"I didn't expect to run into you all here!"
The voice from the treetops made both Team Three and Maki's squad freeze in place.
It was the Rock Village's Gangtu Squad!
It seemed they'd been drawn here by the commotion.
Ordinary fights wouldn't make such a racket — but this clash had involved not just ninjutsu, but also explosive tags. The noise was no small thing.
Most over-the-top of all was Akira's big move right before finishing his summoning — a technique nearly comparable to an S-rank forbidden jutsu: Sunset!
The sheer force and spectacle had maxed out. Anyone with functioning eyes would have been drawn to it.
And so, the three squads now stood in a tense standoff.
No one dared to make the first move or retreat easily.
Because the moment anyone pulled back, the remaining two squads might gang up on them.
Everyone knew that in this situation, the smartest move was to disengage and leave.
But with surveillance cameras scattered everywhere, no one wanted to be the first to speak up.
"I think... how about we take care of the Hunters first?"
Tangping was the first to break the silence.
Even though he'd always tried to keep a low profile, at this moment, if he didn't step up, he might not live to regret it.
Forced by circumstances — that was the only way to describe his situation now.
Maki fell into thought, clearly considering the proposal.
But Gangtu, who had just secured a token and was riding high on confidence, wasn't about to go along. He flatly rejected the suggestion:
"They're just a bunch of rats. First, let's show the ninja world who the real genius is!"
To be fair, this was a rare chance for him — facing off directly against Maki and Kakashi.
If he missed this, who knew when the next opportunity would come?
The third round of the exams was individual combat; they could easily end up in separate brackets.
If that happened, even if he won in the end, it wouldn't be as convincing.
And Rock Village desperately needed a "genius" right now.
To be clear, Gangtu wasn't being reckless — on the contrary, this was a calculated risk.
He knew the dangers, but was willing to take them for his village.
"Earth Style: Spear Forest!"
Rejecting the proposal, Gangtu launched an immediate attack.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Dozens of stone spears shot up suddenly from the ground.
If the two squads hadn't dodged in time, they might have been skewered like kebabs.
The battle erupted!
Faced with this in-your-face provocation, neither Kakashi nor Maki could back down.
They had no choice but to fight.
And to make matters worse, there were still Hunters lurking among the examinees — they'd surely rush over as soon as they caught wind of this.
Akira felt numb inside.
Maybe the others didn't realize it, but he certainly did — if he could've, he'd have grabbed his pack and bolted long ago.
"You—!"
Just then, two Genin abruptly rushed into the fray, charging straight toward the three villages' star geniuses.
"Careful!"
Akira had a bad feeling. Something was off.
It felt wrong.
If they were really just Hunter Genin, they would have stayed hidden and waited for a sneak attack — this kind of frontal charge was pure suicide.
No way they were that dumb.
Which meant something was definitely wrong.
Kakashi, hearing Akira's warning, began watching the two closely, making sure to avoid them during the fight.
"Don't get in my way!"
Gangtu, on the other hand, directly lashed out.
He was riding high, confident that his superior performance against Maki and Kakashi proved he was stronger. He was in no mood to be interrupted.
But the moment they clashed, he realized something was wrong.
Bang! Bang!
The Transformation Jutsu on the two so-called Genin dispelled, revealing their true forms — two adult ninja.
One wore a Leaf Village forehead protector, the other a Sand Village one.
—
At the center tower of the Forest of Death.
"…!"
Staring at the surveillance monitors showing the two adult ninja, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned grim.
This was, without a doubt, a major failure on Konoha's part.
If they'd been Hunters disguised among the examinees, it wouldn't have been considered negligence — after all, the three great ninja villages had a mutual understanding that allowed such infiltration.
But these two adult ninja definitely hadn't slipped in that way.
This was entirely on Konoha.
However, with two other Kage seated nearby, Sarutobi couldn't afford to lose composure.
He simply handed the matter off to his subordinates.
"ANBU — apprehend those intruders immediately!"
Not far away, Mitokado Homura was the first to issue orders to the ANBU.
As an elder advisor, he also had authority over the ANBU.
And Konoha wasn't the only one.
The other two great ninja villages quietly gave the same order.
Outwardly, the three Kage maintained calm, as if everything was under control.
But inside, they were all panicking — because the Genin in the field were their villages' future.
If not for the noble families and wealthy merchants watching, they'd have intervened personally by now.
ANBU and proctors from every direction bolted toward the battlefield like madmen.
—
Back in the Forest!
"Run!"
Gangtu, the moment he realized the two were adult ninja, shouted to his teammates to flee.
But…
Despite his warning, his two teammates didn't run.
Instead, they rushed toward him.
Because they all knew: Gangtu was the village's future.
Iwagakure could afford to lose them — but not him.
Gangtu flipped backward several times, widening the gap, and then slammed his hands to the ground as he landed.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
With a sharp shout, this lower-ranked C-level jutsu — a simpler version of the B-level Earth Flow Wall — sprang to life.
Boom!
With a rumble, a stone wall several meters high and dozens of meters long surged up from the ground, cutting off the attackers.
If they tried to go over the top or around the sides, it would open opportunities for counterattacks or escape.
Unfortunately…
These two elite Jonin, who'd used Transformation Jutsu to get close, weren't about to give him that chance.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
The Leaf Village Jonin rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing a B-rank Lightning Style jutsu.
B-rank vs. C-rank!
It might seem like just one rank apart, but the difference in power was massive.
And besides, lightning beats earth — Earth Style was naturally weak against Lightning Style.
Crackle!
With a sharp, electric buzz, several thick lightning whips sliced cleanly through the stone wall.
Like cutting through butter.
B-rank jutsu already involved advanced techniques like nature transformation — completely out of reach for ordinary Genin or Chunin.
No wonder, looking back, how terrifying it was that future Sasuke could use A-rank jutsu during the Chunin Exams.
That kind of talent was the real deal.
But in the ninja world, bloodline and hacks mattered most.
Naruto wasn't just a Uzumaki; he had the ultimate cheat code — the Nine Tails.
It's no wonder Sasuke constantly felt overshadowed, frustrated to the point of defecting to Orochimaru.
—
After the jutsu ended, cries rang out from behind the shattered wall.
"Captain!"
Gangtu lay unconscious, shielded by his teammates' battered bodies.
A deep, charred gash across his chest made it clear the Lightning Style jutsu had hit him hard.
Remember — with chakra reinforcement, a ninja's body has high resistance to jutsu and blunt force.
That's the only reason Gangtu survived.
If it had been an ordinary person, they would've been cut clean in half, not merely injured.
Jonin!
The combat power difference really wasn't something Genin or Chunin could challenge.
"Retreat!"
Akira, seeing Gangtu's fate, immediately led his two teammates in a swift escape.
Maki's squad made the same decision.
The two Jonin paused for a split second, glanced at the barely-breathing Gangtu — and then each split off to pursue a different group.
They wanted them all.
It looked like they intended to eliminate every genius from the three great villages.
And not only that.
Back at the central tower, the surveillance feeds abruptly went dark.
Several areas of the Forest of Death had been dug into, severing the cables — the reason the camera feeds had cut out.
It was clear:
This operation had been meticulously planned.
The real hunt had begun.
(End of chapter)