The examinees of the two Konoha squads met in the early morning, exchanged information, and after a brief discussion, made a decision—
To unite and head towards the central tower, then set traps on the path leading to it to wait for their prey... Elsewhere, the Grass Ninja who had successfully hidden for a day unfortunately encountered Hong Juans squad. Using the same tactics as yesterday, they were easily cut down like weeds, and the Grass Ninja were sent packing.
Tamajirushi asked, "Should we burn this scroll too?"
Akamaki thought for a moment and said, "Keep it. There are seven scrolls in total for the second exam. There might be three Heaven Scrolls, or there might be four. We need to prepare for the possibility that there are only three Heaven Scrolls—meaning Shu Feng and the others have an Earth Scroll."
"Oh..."
Such "decisions" were best left to Akamaki; Tamajirushi didn't want to strain his brain over such things. Onifukuro Ra also nodded.
The three continued to cut towards the center along an involute path, being cautious all the way, but they didn't encounter any more enemies.
Shu Fengs squad was also cutting along a similar trajectory.
From a bird's-eye view, if the movement paths of the two squads were marked, one would see them moving in perfect synchronization like the twin fish of a Taiji symbol—but such behavior was destined to be futile—they wouldn't find any enemies. At this time, the two Konoha teams were already setting traps.
In the monitoring room, Inuzuka Tsume enthusiastically explained some "common sense" of the Ninja World to Ino—
"Different Villages in the Ninja World have different basic teaching contents. Take the Hidden Sand Village for example; their basic teaching is Wind Release—whether it's the manipulation of Ninja tools or anything else, it's all based on Wind Release."
"Look at the way they advance; the method they use is..."
...Ino listened intently. Only after Inuzuka Tsume finished her introduction did she ask, "But isn't the foundation for Ninja the Three Basic Jutsu?"
"Haha, of course not... It's just that the basic education in Konoha's school is the Three Basic Jutsu. The foundation of the Hidden Sand Village is Wind Release and Earth Release using sand—though Earth Release Ninja are rare there, most at most have a Sand Clone..."
"The basic education in Iwagakure teaches Earth Release Ninjutsu. Kumogakure focuses on Lightning Release and Taijutsu, while Kirigakure is mainly based on Bloodline Limit... well, their Water Release Ninjutsu is also quite famous..."
Ino: "...So it turns out only Konoha is a bit 'unprofessional'—having neither Wood nor Fire..."
Inuzuka Tsume: "..."
It seemed... to make a lot of sense.
As evening approached, the four examinee teams finally encountered each other. Shu Fengs squad and Hong Juans squad stopped near the traps... Akamaki and Shu Feng glanced at each other, and Shu Feng spoke up, "Hey, Konoha ones, come out! Your traps are far too clumsy."
The Konoha squads hiding in the shadows remained unmoved.
Inuzuka Tsume commented, "Normally, they would consider the possibility that the enemy is bluffing to draw them out. They just don't stop to think why the enemy happened to stop right outside the traps."
How could this "coincidence" be a coincidence?
But—it was undeniable that continuing to hide was necessary. The enemy had discovered the traps, but they hadn't necessarily discovered where they were hiding.
Shu Feng's shoulder armor, belt, soles, and bracers suddenly detached. A sky full of Willow Leaf, guided by Chakra Threads, formed a chaotic yet orderly torrent that pierced into the traps in an instant.
Snap, snap, snap... The fine Steel wires were cut by the Willow Leaf, the Bear traps on the ground sprang up, and three Explosive Tags were detonated in an instant.
"Go!"
The Willow Leaf suddenly darted through a bush, and two splatters of blood flew out. The teammates followed up immediately, a fishing net was cast over them and tightened, and a female Ninja was caught. The female Ninja gritted her teeth and glared at them.
Akamaki took out a Kunai and pressed it against the female Ninja's neck—
"Now, hand over your scroll. Otherwise, I'll kill her!"
Ninja who had survived in the desert since childhood were a few degrees more ruthless than the Konoha Genin. That ordinary tone contained a coldness that left no doubt—if they didn't agree, he would certainly do it.
The Kunai pressed into her skin with a sense of oppression, only a blood vessel wall's thickness away from the artery. Crimson blood flowed from the blade of the Kunai.
"Wait... I can give you the scroll, but you must let her go—"
"Fine."
"You guys back off first. I'll put the scroll on the ground. Once I put it down, you release her..."
The female Ninja's teammate had no choice but to put down the scroll—this was just an exam, and he couldn't watch his teammate die.
"A-Tai!"
The girl shouted, the blood on her neck flowing slowly, and because of her loud shouting, it flowed a bit faster.
"You, back off!"
Akamaki signaled Onifukuro Ra to get the scroll and pushed the girl away. Then, the two Hidden Sand squads cut straight through without looking back... The second exam ended in such a somewhat abrupt manner:
Only 37 hours had passed.
Shu Fengs squad and Hong Juans squad, the two Hidden Sand squads, completed this stage of the exam with lightning speed.
Inuzuka Tsume appeared at the central tower with Kuro Maru and congratulated the six Genin from the Hidden Sand Village—though she was really unhappy in her heart.
"Congratulations, you have successfully passed the second exam. Next, the third exam will take place in one month..."
"The third exam will be individual combat. The participants include the six of you, plus two others who were revived through the Revival Round, for a total of eight people..."
"The eight people will compete through three rounds: quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final to determine the winner. Every aspect of your performance will be recorded and become an important factor in evaluating whether you can be promoted to Chunin... Alright, for the next month, work hard..."
..."The Hidden Sand are not coming with good intentions... To think that both squads would advance..." Hiruzen Sarutobi had a face full of worry. Konoha didn't have a single one left, which made him very unhappy.
But what could he do about it? He even had to call Danzo over to tighten the strings in his old partner's heart.
"Danzo, you should also be clear about the significance of the Chunin Exams. Within the territory of the Land of Fire, there must not be any accidents, understand? Put away those thoughts in your heart—don't have thoughts you shouldn't have, and don't make moves you shouldn't make."
"I'm not an idiot—Hiruzen." Danzo stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said word by word, "You underestimate me too much!"
"I'm just reminding you!"
"Hmph!"
In the first-floor hall of the school's general building. Inuzuka Tsume appeared on the second floor with a Body Flicker Technique and looked down from the railing.
The fifteen people from the five squads eliminated in the second exam stood in the center. In the vast space, there were only fifteen people, looking particularly desolate.
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