The clone's memories hit me all at once, like a truck slamming into my chest. I almost stumbled, and if Kaen hadn't been close enough to grab my arm, I would have gone down. He steadied me without a word, though the conflicted look on his face made it obvious he wasn't happy about it. I exhaled slowly and gave him a short nod. Saying thank you would probably just annoy him.
"How was it?" he asked, scanning our surroundings.
"Brutal," I replied as we kept moving. "Too many strong enemies out there. Too many desperate people." Sena, who had already slowed and shifted her focus outward, spoke next, her tone cautious. "I don't sense anyone on this angle of the outpost. Let's go in." We all nodded. Some of my chakra had returned, the leftover from my dispelled clone easing the worst of the strain, and I was already feeling steadier. We moved quickly, jumping up to a nearby tree and using it as a stepping stone before slipping into the oasis itself.
The outpost immediately felt different from the chaos outside. Stone structures, worn smooth by years of use, were set directly into the terrain, some partially buried to keep them cool and defensible. Thick walls divided sections of the oasis, reinforced with hardened earth and seals that had clearly been repaired more than once. Watch platforms were integrated into the thickest trees and carved into the surrounding rock, positioned to overlook every approach, their positions deliberate and layered. Even damaged, the place felt permanent, a Sand stronghold meant to be held, contested, and reclaimed again and again.
We landed on the ground only to find Arashi standing above us, looking down with a devious grin. "Impressive," she said. "You're the first team to make it here. Everyone else was too much of a coward to push through without getting attacked from all sides." Her gaze shifted to me, sharp and assessing. "That trick you pulled was genius. It's the only reason you made it in this cleanly. Well done."
I cleared my throat and pointed toward Sena. "It was her plan."
Arashi studied Sena for a moment, her expression thoughtful, before smiling. "A good shinobi and an excellent tactician. If it were up to me, you wouldn't even need to apply for the third stage of the Chunin Exams." She ignored Kaen entirely as her tone hardened. "We'll need to check your storage seals."
"Why?" Kaen asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
Her eyes locked onto him with enough intensity that he nearly faltered, though to his credit he didn't step back. "One of our Hidden Sand shinobi was found dead. We'll be searching the team that fought him when they arrive, but a piece of Sand technology was stolen. Until it's recovered, everyone gets checked."
Sena's eyes widened for the briefest moment before she smoothed her expression with impressive control. Arashi didn't notice. "Of course," Sena said calmly, already reaching for her seals. Arashi motioned for Kaen to go first.
Kaen released his storage seal, spilling out weapons, food, and water. Arashi's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued searching, then she froze and pulled out a small teddy bear. She burst out laughing. "What's this? Do you hug it when you sleep?"
Kaen's face nearly combusted. "No, it's not, it was supposed to be a gift for someone."
Arashi glanced at me, eyes narrowing again. "You're brave, going after that monster."
Kaen let out a strangled noise, frantically waving his hands and pointing toward Sena, too flustered to form words. Arashi laughed even harder, clearly enjoying herself, before handing Kaen his seal back and motioning for me to step forward.
I released my own storage seals and laid out the contents. Weapons, rations, and a sketchbook. She picked it up, flipping through a few pages, then nodded. "You've got talent, kid. You can draw." A moment later she found a flute and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and a musician too. Honestly, I couldn't tell just by looking at you. You don't match your tyrant reputation at all."
She laughed as I shook my head. Inside, I was laughing right along with her. Everything had gone exactly as planned. They would never expect a ten year old to be a fuinjutsu master capable of etching seals directly onto his body. I kept my expression neutral, though, especially as Sena stepped forward next.
Sena released her storage seal, and the moment she did, we were almost buried under luggage. Kaen instinctively stepped back as multiple suitcases appeared one after another, stacking and spreading until they filled most of the space around us. Arashi actually froze, her mouth parting slightly as she took in the sheer volume. She opened one case and found neatly arranged clothes made from fabrics that looked absurdly expensive. Another held carefully packed tea sets. Another contained flowers. Another held makeup. Another held perfumes. It just kept going. By the time she was halfway through, Arashi had summoned two chunin to help with the inspection.
When it was finally done, Arashi straightened and stared at Sena for a long moment before asking, "How rich are you?"
Sena didn't answer. She just smiled.
Arashi clicked her tongue and waved the chunin forward, ordering them to check us properly to make sure we weren't hiding any storage scrolls in our clothes or shoes. As they worked, she continued speaking, holding the medallions she had taken from us. "So you defeated a Hidden Cloud team and a Hidden Rock team, both strong ones. Well done. That alone speaks volumes about your coordination and strength. From what our observers saw, you handled yourselves well, killed no one, and arrived first."
She looked between the three of us, her tone firm but approving. "Your promotion chances are extremely high. Perform well in the tournament stage, and you'll most likely make it."
We all nodded as the chunin finished their inspection and gave the all clear.
We sat near the main gate, drinking water while the adrenaline slowly bled off. Kaen's face was still burning red, Sena was smiling, but I could tell she was annoyed that someone had gone through her belongings, and I was barely holding myself together from bursting into cheers over the fact that I had stolen a puppet and gotten away with it. All things considered, we were doing great.
The gate creaked open, and the Yugakure team walked in, leaving a frozen hellscape behind them. At the front was the kekkei genkai user I remembered from earlier, wearing a wide grin and radiating confidence. He had gray hair and delicate features, tall and scrawny in build, which told me he relied almost entirely on his broken ability rather than physical strength. His chakra reserves were impressive, dense and well-controlled. Behind him trailed two other genin who looked painfully insignificant, moving slowly and glancing around like frightened chickens. It was obvious he was the real power of the team, and the other two were there simply to fill the formation.
Not long after, another team vaulted over the left section of the wall, explosions and stray ninjutsu detonating behind them as they landed. Hidden Cloud. All three carried swords and scanned the outpost with visible irritation. They looked almost unfairly awesome. The team leader was a female genin with long platinum-blonde hair flowing behind her, slightly dark skin, sharp green eyes, and a tall, imposing posture that made her presence impossible to ignore. One of the male genin had white hair and a scar above his eye that somehow made him look ridiculously cool, while the other rested one hand on his blade, the other hanging loose, grinning at us like he was already enjoying himself.
Almost at the very end of the time limit, the final team slipped in through nearly the same place we had. Hidden Sand. They landed with practiced elegance, controlled and quiet. One of them was accompanied by a puppet. The puppet. The same one that had ended my clone. The puppeteer himself was a short genin with dark hair falling over his eyes, so unremarkable in appearance that he almost faded into the background. If I hadn't known better, I would have dismissed him instantly.
The other two Sand genin were the opposite. Tall, muscular, and carrying impressive chakra reserves, their presence pressed faintly against the air around them. The way their chakra interacted with the wind told me everything I needed to know. Wind Release users. Strong ones.