As the Hidden Grass team vanished into the forest like a puff of smoke, the faces of the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand teams were left with nothing but astonishment!
Shion said, somewhat speechless, "They… they just ran off like that?"
Tenten, while breathing a sigh of relief, remarked, "I never would've thought Hidden Grass was hiding so many skilled shinobi!"
With the conflict resolved, the Hidden Leaf team naturally relaxed a bit.
On the Hidden Sand side, Temari didn't feel relieved by the retreat of their formidable opponent. Instead, her face darkened as she stared at Gaara, thinking, This is bad!
Though Gaara had recently become much more stable, those close to him knew he was merely suppressing his inner turmoil.
Willpower, however, is a finite resource!
The constant suppression had already left Gaara mentally and emotionally drained. If an external force disrupted this balance, it could push him back into the monstrous state that once made everyone tremble in fear!
The recent clash with Hidden Grass was undoubtedly the final straw that broke Gaara's restraint!
Whoosh!
Without warning, a massive wave of sand surged toward Yakumo and her team!
"Oh well, no choice now!" Temari, seeing this, didn't bother explaining. She swung her fan, joining the attack against Yakumo's team!
Boom!
Hearing the rumbling behind them, Ryuzetsu glanced back and said with relief, "Good thing we ran, or we'd be in big trouble right now!"
Chino, surprised, said, "I didn't expect them to start fighting each other!"
Ryuzetsu smiled and explained, "This is the Chunin Exams—alliances and enemies shift constantly. When we were there, they teamed up against us. Without us, they might not stay allied!"
Chino asked, "Where to now?"
Ryuzetsu glanced at the teammate she was carrying, confirming they were still unconscious from Kankuro's knockout mist, and whispered, "The leader has told us to stop challenging Hidden Leaf shinobi and hasn't assigned any other tasks. For now, let's focus on passing the exam!"
"Got it!" Chino nodded.
At that moment, Ryuzetsu let out a soft "huh?" and said, "Chino, look ahead!"
Chino looked and saw several bodies scattered haphazardly in the forest ahead, including two Hidden Grass shinobi.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
After landing on the ground, Ryuzetsu and Chino cautiously surveyed their surroundings. Confirming no ambush, they examined the scene.
"It's Umemu and Ogawa—they're Koshi Shinji's teammates, aren't they?" Ryuzetsu recognized the two fallen Hidden Grass shinobi at a glance.
Chino, crouching beside Kurotsuchi, waved Ryuzetsu over. "These are Hidden Stone shinobi. Ryuzetsu, come look—is this the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage you mentioned?"
Ryuzetsu approached and nodded. "Yes, that's Kurotsuchi from Hidden Stone, rumored to be one of the five elite combatants marked by Hidden Leaf!"
Chino, puzzled, asked, "Who defeated her? Could it be…"
Ryuzetsu's expression grew serious as she nodded. "I didn't see Koshi Shinji nearby, so if I'm not mistaken, it was probably him who took her down."
Chino was shocked. "He's that strong?"
Ryuzetsu's face darkened. "Damn it, I don't know who he really is. If he commits a major crime in Hidden Leaf under Hidden Grass's name, our village is in for big trouble!"
Unlike the carefree Chino, Ryuzetsu cared about Hidden Grass's reputation. During their last communication, their leader had instructed them not to act rashly, which was why they hadn't moved against Koshi Shinji yet.
Chino suddenly frowned. "She seems to be poisoned!"
Ryuzetsu inspected and found snakebite marks on Kurotsuchi's arm. "It's likely snake venom! Oh no, her heartbeat's getting weaker!"
Chino looked at Ryuzetsu. "Should we save her?"
Ryuzetsu nodded. "Yes, she's a big deal in Hidden Stone. If she dies mysteriously at Koshi Shinji's hands, we'll be in deep trouble!"
Chino immediately took out a kunai and cut open the poisoned wound on Kurotsuchi's arm.
Then, she activated her Ketsuryugan, slowly drawing the venom-tainted blood from Kurotsuchi's body. Using the dojutsu's power, she purified the blood, separating the toxins, and then returned the purified blood to Kurotsuchi's body.
"Ugh… where am I?" Moments later, Kurotsuchi woke up.
Recalling that she had passed out during the second stage of the Chunin Exams, she jolted in alarm and warily eyed Ryuzetsu and Chino nearby. "Hidden Grass!?"
Ryuzetsu quickly explained, "We saw you were poisoned and just helped detoxify you!"
Kurotsuchi glanced at her arm, noticing the treated wound and feeling her dizziness ease significantly. She believed them but didn't fully lower her guard. "Hmph, the one who ambushed me with a venomous snake was your Hidden Grass's Koshi Shinji!"
"So it was him!" Ryuzetsu and Chino exchanged a silent glance.
Seeing they bore no hostility, Kurotsuchi shook her head. "Fine, I lost. The scroll's right here—take it!" She tossed her team's scroll to Ryuzetsu.
Ryuzetsu hadn't expected saving someone would yield a scroll. Surprised, she asked, "He didn't take your scroll?"
Kurotsuchi's expression darkened. "Your village's Koshi Shinji is not right!"
Ryuzetsu couldn't exactly explain to Kurotsuchi that "Koshi Shinji" was an impostor, so she asked, "Where did he go?"
Kurotsuchi pointed in the direction Orochimaru had left.
Without further words, Ryuzetsu and Chino, carrying their unconscious teammate, hurried off in that direction.
Watching them leave, Kurotsuchi sighed softly and activated her distress flare.
Though Chino had neutralized the snake venom, her injuries were severe, and her two teammates' fates were uncertain. Despite her reluctance, she had no choice but to forfeit and call for help.
…
Boom!
With a tremor in the ground, a massive stone slab rose, blocking a Great Fireball and absorbing its flames!
Sasuke shot out from the firelight, gripping a crackling lightning spear, aiming for Jirobo behind the slab.
"Hmph!" Jirobo sneered, swiftly forming hand seals. Several stone spears shot up from the ground, piercing toward Sasuke in mid-air.
"What!?" Sasuke couldn't react in time and was impaled by the spears.
Jirobo's face lit up with glee. "Hah, taken out so easily? Some Mangekyo Uchiha you are!"
Whoosh!
At that moment, Sasuke's right hand, wielding Chidori, pierced through Jirobo's back and out his shoulder.
Jirobo turned with difficulty. "You!?"
Sasuke, standing behind him, said coolly, "One down!"