Morning light pierced the dense canopy, dappling the dim floor of the Forest of Death. The ceaseless croaking of frogs and chirping of insects that had filled the night fell silent, replaced by the clamor of birds and cicadas.
After a long, frantic escape, Team 10 of Konoha, believing they had finally put some distance between themselves and the danger, hid behind a thicket of bushes, gasping for breath.
"I don't know if we're lucky or not," Nara Shikamaru said, slumping to the ground with his usual lazy expression. "The only reason we got away is because we're too weak. How ironic."
"Who knows what kind of trouble we'll run into next," Akimichi Choji mumbled, tearing open a bag of snacks. He stuffed a few large mouthfuls in to calm his nerves. "Shikamaru, let's just wait it out here. We'll be automatically disqualified after five days anyway. It's not like we'll find a team weaker than us."
Their chances of passing were slim to begin with, and quitting halfway wasn't allowed. A passive approach seemed like the best option.
Nara Shikamaru crossed his arms. After a moment of thought, he said, "There's still hope. Take Naruto's team, for example. They're not all that. We might still have a shot."
"Naruto and Sakura are useless," Yamanaka Ino countered, "but they have the incredible Sasuke. It's a question of whether you two could even beat him." She had never gotten over the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had been wasted on a team with Naruto and Sakura. Having recovered from yesterday's scare, Ino still found a moment to get lost in thoughts of Sasuke's stunning looks. "Do you two smell that? I wonder what kind of pretty flower it is. It smells so good..."
As a girl whose family owned a flower shop, she was an expert on all kinds of flora, but she had never encountered such a strange, fragrant scent.
"A scent?" Shikamaru sniffed the air, and his expression changed dramatically. "This is bad. Fall back, now!"
Just as he spoke, a fierce gust of wind mixed with fine blades of air tore through the bushes in front of them. The three Konoha Genin, their alertness dulled by exhaustion, were blown backward, slamming into a large tree nearby. The sharp wind sliced into the arms they raised to protect their faces, drawing blood.
Daigan slowly materialized, his first strike having found its mark. The Temari puppet perched on his shoulder folded her fan and sat still. To his left and right were Yome and Chi, both looking down at the battered Team 10.
"I think I overheard something interesting just now," Daigan said. "Let go by a senior from your own village? How lucky for you. We Sand Ninja aren't so compassionate. We feel no shame in defeating the weak to take their scrolls. Even with a clear advantage, we'll still launch a sneak attack—and feel perfectly justified doing so. Sorry to be so merciless..."
"Hey, Daigan," Yome cut in, "you make it sound like we're some kind of irredeemable villains. That's so embarrassing!" A good girl with standards, Yome couldn't accept being painted with such a dark brush.
"Don't worry about it. From now on, you can just blame everything on me." Daigan shrugged, unconcerned. When you have enough lice, you stop itching; when you have enough debt, you stop worrying.
As their opponents closed in, Choji and Shikamaru scrambled to their feet, drew their kunai, and moved to shield Ino.
"You people just don't give up! Why are you always targeting us?" Ino demanded, her voice trembling despite her harsh tone. The memory of being trapped in Chi's sea of consciousness yesterday was still fresh, a lingering terror that made her quaver.
"You can't blame us for that. Yesterday, you were the one who made the first move, trying to steal our answers. Who can you blame when your skills are inferior? As for today, it's just your bad luck. You were close by, and we found you."
"You make it sound like it's all our fault," Shikamaru said, trying to buy time while secretly signaling his teammates. "Isn't this just about stealing our scroll?" He challenged, "Are you so sure you can beat us?"
They had been caught off guard in the first exam, but in a real fight, the famed Ino-Shika-Cho formation wouldn't go down so easily.
"You've got that wrong," Daigan scoffed, casually pulling out a pair of scrolls—one Scroll of Heaven and one Scroll of Earth. "We've already collected the scrolls we need. We're just looking for some practice, to see what Konoha's ninja are made of. Of course, if you lose, it's only natural we take your scrolls as trophies."
"Practice? How arrogant," Shikamaru muttered, his pupils constricting. Even Choji and Ino, feeling utterly looked down upon, felt a surge of anger.
"Then let's see you try!"
"Good. Finally showing some spirit." Daigan smirked and formed a hand seal. "Earth Release: Sand Dance!"
The ground rippled like a lake's surface as waves of sand surged toward the three Konoha Genin. Knowing they couldn't face it head-on, Shikamaru directed his partners to scatter.
As the waves of sand washed over the clearing between the two teams, they snapped a series of barely visible steel wires, triggering and destroying a number of hidden exploding tags and traps.
"Such crude traps are useless against me," Daigan said. "If you're pinning your hopes on little tricks like that, I'm going to be disappointed."
"Tch. Just as I thought," Shikamaru spat. "Ino, Choji, stay close to me!" If they were likely outmatched in single combat, being picked off one by one would be the end of them.
Daigan locked his sights on Shikamaru and signaled for Yome and Chi to move. "Chi, the girl is yours. Don't be careless. Yome, you take the big guy. Be careful, he's strong. Don't be reckless."
As for the brains of the operation, Daigan, who had been itching for a fight, would handle him personally. "I've been wanting to smash that face of yours for a while. Guys who think they're smart and look down on everyone else really piss me off."
Fighting Shikamaru meant avoiding a battle of wits on his home turf. Outsmarting a genius was never a good choice. Daigan's choice? A direct, brute-force assault.
"Eat my iron fist!" he yelled, tossing several smoke bombs toward Team 10. Thick smoke instantly blanketed the area.
"Your iron fist is a smoke bomb? You're full of it!" Shikamaru coughed, the acrid smoke stinging his lungs. Choji and Ino, who were trying to move toward him, were intercepted by the other two. Isolated, Shikamaru was sent flying by a wave of sand. He managed to roll several times before landing hard on the ground.
*He didn't close in for a direct attack in this situation. Instead, he's using ninjutsu to wear down my stamina and chakra. It seems he's not as reckless and stupid as he acts.*
His hope of turning the tables with the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu in the smoke was dashed. As the sun rose higher, the shadows he could use were shrinking.
***
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, once separated, was far less formidable than when the three fought as one. Team Otokaze's members had varying skill levels and lacked the seamless coordination of Konoha's Team 10. Daigan would have to be an idiot to engage them in a team battle. The ideal strategy was to divide and conquer.
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