Increasingly Perilous  

( At what water level will you be devoured by it? )

The final obstacle in Kagura's group's track was a huge fireball rushing towards them.

Fire nature was extremely rare in Kirigakure. It was Kagura's first time seeing such a large-scale Fire Release. Facing the raging flames blocking the entire track, feeling the scorching temperature that seemed to dry the moisture on his face, Kagura was stunned for a moment.

This ninjutsu was completely different from the Water and Earth Release he usually saw. The first time he saw it, he was even dazzled by the orange-red color, not knowing how to react.

Honestly, he was a bit enthralled by these flames. That warm feeling touched something deep in his heart. His body, frostbitten by the looks implying "that Mizukage's grandson", and his heart, closed off to protect himself from getting hurt, were forcefully shaken by the domineering heat before him.

Kagura, who had been struggling alone at the bottom of the sea of rejection and disgust, in that moment, deeply fell in love with the flames that quickly warmed his entire being.

That cozy, warm feeling in his whole chest, the blissful sensation of all the blood in his body seeming to soak in hot water, even made him want to cry. He stared blankly at the flames in front of him as if bewitched, his whole person frozen in place, his purple-red pupils filled with the red glow of the fire. The world seemed to contain only him and the flames that warmed him, leaving no room for anything else.

Suddenly, his teammates' shouts woke him up. The boy stared blankly at Buntan, taking a few seconds to react to what she was saying. He shook his head that had stopped working just now, and after his wandering thoughts returned to his body, the corners of his mouth slowly pulled into a bitter smile.

Really... what am I doing?

It's just flames, what on earth... am I hoping for?

He formed hand seals with his teammates and skillfully used Water Release to drench himself - using large-scale Water Release for such big flames would be a waste of chakra. Then, he took a deep look at the fire surges before him, took a deep breath, and charged in with his head down.

The astonishing heat swept over, licking the water-wrapped skin. Kagura quickly wrapped his exposed skin in his still-damp clothes, quickened his pace, and while feeling the pain, broke out of the red sea, his whole body ablaze. He desperately rolled on the ground a few times at the finish line. After making sure the flames on his body were extinguished, he finally relaxed and lay on his back on the ground, panting and breathing in the air that was no longer hot enough to scorch his nasal cavity.

When he calmed down a bit, he sat up and observed the surroundings, confirming his team was the second to arrive. He let out a long sigh of relief and exchanged smiles with his teammates who were still lying on the ground in shock.

Then he stood up supporting himself with his knees. The moment he raised his head, he unexpectedly crashed hard into a pair of deep eyes brimming with raging flames.

Kagura sucked in a short breath, his purple-red eyes widening in an instant, completely losing the ability to react, just stupidly staring at that pair of black eyes up close, reflecting a domineering red glow.

Those flames made that person's eyes extremely bright, dazzlingly so.

With this thought, Kagura couldn't help but freeze. It wasn't until the owner of those eyes quietly shifted his gaze from the flames to him that the cold and profound look made him suddenly freeze for a moment. By his ears, that cool voice rang out for a long time before he belatedly reacted.

"Uchiha Chitose."

Kagura stared at his pale lips for a while before digesting the meaning of this sentence. Not knowing if it was because it was too hot by the flames or something else, his face unconsciously turned a little red. He then said a bit embarrassedly, " Karatachi Kagura, just call me Kagura."

After saying this, his attitude finally became natural. He showed a brilliant smile to the exceptionally good-looking boy in front of him. An amiable and gentle aura emanated from that smile, the light in his purple-red eyes bright and gentle, "Nice to meet you, can I call you Chitose?"

Chitose looked at Kagura and couldn't help but hook the corners of his mouth, softening his exquisite and heroic brows and eyes, "Of course, Kagura."

Kagura's breath hitched. At this time, his two teammates finally stood by his side. Before Kagura could say anything, he saw the black-haired boy he just met nod at him, turn around and go to the two boys and girl watching from the side.

As soon as he turned around, Kagura saw the Uchiha crest on his back. He, who rarely didn't pay attention, listened half-heartedly to the proctor announcing their qualification for the second exam, while recalling those captivating black eyes full of flames just now.

Uchiha, it's that Uchiha right?

I really hope to become good friends with him. Those eyes, they're simply too beautiful.

When a person has been in the cold, dark abyss for a long time, the moment that ray of light suddenly appears, they will surely do their utmost to grasp it. Even if it's a dangerous and extremely domineering flame, even if it will fiercely burn them, they won't be able to resist the desire for light and warmth in their hearts. Like a desperate person grasping at a lifeline, they will tightly hold onto it, unwilling to let go even if it means death.

***

This unprecedented Chunin Exam's first stage finally ended with one team each from Konoha, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure advancing to the second stage. While waiting, the genin who had already reached the finish line personally saw a genin being carried out of the track on a stretcher, his faint painful moans and the blood staining the stretcher red, dripping on the ground all the way, frightening some people pale-faced, adding some apprehension and even fear for the coming exams. Even among the teams that had already advanced, except for Chitose's trio, the rest had more or less light to moderate injuries, or like Kagura's team, were a bit disheveled and covered in dust.

The pace of this exam was so tight that for the last Kumogakure team to reach the finish line, there was no time at all to catch their breath and rest before the next stage began. And after the matchups for the second stage were decided by drawing lots, the three Kumogakure genin with tattered clothes on their bodies looked at the trio across from them, whose appearance was clearly several streets ahead of their side and had not a speck of dust on their clothes, their expressions solemn.

Without pause, the four teams of twelve genin who successfully advanced passed through the huge first exam field and followed the new proctor through a large gate that had long stood there. As the gate closed behind them, everyone was suddenly plunged into darkness. There was an immediate slight commotion in the genin teams, but the next second, oil lamps abruptly lit up one by one, illuminating this narrow passageway that could only fit two people walking side by side.

Extending into the invisible darkness before their eyes were stairs going down level by level. The black-haired boy's steps faltered. Ruri, who had gripped the hem of his jacket the moment they entered the gate, immediately noticed. She lightly tugged the boy's clothes and tilted her head, looking at him in confusion.

Chitose's eyes darkened, but when he turned his head, he shook his head at her. However, when he turned back to continue looking ahead, deep vigilance flashed in his black eyes.

He vaguely heard the sound of water below, plus this downward, enclosed terrain...

He exchanged a glance with Yosuke, fully activating all his senses. As they descended the stairs level by level, the moisture in the air increased, dampening the air with humidity. Although Ruri hadn't thought as far ahead as Chitose and Yosuke, she slowly realized they were approaching the exam location. Her right thumb unconsciously rubbed her rose ring.

The air was a bit stifling. The genin and proctors were all silent, leaving only the sound of footsteps echoing in the narrow corridor. The solemnity brought by the echoes in the silence made it increasingly hard to breathe.

The long staircase finally came to an end, followed by an equally narrow corridor. The difference was that there was a faint white light at the end of the corridor. At the same time, everyone heard the "swishing" sound of water, and the occasional "splash", as if something heavy had fallen into the water, stirring up ripples.

Kagura and his teammates' bodies stiffened abruptly. Chitose, who happened to be walking beside them, keenly sensed it. He turned his head and saw them exchanging a stiff look. He frowned slightly and continued walking forward without a change in expression.

The end was getting closer and the sound of things falling into the water was already very clear and loud. The full picture of the second exam venue was gradually revealed before everyone's eyes.

Ruri stepped out of the end of the corridor, dazzled by the sudden strong light. She hurriedly blocked her eyes with her right hand and turned her head away. In that instant, in her narrowed dark red eyes, the profile of that black-haired boy surrounded by red light in her vision was reflected.

Expressionless, yet strikingly handsome. In a sea of white light, only that person had such distinct colors. Only he had colors that she could truly see clearly from head to toe.

"Alright, this is the venue for the second exam."

The voice, laced with laughter yet inexplicably chilling, rang in Ruri's ears, interrupting her contemplation and surging emotions.

Chitose's black eyes glanced at the young jonin in front of him who had a treacherous smile, about to look away when the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of familiar silver-white.

Kakashi was standing not far away on the opposite side. Seeing the black-haired boy notice him, he raised his hand at him with a pleased eye-smile. His smiling appearance subtly conveyed a bit of a leisurely spectating meaning in his fox-like behavior to Chitose.

He stared at his teacher for a few seconds, then expressionlessly shifted his eyes away and continued observing the strange venue before him. Kakashi froze awkwardly for a moment, scratched his head and chuckled to the jonin leaders from other villages who were looking at him strangely. But in his heart, he secretly cursed: This brat, the older he gets, the less cute he becomes!

Chitose's black eyes carefully examined the large, deep pit before him while keeping the proctor's explanation in mind.

It was a cylindrical venue. The circular viewing platform they were on was at the top, surrounded by sturdy metal railings half as tall as a person. Not far below their feet was a ring of pitch-black water outlets as high as an adult's arm circling the platform. Seawater continuously flowed out from there, falling vertically into the giant pit below. The bottom of the pit was sealed. In the center was a concrete cylindrical pillar slightly smaller than the pit. The seawater fell into the outer perimeter of the pillar, the splashing water wetting its upper surface that had yet to be submerged. The water level was constantly rising. It seemed only a matter of time before the exposed circular platform over a dozen meters above the water would be flooded.

On top of this were many marble stone steps of various shapes extending from the pit walls. The most regular ones were rectangular, while others were cylindrical or even spherical, with varying lengths. The short ones could barely fit one person standing, while the long ones could almost extend all the way to the center. And these stone steps, under the continuous washing of seawater, had undoubtedly become extremely slippery. The dense structure of the marble also made it exceptionally difficult for chakra to adhere.

Above these sparse stone steps, not far below where the ninjas were standing now, in the very center of the giant pit, a fist-sized luminous pearl floated, emitting a bright light that illuminated this entire underground world.

Actually, just by looking at this venue, the content of the competition was self-evident, wasn't it?

Just as the proctor was about to say something, a commotion suddenly came from the bottom of the pit. He grinned and stepped aside so that all the genin could see the exam field before them. However, that smile looked cruel and eerie no matter how you looked at it.

The rumbling sound of water was getting louder and louder. Something was rapidly approaching the surface. The genin all craned their necks, curiously looking down. Only the three genin from Kirigakure, as well as Chitose who seemed to have noticed something and pulled Yosuke and Ruri back, retreated in unison.

In the dim bottom of the pit, a dark shadow slowly appeared under the water, rapidly growing larger and darker. Suddenly, a huge bloody mouth broke through the surface and charged straight up, its sharp teeth and pitch-black throat seeming to want to swallow everyone in one bite!

"Ahh—!"

Clang!

Splash splash splash...

A square stone block was bitten by that bloody mouth. The large, thick teeth deeply embedded into the marble, scattering broken stones, showing the sharpness of those teeth and the huge biting force!

Only then did everyone realize that the owner of that bloody mouth was a gigantic man-eating fish capable of swallowing a person whole in one bite!

The girl who had screamed earlier lowered her half-covered mouth, but her trembling pupils still showed her fearful state of mind.

There was silence among the genin teams.

This fish had damaged a square stone block in the center of the arena in one go.

Chitose silently lowered his head to look at it. When it fiercely twisted its head, tore off a piece of stone, turned around and fell, he met a pair of brutally gleaming and cruel eyes.

Those didn't look like the eyes of a fish at all. He narrowed his eyes slightly and heard the proctor mumble excitedly beside him in a barely concealed tone:

"So, at what water level will you be eaten by it?"