The other side of the Forest of Death.
The Central Tower.
On the top-floor spectator stand, Mei Terumī sat there.
She wore the formal robes of the Mizukage, her long auburn hair draped over her shoulders, and her emerald eyes were like two deep pools.
Moonlight shone in through the window and fell upon her face, making that exquisite countenance appear somewhat pale.
Her eyes were closed, as if she were resting.
But her hand, placed upon her knee, was lightly tapping.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
That was her habit when she was thinking.
Then, she opened her eyes.
Within those eyes, something was moving.
The corner of her mouth curved upward.
It was very light. Very faint. But it was indeed a smile.
"Dispersed," she said softly.
Beside her, Ao was taken aback for a moment. "Lady Mizukage?"
"It's nothing," Mei Terumī's voice was very calm. "Just a small part of myself that I sent out has returned."
Ao frowned, wanting to say something. But looking at her face, he swallowed his words back down.
Moonlight fell on her face. The light in those eyes seemed exceptionally bright under the moonbeams.
But within that brightness, there was something else.
Killing intent.
It was very faint. Very light. Hidden very deep.
But it was definitely there.
Mei Terumī looked out the window at that dense forest, at those tree canopies swaying gently in the moonlight, and at that small path leading to the tower.
"Shinji." She repeated this name in her heart.
Fifteen years of deception. A ruined wedding. A question that would never get an answer.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, there was nothing left in those eyes.
Only calm. A calm like a pool of deep water.
But her hand tightened on her knee.
Her knuckles turned white.
Ao watched the Mizukage from the side, always feeling like something was wrong.
But he didn't dare ask.
Zabuza just kept his head down, standing there motionless.
Outside the window, the moonlight was very bright.
Just like in the dream.
...
Shinji traveled through the dense forest.
His steps weren't fast, but they were steady. The wounds on his body still pained him, but they no longer hindered his movements.
The Sage Body was repairing this twelve-year-old body at an astonishing speed.
He could feel his broken ribs healing, torn muscles regenerating, and the blood he had lost was slowly being replenished.
But it wasn't enough.
Mei Terumī's original body was waiting for him at the tower.
What was her current strength?
Shinji knew all too well. Yōton, Boiling Release, Kekkei Genkai: Mist Release. Peak Kage-level.
Even at his peak, he couldn't possibly be her opponent.
Moreover, his Chakra hadn't recovered yet.
He couldn't go to the tower.
Absolutely not.
Shinji stopped in his tracks, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes.
His mind was racing.
Withdraw.
Right. Withdraw from the race.
One can withdraw from the Chunin Exams. As long as he found the exam staff and explained the situation, they would send him out.
There were Anbu patrolling the perimeter of the Forest of Death and medical teams on standby; once he exited the exam area, he would be safe.
No matter what Mei Terumī was like, she couldn't possibly make a move in front of Konoha's Anbu.
She was the Mizukage, here for a 'diplomatic visit.' She couldn't.
Shinji opened his eyes and identified his direction.
East. The perimeter of the Forest of Death was to the east.
He turned and ran in that direction.
This time, he didn't encounter any more obstacles.
It was very quiet along the way. Occasionally, he could hear the sounds of fighting, screams, and the roar of Ninjutsu exploding in the distance.
But he didn't stop, he just ran.
Avoiding those sounds, avoiding those places where people might be fighting, he kept running toward the east.
The horizon began to turn the color of a fish's belly.
Morning mist rose from the ground, grayish-white, flowing around his ankles. The light was still very dim, but the surrounding outlines were already visible.
Shinji ran out of the dense forest, and his vision suddenly opened up.
An open space.
At the end of the open space was an isolation zone made of wire mesh.
Behind the isolation zone, several tents were pitched, with the Konoha fan symbol printed on them.
People were walking outside the tents, wearing the white coats of the medical team and carrying medicine boxes.
The exit.
Shinji ran over.
"Halt!"
A Chunin wearing a Konoha forehead protector rushed out from the side, blocking his path. He held a Kunai in his hand, his eyes alert.
"Are you an examinee?"
Shinji nodded.
"This isn't the exit." That Chunin frowned as he looked at him. "The exit is to the east. You've run the wrong way."
"I know." Shinji's voice was very calm. "I want to withdraw."
That Chunin was stunned for a moment.
"Withdraw?"
"Yes."
The Chunin sized him up. He was covered in blood, his clothes had several holes, and his face was pale. At a glance, he was someone who had been through a life-and-death struggle.
"Injured?"
"Yes."
"Follow me."
The Chunin put away his Kunai and turned to walk toward the tents. Shinji followed.
The tent was very simple. A few folding tables, a few chairs, and maps and some forms hanging on the walls.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses sat behind a desk, looking down and writing something.
"Captain."
The Chunin who brought Shinji in spoke: "Someone wants to withdraw."
The middle-aged man looked up and glanced at Shinji. His gaze lingered on him for two seconds.
Covered in blood and pale, yet standing very steadily. Those eyes were very calm, so calm that he didn't look like someone who had just been through a battle.
"Severely injured?"
"I'm alright," Shinji said.
The middle-aged man nodded and picked up a form from the table.
"Name."
"Shinji."
The pen tip paused on the paper.
The middle-aged man looked up and stared at him.
"Say that again?"
"Shinji."
The middle-aged man stared at him for three seconds. Then he looked down and rummaged through another document on the desk.
He pulled out a sheet of paper, looked at it, and looked up at him again.
"Shinji."
He read the words on that paper:
"Konoha Genin, registered solo. For the second stage of the Chunin Exams in the Forest of Death, he has already collected both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and arrived at the Central Tower yesterday evening."
Shinji's pupils constricted slightly.
"What did you say?"
The middle-aged man turned the paper around to face him.
It was a list of those who had advanced. Clear black ink on white paper.
[Name: Shinji]
[Affiliation: Konohagakure]
[Status: Genin]
[Status: Advanced]
[Arrival Time: Evening of the second day]
Shinji stood there, looking at that paper.
Evening of the second day. That was before he was hunted by Mei Terumī's Water Clone.
Someone had arrived at the Central Tower using his name before him.
The middle-aged man frowned: "Why are you suddenly here?"
Shinji didn't speak.
He was thinking.
Who?
Who would impersonate him?
Who had the ability to impersonate him?
Who would use this method to force him to the tower?
There was only one answer.
Mei Terumī.
Herself, or the people she brought. With their strength, disguising themselves as a Genin to advance was too easy.
Mei Terumī had long known that he wouldn't go to the tower obediently.
So she went in Shinji's place.
She advanced in Shinji's place to get that ticket to the final exam venue.
Now, whether Shinji wanted to go or not, he had to go.
Because 'Shinji' had already advanced. His name was already written on the list.
If he withdrew, Konoha would investigate and find that there were two 'Shinjis,' discovering that someone was impersonating an examinee.
Mei Terumī had calculated everything.
Calculated every single step.