Chapter 26: The Meaning of the Scrolls
Ryouma returned to the entrance of the tree hollow. Kiba stepped out, noticing the speck of blood on Ryouma's cheek but said nothing about it. Instead, he asked, "A few Suna-nin passed by a while ago. Should we...?"
"No need," Ryouma replied. "I just acquired an Earth Scroll. No point wasting our energy." Even as he said it, an image flashed in his mind: a figure with a large gourd on his back.
Suna-nin passing by... must be Gaara and his team. I wonder if my Great Ball Rasengan could break through Gaara's ultimate defense at this stage?
"Oh? Really? That's great news!" Kiba's face lit up with a grin. He gave Ryouma a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Ryouma, I really underestimated you before. I've decided! When I become Hokage, I'm definitely promoting you!"
"Uh..." Ryouma wiped an imaginary sweat from his brow. "Let's... just keep that thought for now. That day will never come..."
"What do you mean? You want to be Hokage too? Oh... if you're also aiming for it, then you're a serious rival!" Now that the immediate crisis was over and they only needed to present the scrolls, Kiba's mood had lightened considerably, making him more talkative.
Ryouma shrugged and looked pointedly at Akamaru. "Akamaru can stand guard, right? Let him handle it. We should get some sleep and head for the tower together tomorrow morning."
"Whine...!" Akamaru let out a pitiful cry but obediently crawled to the mouth of the hollow, a single, shame-filled tear rolling down his furry cheek.
If there is no Heaven, acquire wisdom and be prepared for opportunity.
If there is no Earth, seek fundamentals and pursue profit.
If the scrolls of Heaven and Earth are opened, the perilous path shall become the righteous one.
This is the essence of... and the talent for leadership.
These words were written on a wall inside the tower where Ryouma's team arrived.
"What does all that mean?" Kiba scratched his head, utterly confused.
"It must be about the scrolls," Hinata murmured softly, one hand placed over her heart.
"Yeah, it's probably telling us to open the Heaven and Earth Scrolls together," Ryouma concluded. He'd somewhat forgotten these finer ancient details and wasn't entirely sure of the meaning, so he could only guess from the text.
As he spoke, he took out the scrolls. He handed the Heaven Scroll to Kiba. "Whatever it is, let's just open them and see."
Kiba wasn't one to hesitate. He took the scroll, nodded, and opened it in unison with Ryouma.
"A person?"
"A person?"
"What is this?"
Ryouma frowned at the kanji for 'person' (人) written on the Earth Scroll. Kiba's scroll showed the same. As they pondered it, white mist began to rise from both scrolls simultaneously.
"Throw the scrolls away! Now! It's a Summoning Jutsu!" Ryouma, recognizing the signs, shouted in alarm and hurled his scroll forward.
Kiba, panicking, threw his scroll away without a second thought.
By chance, the Heaven and Earth Scrolls landed in the same spot, overlapping each other.
Poof!
With a soft sound, the dense fog dissipated, revealing a silhouetted figure within the white mist.
"This is..." Hinata whispered, her voice hesitant.
"Huh?"
The mist cleared completely, and the figure became visible.
"Iruka-sensei?!" all three of them exclaimed in unison.
It was Iruka, their homeroom teacher from the Ninja Academy!
Iruka stood with his arms crossed, looking at the three of them with a slight, proud smile. "Long time no see!"
"What... what's going on?" Kiba asked, bewildered.
"Haha! Judging by your condition, it seems you didn't have too hard a time. You passed quite easily!" Iruka couldn't hide his surprise seeing the trio looking energetic and relatively unscathed.
"Of course! I'm going to be Hokage one day!" Kiba declared, puffing out his chest.
"But why are you here, Iruka-sensei?" Hinata asked, her curiosity overriding her shyness.
"Because the chunin instructors were assigned to be here to greet the candidates who passed the second exam. I was chosen to deliver an important message to you!"
"An important message?" All three were puzzled.
A message? About the third exam?
"Everyone," Iruka began, his tone formal, "first of all, congratulations on passing the second stage!"
"Huh?"
"Also, I have another duty. To impart to you the 'Experience of a Chunin.' That is..." Iruka paused, pointing a thumb at the writing on the wall behind him. "Have you noticed? There seems to be a character missing from the end here."
"Ah? Is... is there?" Ryouma raised an eyebrow, scratching the bridge of his nose in mild embarrassment. He really hadn't noticed.
"This passage was written by the Third Hokage himself.
In the text, 'Heaven' refers to the human mind, while 'Earth' refers to the human body.
'If there is no Heaven, acquire wisdom and be prepared for opportunity' means... For instance, if a person's weakness is their mind, they must study various principles and strategies to prepare for their missions.
Then, 'If there is no Earth, seek fundamentals and pursue profit' means that if a person's weakness is physical strength, they must train their body diligently every day.
Then, 'If the scrolls of Heaven and Earth are opened'—meaning if both mind and body are developed and combined—'the perilous path shall become the righteous one.' In other words, you can overcome any challenge and steer the world toward a better path."
"And then... what about the smaller text at the end, Iruka-sensei?" Hinata asked softly.
She noticed that too? Awkward...
"That refers to the character of a Chunin. If you add the character from the scrolls just now—'person' (人)—to the end, it forms the word 'to lead' (任). The task of the past five days was to test whether the candidates possess the fundamental abilities of a Chunin. And you have successfully passed that test."
"A Chunin is expected to be a squad leader, possessing the ability to guide a team. The importance of mission-related knowledge and physical strength must be kept firmly in mind. I hope you will never forget this 'Experience of a Chunin' and will continue to the next stage of the exams. The above is the message I was ordered to convey!"
"Yes, sir!" Kiba responded, his voice loud and confident. Even though his role in the second exam hadn't been pivotal and his strength hadn't been fully tested, his self-assurance was unshaken.
Ryouma smiled, then looked at Hinata, who seemed a little anxious. He reached out, took her small hand in his, and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. Trust in yourself."
Though not as flustered as the first time he'd held her hand, Hinata's face still flushed a bright, captivating red, like a ripe apple. She listened to his words and nodded vigorously.
Trust in yourself...