Two white-haired figures opened by killing two ninja from small nations in an instant.
Suigetsu flicked his hand. What had been a hand turned liquid in a heartbeat, and he muttered with a twitchy complaint, "Haven't used this in a while—my aim's off."
"I really didn't… mean to kill them," Suigetsu added, shaking his head.
Mangetsu cast him a flat glance. "You're still this stupid."
So those two died because Suigetsu killed them unintentionally? Living people—treated like weeds, brushed aside with a few casual words.
It made people uncomfortable.
Some genin who knew they were outmatched ran straight out of the arena and forfeited.
Kaede, staring at the two who had been shot through, spoke to the jōnin at his side. "Tell them the exam continues. Send the two bodies to Shizune for autopsy."
"Understood." The Uchiha jōnin nodded and sprinted off.
Moments later, two proctor jōnin came onto the field and carried the bodies away. Minato stepped in to take Tsunade's place and announced that the exam would continue.
Fifteen ninja remained on the field. In other words, fifteen would fight for ten slots.
From the Twelve of the Land of Gods, only Ino–Shika–Cho, Neji, Lee, Kiba, and Shino were left. Neji, Lee, Kiba, and Shino were still trapped by Haku inside mirrors forged of ice; no one knew how their fight was going.
Cautious as ever, Shikamaru pulled Ino and Choji back to watch how things developed.
Suigetsu and Mangetsu stood shoulder to shoulder. Six other ninja—each wearing the Grass Village forehead protector—watched the brothers warily.
"You don't look like you've improved much," Mangetsu said with a cold glance at Suigetsu.
Suigetsu immediately put on a wronged face, lips jutting in displeasure. "What are you talking about? I've been swinging a broken blade, cutting down anyone in my way—humans or Buddhas, I cut them all. I'm awesome."
He launched into a tirade at his brother—mostly bragging about getting stronger, accusing his brother of misjudging him, and venting years of resentment over Mangetsu's disappearance.
Disgust tugged at Mangetsu's face, but the corner of his mouth still couldn't help lifting into a faint smile.
"Who is that?" Ino asked, staring at the white hair with a hint of blue that framed Suigetsu's face.
"His name is Suigetsu. Since he was little, people called him a prodigy—'the Demon Reborn.' Physical attacks don't work on his body," Shikamaru told her.
Ino frowned. "His body can turn into water at will?"
"That's right. It's the secret technique of the Ghost Lantern clan," Shikamaru nodded.
"That's a terrifying opponent," Ino murmured, shifting her gaze to the other white-haired one, Mangetsu. "What about him?"
"Mangetsu. Supposedly the Ghost Lantern clan's genius—he can skillfully wield all seven blades of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. A frightening opponent with unknown limits," Shikamaru explained.
"Do they have any pass tokens?" Ino asked.
"They do—and not just one," Shikamaru said evenly.
Ino's eyes widened. "What? More than one?"
"Right now, Haku has one. Gaara has one. I have one. Naruto had one, but he lost the ability to fight, so his card ended up with those two who got shot—and Suigetsu just took it from them," Shikamaru went on, eyes on the brothers. "Of the ten tokens on the field, six are in their hands."
The moment his words fell, a deafening crash boomed from Haku's direction, yanking everyone's attention that way.
(End of Chapter)
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