The Renjiro Squad entered the Forest of Death. After they entered, Mieko asked.
“Which way should we go?”
Hodaka replied.
“We’ve already gone about eight kilometers from the starting point. And I noticed that the Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi Squad didn’t have any Chunin instructors approaching. So they should enter from the gate we just passed. Let’s go after them.”
Feng Zheng said.
“Alright, let’s go.”
After deciding, the three began to move quickly along the route between the meeting point and the Tower.
Feng Zheng thought as he walked.
“Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi... the famous Ino–Shika–Chō combination. This battle should be interesting. But I should be wary of Yamanaka. I don’t want anyone getting into my head.”
“They should be around 14-15 years old. So they should have been together for 2-3 years, which means their teamwork should be good.”
“Now, how should I fight this battle? Besides sparring in training, all the battles I’ve participated in were purely for killing. And killing them isn’t a good idea either. I should leave this battle to the two of them and only provide long-range support.”
He looked at Hodaka and said.
“Hodaka, the Nara Clan is known for its wisdom. Activate your Byakugan from time to time to check for traps.”
Hodaka nodded. Feng Zheng asked them.
“By the way, do you have any ideas on how to attack them?”
Mieko and Hodaka were also thinking about how to approach the battle. Mieko said.
“These three clans are all known for their teamwork, so I can cast a Genjutsu on one of them to completely disrupt their teamwork. As long as we can take down one member, the other two will be easy to defeat.”
Hodaka replied.
“Yes, but we shouldn’t be completely unprepared for the other two while taking down one.”
He frowned and continued.
“Both the Nara Clan’s Ninjutsu and the Yamanaka Clan’s Ninjutsu are very annoying. Especially for Taijutsu experts.”
Feng Zheng and Mieko both nodded. Feng Zheng thought for a moment and said.
“The Yamanaka Clan is known for its sensory abilities. So we might not have a chance for a sneak attack. But I think the best way to start is with a fire and wind combination Ninjutsu from a distance. This should catch them off guard before they sense us. If the attack can make them spread out, it will be easier for us to deal with them.”
Hodaka nodded and said.
“Yes, if they can spread out, I can easily defeat the Akimichi Clan.”
Mieko said.
“I can deal with Yamanaka; he won’t have a chance to use his Ninjutsu against me.”
Feng Zheng said.
“Alright, I can counter Nara from a distance.”
Hodaka asked.
“What if they don’t separate?”
Mieko said.
“Then we’ll just have to fight while keeping an eye on the Nara Clan’s shadows and the Yamanaka Clan’s mind control. That should be easy for you. But Feng Zheng might have difficulty.”
Feng Zheng replied.
“Yes. I can stay behind and provide long-range support for you.”
Hodaka said.
“There’s no point in thinking so much; just go and fight.”
Mieko said.
“Yes, no matter what, we’ll win easily!”
With that, both of them smiled and looked forward. At the same time, Feng Zheng thought expressionlessly.
“Just because you can’t think of a good strategy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to think of one.”
Feng Zheng continued.
While the Renjiro Squad was advancing quickly, the squad they were approaching was also formulating a strategy.
As soon as the Chunin Exams began, they quickly moved about 1.5 kilometers from their starting position. However, instead of heading directly to the Tower, they moved diagonally into the Forest and hid there. They were very careful not to leave any traces.
After finding a hiding spot, they all hid.
Yamanaka Kaoru said.
“Now that we’re hidden, Kori, do you have a plan?”
Hearing this, Nara Kori sighed. He looked up at the clouds and thought.
“Why do I have to take the Chunin Exams? This is the third time! Can’t I just stay a Genin?”
Yamanaka Kaoru saw his teammate looking up at the clouds and said.
“Sigh, besides sighing, do you have any plans?”
Akimichi Yutaka said sadly.
“Last time there was a day of rest between the first and second stages, so I didn’t bring lunch this time, and I’m already hungry!”
Yamanaka Kaoru saw that his teammates were ignoring him and acting childish. He immediately got angry and shouted.
“Enough! Focus on the Chunin Exams! I don’t want to fail for the third time!”
This caught his teammates’ attention. Nara Kori sighed and said.
“If I ignore him any longer, he might take over our bodies and do something shameful again.”
He said.
“Only 8 teams entered the second round this time, so we might not see results quickly. All the teams are far apart, so finding a team will be difficult.”
“We should wait here and set traps. When someone finds us, we can surprise them and defeat them. Since there are only four scrolls of earth, they will also be desperately looking for us.”
Yamanaka Kaoru said.
“That makes sense. But what if someone passed the Chunin Exams and got an extra scroll of heaven?”
Nara Kori replied.
“Then we’re out of luck.”
Yamanaka Kaoru immediately became expressionless. He made a Hand Seals gesture. Nara Kori immediately said.
“But if the situation is the opposite, then it will give us more opportunities.”
Yamanaka Kaoru said.
“Yes, but that’s not something we can control.”
Nara Kori replied.
“Yes, but we are not the strongest squad. Of course, our teamwork is very good. But if we fight battle after battle in neutral territory, we will lose badly.”
“Not to mention, 2 squads have members of the Hyuga Clan. When the scrolls were distributed, their Byakugan were activated. So if they need a scroll of earth, we should expect at least one of them to find us.”
The two continued to discuss strategy, while Akimichi Yutaka was thinking about how to arrange food.
After a long while, Yamanaka Kaoru suddenly stopped talking. Akimichi Yutaka saw his expression and asked.
“What happened?”
Yamanaka Kaoru replied.
“I just sensed someone sensing us. Get ready.”
After he finished speaking, he sat down and began to sense his surroundings as well. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sense anyone.
Nara Kori also became serious. He didn’t expect to fight so soon. He asked.
“Which squad is it?”
Yamanaka Kaoru replied.
“I can’t sense them.”
This made Nara Kori even more vigilant, and he said.
“This means their squad’s Sensor Ninja is better than yours.”
He frowned and asked.
“But which squad would have a Sensor Ninja with a sensing range of over 500 meters?”
