Chapter 287: Secret Plot
According to the disclosed information, this trial called "Crossing the Great Desert" would take at least three days for a Genin to complete, even under ideal conditions. If something went wrong, it could easily take a week.
From this perspective, it suited Dana's needs perfectly.
The longer, the better.
During this period, each person could only carry a severely limited amount of initial supplies—one kilogram had to cover everything: food, water, medicine, weapons, etc. Anything they couldn't carry, they had to figure out in the desert.
It was said that Sunagakure had designed some "encounters" where contestants could obtain supply replenishments after overcoming specific challenges.
This showed that although Suna was shameless, they had indeed put thought into designing the exam.
Each person held a map with a rough route. Dana asked for one too. Basically, they started from the east side of Suna, circled through a large part of the Land of Wind's vast desert, and finally returned to the south side of the village.
At the supply selection area, many contestants had to suppress their resentment toward the organizers and rack their brains on how to allocate their precious one kilogram of supplies.
Forget about Soldier Pills or Sealing Scrolls; those were standard supplies prohibited for this round.
"In the desert, water is the most important thing. Let's bring more water."
"No, no, no. We should bring more food. Weapons also take up weight."
"Using Water Release in the desert consumes a lot of chakra. This exam tests speed crossing the desert; conserving chakra is important, right?"
Compared to the headaches of other contestants, the Suna teams were much more familiar with the drill. Living in a desert environment year-round, they naturally knew what proportion of supplies to carry within that one kilogram, and even knew the resources obtainable in the desert like the back of their hands.
They had probably practiced this several times before the exam started.
Of course, they also drew a lot of hate. Many teams decided to teach these Suna guys a lesson once they set off.
On the high platform, the hot-tempered Onoki surprisingly didn't mock the Third Kazekage for "cheating," which surprised Dana.
Dana said, "Third Kazekage, this stage is really well-designed. I wonder what the second stage is? Does it also need to be kept secret until it starts?"
The Third Kazekage feigned calmness. "I can't tell you for now, but we have indeed prepared every round meticulously."
Actually, putting the desert crossing in the first round was Suna's petty calculation. Since they were already shameless, they might as well maximize the effect.
Regardless of strength, anyone could be eliminated in the first round, maximizing the conditions for Suna teams in the next two rounds.
Yagura Karatachi couldn't help but mock, "As long as it's not a contest of who can wrap a turban better. My Mist youth don't possess that ability."
The Third Kazekage laughed it off. "How could that be? Haha!"
Dana thought for a moment, then stood up and flew outward. "Since I have nothing to do, I'll fly over and see how they overcome the difficulties. Does Tsuchikage-senpai want to join?"
Onoki looked at Dana floating outside the window, his eyes darting around. "This old man arrived late; I'll tour Sunagakure first."
Dana didn't say anything more and flew away.
Only four Kages remained on the high platform, but the silence deepened.
A moment later, Yagura stood up first. "Gentlemen, I'll head back as well."
Once only Sakumo Hatake, Onoki, and the Third Kazekage remained, the three exchanged glances, communicating silently.
Dana controlled his body to fly higher and higher until he was almost imperceptible from below, then used his "Pulse" Vision to "watch" the movements below.
Most teams had selected their supplies. Those who couldn't decide split it evenly—some food, some water, some weapons.
Many contestants looked at the items in their hands, each stamped with a Kitanouji Guild advertisement, and fell into deep thought.
For example: "Noble among Waters: Kitanouji Mountain Spring!"
While "watching the game," Dana also monitored the three Kages with his Pulse Vision. He had probed them on the platform earlier, but gained little. None of the Kages were easy to deal with. Even with the ability to detect lies, he couldn't see through them completely.
Because almost everything they said was a lie.
So he made an excuse to fly out, creating an opportunity for them.
In his Pulse Vision, after Yagura left, the three indeed said something. He could sense their emotions were agitated, but Pulse Vision couldn't relay sound.
"With so many Kages arriving at once, there must be a plot. Are they planning to turn hostile after the exam? Or something else?"
If anything happened, it would likely be in the final round or after the conclusion. Dana thought about it and used the golden slug to contact the village via the Shikkotsu Forest relay, instructing the various departments of the Cloud to keep an eye on the borders.
He also notified Hiroto, telling him to be careful as a team leader. As for the contestants, he said nothing; better let them focus on the exam.
A while later, his Old Man contacted him, saying he could provide Heavenly Transfer support anytime if needed and told him to stay safe.
Since only a rough route was given, the three hundred-plus contestants dispersed shortly after departure. As they advanced, they scattered across the vast desert.
But a ninja exam couldn't just be about trekking. Without needing instruction, many realized the implications—using force to rob others, setting ambushes in the desert, or forming alliances for warmth. Dana followed from the air, finding it quite interesting.
Fortunately, there were no ruthless killers like Kaguya Tsuki from the last exam, so no one had died yet.
The Cloud's own teams performed okay, showing good organization by grouping together. However, while water supply might be manageable with Water Release users, the pressure on food supplies would increase significantly.
Konoha, unsurprisingly, split into squads. The faster ones were at the very front, showing that a starving camel is still bigger than a horse—their Genin level was quite high. However, younger squads like Kakashi's fell behind.
"Kakashi... let me have a sip. You know Water Release, right? Just make more water after you drink..." Obito panted, tongue lolling out like a dying dog.
Kakashi said helplessly, "Water Release effects are terrible in the desert and consume massive chakra. Our water resources are limited. We've only been moving for half a day, and you've already drunk three times!"
Might Guy was thirsty too, but he licked his lips and said, "Obito, this is the Burning Youth!"
"Stop talking about burning youth; it makes me feel even thirstier."
Up in the sky, Dana smiled faintly. You guys are about to win a prize.
Sure enough, after a few more steps, three figures suddenly rushed out from a sand dune. They wore Kusagakure (Grass) forehead protectors.
"Three brats! Hand over your supplies if you don't want to suffer!"
Dana's Pulse Vision had seen clearly that these guys had been ambushing here for a long time. Several teams had passed by earlier, but these three Grass ninja didn't dare come out. Seeing Kakashi's team was so young, they decided to try and take advantage.
Height-wise, it was like middle schoolers blocking elementary schoolers at the gate.
But in ninja matters, age alone was useless.
Sure enough, Kakashi's trio didn't panic. Instead, they quickly entered combat mode. Even the usually unreliable Obito pulled down his goggles and activated his Sharingan, ready for battle.
Guy's Taijutsu was extremely strong. A tall Grass ninja was kicked flying before he could react, taken out by a Konoha Whirlwind. Dana "saw" clearly that Guy was wearing weights, yet his speed far exceeded children of his age.
Kakashi's style was similar to his father's—kenjutsu main, ninjutsu support. Clean and efficient.
Obito, the weakest of the three, unexpectedly kept up with his teammates after accidentally awakening his Sharingan. Flipping a kunai and throwing out minor Genjutsu occasionally, he managed to stun enemies for a second.
The result was the three Grass ninja, failing to rob, became delivery boys. After obtaining new supplies, Obito got his wish and drank water.
Although the three were young, their strength ranked in the middle among all teams. Kakashi's claim in the restaurant about aiming for a ranking wasn't entirely hopeless.
They just needed a bit of luck.
Dana raised his altitude again, flying toward the team containing Pakura and Sasori.