Chapter 300: Battle for the Scroll
"That sounds pretty simple. So if that's the case, we only need to beat one team to pass, right?" Obito felt this stage was way easier than the written exam the moment he heard the rules.
"If we're lucky, yes." Kakashi nodded. "Ten kilometers isn't far for shinobi. The real core of this exam is stealing scrolls."
"Then at least half the teams will be eliminated in this stage." Rin thought through the conditions quickly. Last time, only three teams total got disqualified for cheating or low scores. Almost everyone passed the theory test.
"More than that," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "At most, one third will remain after this."
To pass, every team would attack others, but even if they won a fight, they might not get the matching scroll. If they didn't, they would have to keep hunting. Kakashi felt one third was already being generous. Some troublemakers would probably keep fighting even after they had both scrolls, which would push eliminations even higher.
"If it depends on luck, that's bad. With Kakashi around, something unexpected is guaranteed to happen," Obito said, already preparing himself for five straight victories that still got them nowhere.
Kakashi: …
"Maybe you're the unlucky one," Kakashi shot back. "We've always been on the same team, after all."
"How could I be unlucky? I'm always hoping enemies show up. If they appear, that just proves my luck is good," Obito argued, convinced Kakashi was forcing the point.
"Each team, send one representative to collect your scroll," the chunin in charge shouted.
Kakashi looked over. The scroll collection point was a small wooden house with only a front and back door, no windows at all.
"Rin, you go," Kakashi said without hesitation. "The moment you get it, seal it away. Don't show it to anyone."
He understood that the second stage had already started the second they lined up for those scrolls. If you knew whether a team had a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll, you could pick fights based on exactly what you needed.
"Obito, you and I will watch the people coming out. If anyone doesn't hide their scroll, memorize their faces and what type they got. You haven't forgotten how to tell them apart, right?"
"Mugetsu sensei literally just told me. How could I forget?" Obito felt personally insulted. "White is Heaven, dark is Earth."
Still, he knew what mattered, so he swallowed his complaint and took position opposite Kakashi, both of them watching the exit from different angles.
"Heaven Scroll, Earth Scroll, Earth Scroll…" After Kakashi observed five teams in a row, he confirmed there was no pattern. The distribution was completely random.
Other examinees noticed what Kakashi and Obito were doing, but no one made a fuss. They just quietly warned their teammates and gathered information of their own.
Some teams with special abilities went further. Hyuga genin activated their Byakugan to read what people carried. Aburame genin sent tiny insects into the wooden house to scout.
"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"
When it was Mei's turn, she blanketed the wooden house in thick fog before stepping inside.
"Our scroll is an Earth Scroll. If you've got the guts, come take it." Kurosawa raised his scroll openly the moment he received it.
His arrogance caused a ripple through the crowd. Even so, nobody declared they would snatch it. Doing that would expose their own scroll information right away.
Kisame remained unmoved. Kurosawa was not acting stupidly. Their mission here was to make a statement in Konoha's Chunin Exams.
Nine year old Zabuza was a ruthless monster who had slaughtered every classmate in his graduation batch. Thirteen year old Kurosawa had become chunin three years ago and already carried the habits of a seasoned young commander. Eleven year old Kisame possessed chakra reserves and physical strength far beyond ordinary genin. With a lineup like that, Kirigakure's higher ups were never going to let them take a normal exam quietly.
Rin returned a moment later. She immediately stuffed her scroll into her tool pouch and regrouped with Obito and Kakashi.
Kakashi led them to a quieter edge of the area before speaking in a low voice.
"We have a Heaven Scroll," Rin whispered.
"Then we need an Earth Scroll." Kakashi reviewed what he had seen. Besides Kurosawa's team, he had identified five other teams with Earth Scrolls.
He looked toward those teams again and locked their faces into memory.
While doing so, Kakashi also noticed something else. Quite a few teams were already eyeing them.
Most of those looks came from foreign shinobi, with Kirigakure making up the majority. Kakashi was not surprised. To outsiders, his team looked like the easiest prey. All of them were under ten.
"Tsk, these kids should be fresh genin, right near the entrance too," one Mist genin thought.
Shinobi rarely cared about pride in one on one fights, and they definitely did not care about bullying the weak. The usual rule was simple: hit the soft targets, avoid the hard ones.
It was not just Kakashi's team. Might Guy's team and Asuma's team were getting the same treatment.
In fact, even more eyes were on them. Some teams from Konoha itself were also sizing them up.
Kakashi had a bit of reputation in the Leaf. Some examinees here were his seniors from the Ninja School, others were genin who had taken earlier Chunin Exams alongside him. Even without knowing why Kakashi was participating again, they knew his strength well enough not to treat his team as a primary target.
"This is bad," Ebisu muttered. He adjusted his sunglasses with his middle finger, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
He had not reacted as quickly as Kakashi, but he had still protected his scroll information properly. That did not matter to the hunters, though. From what Ebisu could tell, some of those teams didn't care what scroll they had. They just wanted to steal from the weakest looking group.
Facing seniors who had been genin for three, even five years, Ebisu admitted he was sweating.
Shiranui Genma's relaxed grin faded too. The pressure was heavy.
"It's alright. Believe in your youth!" Guy said brightly, clapping both of them on the shoulders.
With that blinding smile in front of them, Ebisu felt steadier. With Guy as their pillar, pushing forward still felt possible.
Fifteen minutes after the scrolls were handed out, Mugetsu began the next part of the stage, leading all qualified teams toward their assigned entrances.
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