Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled and the earth shook.
A massive black bear, towering as high as a two-story building, appeared before Akira Sato's Team 3.
But the key detail was the bright red scroll affixed to the beast's forehead.
There was no way the bear put that thing there itself — obviously, someone had placed it.
And it didn't take a genius to figure out who. Only the examiners could have done this.
The Token!
No one even needed to say it aloud — the scroll was clearly the passing token.
All they had to do was bring that thing to the central tower, and they'd pass this brutal, meat-grinder of an exam.
Important to note: the second exam was run as a team event.
In other words, each token could allow three people to pass the exam.
And no, the rules didn't say it had to be an intact three-person squad.
Which made things interesting.
Because with that, solo candidates or teams that had lost members might try to team up or strike deals.
Brilliant!
The exam rules were set up in a truly clever way.
The complicated conditions tested not just strength but intelligence — perfect for any "tactician types" (looking at you, Nara clan) to use their brains and figure out clever strategies.
Honestly, the three great ninja villages had clearly put in a lot of effort for this joint chunin exam.
They wanted something that would not only be entertaining to watch but also thoroughly test the candidates' all-around abilities.
A massive black bear like this was bound to attract attention. So it was only a matter of time before other teams converged.
Right now, Akira's Team 3 faced two choices.
First, go all in, grab the mission scroll, and rush to the central tower before everyone else swarmed in.
Second, wait and watch, let another team snatch it, then swoop in and steal it from them.
The exam rules didn't say a single word about preventing candidates from killing or robbing each other.
In fact, that was part of the spectacle.
If it were just an ordinary wild animal, even a basic genin could handle it.
But a massive ninja beast like this? Taking it down was a whole different matter.
It had insane vitality — plus, it likely had innate abilities similar to jutsu.
"We're going for the token!" Akira declared firmly.
It was a simple decision.
Their Team 3 wasn't just some random squad — they were Konoha's star team, featuring the genius Kakashi Hatake.
There was no way anyone was going to just let them lurk in the shadows and play sneaky. If they didn't secure the token now, it would only get harder later.
And as for robbing other teams?
Sure, that sounded fine on paper — but only if you had solid intelligence-gathering abilities.
Their team didn't have anyone from the Hyūga, Inuzuka, or Aburame clans — no one specialized in reconnaissance.
Two silent nods.
Neither Kakashi nor Koji Yamakawa were the talkative types, so they answered with action.
"You two agreeing so quickly makes me happy," Akira muttered. "But not even one of you calls me 'Captain'? That's disappointing."
Even so, Akira prepared to reveal one of his trump cards.
Taiichi!
This summoning beast wasn't a secret — it was one of his reliable assets.
But just then—
"This first token belongs to Suna!"
A figure leapt onto the giant black bear's back.
Maki!
Akira hadn't expected him to show up.
Clearly, young Maki hadn't yet been beaten down by the harsh realities of the world. His personality was totally different from the calm, cautious figure he would become in the future.
If Akira hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that this flashy, reckless guy would one day become a pillar of Sunagakure.
With Maki here, Akira thought maybe they should play it safe and advise his teammates to skip this token.
After all, there were more tokens out there.
But—
Clink!
Kakashi drew his short blade, signaling his resolve.
"??"
Akira's face twisted in confusion.
He honestly hadn't expected Kakashi to be this bold.
Luckily, after spending some time together, Kakashi understood Akira's personality well enough and gave a simple explanation that instantly changed Akira's mind.
"There are cameras."
Yes — that was the key point.
There were surveillance cameras.
Which meant the bigshots back in the village were watching them.
If they backed down now, sure, technically they wouldn't be breaking any rules… but the rumors and gossip would be endless.
At the very least, Suna would seize the chance to spread things like: "Is this all Konoha's genius can do?" or "Sunagakure is the true strongest in the ninja world!" or "Konoha ninjas only know how to give up when faced with a mission!"
Remember, the spectators weren't just the high-ranking officials from the other villages — there were also nobles and wealthy merchants watching.
These were the main sources of mission commissions.
The villagers and regular folks' missions barely brought in any real money.
If Konoha ninjas looked weak or unreliable in front of these "big clients," and it hurt the village's future commissions… well, you could imagine the consequences.
The failure of the White Fang's mission — the actual loss wasn't that big.
But when that story spread, the sponsors began to wonder: "If even White Fang can abandon missions, won't others do the same?"
That kind of thinking caused Konoha's mission commissions to drop by nearly a third overnight.
The impact was massive.
Combined with internal betrayals… well, to prevent further harm to Kakashi's future, the White Fang ultimately chose to take his own life, giving everyone a "final explanation."
After reincarnating into this world, Akira finally understood these things.
Unlike other transmigrators who only blamed the Hokage and couldn't figure out why things played out so dramatically, Akira saw the bigger picture.
If your actions damaged the village's reputation and interests, who else would they blame but you?
Now, the exact same script was unfolding before Team 3.
White Fang Experience Card.JPG!
To avoid ending up in the same boat, Akira knew they had no way out.
Sure, tactically retreating might make sense. But the ninja world didn't care about right or wrong — only about profit.
If you harmed the village's interests, you could forget about having a future in Konoha.
Not even the Uchiha clan would necessarily be able to shield you.
And without their protection… with his current level of strength… Akira knew dying might actually be the hard part.
"Get ready to move!"
A sharp glint flashed through Akira's eyes.
He had only wanted to lie low and enjoy life. But now, not only was that impossible, he was being forced to step into the spotlight — they weren't even giving him a choice.
At that moment, he gained a whole new understanding of the phrase "riding a tiger and unable to dismount."
Still, just because he was going in didn't mean he was going in blind.
"First, we'll figure out how to grab the token…"
He quickly laid out the tactical plan.
"Let's move!"
With that, the three of them charged toward the black bear.
As for sneaking in?
They had just fought using ninjutsu — the noise alone would have alerted anyone nearby. Unless the enemy was blind, there was no way they could approach unnoticed.
Better to go in hard and fast.
Meanwhile, Maki's team had naturally noticed Team 3 arriving.
But they were busy dodging the black bear's furious attacks and didn't have the spare focus to strike first.
"The token's sealed onto the ninja beast's body — we can't just pull it off, can we?"
Dodging a swipe of the bear's claws, Maki cursed under his breath.
He had originally thought the token would be easy to grab.
With ninja speed, a clumsy beast like this shouldn't be able to stop him.
But if he could think of that, the examiners certainly had too — which was why they'd set up the sealing barrier.
The token was directly sealed onto the bear's forehead. The only way to get it was to kill the beast.
Well, that made sense.
Since they'd reduced the difficulty of finding the tokens, naturally they had to increase the difficulty of obtaining them.
At that moment, Team 3 launched their assault.
(End of chapter)