Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled violently.
Before Team Three's eyes, a massive black bear—nearly two stories tall—crashed through the trees.
What caught everyone's attention, but was the crimson scroll strapped to its forehead.
There was no way the bear had put it there itself. Which meant—someone else had. And the only ones who could've done that… were the proctors.
A token!
No one needed to say it aloud; it was obvious. That scroll was the key to passing this deadly, meat-grinder of an exam. As long as a team brought that scroll to the central tower, they'd advance.
This second stage of the Chunin Exams was team-based. One scroll could qualify all three members of a squad. And the rules didn't say you had to be on the same original team— which made things… interesting.
Those who'd lost teammates or were acting solo could form temporary alliances. Or, more likely, betray each other at the first opportunity.
Brilliant. The setup was devious— a perfect test of both brains and instinct. The examiners clearly wanted to measure every aspect of a ninja's ability.
The bear, so large and conspicuous, would naturally draw in every nearby team.
That left Team Three with two options:
Go all out, snatch the token, and make a break for the tower before the others surrounded them.
Lie low, wait for someone else to get it, and swoop in to steal it afterward.
The rules never said they couldn't kill or rob other participants. In fact, that was the point.
If this were just a normal wild beast, any genin could take it down. But a giant ninja beast— that was a different story. These things had monstrous vitality and even innate ninjutsu-like abilities.
"We take the token." Shien's decision was immediate.
Simple logic. Their Team Three wasn't some no-name squad— they were Konoha's star team, with Kakashi himself as a member. There was no way anyone would let them quietly hide in the shadows. If they didn't secure a token now, it would only get harder later.
As for robbing another team's scroll? A fine idea in theory— but none of them specialized in reconnaissance. No Hyuga, no Inuzuka, no Aburame. Without solid intel, they'd just be groping in the dark.
Both Kakashi and Yamanaka Koji nodded silently. Neither were talkative types; their gestures were answer enough.
Shien sighed. "You know, I appreciate how decisive you guys are… but not even one of you calls me captain? That hurts, man."
He muttered to himself as he prepared to play his trump card.
Taiyi!
His summoning beast wasn't exactly a secret, so it was a card he could safely use in front of others.
Suddenly, a figure leapt onto the bear's massive back.
Maki!
Shien froze for half a heartbeat.
He hadn't expected to see him. At this age, Maki was still unrefined—far from the calm, pragmatic leader he'd become later. Hard to believe this brash, hot-headed kid would one day be the pillar of Sunagakure.
Seeing him here, Shien's first instinct was to tell his teammates to back off. Better to give up this scroll; there were others.
Clang!
But Kakashi drew his short blade without hesitation. That simple motion said everything.
"???"
Shien blinked at him in disbelief. Since when was Kakashi this bold?
Then, as if reading his confusion, Kakashi spoke quietly:
"There's surveillance."
Ah. That explained everything.
Surveillance. Meaning— the big shots in the village were watching them now.
If they backed off now, they wouldn't technically be breaking any rules— but the rumors would spread fast.
Suna's side would seize the opportunity to mock them. "Is this all the Leaf's geniuses amount to?" "Sunagakure shinobi are the strongest in the world!" "Leaf ninja retreat the moment a mission looks hard!"
And the ones who mattered most weren't other ninja villages— but the nobles and merchants watching alongside them. Those were the true clients—the main source of every mission fee.
Village citizens and small errands barely made any money. But if the big patrons lost confidence in Konoha's ninja… it would cripple their economy overnight.
Shien understood now— this was the same logic behind the White Fang incident.
When Sakumo Hatake once abandoned a mission to save his comrades, the mission technically failed. The loss itself wasn't catastrophic— but once word spread, clients began doubting whether Konoha's shinobi could be trusted to complete their jobs.
"Even the White Fang abandons missions," they whispered.
"Can anyone in Konoha be relied on?"
Mission requests dropped sharply, hurting the village's finances. Combine that with political backstabbing… and to protect his son's future, the White Fang took his own life to "preserve the village's honor."
Most people never understood the real reason, blaming it all on Hokage politics. But Shien, as a transmigrator, finally did. When your failure threatens the village's bottom line, no one will save you.
Now the same script was unfolding— right here, now.
White Fang Experience Card.JPG!
Shien's stomach twisted. If they backed down, it'd be seen as weakness. And weakness cost money. And money ruled everything.
Even the Uchiha might not be able to protect him if he became a liability. Without backing, with his current strength? He wouldn't even have the luxury of dying peacefully.
"Get ready!" Shien growled, eyes hardening.
He'd wanted an easy, lazy life. But here he was, forced to stand on the frontlines— pushed into the spotlight with no way out.
For the first time, he truly understood the phrase "riding a tiger you can't get off."
Still—being cornered didn't mean being reckless.
"Focus on the scroll first," he instructed, quickly outlining their plan.
"Move out!"
The three darted forward, charging toward the massive bear.
As for sneaking up? Forget it. The noise from their earlier ninjutsu battles had already announced their presence. Stealth was pointless now— better to strike head-on.
At that moment, Maki's team had also noticed them. But they were too busy dealing with the enraged bear to go on the offensive.
"The token's sealed to the beast?!" Maki cursed as he dodged a swipe.
He'd assumed it would be simple— a quick snatch-and-run. But if he had thought of that, the examiners obviously had too.
Sealing jutsu.
The token was bound directly into the beast's forehead. It could only be retrieved once the creature was killed.
A clever design. If finding the tokens was easier, then obtaining them had to be harder.
And with that, Team Three launched their assault.
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