Renjiro held out his scroll, and Amari quickly handed hers to him. They exchanged scrolls in a swift motion, their hands brushing for a brief second. "Thanks," Renjiro said, giving her a quick nod before stepping back.
Amari looked at the scroll in her hand, then back at Renjiro. "Why did you...?" she began, but Renjiro interrupted.
"I don't think the point is to fight for the scrolls," Renjiro explained quickly.
"Iwata didn't say we had to fight. He said we had to get as many scrolls as possible and not remain with our original ones. So, let's trade and move on."
Amari nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her eyes. 'He might be onto something.' she thought.
As the two moved away from the centre of the chaos, they noticed a few other shinobi who seemed to have caught onto the idea. They were trading scrolls with each other, avoiding unnecessary conflict. The fighting continued for those who hadn't figured it out yet, but a small group of shinobi were now working more strategically.
Amari looked at Renjiro and asked, "Should we trade with other people?"
Renjiro paused, contemplating their next move. 'While we have done the barest of minimums, what did they mean by 'as many scrolls as possible?' What are they trying to test us for?' he wondered. The instructions were deliberately vague, leaving room for interpretation.
Renjiro's eyes scanned the remaining competitors. 'They also said that we are to get as many scrolls as we can in any way possible, so they did not lock out the use of force. There's no way you can convince your competitors to just hand their scrolls to you.' With a sense of clarity, he concluded their best course of action.
"No, we don't have to," Renjiro finally answered Amari, his tone decisive. Amari, clearly surprised, raised an eyebrow. "Why? Didn't they say that—"
"Just trust me on this," Renjiro interrupted.
'You didn't even remember who I am, how do you expect me to trust you?' Amari thought, feeling a pang of annoyance, but she held her tongue. She was aware that voicing her thoughts wouldn't be productive now.
As Daichi watched from the sidelines, a flicker of interest lit his face. 'It seems that they have caught on,' he mused, impressed by Renjiro's ability to see through the test's complexities.
Amari decided to follow Renjiro's plan. They moved deliberately, neither making any significant moves nor attracting unnecessary attention.
Occasionally, a shinobi would target them, hoping to snatch their scrolls. Each time, Renjiro and Amari defended themselves efficiently, their movements coordinated and precise.
Renjiro's strategy seemed to be working. By not aggressively pursuing more scrolls, they avoided the brunt of most of the conflict and conserved their energy.
As the hour drew to a close, they were signalled to stop.
"Time's up!" A proctor declared, his voice cutting through the remnants of the battle noise.
As the chaos of the exercise wound down, Iwata stepped forward, his presence commanding the attention of every shinobi present. His stern expression spoke volumes before he even began to speak.
Iwata's voice rang out, cutting through the murmurs and idle chatter that had settled over the group. "Listen up!" he barked, silencing everyone instantly.
"Not everything can be solved by force. A true leader must know when to compromise and when to be aggressive."
Iwata continued addressing the group, "Those who have multiple scrolls and have successfully traded their original ones will move on to the final stage. The rest of you, thank you for your participation. Your efforts have been noted, and you should take pride in your performance."
He let that sink in for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the assembled shinobi. "The point of this exercise was to test your bearing as a leader. Those of you who always resorted to force did not demonstrate the qualities we look for. Leadership is about more than just fighting. It's about strategy, composure, and the ability to make decisions under pressure."
Several shinobi exchanged glances, processing Iwata's words. Some looked chastened, while others, like Renjiro, seemed to nod in understanding.
Renjiro stood quietly, reflecting on the exercise and Iwata's words. 'So getting as many scrolls as we could was just to trick us?' he wondered.
'But then again, we could get as many as one scroll by negotiating with our competitors.' The chunin concluded.
Iwata continued his tone firm but encouraging. "You must understand that brute strength alone will not see you through every challenge. It is the balance between force and diplomacy, aggression and restraint, that defines a true leader."
'But then they chastised Sakumo for doing what a true leader would do. Oh well, who am I to judge.' Renjiro thought as he felt some movements to his side.
Amari, standing next to him, turned and said, "Thanks, Renjiro. Your strategy really helped us."
Among the twenty who had begun the round, only seven had managed to move to the next round with Renjior and Amari being among them.
Renjiro, still processing everything, looked at her and asked, "I needed your help, so it wasn't a big deal. But why do you seem so familiar?" This innocent question sparked a flash of annoyance in Amari.
'This idiot,' she thought. Without a word, she turned and walked away, leaving Renjiro standing there, puzzled by her reaction.
'What did I do?' Renjiro thought with a confused look on his face.
While all this was happening, Fujioka was beaming with joy. He had just won another round of bets, and his colleagues could barely stand him at this point.
But why would Fujioka care? He was happy, practically glowing with satisfaction. His thoughts wandered to the rewards of his success.
'I can finally get Obito those goggles he has been wanting for a long time. But how does an Uchiha have eye issues? I can't wait until he awakens his Sharingan. I am sure he is going to leave a lasting impact on the village.'
Some of Fujioka's colleagues, grudgingly respectful, congratulated him on Renjiro's performance. "You've done a good job guiding him," one of them said, clapping him on the back.
Fujioka shook his head, modestly deflecting the praise. "Renjiro's talent is all his own. He was this good even before he joined my squad."
The break soon ended, and the seven finalists gathered once more. The anticipation was palpable as they assembled for the final stage. The training ground, now cleared of the earlier chaos, felt charged with a new energy.
Iwata stood before them again, his presence commanding attention. "The final stage is upon us," he announced. "This will be the ultimate test of your skills, your strategy, and your resolve. You have all shown great promise, but only a few will be promoted to the Squad leader rank.."
=====
Bless me with your powerful Power Stones.
Your Reviews and Comments about my work are welcomed
If you can, then please support me on Patreon.
Link - www.patreon.com/SideCharacter
You Can read more chapters ahead on Patreon