The team moved into the woods, their chatter fading into silence as they approached the search area.
Reiji took the lead without asking. He moved methodically, eyes sharp, hands occasionally brushing the dirt or bark as if feeling for traps.
"Uh," one of the boys whispered. "You know this is just a drill, right? They're not actually trying to kill us."
Reiji crouched, inspecting a patch of disturbed soil. "That's what they want you to think."
The boy blinked. "What?"
Anko just laughed. "He's serious. He always is."
A rustle in the bushes ahead made them freeze.
Reiji's hand shot up. "Stop. Formation."
"It's probably a squirrel," the boy muttered.
Reiji ignored him, drawing a kunai. Too loud for a squirrel. Too slow for a real opponent. A plant?
Suddenly, a pair of older mock genin leapt from the trees ambushers planted by the instructors.
The other students yelped.
Reiji didn't flinch. He had been expecting something like this.
Before the genin could strike, he flung a smoke bomb at their feet, shrouding the area. He grabbed Anko's wrist and yanked her behind a tree.
"Hey!" she hissed.
"Quiet."
"Are you—"
"Quiet," he repeated.
The genin stumbled through the smoke. Reiji circled behind them, wire already looped in his fingers. In one swift movement, he snared their ankles and yanked, pulling them to the ground.
By the time they recovered, he was gone , melting back into the trees.
"Did… did he just ditch us?" one of the boys whispered.
"No," Anko said, strangely calm. "He's doing something."
Minutes later, they found the scroll hidden in a hollow stump, exactly where Reiji said it would be.
"Mission complete," he said flatly, handing it to the instructor when they returned.
The man raised an eyebrow. "You neutralized the ambush team?"
"Yes."
The instructor hummed. "Impressive."
Reiji didn't respond. He was already thinking of what came next.
This isn't enough. I need to do more. graduating early is a must.
High above, in the shadows of the observation tower, an older man watched the field through a single visible eye.
Danzo Shimura.
"This one…" he murmured to himself. "Ambitious. Cunning. Resourceful."
He tapped his cane against the railing, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Interesting."