"What a useless piece of trash." Pakura looked down at Rasa, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, her eyes full of scorn from her lofty perch.
"You actually got chased off by a brat? How pathetic."
She snorted in disdain, her voice cutting.
Rasa was clearly stung by her words. "Oh yeah? If you're so capable, why'd you run too?"
He had seen her fleeing in just as sorry a state while he was being dragged through the sky by Karura.
Looking just as contemptuous, he added, "Even my Golden Sand Spear couldn't scratch that damn panda. If you're so tough, why don't you try fighting it?"
"You—!" Pakura's face twisted in anger.
Karura quickly stepped between them. "Enough, both of you!"
"You can argue all you want back in the village, but we're in Konoha now!"
"We're on the same team!"
That finally shut them up. After a long silence, Pakura spoke first. "Next time we run into those three... let's just avoid them."
"Yeah." Rasa sighed and leaned against a tree. "That kid named Yuki Seisui is a total freak."
"The other two are no slouches either," Pakura added, glancing at them. "I was only able to hold them off thanks to my Scorch Release."
"If I didn't have that... I'd be dead against either of them."
Karura and Rasa both froze for a moment, exchanging incredulous looks.
Especially Rasa, he might not get along with Pakura, but he knew her strength well.
She was a close-combat specialist, highly skilled with fire-style jutsu. Technically still a genin, but she could easily outmatch most Chunin. With Scorch Release added, she was practically at Jonin level.
And yet... even then, she had only barely managed to stall two of them.
"They're terrifyingly strong," Rasa muttered.
He knew exactly how Scorch Release worked: when Pakura fought, balls of fire would spin around her, ready to incinerate anyone who got too close. One hit, and the moisture in your body would evaporate, leaving you a dried-up corpse.
Those fireballs could expand, shrink, shoot out, or circle around her defensively.
And even with all that, she had only barely held them back.
"Also," Pakura continued, "I don't think they couldn't break through... they just chose not to. They trust that kid, Yuki Seisui, completely."
Karura stood up and forced a smile. "Either way, if we run into them again, we avoid them. Simple as that."
"Konoha's ninjas are no joke."
As she spoke, she recalled a man in a green jumpsuit, Might Duy. Yeah, underestimating Konoha's ninjas was definitely a mistake.
==========
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Yuki Seisui was hard at work laying explosive tag traps with Minato and Uchiha Haru.
As for Might Duy, they'd gone back to find him once, but after opening the "Gate of Wonder," he was completely done. No way he was participating in the rest of the exam.
His teammates weren't faring much better, one had a broken leg, and the other… well, let's just say they were only slightly above average.
Might Duy had left with tears streaming down his face.
Understandable. They'd worked so hard to pass the first test, only to be forced out right at the start of the second. Anyone would be crushed.
Back at the tower, the trio finished surrounding it with hidden explosive tags. The traps were flawless, completely invisible to the naked eye.
Yuki Seisui turned to Minato, gave him a big thumbs-up, and grinned. "You weren't just licking boots for nothing after all!"
"I had no idea you could do this kind of thing!"
He'd only planned on setting up simple traps, but Minato had surprised him by whipping out a sealing jutsu, the very same Barrier Seal Kushina had used back in the Duel Arena.
The seal could hide explosive tags until someone triggered the glyphs, at which point, boom.
Perfect for ambushes and trickery.
Minato scratched his head, embarrassed. "Granny Mito made me learn it. Said I'd need it one day."
Yuki raised a brow. Mito had him learn sealing jutsu to be ready... sounds like someone wanted him nearby to protect Kushina, huh?
"Seems like you and Kushina are getting pretty close, huh?"
Minato coughed awkwardly and dodged the question. "Uh... won't we get mobbed if we just camp the tower like this?"
"Definitely," Yuki replied without hesitation. "Anyone with guts is gonna come after us."
"Then why are we staying here?" Uchiha Haru frowned. "Some of them are really strong, aren't they?"
"Like that big guy from the Cloud Village, the one with the slicked-back hair."
She didn't know his name (A), so she just called him "Slickback."
Yuki smirked. "That just means Panda Wu's gonna have even more fun."
Wu had already gone back, there were still three days left before the second phase ended, so no need for him to stick around.
They'd summon him again when the time came.
Before he left, he'd taken a few explosive tags with him, saying he wanted to "study" them.
Yuki didn't really care. You're a panda, what the hell are you gonna study?
Besides, he wasn't worried about Wu getting blown up. Pandas were ridiculously sturdy. Only a panda cub could get seriously hurt by an explosive tag.
And really, what kind of panda cub plays with explosive tags?
This isn't a Chunin exam, it's my personal side hustle!
Once the traps were set, the trio carved out a hole in the trunk of a massive tree near the tower, big enough to live in for a few days.
The Forest of Death was full of gigantic trees, with branches thick enough to hold several people, let alone the trunks.
After tidying up the entrance, Yuki turned to his teammates. "We'll wait it out here."
He pulled out some ration pills from his ninja pouch and shared them with the others.
There were many kinds of ration pills, some boosted chakra, others restored it, but those were expensive. What Yuki had were the cheap kind, like compact survival biscuits. They weren't tasty, and too many would upset your stomach.
Still, eating three a day meant you didn't need any other food.
Yuki swallowed one, struggling to keep it down, then made a face.
"So gross!"
Minato ate his calmly. "They're supposed to taste bad. But they fill you up."
Uchiha Haru rummaged through her pouch and pulled out four engraved badges.
"We've got an extra. What are we doing with it?"
Yuki looked at the ornate badge in her hand, thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"Sell it."
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