"So, what are we going to do with these extra scrolls now?" Kabuto asked, glancing at the pile they had accumulated.
"I don't know," Kaida shrugged, "let's keep them for now and see if we can use them later."
A small roar echoed from the back of the cave as the bear, now their companion, rubbed its belly.
"Oh right! The food!" Kabuto exclaimed, quickly running back inside the cave to continue cooking the meal, as if nothing had happened moments ago.
Itachi sighed heavily. The entire purpose of this exam was to test their ability to survive in harsh environments, but instead of barely getting by, they were living more comfortably than most people outside. On the second day, Kaida and Kabuto had fashioned soft mattresses using bark, leaves, and deer skin, creating a surprisingly cozy setup. They even managed to rig some light sources to let the daylight stream into the cave and built a makeshift chimney for their fire at night.
They had built wooden chairs and a table too, and in his spare time, Kaida was even teaching the bear sign language. It was like a small family with an oversized pet. They weren't just surviving—they were thriving. The top predator of the valley had become their "friend," scaring off any other animals that might have been a threat. As for the other teams, Itachi knew they were more than overqualified for this exam. None of the two teams they had encountered so far had lasted more than two minutes in battle. It felt like playing with children.
'We might be too strong for this exam,' Itachi thought. With his low Kage-level power and rising rank among S-rank ninja, it was safe to say that hardly anyone here could truly challenge them. Still, knowing that overconfidence could lead to fatal mistakes, Itachi remained on guard, though he couldn't deny that he also wanted to enjoy the meal Kabuto was cooking.
…
Three days passed, and it was finally time to head back to the exam's starting point. As the trio prepared to leave, the bear, clearly confused, let out a small, mournful roar.
"We're going back now," Kaida explained with a big smile. "You can go back to being the king of this jungle again."
The bear shook its head and disappeared into the cave, only to return with a deer leg it had saved.
"Are you giving that to us?" Kaida asked, surprised by the gesture. The bear shook its head, holding onto the leg.
"Fine, keep it. Goodbye, big guy." Kaida patted the bear's head. But as the three of them began to walk away, the bear quietly followed behind them.
"I knew this would happen," Itachi sighed again.
"No, buddy. You have to stay here. We can't take you with us." Kaida turned and patted the bear's head again.
"Guah," the bear responded, shaking its head.
"How about this—we'll come back for you sometime, and then we'll take you with us. Okay?" Kaida offered.
Reluctantly, the bear nodded.
"Great! Till then, enjoy the comfy bed. It's super soft!" Kaida grinned.
"Guah."
With a final wave, Kaida, Itachi, and Kabuto sped away. The bear tried to follow but soon fell behind, unable to keep pace. As the distance between them grew, a final loud roar echoed through the valley, as if promising that it would wait for them.
"Are you crying?" Kabuto teased, noticing Kaida keeping his face turned away.
"What? No way! Why would I cry?" Kaida shot back, still avoiding eye contact.
"Let him be. He practically made that bear his pet. Of course, leaving it behind hurts," Itachi commented dryly.
"I am NOT crying! And I didn't lie! I'll find a way to bring him back with me one day," Kaida protested.
"You sound like a kid. Just don't do anything stupid during the exam," Itachi warned.
"I know," Kaida muttered. Despite trying to shake it off, his Sharingan-enhanced emotions made the goodbye with the bear harder than he expected. 'If saying goodbye to a friend after just three days is this hard, I don't even want to imagine what it's like to lose someone for good.'
Shaking off the thought, Kaida refocused on the journey ahead.
…
Everyone was required to return to the same building where the exam's second round had started, with all the scrolls intact. Of course, that meant there was still a chance someone could ambush them on the way. Even though Kaida, Itachi, and Kabuto knew this, they took the shortest path to the building, confident in their abilities.
As they neared their destination, the Sunagakure team appeared in the distance but quickly retreated when they realized who they'd been about to target. Soon after, the injured Amegakure team also backed down without a fight.
While they were moving, Kaida suddenly stopped.
"Wait a minute, guys. I have a fun idea," he said with a mischievous grin.
He used chakra to amplify his voice, calling out to the teams nearby. "We have an extra scroll! We're leaving it here. Anyone who wants it, come and take it!"
He tossed the scroll high into a tree, setting a trap that was obvious but irresistible. The teams watching understood what Kaida had done—he had thrown a bloody piece of meat into a pool of hungry sharks. They had no choice but to go after it.
As the other teams rushed toward the scroll, Kaida disappeared from his spot and reappeared behind the leader of the Takigakure team.
"Did you guys find any scrolls?" Kaida asked.
Shocked by his sudden appearance, the leader almost attacked, but quickly lowered his kunai.
"No," the leader replied dejectedly. "We had the same scroll location as an Iwagakure team, but they got there first."
"Then consider this an apology for taking your scroll earlier." Kaida handed him the extra scroll. "Now, get to the building before someone snatches it!"
The leader nodded and immediately ordered his team to sprint toward the building.
With Takigakure out of the way, the other teams fought desperately over the last scroll. Kaida returned to his group with a grin.
"You guys didn't mind, right?" he asked. Itachi and Kabuto both shrugged, knowing those extra scrolls were of no use to them anyway.