367 A Group of People Came in Together!
Fugaku talked for a long time here. After speaking, he looked at Aoba and the others, who were already showing signs of sleepiness, and a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes.
"What?"
"Didn't I speak vividly?"
"Why do you look like you don't like to listen?"
Fugaku said, not understanding. After he said this, his gaze swept over the faces of the three people. It seemed that he wanted to see something from their faces, but it did not work.
"Brother Fugaku, I'm afraid you misunderstand vividly..." Aoba said helplessly. He could see very obvious traces of memorizing text from Fugaku. The content he had just said was almost all memorized and had just been memorized not long ago.
"Smelly brat, I came here especially to tell you all this, and you actually scolded me!" Fugaku said with a smile.
"Brother Fugaku, is this... the content after the combination of the Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth?" Saki asked doubtfully. There was a slightly disappointed expression on her face. In her heart, she was looking forward to these two scrolls, but now, this expectation seemed to fail with the arrival of Fugaku.
"That's right! This is all the content! Are you surprised? Are you surprised?" Fugaku said with a smile. He did not know what the three people in front of him were thinking. Anyway, he was quite happy. After all, he saw that the three people had arrived at the tower at such a fast speed. This meant that all three would enter the third round of the Chunin exam. Then, there would be a possibility of becoming Chunin.
"Yes~" Saki's expression of helplessness is beyond words. This is a process from extreme anticipation to extreme disappointment. The Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth content, in fact, was like a mystery box to her when she opened it. She held great expectations. She did not know what she wanted, but it was definitely not Fugaku.
"Alright! I won't say anything else! You can now go and rest! After the Chunin Exams' second round is over, I will treat you to ramen!" Fugaku did not say the word "treat" with much difficulty. After all, he had treated them once and found that treating them was not so exaggerated.
Bang!
After Fugaku said this, an explosion rang out, and he disappeared.
At this time.
Only then did Aoba realize that the person in front of them was not Fugaku's real body but a shadow clone.
"That's it..."
Saki said with slight regret. After she finished speaking, that complicated thought appeared in her mind again, and she glanced at Aoba.
Almost in an instant.
Aoba felt Saki's gaze and knew this girl wanted to ask about Nara Shikaku's matter again.
"Let's go inside!"
Aoba immediately said. He didn't want to explain anything anymore. If you believe this kind of thing, you believe it. If you don't believe it, you don't believe it. There was no point in saying anything more. From the moment Saki suspected him, he didn't want to say anything more.
After saying that.
Aoba quickly walked toward the tower's inner side, leaving Saki and Rin with a proud and aloof back view.
"Eh..."
Saki hesitated for a moment. She really wanted to ask Aoba again. After all, the moment this question appeared in her head, it was like a fishbone stuck in her throat.
If she doesn't figure it out...
She would not calm down.
After all...
She could endure Shikaku's obstruction, but she was not willing to accept Shikaku's help in this way. This was not the way she wanted. She just wanted to win the title of Chunin through her real performance and strength, not in this way of cheating.
"Saki..."
Rin looked at Saki. She had many words in her heart, but she did not know whether to say them or not. After all, it was really difficult to say it out loud. Her thoughts were different from Saki. She did not think Aoba had gotten the answers in the way Saki thought.
But...
She was not a particularly smart person, to begin with.
She didn't know how to reason or analyze.
She had always relied on one thing.
That was intuition!
Her intuition told her that Aoba did not cheat, nor was he the one arranged by Shikaku. But she didn't have any evidence; she only had intuition.
"Let's go as well."
Saki nodded and led Rin into the tower's inner side.
Soon.
The two of them arrived on a wide floor in the tower.
This was an extremely spacious field; a stone statue was next to it, forming hand seals.
When Saki saw Aoba, he immediately followed quickly. Her lips moved slightly, and just as she was about to speak, she saw Aoba turn around.
"Saki, Rin, the first two rounds have been very enjoyable. The next third round is the individual battles. My mission is over, and the next round will be up to you," Aoba said indifferently. The meaning he expressed was the same as what he said. He could not bring two people to win the individual battle. Aoba did not explain anything because he felt that this was the best result.
"What do you mean?" Saki frowned. Aoba seemed to have revealed something but also didn't reveal anything. After listening to him, she seemed to understand something but didn't completely understand it. This feeling of not going up or down was particularly uncomfortable.
"It's literally." Aoba smiled slightly. After he finished speaking, he walked directly to the wall next to them. After that, he sat on the ground and closed his eyes to rest. It was as if he was telling Saki that this matter was over and that she should not ask anything else.
"Hey, I..."
When Saki saw Aoba's expression, she didn't know what to say. She was completely stunned.
'Damn it!'
She silently cursed in her heart.
However...
Now, she felt that the possibility of what she suspected was increasing. After all, Aoba directly looked like he was not going to explain.
She could no longer think of any other reason why he might not explain.
There was only the guilt of being unable to refute after being hit.
If she had wronged Aoba, why would he not explain? After all, he could explain it clearly with just a few words!
Saki looked at Aoba. Aoba had already closed his eyes to rest in her line of sight. He did not speak at all. With his current state, it was completely impossible to ask for any results.
In her opinion...
There was a 99% chance that Aoba had acted under Shikaku's arrangements!
This was also the reason why she felt that Aoba did not explain.
It was not that he did not want to explain.
It was because he could not explain it at all.
All of a sudden.
Saki looked at Aoba with a complicated expression. Her mood was even more complicated than what appeared in her eyes. After all, she had already regarded Aoba as a friend and a partner in her heart. She even thought that after the Chunin Exam finished, she would continue to maintain the team of three with Aoba. In the future, they will do tasks together.
No matter what was said.
Aoba was the first person to sign the consent form.
This moved her heart.
She felt that Aoba was someone who would give his life for them.
But...
It wasn't until Aoba analyzed so many things for no reason, and then they found the Scroll of Heaven in less than five minutes that she couldn't help but think back to what happened during this period.
In fact.
In the first round.
She did not suspect Aoba.
After all, at that time, Shikaku had placed them in three different examination rooms. At that time, she thought Shikaku was deliberately making things difficult for them.
Thus.
That full mark.
Even though she found it a little strange.
But she could still attribute it to luck.
But...
No matter how lucky they were.
It couldn't possibly drop two times in a row!
She didn't really believe that such a coincidence would occur in this world. One in the first round and the other in the second round. Their luck value in the two consecutive rounds made them arrive at the tower without any injuries.
Such a thing happened.
If she didn't have any doubts.
Then she didn't know how slow she would be!
Therefore.
She felt that she had to ask.
Now, Aoba's reaction made her very dissatisfied. Especially when she saw Aoba with his eyes closed, she was even more angry.
"Aoba, this is not right. I feel that even if there is some misunderstanding between us, it is still not too late to explain it now. Otherwise, we might not even be friends in the future!" Saki said coldly.
In fact.
In this matter.
There was one thing that she cared about the most.
That was...
If Aoba did not get any answers in advance and was not assigned a special mission by Shikaku, then even if they did not advance in the Chunin Exams in the end, she still recognized Aoba. After all, Aoba took the initiative to sign the consent form, which was his trust to the two.
But!
If everything was fake!
Aoba knew the answer!
These were all Shikaku's arrangements!
If everything was arranged...
Then, whether they signed the consent form was no longer important. This was because Aoba clearly knew the final result. They would not encounter any death threat at all. Naturally, they would not need this consent form. Whether they signed it or not would not have any effect.
If that was the case.
Aoba signing the consent form.
There was no way to prove that Aoba entrusted his life to them.
In that case, the conditions that she approved of Aoba would naturally be gone.
Saki's eyes quietly stared at Aoba. She only wanted an explanation; the rest was no longer that important.
"Saki, my mission is over. You have successfully reached the third round of the Chunin Exams. The following is an individual battle. There is no need for teammates, and there is no need for me. Moreover..."
Aoba said silently with his eyes closed. When he said the last sentence, his tone paused slightly.
When he spoke, he did not even open his eyes.
In fact, he did not expect that Saki would have such a reaction. However, he could use it well since there was such a reaction.
"I am not here to make friends!" Aoba said indifferently.
This sentence seemed very cold.
But it was also what he wanted.
When he was taking the Chunin Exams, his heart was somewhat rippled. It was indeed the first time he found the feeling of having a teammate in the ninja world, so he also used some strength in the exam process to help Saki and Rin come here.
But...
What he could not accept the most was doubt.
He himself is a person with a relatively insecure heart, and he will not easily open his heart to others. After coming to the ninja world, the only person he could really call a good friend was Minato.
He was also willing to be friends with these two people.
Sometimes.
There were some things.
If you have some doubts, you have to ask.
Everyone has their own secrets and some private things, so we need to leave some space for each other.
Aoba didn't ask Minato and Teuchi's secret.
Neither Minato nor Teuchi tried to get to the bottom of Aoba's matter.
So...
Aoba felt that this kind of relationship was quite comfortable.
As for this Saki in front of him, she liked to ask too much. Many things could not be explained, and it would be too awkward if he said some excuses, so there was no other way.
And this situation...
It was actually quite good!
Saki and Rin would associate all that happened in the Chunin Exams with Nara Shikaku. This way, they would not doubt his strength.
Moreover.
According to his understanding of Saki and Rin, these two girls would only doubt Shikaku in their hearts, but it was impossible for them to ask Shikaku like this.
Because of this.
When Aoba spoke, the words he said were ambiguous answers. He wouldn't directly answer the question, but Saki would fill in her answer according to what she was thinking.
It was good for Aoba.
He had completed his purpose in participating in the Chunin Exams and he would not have too much entanglement with the two of them in the future.
He was really afraid!
Saki was too good at asking.
If he continued to be in contact with her for a long time.
But if there was even the slightest thing wrong with him, it may make Saki continue to ask endlessly until she gets a satisfactory answer. Otherwise, it would be a thorn in her side, and Aoba would not be able to withstand it.
"You..."
After hearing Aoba's answer, Saki was 100% sure that Shikaku had instructed Aoba, so she laughed out of anger.
"Really!"
Saki directly ignored Aoba. She also had a temper. She took the initiative to ask Aoba several times. She felt that she had given Aoba enough face. Now that Aoba did not say anything, she was not willing to ask anymore.
All of a sudden.
The atmosphere on the first floor became awkward.
Aoba sat on the ground and closed his eyes to rest. He was too lazy to say a word. On the other hand, Saki was clearly a little angry and disappointed. She also did not speak.
Only Rin.
She looked at Aoba, then at Saki. She wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. There was no way to break this awkward silence.
It was still a little early at this time.
The participants who entered the second round of the Chunin Exams were far from the tower, and they couldn't break the atmosphere by coming here.
...
Two hours after the start of the exam.
At the Thirty-Eighth Training Ground entrance.
Two other ninjas and a group of proctors came over.
The two people walking at the front were the chief examiner of the first round, Nara Shikaku, and the one who was squeezed out of his position as chief examiner of the third round, Yamanaka Inoichi.
As their group arrived, they met up with Akimichi Choza, who was standing at the No. 1 entrance.
"Choza, it has been two hours. We can enter now," Shikaku immediately said in a low voice.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Choza froze for a moment and said.
"The fastest record for the second round was more than four hours, but at that time, the record condition was that half of the team had the Scroll of Heaven in their hands, and the other half had the Scroll of Earth in their hands. Now, in our examination, every team has the Scroll of Earth in their hands. This reduced the friction between the teams to a certain extent, which also reduced the time needed to complete the exam requirement. If a team found the Scroll of Heaven, they could immediately charge toward the tower." Shikaku explained.
"We haven't tested this time's examination system yet. I'm not sure if it is simpler or more difficult. After all, the former exam of protecting and seizing information has become searching for information. In a sense, it is somewhat similar to the content of the first round!" Inoichi said. The three of them had planned the rules of this Chunin Exams together, so they knew this very well.
"There is no other way. After all, at the beginning of this examination, only Konohagakure ninjas participated. Moreover, we are currently in the Third Ninja World War. We must also consider the matter of Chunin Exams causing casualties. Our Konohagakure ninjas can not die on the second round of the Chunin Exams. If they die, they must at least die on the battlefield!" Shikaku said helplessly. He also knew that there might be problems inside, but the changes in the examination system would inevitably reveal other problems.
"Shikaku, do you think there will be a team that will break the record?" Choza asked suspiciously.
"I don't think so. Although this year's Chunin Exams have some Iwagakure ninjas, it was still the weakest one in recent years. So I don't think there is any possibility of breaking the record, but we must go to the tower to prepare." Shikaku shook his head because he didn't see any notable team in this Chunin Exams.
"Let's hurry over. We have nothing to do here. If we go to the tower, we also have nothing to do. Why don't we go there first?" Inoichi said.
"Alright."
Choza was not a person who paid attention to others. Usually, when doing missions, he listened to Shikaku and Inoichi's arrangement. Now that the two mentioned entering the tower together, he had nothing to say.
No one was allowed to enter the second round of the Chunin Exams.
No one else was allowed to enter, and no one else was allowed to leave. However, the chief examiner and other proctors were not among them.
Therefore.
They could still enter!
"Open the gate."
Choza nodded to the ninja guarding the No. 1 entrance. After that, they rushed into the Forest of Death together.
"Choza, if I remember correctly, that thing is in the nest over here, right?" Inoichi sensed that there was no participant around, so he looked at Choza and asked.
"Yes!"
Choza immediately nodded. After that, he raised his hand and pointed at the tree branch on the left. He said, "It was put directly on the bird's nest of this tree."
"I'll go look if it's still there," Inoichi said impatiently.
Swish!
After finishing speaking, Inoichi disappeared in a flash.
In just a few leaps, he had already arrived at the bird's nest on the tree and immediately saw a scroll with the word "Heaven" written on it.
After that.
Inoichi jumps to the ground.
After landing on the ground, he shook his head at Shikaku and Choza, who looked at him curiously.
"It hasn't been taken away!"
"The Scroll of Heaven is still there!"
"It is just as we expected..."
"A team will rush toward the tower after entering the venue!"
Inoichi sighed helplessly.
"In this way, only three teams will advance."
"A total of nine people."
"It's not a problem."
"There should be no need for the Preliminary round."
Inoichi muttered silently. Since he saw that the scroll in the No. 1 entrance had not been discovered, it was also possible that the scroll in the No. 19 entrance had not been discovered.
In that case, only three Scrolls of Heaven might be found.
"Let's hurry to the tower and try our best not to meet any participants on the way. That would be awkward!"
NaraShikaku said in a low voice.
Now, he wanted to rush into the tower.
He wanted to get the current situation of the participants in this exam at the first possible moment.
"Good!"
"Alright!"
Inoichi and Choza spoke in unison. They immediately followed Shikaku and quickly ran towards the tower.
After that.
The proctors also followed behind them. They ran in the direction of the tower at an extremely fast speed.
They didn't need to do anything.
They just needed to go straight toward the tower.
And it wouldn't take so much of their time to get there quickly.
...
On the other side.
After Aoba's clone, who had transformed into Satsuma Rentaro, was created, he had already hidden himself in the Forest of Death, silently waiting for Aoba and the other two to enter the tower.
At this time.
Aoba's clone was unaware of Saki's suspicions and misunderstandings toward him.
It was still in the same when it was created.
In this situation.
Aoba's clone did not do anything at first. He just quietly waited for Aoba's team of three to enter the tower.
There was a recording in the tower.
As long as Aoba entered the tower.
Then, no matter what happened after this, they would not suspect the three of them.
This formed a perfect alibi.
Why was it perfect?
Because Aoba was really not present, his real body was indeed in the tower; all of them were done by his clone, and his real body did not do anything which directly met the conditions to stir up trouble.
Aoba's clone silently senses the chakra in the Forest of Death; he has two purposes for doing this.
One was to ensure that Aoba's team had entered the tower.
The other was to see if other teams might appear on the path that Aoba and the other two were going to take.
Gradually.
More than half an hour passed.
One hour after the start of the second round.
Aoba and the other two girls' chakra had already reached the tower's entrance. Moreover, they had a smooth journey and didn't encounter any other teams.
After Aoba and the other two went in.
The mouth of the Aoba's clone slightly curled up, revealing an evil smile. His entire body revealed a cold and gloomy feeling.
"Now is my time."
Aoba's clone immediately dashed out. He quickly rushed toward the position of the closest team to him.
His mission was very simple.
Take down the team!
It was not to take down all the teams.
It was just to take down three teams.
One was the Iwagakure ninja team.
The other was Uchiha Kaede's team.
The last was Hyuga Hanamichi's team.
Aoba was very clear about the requirements to pass the second round. Then need to get the Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth, and all team members should still be in good condition.
Among these conditions, the first one was still a bit difficult to sabotage.
Aoba could not accurately find the hidden scrolls in this Forest of Death.
Besides that, it was also possible to destroy the Scroll of Earth of these teams.
But that was far from being as easy as taking down the whole team.
There was no need to kill.
As long as he could make one of the team members lose their ability to fight, even if the team obtained the Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth, they would not be able to pass the second round.
...
Aoba's clone quickly shuttled through the forest. His speed was very fast.
In almost a few minutes.
Aoba's clone had already arrived near the team and could clearly hear their conversation.
"Where exactly is the Scroll of Heaven? There isn't even a clue. We only know that it is in the forest. What is the difference between this and finding a needle in a haystack?"
"The second round is already so abnormal. What about the third round?"
"We haven't even found the Scroll of Heaven, yet you still dare to think about the third round. Let's concentrate on passing the second round first!"
"This broken forest is too big!"
"That's right, not only did we not find the Scroll of Heaven, we didn't even see the other team!"
"In fact, we can also go to the tower's vicinity to keep watch. Maybe a team has found the Scroll of Heaven. That way, we can directly grab their Scroll of Heaven!"
"..."
The three people in this team chimed in while searching for the Scroll of Heaven in this area and discussing the follow-up plan.
Swish!
Aoba's clone directly came out of the branch not far from the three people. His gaze had already accurately landed on the three people and confirmed their identities.
It was not Iwagakure's team, nor was it Uchiha Kaede and Hyuga Hanamichi's team. It was just Konohagakure's team that had always wanted to be a passer-by.
When Aoba's clone saw this team, he had no other thoughts. He quickly left. After all, in his opinion, the ninjas in this team were not a match for Saki and Rin, so they did not need to lose their members.
Right now, he still did not know that Saki had already questioned Aoba.
All judgment.
It was based an hour ago.
That was to say.
A total of 10 teams entered the second round venue, Forest of Death. Aoba's team occupied one.
When Aoba and the two girls entered the tower.
There were nine teams left.
Iwagakure's team, Uchiha Kaede's team, and Hyuga Hanamichi's team were three teams.
After taking down these three teams...
There were only six teams left in the Forest of Death.
Of these six teams, at most, four could advance. This result was already perfectly within his expectations. There was no need for him to do anything else. Otherwise, it would be too much.
Swish!
Aoba's clone quickly left this place. He had only appeared for a short period and was not noticed by these people. It was as if he had never been here.
After Aoba's clone left, he immediately moved quickly toward the next place. His thoughts spread throughout this part, and he monitored every chakra movement.
Swish Swish Swish....
Aoba's clone continuously shuttled through the forest; his speed had already reached a terrifying level.
A few minutes later.
Aoba's clone arrived at the area where the next team was located.
Aoba's figure directly appeared on the branch. The moment he appeared, a gaze fell on him.
"Who?"
A cold voice sounded. The owner of this voice was a member of the team below.
This person was wearing a white robe.
His black hair was casually scattered behind him like a waterfall, giving off a feeling of a gentle breeze.
Not only that.
At this time.
The veins in this person's eyes and temple were bulging.
His pair of white eyes were extremely eye-catching.
Hyuga Hanamichi!
This name first appeared in the brain of Aoba's clone. This was also the person he was more worried about.
The only thing that could be confirmed at present was that the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could see chakra.
However, it was impossible to distinguish between shadow clones.
Because shadow clones were corporeal. Each shadow clon possessed chakra, so they would be the same as real ones in Byakugan's perspective.
The only problem was...
Aoba did not know if the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could see through the advanced paper clones. If such a good disguise did not work, there was no way to hide his identity.
After all, even if it was a shadow clone.
It was also Aoba's shadow clone.
No!
He had to get rid of this person first!
When Aoba's clone saw Hyuga Hanamichi, he knew what to do. After that, he quickly moved around in the forest, not allowing the Byakugan to focus on him.
The current Byakugan could be said to be observing.
Observing the surroundings from a near 359-degree angle.
It was not focused on a person to see his chakra pathways and chakra.
This was Aoba's chance.
"An enemy is coming!"
Hyuga Hanamichi's expression turned extremely grave. From his observation, what he could see was already very blurry. It was a series of extremely fast afterimages, so much so that he could not even see who the other party was.
This was the difference in physical speed.
Even if Aoba's clone did not change into anything else, the other party would still be unable to see clearly.
This was all thanks to the Chokeijugan no Jutsu(Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique) he had just used!
He even applied some lightning chakra to his body.
However, he didn't enter the lightning chakra mode. He only used this method to increase his speed.
Suddenly.
As Aoba's clone quickly ran, the paper on his body changed rapidly, from Satsuma Rentaro's original appearance to Iwagakure ninja Akainu's appearance.
The clone's appearance changed quickly.
Almost in the blink of an eye.
The change had been completed.
Aoba's clone had successfully become Iwagakure's Akainu. After that, he began to approach Hyuga Hanamichi quickly. However, he did not go straight. Instead, he quickly circled them and created a series of sonic booms.
"The other party is very fast!"
Hyuga Hanamichi said cautiously. After saying this, he slowly raised his hands and made the Eight Trigrams Palm gesture. He was already ready to meet the enemy.
As for his other two teammates, they were extremely flustered. They did not need Hyuga Hanamichi to report anything and already knew that the opponent was fast.
This was obvious without looking.
The sound of air breaking had already reached this level.
This was something they had never seen before.
Swish!
All of a sudden.
A red flash of light flashed past. It was Aoba's clone who attacked at a terrifying speed. However, Aoba's clone had already turned into Iwagakure ninja Akainu.
"Chokajugan no Jutsu(Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique)!"
Aoba's clone punched straight at Hyuga Hanamichi's chest. The speed of this punch was so fast that they could not even react.
Bang!
After the punch landed.
Aoba's clone had already left in a flash. He did not stay here any longer.
There was no need to look anymore.
He was a medical ninja.
It was very clear about his attack.
His strength was not concentrated at all. Instead, it spread out in all directions. However, it could still easily shatter the bones of the other party.
Fractured sternum!
This was something that could not be avoided!
According to his medical experience, Aoba felt that Hyuga Hanamichi only needed to lie quietly in the hospital for three months to recover perfectly, and there would be no sequelae left.
However...
This time Chunin Exams.
Don't even think about participating again!
Aoba had no way to block this team from advancing to the third round, but he could solve the people in this team.
"Hanamichi, are you okay?"
Aoba's clone could still hear the shouts of Hyuga Hanamichi's teammates, but he still maintained Akainu's appearance.
Even if the two teammates could not see clearly when he moved around them.
But when he threw that punch.
They could see his appearance clearly.
Aoba deliberately imitated Akainu's appearance and does a sneak attack so that in the end, Hyuga Hanamichi and his teammates would point their spears at this ninja called Akainu. They would not think of him at all.
"Huh?"
..
Aoba's clone frowned slightly.
At the same time, the paper on his body flew up and down, quickly changing. After all, it was no longer suitable to use Akainu's identity. What if the next person he met was the real Akainu?
But...
At this time.
He suddenly discovered an extremely strange phenomenon.
In the No. 1 entrance direction, he found a large amount of chakra pouring in, moving in groups toward the tower's direction.
"Who are they?"
Many small question marks appeared on the head of Aoba's clone. When he entered the venue, the rules were already very obvious: no one could go out, and no one could come in.
But...
Now someone came in?
And it was...
A group of people came in together!
