subsequent attacks ineffective.
Compared to Suigetsu, Kurotsuchi fared worse; her abdomen was slashed, blood gushing out.
"Who are you? You don't even have headbands?" Kurotsuchi asked, frowning as she clutched her wounded abdomen, forced to maintain a crouched stance.
The attackers remained silent, charging forward once more.
"Watch me slice you in half!" Suigetsu shouted, brandishing his large sword to intercept them. He could use his liquefaction to negate the effects of his injury, so his combat ability was largely unaffected.
"Karin, hurry and heal Kurotsuchi! I can't hold them off alone!" Suigetsu yelled, struggling against the attackers whose strength was unexpectedly at the level of elite Chūnin.
Don't underestimate them; for Genin exam candidates, their prowess was formidable. Suigetsu himself was only at this level, and fighting two at once was beyond him.
"Sigh!" Karin glanced at Kurotsuchi's severe abdominal wound, sighed anxiously, and rolled up her sleeve. "Kurotsuchi, bite me."
Kurotsuchi was puzzled. "Karin, I know some people have strange preferences, like enjoying being bitten or whatever."
"But given the dangerous situation, you should hurry and use medical ninjutsu to treat my wound. Suigetsu is in real danger now."
Karin blushed under Kurotsuchi's odd gaze and hastily explained, "That's not what I meant."
"I have a special constitution; anyone who bites me can be healed."
"The situation is urgent, so bite quickly."
"Really?" Kurotsuchi asked skeptically, taking a gentle bite on Karin's arm. Instantly, a powerful healing energy emanated from Karin's arm, and Kurotsuchi could feel her abdominal wound rapidly healing.
In about ten seconds, she stood up, fully recovered.
"Really healed?"
"If you're healed, hurry and support us!" Suigetsu shouted.
"Watch me!"
"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Spear!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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