Chunin Exams Part 2
As the morning sun bathed Konoha in warm light, the genin teams who had passed the first exam gathered in front of Training Ground 44. Standing before them was Shisui Uchiha, the youngest jonin in Konoha at the age of twelve. Shisui's gaze lingered for a moment longer on his good friend, Itachi Uchiha, before he began to address the teams.
"Hello, my name is Shisui Uchiha, and I will be the proctor for the second exam. Before we proceed, we will be passing around a waiver, as there is a possibility of mortal danger during this exam, and Konoha will not be held responsible," Shisui explained, as the chunin assistants distributed and collected the signed waivers.
Once all the waivers had been collected, Shisui proceeded to outline the rules of the exam. "We are currently at Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death. Half of the teams here will receive a Heaven scroll, while the other half will receive an Earth scroll, your objective is to obtain both scrolls and bring them to the tower in the center of the forest within three days," Shisui declared, addressing the assembled genin teams.
"Be warned, the Forest of Death is filled with chakra beasts, insects, poisonous plants, and dangerous animals that will try to kill you. It is important to remain constantly vigilant, as killing is allowed within the forest," Shisui continued, purposefully giving an extra look to the team of Shigaraki ninja disturb by their lack of reaction to anything.
"Now, if you could line up with your teams and come towards our booths, we will outfit you with a scroll, and then you'll be released into the forest at different intervals," Shisui instructed, gesturing for the teams to approach the designated booths. With watchful eyes, he observed as each team received their respective scrolls and made their way to their assigned gates.
Shisui's attention was particularly drawn to the Shigaraki ninja as they headed towards their own gate. There was an uneasiness in his gut regarding their intense coordination, almost as if they were moving with absolute efficiency.
Unbeknownst to Shisui, the Shigaraki ninja were under the control of Kurogiri's subconscious mind, utilizing the powers of the Queen Bee Quirk and Velocity Mind Quirk. This allowed them to operate at the peak of efficiency, with their strength and abilities magnified threefold. These ninjas had been strengthened through continuous efforts under Kurogiri's subconscious control using physical enhancement quirk side effect, making them mid to high-level chunin in their capabilities.
As each team waited for their turn to enter the forest, their collective actions coordinated through the Queen Bee Quirk, a unified plan was already being formulated. Itachi, standing at his own gate alongside his team, knew that caution was necessary, especially when it came to the Shigaraki ninja. He felt a sense of unease around them, sensing that they were intentionally hiding their true strength.
"Tenma, Shinko, when we enter the forest, we must avoid the Shigaraki ninja group. Something feels off about them, and it seems they are concealing their true abilities," Itachi warned his teammates, a hint of nervousness in his voice. However, despite his unease, Itachi couldn't help but feel a subtle gratitude towards the existence of the Shigaraki group. He saw in them the potential for his clan and the village to reconcile, united against a common enemy.
Noticing that the gate to the forest was opening, Itachi led his team into the forest, uncertain of whether they were the first or last to enter. They moved cautiously, navigating through the dense foliage, avoiding dangerous creatures and noxious plants, all while keeping an eye out for other teams.
Suddenly, screams echoed from the east, startling Itachi and his team. Minutes earlier, the Shigaraki team had used infrared to determine the locations of the other teams in the forest. Being the highest-scoring team, they had been released first.
They quickly assembled and positioned themselves near the gate of the next team to be released. Waiting in anticipation, they launched a surprise attack as soon as the gate opened, using their superior speed and taijutsu skills. Two out of three genin from the Land of Hot Water were swiftly overpowered and killed, leaving behind a terrified survivor.
"Please, h-h-h-here's the scroll, please don't kill me," pleaded the Hot Water genin, trembling with fear as they presented their Heaven scroll. However, the Shigaraki ninja, devoid of compassion, swiftly snatched the scroll and mercilessly killed the last surviving member of the Hot Water team.
The Shigaraki team, having completed their objective with one team, continued to travel as a united group of nine, swiftly dispatching any chakra beasts or animals that crossed their path. Their current destination was one of the five Konoha teams that had also been released into the forest. This particular team consisted of Ryu Hyuga, a member of the branch clan, Yuki Inuzuka from the renowned beast ninja clan, and Hiroshi Aburame from the famous insect-using clan.
As the team traversed the forest by leaping from tree branch to tree branch, Ryu, utilizing the Byakugan, the signature doujutsu of the Hyuga clan, noticed a group of nine ninja approaching them. Before he could even warn his teammates, they found themselves surrounded by the sweeping force of the Shigaraki members. The Shigaraki ninjas split off into groups of three, encircling each of Ryu's teammates and launching a barrage of punches and kicks, overwhelming them until they fell to the ground.
Rather than delivering a killing blow, the Shigaraki ninjas left them lying on the forest floor without a word. Ryu, comprehending their intentions, cautiously retrieved their team's scroll, an earth scroll, and held it out as a gesture of surrender, hoping that it would satisfy the Shigaraki and prompt their departure.
Ryu, as a Root operative, had been assigned the critical task of ensuring the survival of the Konoha genin. However, even with his detached and emotionless nature, he couldn't help but be startled by the efficiency and seamless teamwork displayed by the Shigaraki ninja. Deep down, Ryu desired to live in order to pass on this crucial information to Lord Danzo, understanding the potential threat they posed.
Contrary to his initial belief that they would be allowed to go after surrendering the scroll, the Shigaraki ninja unexpectedly commenced a merciless assault, killing Ryu's teammates one by one. Ryu, realizing the imminent danger to his own life, fought valiantly to survive. However, the sheer numbers and superior skill of the Shigaraki team proved overwhelming.
In his final moments, Ryu couldn't help but draw a chilling similarity between the Shigaraki ninja and his former colleagues in Root. The Shigaraki team, however, appeared to be on another level entirely, even surpassing the efficiency and perfection of Root operatives. As darkness enveloped him, Ryu could only grasp the concept that the Shigaraki ninja were nothing short of perfect tools, crafted for destruction.
As Itachi and his team decided to veer away from the source of the scream, they coincidentally encountered a team from the recently formed Land of Sound. Itachi issued a warning to his teammates, indicating that they needed to be cautious. He swiftly took out a handful of shuriken, throwing them in an arc, causing them to bounce off each other and create a barricade of spinning projectiles.
One of the Sound ninja, who carried a drum on his back, skillfully removed it and infused his chakra into a powerful clap, releasing a visible soundwave that deflected the oncoming shuriken. Simultaneously, Tenma began weaving hand signs, and upon completing them, locked eyes with one of the Sound ninja, ensnaring them in a powerful genjutsu known as the Tree Binding Technique. The affected Sound ninja went limp, falling to the ground, trapped by the genjutsu's hold.
Distracted by their fallen teammate, the other two Sound ninja failed to notice as Itachi swiftly approached from behind, having seamlessly switched places with a clone. He positioned himself close to each of them, pressing a kunai against their necks. With a decisive tone, Itachi issued a proposition to the captured Sound ninja: "Give us your scroll, and I will spare your lives. Refuse, and I will take it by force. Either way, I will obtain the scroll. Choose the less painful option for yourselves."
Understanding that they had been outmatched, the lead Sound ninja, who wielded the drum, reluctantly relinquished the scroll, tossing it to Tenma. As Itachi quickly rejoined his teammates, they left the area, leaving the defeated Sound ninja behind having required the scroll needed.
Meanwhile, the Shigaraki ninja had already succeeded in collecting the necessary scrolls, including an additional earth scroll due to their elimination of three more teams. These teams consisted of sand ninjas, steam ninjas, and waterfall ninjas.
By defeating them, the Shigaraki team obtained two earth scrolls and one heaven scroll, bringing their total count to two of each. Incredibly, they managed to achieve this within the first two hours, swiftly overpowering the opposing teams they encountered.
With the scrolls secured, the Shigaraki team swiftly made their way towards the central tower of the forest, determined to be among the first three teams to enter. Their speed and efficiency impressed the numerous Jonin sensei who monitored the test from the tower's control room. They were taken aback by the ruthlessness and cold indifference shown by the Shigaraki team when killing other teams.
On the other hand, the corresponding sensei of the dead teams felt a deep resentment towards the Jonin from the Land of Grass, expecting some sort of reaction or acknowledgment. However, to their surprise, the Shigaraki Jonin displayed no visible emotion, not even towards their own victorious genin teams.
Meanwhile, Itachi and his team carefully navigated their way through the forest, utilizing his keen observation skills to avoid potential ambushes from rival teams, chakra beasts, and dangerous creatures. As they approached the tower in the distance, Itachi couldn't help but consider the possibility of being the first team to reach it, given that they had completed all the required tasks within four hours.
However, to Itachi's disbelief, his team didn't end up in the first, second, or even third place. Instead, they secured the fourth spot. What shocked him even more was that the Shigaraki teams occupied the top three positions. As Itachi entered the tower after submitting his team's scrolls, he noticed the Shigaraki teams sitting in the main area, seemingly meditating and patiently awaiting the end of the exam in two days.
Fast forward two days, and all the teams that managed to pass have made it to the tower. Much to the surprise of the Jonin senseis, only the Konoha and Shigaraki teams had successfully passed the exam. This news was particularly disappointing for the team from the Sand Village, as they had sent in three teams, none of which had made the cut.
Now, with twenty-one remaining genin, there needed to be ten preliminary matches in order to reduce the numbers for the finals. Only one genin would be granted an automatic pass to the finals. Given that Konoha was the host village, it came as no surprise that the genin selected for the automatic pass was Itachi Uchiha, a decision met with little astonishment.
After establishing the preliminary matches, all the remaining participants of the Chunin exams made their way to a large indoor arena. Inside, they were met with a towering statue of hands forming the ram seal, with a monitor displayed above it. The teams arranged themselves in rows in front of the statue, and standing on the walkway in front of it was the Third Hokage.
The Hokage carefully observed the teams and their respective Jonin senseis, but his attention was particularly drawn to the twelve Shigaraki ninja. He couldn't help but be concerned by their remarkable synchronicity, both among themselves and with their Jonin senseis. The Hokage pondered on what kind of training must be taking place in Shigaraki Village, as it seemed to be molding their genin and Jonin to act as one.
The Third Hokage addressed the gathered participants, congratulating those who had passed the initial rounds. However, he emphasized that in order to determine the best representatives from each village for the finals, a preliminary match was necessary to narrow down the number of participants.
He couldn't help but notice the expressionless faces of the Shigaraki ninja, which further fueled his concerns. He felt a sense of gratitude for bringing the Uchiha clan closer to the village by allowing them to have a role in overseeing parts of the Chunin exams, particularly showcasing Itachi's talents in the finals.
The Third Hokage was committed to protecting the village, especially since even without Orochimaru's presence, Shigaraki village was still a looming threat. The strange sage mode, the increased strength and speed, and the lack of emotion displayed by the Shigaraki ninja raised all the wrong flags.
In this situation, the Hokage had to place his hope in the Root operatives who were disguised as genin, hoping they could force the Shigaraki to reveal their strange sage mode. He had even arranged for Jiraiya to secretly observe the matches and analyze them closely. The upcoming matches held just as much importance as the finals, as they would provide valuable information for studying and understanding the Shigaraki ninja.