The Forest of Death.
After evading Ringo Ameyuri, Shishou quickly returned to where Sakura and Kiba were.
Upon his return, Shishou saw Haku using the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals technique to subdue Sakura and Kiba with Chojuro's help.
It had to be said, Haku's Ice Release was incredibly effective against rookies.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Shishou appear, both Haku and Chojuro were stunned.
They hadn't expected Ringo Ameyuri to fail.
In the next moment, they felt Shishou instantly appear beside them.
"So fast?"
Both Haku and Chojuro were shocked.
Bam! Bam!
With a swift kick, Shishou sent Haku and Chojuro flying.
Seeing the two Mist ninjas who had just defeated them get kicked away, the restrained Sakura and Kiba were astonished.
Shishou then grabbed the shocked Sakura and Kiba and ran towards the distance.
Now that they had both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, there was no need to keep tangling with Ringo Ameyuri and her team.
Besides, he needed to reach the Central Tower quickly, then change identities to inquire about the Sage techniques from Ringo Ameyuri.
After Shishou had left for a while, Haku and Chojuro returned to their original positions.
"That guy is really strong. Could it be that Ringo was defeated?"
"I don't know."
Just as they finished speaking, a streak of lightning hurriedly approached and appeared before them.
Seeing the footprints on Haku and Chojuro, Ringo Ameyuri's mouth twitched.
"Did that bastard come back?"
"Yes, we were no match for him," Haku said, patting the footprints on himself, then taking off his mask to reveal a beautiful face.
Holding his mask in his hand, Haku carefully wiped the dust off it. This mask was a gift from his teacher, Mei Terumi, and he didn't want it to get dirty.
Upon hearing this, Ringo Ameyuri gritted her teeth in anger.
"That bastard stole my Earth Scroll. I will get back at him eventually."
She, a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had been outwitted by a mere Konoha Genin. She couldn't let this go.
Chojuro, tearing his gaze away from Haku's beautiful face, looked at Ringo and asked, "What do we do now?"
Ringo Ameyuri glared at him. "What else? We go and snatch other people's scrolls."
"Let's go!"
With that, Ringo Ameyuri led the way into the depths of the Forest of Death.
...
Elsewhere.
Shishou, carrying Sakura and Kiba, ran a distance before stopping.
Looking at them, Shishou smiled and said, "Let me heal your injuries first."
At this point, both Sakura and Kiba were covered in Haku's senbon, with Akamaru looking like a pincushion, making a pitiful sight.
Luckily, Haku had a kind heart and hadn't poisoned the senbon. Otherwise, Sakura and Kiba wouldn't have lasted this long.
Shishou began removing the senbon from them and Akamaru.
"Good thing you were here, Shishou, or we would have been done for," Kiba said gratefully after being treated by Shishou.
He hadn't expected their first opponents in the Forest of Death to be so strong.
The Ice Release user had been overwhelmingly powerful.
And yet, Shishou had defeated them with a single kick. It seemed that Shishou's strength was the most incredible of all.
Too bad no one had yet seen Shishou's true power.
Thinking this, Kiba glanced at Shishou, who was treating Sakura.
Having such a teammate meant he could sleep easy, no wonder his sister had advised him to befriend Shishou.
Shishou held Sakura's chin, treating the wounds on her neck, and said, "It's normal to lose to the Ice Release of Kirigakure. Don't be discouraged."
Haku had become Mei Terumi's direct disciple a few years ago.
Mei had not only taught Haku how to use his Ice Release but also begun instructing him in Sage techniques, making him far beyond the Twelve Little Ninjas' league.
Even Naruto and Sasuke, with their significantly improved abilities, would struggle against Haku without pulling out all the stops.
Seeing Shishou handle the two Mist ninjas so easily, Sakura couldn't help but admire him.
Shishou was truly amazing!!!
"Alright, Sakura."
After finishing the treatment, Shishou pinched her cheek.
Feeling Shishou's near-teasing action, Sakura's face turned red again, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Standing up, Shishou looked around for direction, "Let's head to the Central Tower."
Both Kiba and Sakura were stunned.
Then Sakura exclaimed, "Shishou, did you already find the Earth Scroll?"
Shishou nodded. "We got lucky; the Mist ninjas had the Earth Scroll."
Kiba was dumbfounded. "Did you defeat that short Mist ninja?"
Hearing Kiba call her short, Shishou chuckled.
"Not exactly defeated, but she's very strong. If you encounter her, be respectful and don't mention her height, or you'll get seriously hurt."
Sakura asked curiously, "How strong is she?"
Shishou thought for a moment and said, "She's about as strong as Kurenai-sensei."
Ringo Ameyuri was a rare lightning release prodigy and a wielder of the Twin Swords Kiba. With her potential ability to use Sage techniques, she was at least as strong as Kurenai.
"What?" Both Kiba and Sakura were shocked.
Kurenai was an elite Jonin of Konoha. Was this Mist ninja really that strong?
If Shishou had taken the Earth Scroll from her, didn't that mean he was stronger than Kurenai?
Thinking this, they looked at Shishou in awe.
Had Shishou's strength really reached such heights?
Seeing their expressions, Shishou explained, "Her name is Ringo Ameyuri, and she's one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. So, next time, don't provoke her like I did."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
Hearing this, both Sakura and Kiba were taken aback.
They had heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, known throughout the ninja world.
Sakura quickly asked, "If she's already one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, why is she participating in the Chunin Exams?"
Shishou, unsure, replied, "There are two possibilities. First, despite her strength, she's still just a Genin at around sixteen or seventeen years old."
"Sixteen or seventeen..." Sakura was surprised.
Kiba immediately asked, "What's the second possibility?"
Shishou laughed, "The second possibility is that she got bored in Konoha and decided to replace someone from Kirigakure to blast fish in the pond."
Both Sakura and Kiba were dumbfounded.
That reason seemed far-fetched. Were strong ninjas always this capricious?
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POWER STONE!!!!
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek.
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