The light faded in less than two minutes.
It was as if the source of energy had been drained. The deep, icy gray dimmed to a faint ashen white, then turned into pure white.
A translucent white glow flashed before everyone's eyes, popping like a punctured balloon. The crowd squinted, their pupils stinging from the intensity.
When they opened their eyes again:
The vibrant red sunset hung in the sky, still dazzling. A gentle breeze rustled through the lush forest, swaying the branches. Everything looked the same as before the gray light appeared, as if the overwhelming gray had been a collective hallucination.
"It's over!"
Maki let out a soft sigh of relief.
He wasn't sure what he'd been worried about, but something about that gray light felt like it hid a terrifying secret. Just looking at it made it hard to breathe.
Whoosh!
Before he could issue any orders, Gaara, arms crossed, charged toward the Hidden Leaf Village without a care for potential danger.
"Hey, Gaara!"
Temari, caught off guard by her brother's reckless move, shouted after him. Hoisting her giant fan, she hurriedly followed, with the rest of the Sand ninja reluctantly trailing behind, swiftly passing over the heads of the Grass ninja.
The Grass genin gritted their teeth, clearly annoyed.
"Let's go check it out too. If the Hidden Leaf's done for, we might snag some treasures!"
The unremarkable Grass jonin leader stroked his chin, his eyes darting with scheming thoughts. True to Grass ninja tradition, he was eager to see what he could get his hands on.
Wanting to capitalize on the situation but wary of his unruly genin causing trouble, he added cautiously, "Stick close to the Sand ninja and try not to start any fights."
"Yes, sir!"
The Grass genin smirked cruelly, understanding their leader's intent perfectly.
Let the Sand ninja take the lead and scout the dangers—they'd swoop in for the spoils. And "try not to start fights"? That just meant they could stir up trouble if the loot was worth it.
No wonder this guy had made chunin by outsmarting Leaf and Sand ninja in the joint exams—his words were loaded with hidden meaning.
Unsure how well his genin grasped his subtle instructions, the Grass jonin leapt onto a tree branch, glanced around, and led his team toward the Hidden Leaf.
He had to protect these genin. Every one sent to the Chunin Exams was a potential jonin for the village. The exams were mostly about gaining experience, and surviving any stage meant a shot at promotion back home.
Take him, for example. He'd made it to the second exam and survived two days—the longest of any Grass ninja that year.
He was promoted to chunin immediately upon returning.
To boost village morale, the Grass claimed he'd "successfully advanced" in the joint exams. And it wasn't just him—every ninja who "advanced" in the joint Chunin Exams was a fraud!
"They're all gone," Karin said.
She'd jumped onto a branch with the main group but noticed the two "sisters" still whispering behind. She called out to them kindly, but when they ignored her, she pouted and hurried to catch up with the team.
"You finally giving up on that crazy plan?"
Danzo, watching Karin and the others leave, glanced at the hesitant Orochimaru with a hint of glee.
He really didn't want to return to the Hidden Leaf. No one knew better than him how heavy Sarutobi Hiruzen's adamantine staff could hit. And Hikari oppressive presence was no less intimidating than a young Sarutobi. If he and Orochimaru took on the teacher-student duo, they'd be toast!
Orochimaru, ignoring Danzo, stared at the distant sky, his tongue flicking out to taste the air. Despite being far from the Hidden Leaf, his modified sensory abilities were screaming warnings.
That light—it was almost like the legendary Sage of the Six Paths' Yin-Yang Release!
Could Hikari have cracked the secret of the Kaguya clan's treasure? It had to be. Only someone with Kaguya blood could unlock it!
A greedy glint flashed in his golden, slit-like eyes. Banking on his survival skills, Orochimaru licked his lips and charged toward the village. Danzo sighed, reluctantly following, while subtly loosening the seal on his right arm.
If things went south, he'd ditch his teammate and bolt.
The ninja moved fast, crossing dozens of kilometers of rugged terrain in moments.
Gaara and the Sand ninja reached the Hidden Leaf's outer perimeter, stopping on tree branches to observe.
Rows of Leaf ninja in chunin vests stood in the forest, blending seamlessly with the greenery. Their leader, sporting a goatee and a cigarette, looked calm, but the ash burned halfway down his cigarette betrayed his tension.
On the dirt path below, three distinct ninja teams—each in different attire—faced off against the Leaf ninja.
Cloud, Stone, and Mist ninja were all here!
Seeing so many worthy opponents, Gaara's eyes twitched with bloodlust, his breathing growing heavy. Temari, catching up, grabbed his hand to calm him, gently patting his back until he settled.
Soon, the Grass ninja arrived at the perimeter, halting abruptly at the sight of the gathered Great Nation ninja. They left shadows flickering on the branches. Orochimaru and Danzo blended into the crowd, looking unremarkable.
"We're Cloud ninja here for the exams! Why're you blocking us?"
Across from the Leaf ninja, a red-haired, dark-skinned Cloud girl with a short sword on her back clenched her fists, clearly pissed. Her voice boomed, echoing through the dense forest.
Beside her, a white-haired, handsome Cloud ninja with a lollipop muttered about the world ending, only to be silenced by a tall, blonde ninja with a "Hot" tattoo on his right arm, who covered his mouth with an awkward grin.
The fiery redhead was Karui, the pessimistic white-haired guy was Omoi, and the "Hot" tattooed ninja was Atsui—the Cloud's genin trio for the exams.
Asuma Sarutobi, maintaining the perimeter and worried about the village, was already in a foul mood. The Cloud ninja's words made him bristle.
"The Hidden Leaf won't fall, and the sky's not collapsing either!"
His voice echoed through the forest, reassuring not just the Cloud ninja but also his own team, who were worried about their families back home.
Asuma wasn't just an elite jonin—his father was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. His words carried weight, more than most.
At least, that's what they told themselves.
Sensing his shaken Leaf ninja calming down, Asuma exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
He didn't know what that eerie gray light in the village was, but his job was to keep the perimeter secure and prevent these foreign ninja from causing chaos.
Facing the growing crowd of outsiders, Asuma stepped forward, chakra flaring, and spoke loudly, "I've sent someone to consult the Third Hokage. Once we get the go-ahead, you can pass. Please wait here for now."
His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and a faint golden illusion shimmered behind him, quieting the ninja itching to rush in and investigate.
"What a hassle," Darui, the Cloud's team leader, muttered. Lazier than even Kakashi, he stretched his neck and leaned against a tree.
His slouched posture and half-asleep, punchable expression made him look like some street thug, but no one dared underestimate the man known as the Raikage's "second right hand."
"Is that… Thousand Hands Killer?"
The Stone team's leader, clad in bright red armor with a conical hat and mask, muttered to himself. His voice was ice-cold but gave off a stifling heat.
"Han-senpai, you know that technique?"
Black Soil, excited to finally visit the legendary Hidden Leaf, beamed with curiosity. Dressed in a qipao-like outfit, her long, pale legs drew attention. Behind her, Akatsuchi stood like a mountain, a bodyguard forming a beauty-and-beast duo that turned heads.
"I've seen it once—a Senju prodigy," Han, the steam ninja, said sharply. Wisps of scalding vapor seeped from his armor, yellowing the green leaves at his feet.
The Mist ninja, smallest in number, stayed on the sidelines, like an island detached from the mainland.
"Everyone seems so strong!"
Chojuro, with short blue hair and square glasses, wore a striped jacket that made him look like a hospital patient. If not for the twin blades—Hiramekarei—strapped to his back, he'd pass for a top student at the ninja academy.
But this "top student" lacked confidence.
"Come on, you're the only one of us who inherited a ninja blade—the new Seven Swordsmen! Have some faith!" Suigetsu Hozuki, with jagged teeth and a chilling grin, spoke with surprising cheer.
"Alright…" Chojuro clenched his fists, trying to muster enthusiasm, but his inexplicable self-doubt lingered.
"Tch!"
Rin Yurei, with reddish-brown hair tied in a vertical braid, bared her sharp teeth in frustration. "If the Lightning Blade—Fang—wasn't missing from the Mist, I'd already be one of the Seven Swordsmen."
Suigetsu smirked.
Who wouldn't want that?
If the Seven Swordsmen hadn't been decimated—some dead, others defected, with their precious blades lost—he'd have claimed one for himself by now.
He thought it but didn't dare argue with Rin Yurei.
His Hydrification Technique was weak against Lightning Release, and she was a once-in-a-century Lightning Release prodigy in the Mist. She countered him perfectly.
With Chojuro wielding a ninja blade and Rin countering him hard, Suigetsu, a genius of the Hozuki clan, was the weakest in their squad. Talk about frustrating!
He really wanted to cut something.
Suigetsu's gaze darted between the towering Akatsuchi, built like a mountain, and the murderous Gaara.
Don't ask why he ignored the Cloud ninja—it wasn't fear of Lightning Release. Their swordsmanship and lightning techniques just weren't his style!
"Three elite jonin, six special jonin, one jonin, two jinchuriki…"
A soft mutter came from behind Suigetsu. Turning, he saw Ao forming a hand sign, quietly activating his Byakugan to scout the enemy. His face looked grim.
"Teacher Ao, what're you mumbling about?"
Suigetsu wasn't too fond of the Byakugan user. His dream was to revive the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, and only blade-wielding ninja earned his respect.
Ao, a sensory ninja, didn't make the cut.
Waving him off, Ao had no time for Suigetsu. His Byakugan pushed to its limit, he could see every ninja's chakra signature in detail.
The Cloud's genin trio? All special jonin—a contradiction, yet true.
The Stone's long-legged girl was a special jonin, and the hulking guy was a full jonin. Onoki must've thrown shame out the window.
The Sand was even worse.
The Stone's Five-Tails jinchuriki was a team leader, but the Sand sent their One-Tail jinchuriki as a competitor. And his teammates? One was a special jonin, the other a puppeteer! Everyone knew a puppeteer's strength depended on their puppets' quality and numbers, not chakra.
Even the Grass had a red-haired girl with elite jonin-level chakra—twice his own. Ridiculous!
These genin were monsters!
Ao gritted his teeth. If his features weren't so distinctive, he'd want to join the exams himself. But then he realized, even if he did, he might not win.
Good thing they sent Chojuro's team!
Looking at his three special jonin, Ao felt a bit relieved.
When the Mizukage set the exam roster, he'd thought it was overkill. Now, it seemed she'd been the wiser one.
If they'd sent regular genin, they'd just embarrass themselves in the Leaf. He might as well pack up and head home now.
As he thought this, Ao kept his Byakugan active, gathering intel for Chojuro's team. With opponents sending jinchuriki, he had to play dirty too.
When it came to underhanded tactics, the Mist wasn't outdone!
His invisible Byakugan scanned the surrounding ninja, noting chakra signatures, hidden weapons, storage scrolls, and muscle and bone strength. He memorized every detail, not daring to miss a thing—until he reached two unusual ninja.
"Hm?"
Ao frowned, looking at two young female Grass ninja on a tree branch. His usually infallible Byakugan seemed blocked, unable to see through their bodies.
He snapped his head toward them.
The two Grass ninja, wearing conical hats and gazing toward the Hidden Leaf, paused. Slowly, mechanically, they turned to look at him.
One extended a long tongue, licking her lips, her golden slit eyes like a predator's. The other's single eye was narrow and cold, like a blade, its dark depths hiding an abyss.
The moment they saw Ao, their eyes narrowed in thought, then shifted to a chilling greed that made his skin crawl.
Gulp.
His throat bobbed involuntarily. Their killing intent made his scalp tingle!