I calmly answered the questions as they became increasingly tricky and complex. Occasionally, amidst these especially challenging ones, there would be surprisingly simple questions like, "What is 2 + 2?" It felt as if there was something intriguing hidden there, but no... it was just basic math.
The final task turned out to be the most interesting. It included a small section of a map of the area, described with little detail. The task was straightforward: "Deliver this test to the destination point. Discussing this question is forbidden."
I read it again to make sure I understood it correctly. It seemed that I had to take this test somewhere else. Slowly and calmly, I lifted my head and started rotating it, doing a light warm-up. Under the guise of this stretch, I was assessing the situation around me. What was happening, and could it somehow affect what I planned to do?
The examiners hadn't provided any rules for this task. And if I saw this as a mission, then... I needed to complete it. Perhaps that was precisely what they were testing. Since I only had part of the map, it implied that I needed to obtain the rest. Moreover, I didn't have the destination point, which seemed quite strange. Shiko and Ayamane must have the other parts of the map.
What should I do? Should I approach them or not? If I did, what would happen next? Would Shiko or Ayamane follow me immediately, or would they hesitate, unsure of what to do next? Or perhaps they'd be afraid?
As I slowly stood up, I instantly felt everyone's eyes on me. Holding the paper in my hands, I rolled it slightly and glanced around the hall. I locked eyes with Shiko and Ayamane. They both looked back at me with slight confusion in their eyes. I gestured, signaling that it was time for us to move. Ayamane raised an eyebrow, silently asking what was going on. Shiko, too, seemed puzzled. I gestured again, urging them to stand and follow me.
At that moment, a guy from the locals stood up, and his teammates did the same. They moved quickly toward the exit, clearly not intending to submit their test papers. Shiko and Ayamane grasped the situation and promptly stood up.
We rushed after them, quickly gaining speed.
"Suzuki, did you find out anything interesting?" Ayamane asked.
"Yes," I nodded. "Have you seen your final task yet?"
"No," she replied. "I haven't reached it. What's in it?"
"What about you, Shiko?" I turned to Yamanaka. "Have you reached the final question?"
"Not yet," he responded.
"There's a map describing our mission," I explained. "We need to deliver our tests to an unknown location."
By this point, we had just run outside and were crossing a bridge. A team from the Hidden Sand was already following us, hinting that they, too, understood the task.
I signaled for us to turn aside and hide. Both girls silently nodded, accepting my instructions. We sped up on the bridge and then jumped onto one of the buildings. The Hidden Sand team was closing in, seemingly preparing to attack. I pulled out two smoke bombs and quickly activated them.
There was a pop, followed by a faint flash of heat on our backs. I glanced back briefly and saw a large cloud of gray smoke, buying us time to retreat and conceal ourselves. With one swift motion, we leapt onto a roof and took cover behind its edge, trying to stay as low as possible. Camouflage fabric quickly came into play, visually hiding us and partially masking our chakra. This last action was subtle, as materials for chakra concealment are both rare and extremely expensive.
Taking out my test, I handed it to the girls.
"Copy the answers to your questions," I suggested. "Then we'll figure out our next move."
"Alright," they agreed.
While they copied the answers, I immersed myself in light meditation, absorbing a small amount of natural energy. Here's what I sensed: we were being tracked by several jonin, maintaining their distance. If I wasn't mistaken, one of them was our captain, Hatake Kakashi, accompanied by another shinobi I didn't recognize—likely a local.
"So," I began, "do you have maps?"
"Yes," Shiko and Ayamane nodded, revealing their maps.
We spread them out on the floor, trying to piece them together like a puzzle, but nothing matched. Each of our maps was a fragment of a larger one, and none of them fit together.
"Well then," I mused. "It seems to me that to reach our destination, we need to capture other exam participants and get their maps. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Sounds logical," Ayamane agreed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we should keep all the maps with one person?"
"I think that's a good idea," Shiko agreed quickly. "That way, we can fight and capture more efficiently if all the maps are held by one person."
"Who wants to hold them?" I asked. I didn't mind who kept them.
Shiko and Ayamane exchanged glances before Shiko raised her hand.
"I can do it," she offered, sighing as if accepting a heavy responsibility.
"Alright," Ayamane nodded. "What do you say, Suzuki?"
"I don't mind," I shrugged. I tore off a part of my map and handed it to Shiko, keeping the test section in my pocket. "Let's move out. We need to find a team and obtain more maps."
It was only now that I noticed how this small hidden village had become almost deserted. Gondolas were docked at the piers, the streets were empty, and even the houses seemed unoccupied. Interesting… Was this to prevent us, the genin, from causing harm? Probably so.
I peeked out from behind our hiding spot and spotted a team from the Hidden Rain moving to the side. They were discussing their maps as they walked, trying to figure out their next steps. This was our chance to get more maps.
"Ayamane, Shiko," I called to the girls. "After them."
We leapt out from our hiding place and dashed forward. The girls knew what to do as soon as they saw our targets. A few kunai appeared in my hand, and I hurled them through the air. The unknown genin dodged at the last moment… but not completely. One of my kunai grazed his leg, leaving a shallow cut.
"What the hell!" shouted the gray-haired boy with green eyes. "We won't give up that easily."
"You will," I replied, shaking my head. "One way or another, you will. But we can do this the easy way or the hard way. We need your maps."
"Don't make me laugh!" retorted the girl, while the third boy took out a knife. "You'll be the ones handing over your maps."
I lunged forward, my movements swift and precise, appearing like a shadow next to the first Rain boy. He took a defensive stance, gathering all his focus and will to block my strike. His skills were those of a capable genin—competent, but not exceptional. Against many others, he would have held his ground. But my abilities were on a different level entirely.
A powerful strike to his torso knocked the air out of him with a muffled thud. He was lifted off his feet and thrown onto the roof, rolling dangerously close to the edge of a slightly dirty canal. He barely managed to grab a small ledge, preventing a fall.
At that moment, Ayamane's shadow suddenly extended, capturing two of our opponents simultaneously and immobilizing them.
"Damn," hissed the boy who had taken my hit. It was evident that he was in a lot of pain, despite the fact that I hadn't struck him very hard.
"You'd better hand over the maps. It'll be easier," I advised, shrugging casually.
"Kh-h," he coughed, struggling to pull himself up and stabilize. "Fine."
"That's better," I nodded in approval.
The boy reached into his pouch, but in an instant, he flung his hand forward, releasing a dozen shuriken at me. They sliced through the air, breaking the silence like a flock of swift, predatory birds. Yet, they were too slow. With a light sidestep, I gracefully avoided them, my movements like a dance with shadows. I followed up with a swift, confident step forward and firmly planted my foot on his hand, asserting my dominance. The sharp crack of bone echoed, sending a clear and merciless signal that for this opponent, the survival exam in this harsh world might be over sooner than he had anticipated.
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue, leaning down toward him. I turned him onto his back and quickly searched him, finding a familiar piece of paper—a test and a map that we hadn't collected yet. This map showed the area around the exam building. Along with the map, I took several other useful items, including smoke bombs, flash grenades, and other gear that might come in handy. Afterward, I tied him up carefully, making sure not to cause him unnecessary pain.
Shiko and Ayamane had already dealt with the others, but they only took the maps, leaving the rest of the supplies untouched. They tied their captives up as well but didn't bother moving them anywhere, simply because it wasn't necessary.
"So, what maps do they have?" I asked. "But let's move aside first."
In the distance, several loud pops indicated an active battle between two groups of genin. I wondered what they were using—explosive tags, perhaps? Or specialized techniques?
We moved away from the battle site, and I made sure to collect my kunai, knowing that one can never have too many weapons. They were slightly dulled, but that wasn't a significant issue.
Once we were a safe distance away, we laid the maps together and quickly noticed the first hints of our path. One of the new maps aligned perfectly with the map we had taken from the genin whose hand I'd broken. We still needed one more piece, but my map fit seamlessly with the one taken from the girl.
"Not bad," I remarked. "Time for us to move on."
"Yes, let's go," Shiko agreed. "It's time to keep moving."
We headed in the direction indicated by our newly formed map. Nearby, I noticed Kabuto's team watching us. He didn't approach, only giving a brief wave before we continued. We kept our pace and quickly left the village, encountering no resistance along the way, which was a fortunate break.
We reached the water and began moving across it, sometimes leaping over rocks or particularly turbulent areas. The girls remained silent, focused on conserving their breath and energy.
"Move aside!" I shouted, sensing the shift in natural energy. We scattered, and the water erupted with powerful splashes as a strange, silvery-scaled fish with a long body leapt out. It snapped its jaws before plunging back into the water. It was a chakra beast, and a fairly dangerous one. "Don't stop; keep moving."
The girls didn't need further urging. They pushed forward with renewed determination. The map led us to a mountainous area that steadily came into view. The mountains loomed in the distance, growing closer as we advanced at speed. Occasionally, we paused to check the maps and speculate on where to go next. The situation felt strange and uncertain since we had already left the Hidden Village and were proceeding without clear restrictions.
"What's our plan now?" I asked Shiko and Ayamane. "Evening is approaching."
The night sky was spreading around us like a blanket of black velvet, casually adorned with a scattering of countless stars. They twinkled and pulsed, creating the impression of a living, ever-moving cosmic ocean. In the center of this celestial map, the full moon shone brightly, its silvery light washing over the land, revealing the jagged outlines of the mountain peaks. The peaks seemed so close, almost within reach, and the serene moonlight transformed the landscape into a mysterious yet peaceful sight.
"We need to stop," Shiko said. "We don't have any more maps, and moving at night won't be ideal. We'll continue tomorrow morning."
"I agree," Ayamane nodded. "We should rest and discuss our situation."
I nodded in agreement, closing my eyes briefly. I could still sense Captain Kiochi, Hatake Kakashi, and the unknown shinobi, who had been shadowing us all this time, gathering information and likely evaluating both our actions and behavior.
"So, who's cooking?" I asked the girls.
"I'll handle it," Ayamane offered. "Don't worry."
"Then I'll set up the tent," Shiko continued. "If we're going to sleep, we should do it properly instead of lying on cold stones."
"Perfect," I replied. "I'll gather firewood and start a small fire."
Gathering the wood wasn't too challenging. Although we had begun ascending the mountain, there were still enough trees around for a fire. The key was to build one that wouldn't produce much smoke while providing sufficient warmth and lasting long enough without constant tending.
Within five minutes, the fire was crackling pleasantly, its orange light flickering like a dancer. On a small metal stand, the meat was roasting, not yet fragrant, but I knew that wouldn't take long.
"Enjoy your meal," Ayamane said as we divided the food onto our plates.
We ate quietly and quickly cleaned up.
"Who will take the first watch?" I asked.
"I will," Shiko volunteered.
"I'll take the morning shift," Ayamane added. "Suzuki, you'll have the middle."
"Alright," I sighed. "What can you do?"
Night had fully set in. Shiko stayed outside while Ayamane and I settled in the tent. Ayamane fell asleep almost immediately, her head barely touching the pillow. Sleep didn't come to me, though. No matter how much I tossed and turned or counted sheep, I remained awake. So, I opted to immerse myself in meditation, circulating chakra through my body to maintain a state of alertness while relaxing my mind.
In this meditative state, I felt the energy blend and transform into chakra, spreading through my channels before returning to its source. Natural energy swirled around me like an endless sea, ready to flow into my core at any moment.
Suddenly, at the edge of my awareness, another chakra presence appeared. It was at the level of a chunin and quickly approaching our camp. Rising quietly, I turned my head and gently shook Ayamane awake. She jolted and looked around, eyes wide.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Someone's approaching," I replied softly. "Shhh."
"Shiko…" she murmured, starting to get up.
"Quiet," I cautioned, holding her back. "We need to step out calmly, without alarming them if they're not hostile. You go first, and I'll act like I'm still resting."
"Alright," she whispered and slowly crawled out of the tent.
I prepared myself for a potential fight, closing my eyes and steadying my breathing.
"Well, well, well," came a loud, grating male voice. "Oh-ho-ho! Two young girls. So juicy, so nice and pretty. Beautiful! Very beautiful!"
"Who are you?!" Shiko demanded sharply. I could hear the faint ringing of her kunai being drawn.
"Call me Big Daddy," the man sneered. "Ho-ho-ho. I have only one task—to kill you and earn my freedom."
"Are you a prisoner?" Ayamane asked.
"I've been locked up for ten years! And if I kill you, I'll be free!" the man laughed darkly. "But before I kill you, you'll entertain me. Ha-ha!"