The smoke bombs Daigan used weren't particularly toxic, but the smell was incredibly strong. It irritated the upper respiratory tract, causing a violent reaction—in other words, sneezing.
Sure enough, their pursuers soon began to feel the effects, unable to stop sneezing. But despite their discomfort, they didn't give up, relentlessly continuing the chase.
"They're still coming?" Daigan thought for a moment, then pulled out his Scroll of Heaven and Scroll of Earth and threw them away.
As expected, Tenten and Rock Lee, seeing what they thought was their prize, each grabbed a scroll. Hyuga Neji, his eyes watering from the smoke, also stopped. Wiping his nose, the top rookie, his voice now altered, waved a hand. "Since they've surrendered and handed over the scrolls, let's leave it at that."
"But we have an extra set of scrolls now. What should we do?" Tenten held a wet cloth over her nose and looked at the Scroll of Heaven in her hand. Rock Lee used his sleeve to cover his face, holding the Scroll of Earth.
"What is this damn gas? It's disgusting." Rock Lee couldn't help but shake the snot from his sleeve, turning away in disgust.
Neji also took out a damp towel, wiped his eyes, and then covered his mouth and nose. "Let's check on that rookie team first. If they're alright, we can give them the extra scrolls."
"What? We're just giving them away?" Tenten was completely against it. It felt like such a waste to just hand over scrolls they had worked so hard to obtain.
"Don't be silly. We can get as many scrolls as we want. Compared to just passing the exam, I'm more interested in fighting strong opponents from all over. An extra set of scrolls is useless to us. We might as well give them away. Maybe it'll allow more interesting people to make their way to me."
***
This was the confidence of the strong. Having been known as "Konoha's Strongest Genin" for over a year, Hyuga Neji possessed both the arrogance and the overwhelming power to disregard most of the other genin in the Forest of Death. If it weren't for Orochimaru, Yakushi Kabuto, and the abnormally powerful Jinchuriki of the One-Tail, not a single genin in the vicinity was a match for him.
"Well said, Neji! I support you!" Rock Lee gave Neji a thumbs-up. For Lee, who couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, facing off against famous genius ninja to test the value of his hard work was more important than his ninja rank.
"You two..." Tenten, feeling like the only sane one on the team, deflated. "Fine, do whatever you want. I'm done with this!"
"Then it's a reluctant consensus! Let's do it!" Fired up, Rock Lee couldn't wait to test his skills against all the powerful-looking genin.
***
Team Otokaze fled hastily, circling through the Forest of Death for a long time. Thanks to Yome's exceptional eyesight, they managed to shake off several groups of pursuers looking to capitalize on the chaos. They were also "unfortunate" enough to be forced to abandon two "Scrolls of Heaven" and three "Scrolls of Earth" before they finally reached safety.
They found a bear cave large enough to hold several people, subdued its original owner, and hid inside to recover their stamina and chakra. Daigan pulled a pile of high-calorie, high-fat sweets from his pouch and handed them to the breathless Yome and Chi. "Eat something. It's almost noon and we haven't even had breakfast. I'm starving."
"This... if you eat all this, Chi, your diet will be a total failure," Yome said, wiping sweat from her forehead as she tore open a wrapper and stuffed a piece of cream bread into her mouth.
"Nonsense. Do I look like someone who needs to lose weight?" Chi picked up a slightly misshapen skewer of dango and ate it without hesitation. "A shame there's no red bean soup."
"I wish I had some ketchup," Yome added. "Eating bread just like this is a bit bland."
"You two should be grateful!" Daigan, holding a cold roasted chicken leg in each hand, devoured them wolfishly. Smacking his lips, he grabbed a bag of roasted mashed potatoes. "I could've made you catch fish in the river or find bird eggs in the trees!" They had no idea what the other unprepared teams were going through. Following him, they ate well and were on a clear path to passing the exam, yet they still weren't satisfied.
"Yes, yes. It's all thanks to Lord Red Sand Dust that we've had such a smooth journey so far..." Chi smiled sweetly, exchanging a glance with Yome. If they didn't stroke Daigan's ego, he might just keep nagging them.
Yome grinned. "Daigan, why did you prepare so much food anyway?"
Having eaten his fill, Daigan wiped the grease from his mouth and replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You need a full stomach to fight well. On an empty stomach, you've got no strength. How are you supposed to stir up trouble?"
"Hey, I think I heard a rather alarming phrase in there," Chi said, a look of realization dawning on her face. "Daigan, you planned to cause a ruckus from the very beginning, didn't you!"
"What? No, you heard wrong. We'll rest after we eat, and then head straight for the central tower today. No more messing around!"
"That's great to hear." Chi ignored Daigan's clumsy attempt to change the subject. As long as he wasn't provoking the already on-edge examinees, most of her worries were assuaged. "You've finally seen the light."
"Are you stupid? We've already handed out eight fake scrolls. Before long, someone's going to figure out what's going on, and we'll become public enemy number one." Daigan said nonchalantly. "If we don't run now, are we going to wait around to be ganged up on?"
"Then why are we sitting here eating? Let's go!" Yome, ever the most cautious, urged them to get moving. "There won't be any more surprises this time, right, Daigan?"
"I swear on the honor of Red Sand Dust, this time I'll behave. No more trouble!" That one time he'd tried something clever, he had almost been beaten by Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. Good thing they were fast runners. Now was not the time to challenge those geniuses. Getting eliminated in the Forest of Death would be a huge loss. "First, we rest and recover our stamina and chakra. This afternoon, we'll make a final push for the finish line. We can't delay any longer."
The first wave of encounters for most teams was likely over. As time passed, the area around the central tower would be swarming with people lying in wait. With the tower surrounded, it would only get harder to enter. In such a small area, even Yome's incredible vision and scouting ability would be of little use. Even the fated Team 7 had a difficult time getting through; Daigan had no desire to attempt such a grueling battle.
***
A short while earlier, Konoha's Team 10, defeated by Team Otokaze, woke up under the watchful eyes of Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
"What kind of luck is this? And this smell is disgusting..." Nara Shikamaru opened his eyes to a sight even more despairing than Daigan's team. Beside him, Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Choji were also stirring.
Hyuga Neji, having recovered from his sneezing fit, had regained his cold, arrogant demeanor. "Rookies. Do you intend to continue the Chunin Exam?"
"We'd like to, but our scroll... huh?" Choji, having just woken up, instinctively reached for a snack in his pouch but instead pulled out his team's Scroll of Heaven.
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