"Our scroll is still here? What happened?"
"To put it simply, after you were defeated, we showed up just in time and drove off those despicable Sand Ninja. You're very lucky!" Rock Lee answered first.
"So... what you mean is..." Shikamaru took the Scroll of Heaven from Choji. "You want our scroll as a reward?"
"You've got it wrong," Hyuga Neji said. "We said we wouldn't take your scroll, and we won't go back on our word. It's just..." He took out a Scroll of Earth. "We got two scrolls from the Sand Ninja. We have no problem giving the extra one to you. If you don't want it..."
"We'll take it, we'll take it!" Before Shikamaru could answer, Ino eagerly accepted the offered scroll, afraid Neji might change his mind.
"Very good. Although you're a bit weak, at least you have some ambition. As Konoha ninja, getting beaten so badly by Sand Ninja is a disgrace. It's best that you learn from this shame and strive to be stronger."
With that, Neji turned to leave with Rock Lee and Tenten.
"Excuse me for asking," Shikamaru suddenly spoke up, "but did you defeat the Sand Ninja and take both scrolls from them?"
***
Hyuga Neji turned back. "Knowing they were no match for us, they abandoned their scrolls and took the opportunity to escape."
"So you didn't fight them directly? They just gave up their scrolls?" Shikamaru pressed, frowning.
"Is there a problem? Or do you want to test us and see if we're as strong as you think?"
"No, no!" Ino quickly interjected, trying to lighten the mood with a nervous laugh. Choji also pulled back Shikamaru, who looked like he wanted to ask more questions.
"Good." With that, Might Guy's three students departed, paying no more attention to the three rookies who posed no threat to them.
As the formidable competitors left, Ino let out a long sigh of relief. "Shikamaru, something good finally happened to us, so why do you look so miserable? You almost angered Hyuga Neji!"
"Something just feels wrong." He thought about that guy who, despite having already collected both scrolls, went out of his way to stir up trouble. After a hard-won victory, not only did he not take their team's scroll, but he also gave away the Heaven and Earth scrolls he already had. Of course, one could argue it was to conserve strength; scrolls could always be stolen again. But when so many coincidences piled up, it was never that simple.
"Stop being so paranoid. Let's go!" Ino patted Shikamaru on the shoulder and turned to Choji, who was busy eating snacks. "You should talk some sense into him, too. He's always overthinking things!"
"Well... it's better to let Shikamaru figure it out himself. Our brains aren't on the same level as his, so we shouldn't get in the way." Akimichi Choji, despite his boorish appearance, was no fool. He knew it was best to leave the thinking to those who were good at it.
"Let's just get out of this dangerous place first. Whatever's going on, the scrolls in our hands can't be fake, right? Haha..." Ino was taking it in stride. Though they'd been targeted in the first exam and soundly defeated in today's battle, they now had a chance to advance. A few setbacks were nothing.
"Hmm..." Shikamaru weighed the scrolls in his hands, wondering if he was being paranoid. The solid feel of the two scrolls was reassuring.
Suddenly, a realization struck him. He snatched up the Scroll of Earth and examined it closely.
"It's a fake?" Ino jumped at Shikamaru's sudden outburst. "You're trying to scare us again... haha..." Her boisterous laughter slowly died down. "Hey, Shikamaru, you're not serious, are you?"
"I'd also like to know if the crazy idea I just had is just me losing my mind, or if someone really is that audacious." A strange smile touched Shikamaru's lips. "This style of doing things... it seems familiar."
Choji and Ino gathered around, taking turns examining the recently acquired Scroll of Earth.
"I can't tell. It looks a little off, but..." Choji said indistinctly through a mouthful of snacks. "If only an examiner were here, we could just ask."
"This is a no-rules survival test. Where would you find an examiner to help contestants identify scrolls?" The greatest danger of the scroll competition was that, apart from the pass/fail rules announced by the head examiner, all other constraints were gone. They had all signed liability waivers; who would care if they were tricked by a fake scroll?
At that thought, Shikamaru's face changed. "We need to leave, now."
With a vague sense that something was wrong, the three of them hastily departed the troubled area.
Not long after, two teams of older Konoha Genin, likely close to twenty years old, passed through one after the other. After investigating the signs of battle, they quickly left as well.
A short time later, Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten returned.
"They're gone!" Rock Lee said with some regret.
Tenten added, "That Nara Shikamaru is a smart rookie. He probably suspected something early on, which is why he asked us how we got the scrolls."
Neji activated his Byakugan, scanning the movements of nearby examinees. "The rookies are long gone, and there's no sign of the Sand Ninja. I can't believe a moment of soft-heartedness got us played."
"Neji, we can't be sure yet," Rock Lee countered bluntly, unwilling to admit that their team, which prided itself on being the strongest, had been deceived by such a low-level trick.
"This isn't about being sure, Lee. We can't risk elimination by opening the scroll to check. Besides, even if we did open it, we wouldn't know if it was real or fake. The doubt itself is already a huge problem!" What was more worrying was that they had no idea how many suspected fake scrolls were now circulating among the contestants. "We have to hurry. If some impulsive team opens a real scroll, every Scroll of Heaven they destroy means one less team can pass."
This was no time for deliberation. Although there were still four days left in the exam, if the remaining contestants didn't have the scroll they needed, or couldn't find one they could confirm was real, their strength would be meaningless. All they knew for sure was that their own Scroll of Earth was real, and Team 10's Scroll of Heaven was also real. As for the rest, they would have to play it by ear.
"Tenten, Lee, we need to grab a real scroll before these fakes flood the forest, or we'll be in trouble."
"Understood!" Lee didn't fully grasp the situation, but he knew it was serious. "Also, Neji, the next time we see that Sand team, we have to make them pay. They're so despicable! The hot blood of youth will not stand for such dirty tricks!"
***
By now, the sun was high in the sky. After being brutalized by Orochimaru, Team 7's Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were still unconscious. Haruno Sakura was struggling to hold on, trying to fight three-on-one. It was too much to ask of her.
Though she was determined and performing above her usual level, injuring Zaku Abumi had been her limit. Any one of the three Sound Ninja, who were there specifically to kill Sasuke, was stronger than the current Sakura. The gap in strength was too vast to be overcome by skill and courage alone.
Beaten and bloodied, Sakura was immobilized, her hair grabbed by Kin Tsuchi. The semi-conscious girl had no strength left to resist.
Seeing the dust settle, Dosu Kinuta slowly approached Uchiha Sasuke, ready to complete the mission Orochimaru had given them.
Just then, an unexpected guest blocked the Sound Ninjas' path.
-----
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