179-Strategy
Fujioka had placed a bet with some of his colleagues, who were also evaluating the candidates. They each had their own favourites in the competition, but Fujioka had confidently backed Renjiro. Now, he was reaping the rewards of his faith.
One of his colleagues, a burly man named Takeshi, begrudgingly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Ryo, handing it over to Fujioka.
"Yeah, yeah, he just got lucky this time," Takeshi grumbled. "But there's no way he's getting through the next stage. Mark my words."
Another colleague, a woman named Nao, nodded in agreement as she handed over her payment. "He's good, but he hasn't faced the real challenges yet. The next stage will weed out the rest."
Fujioka chuckled, pocketing the money. "We'll see about that. You all said the same this morning."
'We don't even know what will happen in the next stage. We only know what they would be tested. Or do they know? If they do, I can take advantage of this opportunity since I am sure Renjiro will succeed.' Fujioka wondered.
"But if you still believe so we could make another bet." Fujioka smiled as he proposed.
As Renjiro made his way out of the combat area, he noticed someone approaching him. He sighed inwardly, mildly irritated.
'Huh, who is this?' he thought.
"Renjiro, it has been a long time," said the young woman who had walked up to him. She was as tall as Renjiro's shoulder and had her black hair tied up neatly.
Renjiro looked at her, puzzled. 'Why is she talking as if I know her?'
He furrowed his brow and asked, "Um... Who are you?" He tried his best to sound polite, but his tone came off more brusque than intended.
The lady looked slightly annoyed. "What? You don't remember me?" she asked.
Seeing the confused look on Renjiro's face, she continued, "I am Uchiha Amari."
That did not ring any bells for Renjiro and it only made his confusion deepen.
'Am I supposed to know her? Was there someone called Amari from the Uchiha clan in the story? I don't think so,' he thought.
As the silence stretched, Amari's annoyance grew. "We fought during the Chunin Exams in the Forest of Death, remember?" she huffed.
Realization dawned on Renjiro, but before he could respond, Amari stormed off, muttering under her breath.
'Why did she walk up to me and then storm off? People sure are strange nowadays,' Renjiro mused as he watched her leave.
After the initial round was over and the remaining competitors had regrouped, Iwata called for the twenty aspirants who were moving on to the next stage.
He handed each of them a scroll. Those who had been eliminated were allowed to leave, but many chose to stay and watch the rest of the contest unfold, eager to see how their friends and rivals would fare.
Renjiro noticed Amari among the twenty shinobi proceeding to the next stage. 'Oh, that crazy girl also managed to survive her round,' he thought with a touch of amusement.
He received his scroll and unfurled it, expecting some sort of message or instruction. Instead, he found it blank.
'Are they supposed to do something?' he wondered, turning it over in his hands.
Iwata, standing tall before the remaining competitors, addressed them. "The scrolls in your hand will be useful in the next part."
Renjiro looked around, seeing similar expressions of curiosity and confusion on the faces of the others. The tension in the air was palpable as Iwata continued.
"You will have to get as many scrolls from each other; however, you also must not remain with the same scroll you were handed in the beginning."
Murmurs of confusion and speculation spread through the group. One shinobi, a tall young man with spiky hair, raised his hand and asked, "How are we supposed to do that?"
Iwata smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. "That is for you to decide. You have an hour to complete the task."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the aspirants to figure it out on their own.
The group of aspirants erupted into hushed conversations, trying to piece together the meaning of Iwata's cryptic instructions. Renjiro, however, remained silent, standing still and observing.
'There's got to be more to this,' he thought, trying to decipher the underlying purpose of the test.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out. One shinobi, a muscular young man decided to take matters into his own hands. He lunged at another competitor, a smaller shinobi with quick reflexes. The smaller shinobi dodged just in time, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Hey! What are you doing?" the smaller shinobi shouted, but the larger one didn't respond. He was determined to get that scroll.
"Whack!"
The larger shinobi swung a punch, which the smaller shinobi barely managed to block. Renjiro watched the chaos unfold, his mind racing. 'They're going about this all wrong. If everyone starts fighting, we'll waste too much time and energy. There has to be a better way.'
Meanwhile, Daichi, who was watching from the sidelines, turned to Fugaku, who stood beside him. "Why didn't Iwata just tell them the whole point of the test?" he asked, frowning.
Fugaku, his arms crossed and his expression serious, replied, "We are testing their composure and adaptability. If we have to spell out the picture for them, then there is no need for them to become squad leaders."
Minato, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. "The real challenge is for them to understand the objective and find the best way to achieve it. This isn't just about fighting; it's about strategy."
Daichi mulled over their words, his eyes narrowing as he continued to watch the aspirants. "Interesting..."
All this managed to happen because of Fugaku. Daichi was already delegating some of his tasks as the clan head to prepare him for what was to come in the future as so far, the Uchina Clan head had never been disappointed.
Back on the training ground, Renjiro was deep in thought. 'We have to give up our current scroll and get others, but Iwata did not say we have to fight them, right?' His mind raced as he considered the possibilities.
As the first scuffles broke out among the aspirants, Renjiro remained still, observing. One aspirant, a determined-looking young woman, managed to wrestle a scroll from another competitor. The struggle was intense, with grunts of effort and the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground.
"Give it to me!" she shouted, yanking the scroll free. The other aspirant, now scroll-less and visibly frustrated, glared at her but made no move to retaliate immediately.
Renjiro's eyes flicked over to another pair of shinobi who were arguing heatedly. "We need to figure this out together!" one of them insisted, but his partner seemed unconvinced, clutching his scroll protectively.
It was then that an idea sparked in Renjiro's mind. He looked around and spotted Amari, who was fending off another shinobi trying to grab her scroll.
"Hey, Amari!" Renjiro shouted, his voice cutting through the noise. Amari turned to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "Take my scroll and give me yours!"
Amari hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting between Renjiro and the shinobi attacking her. 'What is he planning?' she thought, but she didn't have time to ponder. She ducked under a punch, spun around, and dashed towards Renjiro.
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