Chapter 110

Chapter 110

"Alright, Asuma, let's go," Haneda said, noticing that Asuma and Obito were on the verge of a heated argument.

"Yes, Haneda!" Asuma immediately turned around and followed Haneda, paying no attention to the furious Obito behind him.

"See you at the finish line, Kakashi," Haneda said, glancing back after walking a few steps.

"See you there," Kakashi replied.

…

The 44th Training Ground, also known as the Forest of Death, was full of large, dangerous beasts and lurking venomous snakes and spiders. But for Uchiha Haneda, who had grown up near the edge of the Forest of Death, these were nothing out of the ordinary.

"Haneda, where are we headed now? Are we going to find the Earth Scroll?" Asuma asked casually, chewing on a piece of grass.

Team 9 had received the Heaven Scroll, and to advance to the third part of the exam, they needed to acquire the Earth Scroll. Given the equal distribution of Heaven and Earth Scrolls, the odds of defeating a team with the Earth Scroll were 50%.

But Haneda had no interest in gambling with a 50% chance.

"We're heading straight to the central tower. We'll wait for someone who has already collected both scrolls to bring them to us," Haneda said.

"As expected of Haneda! That's a brilliant idea. Waiting at the tower is way more efficient than searching for teams ourselves!" Asuma, ever in awe of Haneda, turned to Kurenai and said, "Let's go, Kurenai. We'll follow Haneda's lead and head to the tower."

…

Meanwhile, with Team 7, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin had also entered the Forest of Death. Although Obito was always at odds with Kakashi, he took the initiative this time and asked, "Kakashi, where are we heading?"

"The tower," Kakashi replied.

"The tower?" Obito asked, confused. "Isn't that the finish line? We need to collect both scrolls first, you idiot!"

At this moment, Rin stepped in to explain, "Obito, Kakashi means that we should wait at the tower. That way, we won't waste energy searching for other teams."

"I see!" Obito, of course, wouldn't argue with Rin, but then he remembered Haneda and asked, "Kakashi, do you think Haneda will think the same way?"

Hearing this, Kakashi smiled but didn't say anything. He knew that, given Haneda's love for efficiency (and laziness), Haneda definitely wouldn't bother with the hassle of hunting other teams in the Forest of Death.

…

At the center of the 44th Training Ground, inside the tower, the proctor of the second exam, Hiroshi Nagano, was sitting idle. Since the second exam lasted several days, he typically spent his time at the tower unless there was an emergency. To pass the time, he had brewed a pot of tea for himself.

Just as he was about to take a sip, an unexpected guest walked in: a man with silver hair and a short sword on his back—Sakumo Hatake.

"Sakumo-sama!" Nagano immediately stood up and greeted Sakumo with respect. Sakumo was a legendary figure in Konoha, and it was rare to see him in person. Nagano considered himself fortunate to encounter him today, likely because of his student, Haneda.

However, it was unusual for a mentor to visit on the very first day of the exam. Nagano couldn't help but comment, "Sakumo-sama, are you here to check on your students?"

"It's still early in the exam, and typically, no one manages to collect both scrolls until at least the second day," Nagano remarked as he poured a cup of tea for Sakumo.

Taking the tea, Sakumo sniffed it briefly before taking a sip. He then replied, "That may be true, but my students don't follow the usual rules."

"You mean they plan to head straight to the tower and ambush others?" Nagano guessed. "But normally, the first teams to arrive are the strongest, and your students are just fresh graduates."

Sakumo smiled with pride but didn't reveal too much. "They've already completed numerous dangerous missions, including an S-rank mission."

This revelation left Nagano stunned. Fresh graduates participating in S-rank missions? Even a Chūnin would barely qualify for such tasks!

If Nagano knew that Haneda had already taken down multiple Jōnin-level enemies, his jaw might have hit the floor.

Just then, a Chūnin entered the room, reporting, "Someone has already arrived at the tower... Sakumo-sama!"

Upon seeing Sakumo, the Chūnin immediately bowed in excitement.

Hearing that someone had arrived, Sakumo's first thought was of Haneda. He walked over to the window and scanned the surroundings of the Forest of Death.

Birds flew up from the trees, disturbed by the rapid approach of three familiar chakra signatures.

It was Haneda and his team!

…

"We're almost there, Haneda," Asuma said, glancing at the tower in the distance. "Should we set up traps around the area or...?"

"You and Kurenai handle that. I'll be training near the tower," Haneda replied nonchalantly. He wasn't interested in fighting weaklings. These Chūnin-level opponents were perfect for Asuma and Kurenai to train against.

Suddenly, Haneda felt a familiar presence watching him. Activating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he looked up at the tower and saw Sakumo's face in the window.

"Sakumo's here too," Haneda said with a smile.

"Sakumo-sensei? Is he here to help you train, Haneda?" Asuma speculated.

Before long, Hiroshi Nagano followed Sakumo outside the tower. Seeing Haneda sitting casually on a rock near the entrance, refining his lightning chakra, Nagano's mouth twitched.

While other genin were still figuring out how to hide their scrolls or plotting how to acquire another one, here was someone who had already reached the finish line and was arrogantly sitting at the entrance, training.

The level of confidence Haneda had in his own strength was astounding. He wasn't worried in the slightest and left his two teammates to set up traps while he focused on training. Nagano could sense the immense chakra radiating from Haneda, as well as the precise control he had over his lightning release.

Nagano couldn't help but pity the next team to arrive at the tower. This was going to be a one-sided battle. Haneda's calm demeanor made it clear that even the top candidates in the exam were merely stepping stones to him.

And judging by Nagano's assessment, Haneda's teammates weren't ordinary either. The traps they were setting up were simple but effective, perfectly complementing their battle strategy. Beating them would require at least two experienced Chūnin working together.

…

***

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