"Um..."
Karin hesitantly spoke up as she trailed behind Ren, her small steps matching his brisk pace.
"What... what are you planning to do with me?"
Since they began walking, she had asked many questions, none of which received any response. Recognizing Ren as a jonin, she dared not act out and simply followed closely behind.
They arrived at the Central Tower within the Forest of Death.
The exam site was quiet and empty, with no sign of other participants.
"Who's this girl?" Kurenai asked, noticing Karin at Ren's side.
"Why did you bring a Grass Village genin here?"
"She's a descendant of the Uzumaki clan," Ren explained calmly. "I intend to have her stay in the village."
"The Uzumaki clan?" Kurenai looked surprised as her gaze shifted to Karin, her attention caught by the girl's striking red hair.
She recalled the Fourth Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Kushina, who had the same vibrant hair color.
"How did a descendant of the Uzumaki clan end up in the Grass Village?" she asked.
"After the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, members of the Uzumaki clan scattered and hid their identities all over the world. Many of their descendants still live in various places," Ren explained.
The Land of Whirlpools had once been an ally of the Land of Fire, and the Uzumaki clan shared family ties with Konoha. The two were close beyond comparison, symbolized by the whirlpool emblem on the back of Konoha shinobi uniforms as a tribute to the fallen nation.
"Such beautiful hair!" Kurenai exclaimed, stepping closer to Karin and reaching out to touch her hair, only for Karin to instinctively step back.
Kurenai smiled warmly, then turned to Ren. "What about the Grass Village?"
"Just say the girl died," Ren replied, casting a glance at Karin. "They won't defy us."
Kurenai sighed at Ren's assertive approach. "You should get the Hokage's approval for something like this. And bringing a candidate here on your own goes against exam rules."
"I'll inform him."
Ren took Karin to a separate room in the tower, turning to her.
"Stay here for now. After the exam ends, I'll take you with me."
Karin looked around the room before glancing back at him. "What... what do you want with me?"
She had picked up parts of Ren and Kurenai's conversation earlier, sensing it had something to do with her lineage.
Is it because of my abilities…?
"I'm not going to harm you," Ren assured her.
"What about my teammates?" she asked.
"They're dead."
"…"
Ren looked at her with a calm gaze. "Do you want to go back to the exam?"
Karin quickly shook her head. She had already experienced the terrifying dangers of the Forest of Death and had no desire to go through it again.
"Do you want to return to the Grass Village?" Ren asked.
"…" Karin's lips tightened as memories of her treatment in the Grass Village surfaced.
Life there was a nightmare. But if she didn't go back, where could she go?
"If not, then stay here and wait," Ren said before leaving the room.
Karin watched him go, realizing she still didn't know his name.
…
That evening, Kurenai's students reached the Central Tower, completing the second stage as the second team to do so.
Kurenai was thrilled, showering praise on Kiba, Shino, and Hinata for their performance.
The first night passed.
By the following evening, Shikamaru's team had also arrived.
"Ren-sensei, we passed!" Ino beamed, unable to hide her excitement when she saw him.
"I thought you were going to leave us on our own," Shikamaru said, sounding somewhat annoyed.
"I'm starving," Choji mumbled, looking weary as he had already finished all his snacks.
Ren took in their worn-out appearances and said, "Come on, let's get something to eat."
"Yay!" Choji's face lit up instantly.
Ren led them to the cafeteria on the second floor, a dining area for jonin and exam staff. Teams that arrived early could join their instructors here for a meal.
After ordering a large spread, Ren watched as the three dug in, especially Choji, who was too focused on eating to speak.
"That exam was rough; I don't want to do it again," Ino sighed.
"If you become chunin, you'll face many more missions in harsh survival conditions," Ren said.
"We'll just take on easy missions," Ino responded with a lighthearted smile.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes beside her.
That's wishful thinking…
"Well, at least we passed this round," Ino said with a laugh.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Ren replied.
"You haven't made it through the second stage just yet."
"What do you mean?" Shikamaru and Ino asked in unison.
"It's only the second day, and including your team, there are already four groups here. If too many teams pass, a preliminary round will be held to cut down the numbers for the final stage."
"A preliminary round?"
"To reduce the number of participants in the final stage, a rule of one-on-one elimination matches is implemented. Only those who win will qualify for the final stage."
"That's so unfair," Ino pouted. "We worked so hard to pass this stage."
"Individual matches, huh…" Shikamaru muttered, sighing. "Such a pain. Hopefully, I'll get matched with Naruto."
Choji continued eating.
"Just so you know," Ren said, his gaze passing over all three, "if you lose… you know what happens, right?"
Ino and Shikamaru froze, as did Choji, who had been munching away. All three shivered.
"But if we end up facing people like Neji or Sasuke, we don't stand a chance," Shikamaru admitted.
"Then do your best," Ren replied bluntly.
Shikamaru grimaced, and Ino lost her appetite.
They weren't the only ones in the cafeteria; some staff members were dining nearby.
"Tenten, what are you looking at?" Rock Lee asked, noticing her glancing toward the distance.
"Huh?" Tenten snapped back to attention, smiling slightly. "Nothing."
"There are a lot of strong competitors in this exam," Lee said with determination, "so we need to give it our all."
"Hmph. Thanks to your recklessness, we almost got eliminated," Neji frowned.
Lee rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. "I'll be more careful next time."
Tenten's gaze drifted back toward Ren's team, seated together, with Ren seemingly instructing his students sternly.
"Tenten?"
Turning around, she saw Neji looking at her.
"You seem… distracted," Neji observed.
"…Do I?" she smiled.
"Are those the people you were watching?" Neji looked toward Shikamaru's team, having sparred with them before and knowing they had solid teamwork, though individually, they were nothing special.
Tenten lowered her gaze. "No, let's just focus on eating."
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