Chapter 63: Big Fish, Small Pond.

Author Note: Nothing you guys haven't read about already, so enjoy.

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I'm currently updating the novel 1 or 2 chapter a day in patreeeeon. On chapter 104 right now.

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Enjoy you sexy bastards.

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[Arata Takeshi - POV.]

By now, I had collected at fifteen sets of scrolls and two extra Heaven scrolls. Since my encounter with the Suna squad, I hadn't fought any large groups, but despite that, I had encountered teams that had given me more of a challenge than Suna had, which, when you think about it, is quite sad… eighteen genins being worse than a single squad…

That says a lot about quality, am I right?

That being said, I hadn't really encountered a team strong enough to fully entertain me. But, despite that, I suppose the thrill of the hunt kept me going. There had to be someone strong enough around here. Genins or not, I refused to believe this… was the absolute best the villages had sent to represent them at the Chunin exams.

As I continued pondering just how disappointing this whole experience was turning out to be so far, I felt a sudden shift in the air, followed by the unmistakable sense of killing intent creeping up behind me.

They were a minute away or so, based on their speed.

"They feel stronger than most of the fodder I have dealt with so far," I mused out loud. Their chakra felt more… controlled than most of the teams I had fought, and their killing intent was more refined, indicating they had taken lives before. That being said… I suppose it was within my best interest not to get my hopes up…

Smiling, I stopped on a thick branch, turning my head to the right just in time to see the three figures emerge from the shadows. A Kiri team. Their headbands gleamed in the dim light, showing the symbol of the Hidden Mist.

The leader of the group, a tall boy with sharp eyes and a jagged scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. He didn't say anything, just stood there, probably sizing me up. His teammates, a girl with a nasty-looking smile and a boy with a sickle, flanked him.

I had to say, so far… they weren't disappointing. They looked like they had been through their fair share of fights. So, I might have some fun here.

"Are you gonna say something, or…" I said, breaking the silence, "Not that I mind the silence, but you know."

The scarred boy smirked. "You've been collecting scrolls, haven't you? You smell like blood and death," His voice was low and dangerous, with a hint of arrogance that made me smirk. "Hand them over, and we might let you walk away."

I rolled my eyes. "You guys are the third team this past hour to say that. It's getting a bit repetitive, to be honest. Do try to be original, it doesn't hurt."

The boy with the sickle narrowed his eyes. "You think this is a joke?"

"Not at all, if it were, I would be laughing," I replied, stretching my arms lazily. "But it's a little disappointing that you all seem to have the same script. I mean, 'Hand over the scrolls, and we might let you walk away'? Come on, give me something new."

The girl with the nasty smile gritted her teeth. "You'll regret underestimating us."

"Oh, goodie, I sure hope so… so far, all I have been regretting is overestimating others," I said, drawing my claymore. "Because so far, this whole exam has been one big letdown."

Without another word, they charged at me, the boy with the sickle swinging his weapon in a deadly arc while the girl threw a few kunai with pinpoint precision. The scarred leader stayed back, his hands forming seals as mist began to swirl around them. A classic Kiri tactic—using the mist to obscure their movements.

With a quick flick of my wrist, I deflected the kunai with my claymore, sending it flying into the mist. I could already tell where they were going with this strategy. The mist would thicken, and they'd try to use it to their advantage, turning the fight into a game of hide-and-seek.

This was a good approach if you were fighting anyone but a sensor, or if I was in the mood to play. Sadly, I wasn't in the mood, and I was a sensor.

As the mist closed in, I let out a sigh, feeling my chakra surge through me as they moved around. "Let's make this quick," I muttered, focusing on the faint outlines of their chakra signatures through the mist. "I've got a lot of scrolls to sort through."

I dashed forward, cutting through the mist with my claymore, aiming for where I knew the boy with the sickle would be. The mist parted slightly as my blade cut through it, revealing his shocked face just before I cut him down.

The girl was next, trying to blindside me with another barrage of projectiles. I ducked under her attack, sweeping her legs out from under her and knocking the wind out of her with a quick strike to the stomach before cutting her head off.

Finally, the leader, still trying to control the mist, realized his mistake… which was that I was a sensor, and this jutsu was useless against me, as I appeared right in front of him. His eyes widened as I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the ground, hard enough to make the earth shake.

The mist began to dissipate as the three of them lay there, groaning in pain. I looked down at them, a bit disappointed. "You guys were supposed to be the tough ones. What happened?"

The leader coughed, struggling to get up. "How…?"

"Kiri is known for its cold-blooded nature, and this is the best you guys had to offer…" I sighed, shaking my head. "I think… I need to stop having any sort of expectations about these sorts of things. Wouldn't you say?"

His gaze met mine, fear and confusion etched in his eyes. "Who on earth are you?"

I offered him a faint smile, before driving my claymore through his skull without answering his question.

That made… twenty-four kills so far. I wasn't really looking to kill them, but I had a self-imposed rule, so to speak—if you came at me with the intention to kill, I would return the favor. After all, it was only fair.

Taking a deep breath, I gave my claymore a practiced flick, shaking off the fresh red stains from the blade. There were still a few teams in my part of the forest, teams with scrolls, that is… so, I still had work to do.

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[Two Hours Later.]

They… gave up.

Team after team.

After my fight with the Kiri team, I continued my route through the forest, but as I did so, I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of resistance from the remaining teams. It wasn't that they had all been wiped out; no, they were very much still here, I could feel them. No… they were just… keeping their distance. It had become almost comical, really.

Every time I approached a group, they either froze in place, turned tail, or, in a few cases, simply handed over their scrolls without a word.

At first, I thought it might be a trap, but after the fourth team gave me their scrolls with shaking hands and wide eyes, I realized what was going on. They were terrified of me. Word must have spread quickly about what happened with the other teams I'd encountered, and now they were treating me like some kind of boogeyman in the forest.

It was a strange feeling, to say the least. I'd expected a lot more resistance, especially from shinobi representing their villages in the Chunin exams. But instead, they were just… giving up. Maybe it was the fact that I'd collected more scrolls than anyone else, or maybe it was how easily I'd dealt with anyone who tried to stop me. Whatever the reason, they were too scared to even try anymore.

I sighed, pocketing the latest scroll I'd been handed. "This is getting ridiculous," I muttered to myself as I continued walking. "But I do… enjoy their reactions."

That being said, I was disappointed… It was hard to feel excited about the prospect of fighting when no one seemed willing to fight back. I came to these exams to see how I stacked up against the best Genin from other villages. Instead, I was practically being handed a victory on a silver platter.

Was this what it meant to be strong? To have everyone so terrified of you that they wouldn't even fight back?

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside. As fun as this was, I didn't want to be feared; I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to face opponents who could push me to my limits, who would force me to grow stronger. But at this rate, it didn't seem like that was going to happen.

Maybe… I should start setting my expectations higher. Targeting people like Orochimaru… I mean, I was far from being strong enough to face enemies of that caliber, but in time I would be.

"I think I should start heading back to the meeting point… there aren't any other scrolls to collect in my area," I murmured, looking at the bag filled to the brim with scrolls.