Preparing for the Storm

Yome and Chiyo stared at the scrolls in Daimaru's hands, bewildered.

"These don't look like fakes. Where did you get the Heaven Scrolls you gave to those Grass ninja from?"

"I made them myself. Convincing, aren't they? And there's not just 'Heaven Scrolls'; I've got quite a few 'Earth Scrolls' too."

While speaking, Daimaru pulled out a bunch of scrolls from his ninja pouch. Some were convincing replicas of 'Heaven Scrolls' and 'Earth Scrolls', while others were clearly unfinished, lacking detail and easily identifiable as fakes.

"Here, don't just stand around. Help me make some more!"

"This... Daimaru!" Chiyo looked at the scrolls with a complex expression, "Wouldn't it be better to just pass the exam without any trouble?"

Daimaru was nonchalant:

"Didn't the proctor Anko say it? As long as we follow the rules, even killing is allowed. What's a few fake 'Heaven Scrolls' and 'Earth Scrolls' going to do?"

Yome picked up one of the fake scrolls from the ground uneasily, touched the material, which was slightly rougher than the real ones, some of the ink not yet dry:

"But what's the point? A fake is still a fake; it can't be used to pass the exam, right?"

"We've already collected the real Heaven and Earth Scrolls. As for the other teams, I couldn't care less about their fate."

"But, the fake scrolls can be detected as soon as they're opened... wait, they can't be!"

Yome had a sudden realization:

"No examinee has ever seen what's inside a real scroll."

"Exactly, Yome, you're finally using your brain..."

Daimaru had more in mind than just disseminating a few fake scrolls:

"The examinees can't accurately distinguish between the real and fake scrolls. Only after opening them and handing them to the proctors will they know, but... heh heh..."

Daimaru's laugh was laced with mischief.

Chiyo's face turned a shade paler:

"If they mistakenly open a real scroll, the whole team loses their chance to pass. No one would dare take that risk..."

Even if a team suspects they have a fake 'Heaven Scroll' or 'Earth Scroll,' they can't risk opening it to check. What if it's real?

The suspicious-looking scrolls might just be real ones stained in battle or accidentally dampened.

"Are you turning the second round of the exam into a bloodbath?"

If other teams realize that there are fake Heaven and Earth Scrolls among the examinees, they can't be sure if they've qualified.

Once they reach the central tower and find out they have a counterfeit, it's too late.

An unverifiable scroll must be treated as genuine.

To avoid being duped by fakes, stronger teams will choose to defeat as many competitors as possible, increasing their chances of passing. Among many scrolls, there are bound to be a few real ones.

The majority aiming for advancement will opt to collect as many scrolls as possible.

"Not quite a bloodbath. The strongest teams will collect the real Heaven and Earth Scrolls before the fake ones are widely known, unaffected by the counterfeits. As for the less powerful, slower to react... well..."

Daimaru smiled, leaving the thought hanging.

Chiyo casually opened an unsealed scroll; it wasn't blank but pieced together with scrap paper, just for show.

"When did you start preparing so many scrolls?"

"Last night, I only made a prototype. Today, after learning what the Heaven and Earth Scrolls look like, I quickly made a couple of convincing ones. The rest... I didn't get to finish..."

"You knew these scrolls would come in handy?"

"Pretty much! But don't worry, it's not cheating..."

Daimaru reassured his teammates with a relaxed smile, signaling them not to overthink it,

"We're no longer rookies. To advance to Chunin, you have to gather some intel, right? Being a ninja is about efficiency, and in a way, about being lazy. Once a simple and effective method is verified, it's used over and over until it's played out, like today..."

Daimaru's former Jounin team leader, Satetsu, had mentioned using Heaven and Earth Scrolls in his own Chunin Exam, and Suna Jin, whom he met at the northern fortress, participated in a joint Chunin Exam hosted by the Leaf Village, also battling for scrolls, just not in the Forest of Death.

"Haven't I told you before? Every joint Chunin Exam has a similar process: a written test, a team battle for scrolls, which happens most frequently, and finally, individual matches."

Each year's exam and scrolls differ in appearance, but the content is much the same.

Sometimes Daimaru half-jokingly speculated that this year's Heaven and Earth Scrolls might be leftovers from the last exam's unused stock.

The flaws in the first and second tests were similar, and Anko's biggest mistake was telling examinees not to open the scrolls without revealing how to distinguish real from fake.

The real scrolls looked ordinary, only set with various arrays inside.

This gave Daimaru's 'knockoff' business its chance to thrive.

Just like in the first written test, the impact on the top-tier candidates was minimal, but those who couldn't pass quickly fell into the trap of the fake scrolls.

Those not strong enough were pretty much eliminated, their last glimmer of hope extinguished by Daimaru.

The slightly stronger ones wouldn't have an easy time either, fighting their way out of the final bloodbath was commendable, if not for the immediate selection of personal matches.

Yome and Chiyo shared a resigned smile and picked up the scrolls from the ground, mimicking Daimaru, starting to craft fake "Heaven Scrolls" and "Earth Scrolls."

"Don't think too much. Didn't the proctor Ibiki mention during the first test? Ninja often deal with false information on missions. Since the second test is the practical application of the first, adding a 'false information' element for the examinees is only fair, right?"

"Is this really okay?"

"Yeah! I've got it under control."

Daimaru comforted his somewhat uneasy teammates, suggesting they rest, especially Yome, who had used her eyes intensely for a long time. As dusk fell and visibility in the forest waned, her scouting ability was at its lowest.

There was no need to risk moving forward at this time.

Just genin, not as powerful as Gaara, shouldn't take risks in the treacherous primal jungle.