Chapter 301: Eyes in the Dark
"Uncle Sawada, if we all get promoted to Chunin this time, will we be qualified to take A Rank missions?" Obito asked curiously.
The ninja escorting them to their assigned entrance was Sawada Kazuya, someone Obito often saw at the mission hall.
"No, but you'll be able to accept B Rank missions freely," Sawada replied. "A Rank missions depend on Jonin Minato's decision. He's the one with the authority to take them."
"Minato sensei is part of our squad though, so his authority is our squad's authority, right?" Obito sounded genuinely confused.
"Once you become Chunin, things change." Sawada kept his tone patient. "You won't need Jonin Minato to take missions with you. And during wartime, Jonin carry heavier responsibilities. If he gets assigned elsewhere, you'll have to lead missions on your own."
The rank system was simple, just Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. A Chunin was already qualified to command a team.
With that, Sawada led them to Entrance Number 44.
Because other villages were participating, the number of examinees was huge. Konoha had twenty seven teams, while the other villages combined brought seventeen.
At the gate, Sawada didn't open it immediately. He checked his watch. It was 2 PM, still half an hour before the stage began.
He told them the start time, then shut his eyes to rest while waiting.
"Since we can't enter yet, let's talk about how we'll run this exam," Kakashi said after a moment of thought.
"What's there to talk about?" Obito shrugged. "We find a team, take their scroll, then rush to the central tower. Easy."
"How do we find them?" Kakashi asked calmly. "Do we wander around and rely on luck? Do we head near the central tower and wait for prey? Or do we make a commotion to draw people in?"
Their goal was the same, grab a matching scroll and reach the tower, but the execution mattered.
"Kakashi seems really reliable for this kind of planning," Rin said softly, smiling.
Obito stayed quiet, trying to absorb every word. He'd decided he was going to become a ninja with actual strategies too.
With Rin supporting him and Obito not objecting, Kakashi laid out his plan.
"On the first day, we search for enemies in the surrounding area. If we collect both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, we head straight to the central tower. If we don't get them on day one, then for the next two days we move toward areas with plenty of water and food and look for other teams there."
There were no shops inside the Death Forest. Every logistical problem had to be handled by the teams themselves. Kakashi figured places with food and water would naturally draw people.
"If we still don't meet anyone after three days, we go to the area near the central tower and ambush teams that already have both scrolls."
He paused, then added, "If you don't have other ideas, we'll follow this plan."
Rin nodded immediately. Obito stayed silent, and Kakashi took that as agreement.
"You can go in now. Come over," Sawada said the moment it hit 2:30 PM. He pulled out the key, unlocked the iron gate, and called them forward.
"Uncle Sawada, when the exam is over, pick a good A Rank mission for us!" Obito laughed and waved as he stepped into the Death Forest.
"First, pass the exam." Sawada locked the gate behind them. "And be careful of those Mist shinobi. This Chunin Exam is dangerous."
He wasn't worried about Obito's team facing smaller villages. Konoha teams usually didn't fight to the death against each other. The real threat was Kirigakure, a major village with shinobi known for ruthless methods.
Inside the forest, the three moved the way Kakashi had arranged.
Kakashi and Obito took the front flanks, while Rin stayed two steps behind, centered between them. They ran fast, scanning for other teams.
The Death Forest was twenty kilometers across. For a hundred ordinary people, that would be enormous. For shinobi, it was not.
After about an hour, they ran into their first team.
"Hand over your scroll," said the tall, thin Konoha genin at the front. "Since we're fellow Leaf shinobi, we won't fight you. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your two teammates won't get seriously hurt."
His eyes flicked to Kakashi. "I know you, Kakashi. You're much stronger than me. But even you might not win consistently in a one on three. It's better to save your strength and grab scrolls from smaller village teams."
He was four grades older than Kakashi, but Kakashi had graduated early without even reaching his third semester. In practice, this guy had finished school after Kakashi. He knew Kakashi was a genius whose strength couldn't be judged by age.
Still, he believed their combined experience would overwhelm him. Four extra years each meant twelve years of training advantage.
As for Obito and Rin, he barely spared them a look, treating them as rookies fresh out of graduation.
"Hey, why are you talking like Kakashi's the only one strong here?" Obito snapped. "I'm stronger than him, okay?"
He was irritated. Three people weren't confident against Kakashi, yet they were acting like they could crush him, when Obito had beaten Kakashi one on one.
"Who are you?" the tall genin asked, signaling his teammates with a slight gesture.
The other two spread out smoothly, forming a triangle to box them in and prevent a sudden escape.
"Uchiha Obito!" Obito declared, chin lifted.
"Never heard of you." The tall genin shook his head.
Obito's fists clenched hard.
"You should be the ones handing over your scroll," Kakashi said, shifting his breathing and entering Thunder Breathing. "This guy's individual combat power really isn't inferior to mine."
The tall genin didn't believe him. He pulled a kunai from his pouch.
"Kakashi, doing this just makes it look like you're bluffing."
There was no way a loud, foolish genin could be on Kakashi's level. Impossible.
He formed a hand sign and charged Obito, while his teammates attacked on the same cue.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration!"
Obito pushed his breathing to the limit. He drew in a massive breath, pouring chakra through his body until his muscles rang with power.
Whoosh.
The moment the tall genin entered striking range, Obito vanished from his sight.
"Kakashi wasn't bluffing?" The thought flashed through the genin's head.
Bang.
Obito burst forward with Shave, reappearing behind him and slamming a full power punch into his back. The tall genin flew forward, crashing into a thick tree.
"So fast!" His eyes went wide in shock.
Bang. Bang.
Before he could even stabilize, his two teammates were launched the same way.
"Hiss…" The tall genin forced himself up, pain tearing through his body as he sucked in breath.
Damn it. We kicked a steel plate.
A chill crawled up his spine.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Obito seized the opening, flashed through his seals, and exhaled a three meter roaring fireball. Flame Breathing boosted the chakra behind it, making it dense and brutal.
The tall genin's will to fight collapsed instantly.
"We surrender! We'll give you the scroll, just stop!" he shouted.
The exam had only just started. There were plenty of chances later. Getting hurt now would ruin their entire run.
Obito angled the unfinished fireball away and let it crash harmlessly into the trees, then straightened proudly.
"I told you I'm stronger than Kakashi. Remember the name Uchiha Obito!"
"Even if you didn't say it, I'd remember it now." The tall genin sighed. He had thought this team would be easy points. Instead, none of them were ordinary.
"Here." He pulled out a white scroll marked Heaven and tossed it to Obito.
Obito's face lit up for half a second, then fell.
"It's a Heaven Scroll." He let out a long sigh. "What a waste of effort."
Duplicate scrolls didn't help. They needed one Heaven and one Earth.
Kakashi frowned. Obito's sense of caution was terrible. He'd basically just announced their scroll type.
"You already have a Heaven Scroll too?" The tall genin's eyes brightened. "Then two Heaven Scrolls are useless for you as well. Why not return it to us?"
"Two scrolls are still better than one," Kakashi said, cutting him off. "We can trade with a team holding extra Earth Scrolls later."
Even though they were Leaf shinobi, this was still the Chunin Exam. Kakashi had no intention of giving back a scroll he'd won.
"I can exchange it for information," the tall genin said quickly. "I've collected profiles on a lot of exam candidates. Even if it's not useful for this stage, it might matter in the third."
"That depends on whether your information is worth it." Kakashi didn't accept right away. For a shinobi, information could be more valuable than a weapon.
The tall genin rummaged through his pack, then tossed two small cards to Kakashi.
"Nara Shiosui. Nara clan. Skilled in Shadow Imitation. Very intelligent. Extremely calm in battle…"
"Inuzuka Midori. Inuzuka clan. Fights with ninja dogs. Rather reckless…"
Each card even had a small photo attached.
Kakashi gave him a sidelong look, curious how he'd gathered such neat profiles.
"Trading a useless Heaven Scroll for information is a good deal, right?" the tall genin pressed.
"I need to confirm accuracy first." Kakashi named two Leaf genin he'd encountered during the first stage.
If the intel was true, it was useful. If it was false, it would actively sabotage them.
The tall genin immediately found those two cards and tossed them over.
Kakashi scanned them, found no issues, and nodded.
"Deal."
Basic intel or not, trading it for an extra scroll was absolutely worth it.
"Thank you." The tall genin reclaimed the scroll with visible relief. "If we don't get promoted this time, I'll give you information for free next time."
"We won't need that," Obito said, glancing at the cards. "We're definitely getting promoted."
"Then good luck." The tall genin quickly gathered his teammates and retreated.
He didn't want to run into another team while they were still hurting. Obito's punch had been vicious.
After sorting the cards away, Obito's team continued forward, hunting for their next target.
They didn't notice the half black, half white figure watching them silently from deeper in the shadows.
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