As night fell, candidates emerged intermittently from the Forest of Souls, only to re-enter as if drawn back by some unseen force. By now, it was clear that only nine Konoha ninjas had not re-entered the forest. Within the Forest of Souls, however, tensions were reaching a boiling point.
"Damn it, what's with these ambushes?" Darui grumbled, frustration evident in his tone. His team had been attacked four times, with each ambusher somehow displaying unusually rapid recovery. "Gunnar is badly injured. If we get hit like that a couple more times, he's in real danger," Fins muttered worriedly.
Despite their strength, the relentless attacks wore them down. And strangely, even ninjas they had already defeated were returning with full energy for a second assault.
"Let's push through," Gunnar said, trying to sound determined. "The destination's just ten minutes away. We can make it."
"Darui?" a familiar voice called from nearby. It was Nagamori, another genin from Kumogakure, with his teammate Tayayoshi. They, too, bore fresh injuries. "You too, huh?" Darui asked, already guessing what had happened.
"We were ambushed by Hidden Rain and Hidden Mist ninjas," Nagamori said bitterly. "This is just an exam; why are they going this far?"
Darui nodded grimly. "We were hit too. Let's form an alliance and get to the finish line first. We can't hold out much longer like this."
Nagamori hesitated. "Alliance? And if we encounter another Hidden Cloud team?"
Darui shrugged. "If they try to attack us, we'll take them down without a second thought." He drew his short sword with resolve.
The two teams formed a temporary alliance, pushing through together. Elsewhere, other lucky ninjas also found allies and began making their way to the destination.
---
At the exam's endpoint, Nozuki approached Reiki with a list in hand. "It's done. Except for a few stubborn ones, nearly everyone has been ambushed, and most are at our mercy. Konoha's team is almost certain to make it to the next stage."
The list contained the names of treated ninjas, each with a tally indicating how many times Reiki had treated them. Red-marked names denoted those who hadn't yet received treatment.
"Great," Reiki replied, smiling as he studied the list. "Now we just wait here."
---
Half an hour later, Darui's team burst from the forest, relief evident on their faces as they reached the destination. But just as they arrived, a chorus of voices erupted.
"There they are! It's Darui and Nagamori!"
"They've been defeated by us before; their cards should be ours!"
Explosive Ninjutsu filled the air, aimed squarely at the exhausted team. Fire Release, Lightning Release, and various other jutsu hurtled toward them. Within minutes, Darui's team was overwhelmed, battered, and thrown in front of Reiki, clinging to consciousness.
The victorious genin quickly snatched their number cards, exchanged them for rewards, and dashed into the destination checkpoint.
As the dust settled, a frenzy erupted among the gathered ninjas. "There are still nine more targets left. We can't let them escape!"
"If we see any Sand ninjas, they're leaving their number cards behind!" someone shouted.
Despite their numbers, none dared target Reiki. They each bore a curse mark on their wrists, a subtle addition Reiki had left during treatment. Any attempt to turn against him would activate the mark, disabling their chakra flow. Those who had already tried had felt its sting, left powerless to fight back as the crowd eagerly swarmed over them.
---
Meanwhile, back in the Forest of Souls, the last remaining holdouts gathered, including Zhi and his team. Like Darui, they'd suffered relentless ambushes, sometimes even by ninjas they'd already defeated. "What's going on here?" Zhi growled, clenching his teeth in frustration.
"Reiki from Konoha," Tie Yu from Sunagakure deduced. "He's using medical skills and potions to rally other candidates into attacking us."
Qianyu from Kusagakure sighed, exhausted. "But even if we know that, there are too many enemies to face alone."
Baidou, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Why treat all of them as our enemies? If we can shift their focus, we might still have a chance."
"But how? They're restricted, not controlled," Qianyu pointed out.
Baidou raised an eyebrow. "Think about it. Who do you think they resent more: each other, or a medical ninja holding the cards?"
With a grin, he turned and dashed toward the destination.
---
Emerging from the forest, Baidou called out to the crowd. "Listen, everyone! Our real enemy isn't—"
Before he could finish, a hail of Ninjutsu struck him from all directions, as dozens of frustrated candidates vented their pent-up energy on the unfortunate Baidou. His words were drowned in explosions, leaving him buried beneath a cloud of dust and debris.
Reiki, watching the scene unfold, sat with a calm smile, his plan unfolding perfectly.
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