Chapter 295: Dark Clouds Under the Scorching Sun (Part 1)
The contestants arrived one after another at the "Great Basin" mentioned by the Third Kazekage.
This was a massive depression in the desert, covering an area vast enough to rival Konoha's Forest of Death. Based on the lots drawn, the contestants were randomly scattered across the basin as starting points.
Although there were no trees to block the view, the rolling sand dunes still limited visibility. Especially regarding the back of a dune—unless you actually crested it, you would never know what was hiding on the other side.
Maybe a venomous scorpion, or maybe a venomous ninja.
Immediately after the exam began, Tetsuo Okine climbed a dune to look into the distance, checking his bearings.
"The overall terrain sinks toward the center, and the encirclement is also shrinking toward the center. theoretically, everyone should run toward the central depression... But doing so will drastically increase the probability of encountering opponents... Anyway, let's see if I can find my Cloud partners first."
As one of the top-tier combatants in this exam, Tetsuo was confident in his skills. He didn't hide; instead, he actively revealed his presence to search for teammates.
On the other side, Pakura made the same choice. She was the ace of the Suna team and naturally wanted to look out for her fellow villagers, especially since so many Suna ninja had made it to the finals this time.
"I wonder where Sasori is?"
Searching for allies was a valid strategy, but the risks involved couldn't be ignored.
High in the sky, almost invisible to the naked eye, Yotsuki Dana and Onoki were both floating, observing the situation below.
Onoki was a bit annoyed. In the past, this altitude was his exclusive domain. He could pick his nose or scratch his feet up here without anyone noticing. Now, having someone else sharing his airspace made him feel very constrained.
It felt like a stranger had barged into his home; he couldn't get comfortable.
And...
Onoki glanced at Dana.
In recent years, Onoki found that his height had started to shrink—getting shorter every year. This made him particularly unwilling to stay next to a giant like Dana.
"With only 26 people scattered over such a large area, it'll be a while before anyone meets," Onoki grumbled.
Dana replied, "It seems the encirclement has been shrinking from the very beginning. Right now, 500 people might seem sparse, but in the latter half of the exam, contestants will probably face ten or even dozens of Suna examiners in any given direction."
"Tch! This old man is going to look elsewhere."
With that, Onoki flew away.
Dana watched Onoki leave, wondering when these guys would make their move.
Judging by the speed of the shrinking circle, this "Great Sand Escape" would probably end in about 4 to 5 hours...
The Cloud's elite reinforcements were already in position. With one command from Dana, they would descend from the sky via Heavenly Transfer.
If a fight really broke out here, it would basically be the opening shot of the Third Great Ninja War. Although the original strategy was to delay the war...
If they really wanted to fight, they shouldn't blame him for being ruthless.
I just wonder how many Suna ninja are going to die today...
In the Great Basin, the contestants began their moves. Those starting closer to the center chose to hide and wait for opportunities, while those starting on the periphery encountered the Suna encirclement troops almost immediately.
The encirclement units, composed of Suna Jonin leading a large number of core Chunin, were overwhelming for most contestants. Running was the only option. Fortunately, these examiners wouldn't chase too far from the encirclement line; after a brief pursuit, they would return to shrinking the range according to the plan.
Might Guy saw the so-called encirclement troops from a distance. Their white clothes were conspicuous in the yellow desert. Knowing that defeating a few of them was meaningless, he turned and ran toward the depths of the basin.
Gradually, sporadic battles began to appear within the basin. Some ran into ambushes while fleeing, while other hard-headed ones tried to test the strength of the encirclement troops.
On the western side of the basin, Kakashi was advancing cautiously.
He had already encountered an ambush earlier—an Iwa ninja hiding underground had attacked him. They exchanged moves, and Kakashi gained the upper hand slightly. Seeing no advantage to be gained, the Iwa ninja fled.
"Not having sensory abilities is a real headache... Next time, I should try to sign a contract with a summoning beast that has sensory skills to cover my weakness..."
Kakashi vigilantly observed the surroundings for any unnatural sand movement, slowing his pace.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past. Kakashi keenly sensed that the flow of wind and sand ahead seemed unnatural. He approached carefully, then abruptly threw a kunai into a sand dune.
However, it didn't force out an ambusher as he imagined.
"Am I too tense?..."
Just as he moved to retrieve the kunai, the ground beneath his feet exploded. A humanoid puppet burst from the sand, attempting to grab Kakashi and stuff him into its belly.
Kakashi reacted instantly, retreating several steps to dodge, his hand already reaching for the White Light Chakra Saber on his back.
A red-haired figure slowly walked out from behind the puppet.
Kakashi recognized this person.
"You're the one who defeated Obito."
Sasori didn't respond to that. Instead, he asked, "What is your relationship with Sakumo Hatake?"
Hearing someone call his father by his full name so directly, Kakashi frowned. "None of your business."
Sasori lowered his head, muttering, "Pakura wouldn't tell me, Grandma wouldn't tell me, even the Kazekage wouldn't tell me... But the more they hide it, the more obvious the answer becomes. That disgusting white hair... there's no mistake. You must be the son of the White Fang of the Leaf."
Kakashi held his short sword across his chest. Does this guy have a grudge against Father?
He quickly accepted it. As the Hokage and a war hero, his father had countless enemies in the ninja world. It wasn't strange for one to come looking for revenge.
The White Fang's prestige was watered with the blood of his enemies.
"You're not denying it? Good! Before killing the White Fang... I'll kill you first! Then I'll turn you into a puppet and use you to fight him!"
A second and third puppet drilled out of the sand, surrounding Kakashi.
"Big talk! Try it if you can!"
Involving his father, Kakashi's fighting spirit ignited.
Elsewhere, Guy encountered the duo from the Rain Village. Hanzo Rain-Chiri and Hanzo Rain-Yori had found each other, and together they ran into Guy.
"This green-skinned guy is strong!"
"My Water Release is heavily suppressed in this desert."
"BURN! MY YOUTH!"
"Oi, oi, oi! That guy really seems to be burning up!"