blogombal Chapter 406 The Team Arrives at the Tower
Chapter 406 The Team Arrives at the Tower
Chapter 406 The Team Arrives at the Tower
On the outskirts of the Death Forest, in a makeshift rest pavilion, Mitarashi Anko leaned lazily against a wooden pillar, holding a palm-sized cardboard box in her left hand, inside which lay two neatly arranged strings of tricolor dumplings.
He was still holding a string of meatballs with two meatballs already bitten off in his right hand.
Hongdou chewed on the meatball, her cheeks puffing out slightly, but her expression showed some unease.
Outside the pavilion, several examiners were gathered together, talking in hushed tones.
Further away, three medical ninjas were organizing first-aid equipment, preparing for possible casualties.
boom-
A muffled explosion echoed from deep within the forest, and the tremors could be faintly felt even from more than ten kilometers away.
A middle-aged examiner with a short beard looked up in the direction of the voice and remarked, "This year's candidates are all very strong. It's only the first day, and they're already eager to test their skills against each other."
"After all, it's a joint exam, and all five great ninja villages have sent teams," another young examiner wearing round-framed glasses said, holding a list of candidates in his hand.
"The Hidden Mist Village sent two successors of the Ninja Swordsmen, the Hidden Cloud Village has a disciple of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and that brat from the Hidden Stone Village named Deidara is said to be a direct disciple of the Third Tsuchikage, and there's also the Land of Stars—"
He paused, then lowered his voice: "The Star Kingdom's forces alone are enough of a headache."
"They're all geniuses from their respective villages, arrogant and overbearing; it's normal for them to fight." The short-bearded examiner chuckled. "However, this means our elimination rate for the second exam will likely far exceed expectations."
Red Bean remained silent.
She put the last dumpling into her mouth, casually stuck the bamboo skewer into the edge of the cardboard box, and kept her eyes fixed on the depths of the forest.
Those brown pupils reflected the layers of trees and some memories I didn't want to touch.
She hadn't felt this way in a long time.
That inexplicable, vague unease.
It felt like something cold and sinister was quietly watching the back of my neck.
call out!
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly tore through the sky.
Hongdou suddenly looked up.
Above the forest, a crimson cloud of smoke was exploding, blooming like a flower, strikingly bright.
"A signal flare." The young examiner immediately stood up and picked up his equipment: "Southeast direction, about six kilometers away."
"
"You lot, come with me." Hongdou straightened up from the wooden pillar, casually stuffing the cardboard box into the short-bearded examiner's arms, her tone returning to its usual arrogant manner.
"yes!"
The three examiners and three medical ninjas quickly prepared their equipment and followed Anko into the forest.
Seven figures darted swiftly through the forest, their feet landing lightly on thick branches, each step precise and effortless.
The tree canopy was like a sea, flowing backward beneath them.
Red beans are placed at the very front.
The wind whistled past her ears, and the sealed curse mark on her neck was faintly visible beneath her collar.
Her gaze was focused, but her heart was beating a few beats faster than usual.
wrong----
Something's wrong—
She couldn't explain what it was; it wasn't an abnormal fluctuation of chakra, nor was it murderous intent, nor even any specific sign.
It was just a gut feeling.
Just like many years ago, when she was a genin and followed that person on missions, she would occasionally have similar premonitions.
At that time, she didn't understand what that meant.
Later she understood.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Hongdou gritted her teeth and forcibly suppressed those thoughts.
Now is not the time to be distracted.
The forest receded, getting closer and closer to the location of the signal flare.
suddenly!
The bushes on the left suddenly exploded without warning!
A massive black shadow shot out from the depths of the forest!
The speed was so fast that Hongdou, who was a little distracted, didn't react for a moment!
"Watch out, Red Bean Senior!!!"
A young examiner's voice came from behind.
Hongdou's pupils suddenly contracted.
It was a giant python, three or four meters thick and more than ten meters long, covered with brown scales, each the size of an adult's palm, which gleamed with a cold, oily sheen in the dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.
Its head is an inverted triangle, and the image of Red Bean is reflected in its golden vertical pupils. Its blood-red mouth is wide open, and its fangs are like daggers, bringing a pungent, fishy smell as it lunges to bite!
too fast.
Before Hongdou could even pull out the kunai, she instinctively leaned back, her body almost bent into a bow. The python's fangs grazed her nose, and the resulting wind pressure caused her bangs to fly wildly across her forehead.
A skilled swordsman from behind had already drawn his sword and charged forward.
Leaf-style swordsmanship!
A flash of silver light sliced through the air, striking the giant python precisely on the side of its neck!
puff!
Scales shattered, flesh tore open, and foul-smelling blood splattered like rain.
The giant python let out a piercing hiss, its massive body twisting violently, and its thick tail sweeping across!
"Scatter!" Red Bean hissed, finally drawing his kunai with both hands.
She lightly touched the tree trunk with her toes, leaped up to avoid the snake's tail sweep, and with a flick of her right hand, the kunai flew out and accurately shot into the giant python's left eye!
puff!
The eyeball ruptured, and dark green fluid spurted out.
The python's hiss turned into a painful wail, its massive body twisting wildly and snapping three trees as thick as bowls, rendering it unable to mount an effective attack for the time being.
The examiner's second strike had already landed.
This time, the blade was infused with even stronger chakra, slicing again through the wound on the snake's neck, angled downwards, almost severing the entire snake's head!
The giant python's body twitched a few times, then finally stopped moving.
Blood spread through the woodland, staining the fallen leaves and moss red.
A red bean landed on a horizontal branch, breathing slightly.
She looked down at the giant python that was gradually losing its life, but her eyes did not relax; instead, they became even more serious.
snake----
Could it be that man has returned?
Even after so many years, even though she desperately wanted to forget, those memories etched into her bones would still come crashing back at some unexpected moment.
"Senior Red Bean, are you alright?" Several examiners rushed over.
"It's nothing." Hongdou put away her kunai, her voice a few decibels lower than usual.
She leaped down from the branch, landed next to the snake's head, and crouched down.
The python's eyes had lost their luster.
"Senior Red Bean?" one of the examiners noticed her unusual behavior and asked in a low voice.
"—It's alright." Hongdou stood up, her back to the crowd, her tone regaining its calm: "Let's move forward, the examinees are still waiting for rescue."
She didn't turn around.
Because she didn't want anyone to see her expression at that moment.
When Hongdou and her group arrived at the signal flare launch site, the sun had already begun to set.
Only Masaru, Naruto, and Hinata were standing to one side, while Kiba and Shino looked somewhat disheveled, with minor injuries, and were helping Sakura, who was sitting against a large rock.
Sakura's condition was clearly worse. She had a cut on her forehead, the bleeding had stopped but dried bloodstains remained on her face, and her right arm, which had been dislocated, had been temporarily reset and fixed with a simple splint.
Akamaru lay beside Kiba's feet, one of his hind legs unnaturally curled up, emitting a weak whimper.
Red Bean's gaze swept over the wounded, finally landing on Menma and the other two.
Her brow furrowed, her tone tinged with accusation: "Even if it's a life-or-death exam, is it really necessary to be so ruthless towards a fellow villager?"
The air fell silent for a moment.
Naruto was the first to react. His bright blue eyes widened, and his voice rose several octaves: "?! Anko, you've got it wrong! We're the ones who saved Kiba and the others!"
"Exactly!" Kiba struggled to his feet from the rock, his face clearly showing anger. "Examiner Red Bean, we were injured by other teams! If Menma and the others hadn't arrived in time to provide support, we wouldn't even have had a chance to fire a signal flare!"
Sakura nodded quickly, the bandage on her forehead swaying gently with her movement: "Yes, yes! Anko, that's really too much!"
Shino pushed up his sunglasses and pulled a scroll from his pocket.
"We were outmatched, and our teammate was seriously injured and voluntarily withdrew from the exam. This is our roll."
Naruto jumped up immediately: "Why do you think we attacked our own classmates?! Do we look like those kinds of people?!"
'
Red Bean was stunned.
She looked at Naruto's flushed face, at Menma's calm yet slightly helpless eyes, and at Hinata carefully adjusting Sakura's bandages—
It's like a painting.
A painting she once knew well, but which had long since faded.
Many years ago, she also stood beside her teammates in this way, being questioned by an older ninja, and then loudly defending herself indignantly.
Back then, she also had people like that around her, who would shield her from enemy attacks, clumsily bandage her wounds, and sit together on the rooftop to share a string of tricolor dumplings after a mission.
But later, those people either left or scattered.
The person she once admired most destroyed everything with his own hands.
Hongdou remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, she suddenly laughed.
"So that's how it is. I misunderstood you. I'm sorry."
Her voice was unusually gentle, even tinged with a hint of emotion: "So, have you collected all the reels?"
"Of course we've gathered them all!" Naruto immediately forgot his earlier displeasure, puffed out his chest, and declared confidently, "We'll be the first team to reach the central tower!"
Hongdou smiled and nodded.
She didn't say anything more, but turned to the side and gestured to the medical ninja behind her.
Three medical ninjas immediately stepped forward and began to examine Kiba, Shino, Sakura, and Akamaru for their injuries.
One of the older female medical ninjas was skilled and quickly re-treated Sakura's forehead wound and put a splint on Akamaru's broken leg.
"Your and Shino's injuries aren't serious; it's Sakura and Akamaru who need to rest and recuperate," the female medical ninja told Kiba. "But don't worry, they're not in any life-threatening danger."
He stretched his arms and grinned, "Thanks."
Then he turned to Menma and the other two, his tone somewhat unwilling: "Hey—I was originally planning to spar with you guys during the Chunin Exams, but it seems I'll have to wait for another opportunity to do so."
Naruto laughed heartily, hands on his hips: "Then by the next time we spar, we'll both be Chunin!"
"You?" Kiba raised an eyebrow and snorted defiantly, "I'm not surprised at all that Menma and Hinata became Chunin, but you, the bottom of the class? That's a bit doubtful."
"What did you say?!"
Naruto immediately jumped up, but Menma held his shoulder down.
"Alright, alright, it's time to go." Menma gently patted Naruto's shoulder, then looked at Kiba, Shino, and Sakura.
"Go back and take good care of your injury. We'll get together again after the exams are over."
He paused, then added, "I'll treat you then."
Kiba grinned and gave a thumbs-up: "It's a deal then! Akamaru and I are going to have a big feast!!"
"That barbecue king place last time was pretty good." Shino pushed up his glasses.
"No problem." Menma nodded.
Then he turned to Hinata and Naruto and said, "Let's go."
The three leaped onto tree branches and quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Hongdou stood still, watching their backs as they walked away, without moving for a long time.
She only snapped out of her daze when an examiner came over and asked in a low voice whether she wanted to continue waiting.
"Let's call it a day," said Hongdou.
She took one last look in the direction Menma and the others had left, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
There is nostalgia, and there is also envy.
As dusk fell, the Death Forest was gradually enveloped in twilight.
Menma and the other two moved quickly among the treetops. Hinata's Byakugan remained active, with veins bulging around her eyes. Her 360-degree field of vision helped the team avoid three potential encounters.
"The tower is about a kilometer ahead," Hinata reported softly. "There are signs of a fight on the open ground outside the tower; some people have already arrived."
"So fast?" Naruto was somewhat surprised.
The dough turned out as expected.
He had previously used Kagura's Mind's Eye to see the entire scene. Deidara's clay giant bird was an air transport vehicle, flying in a straight line without needing to take detours or encountering ground obstacles.
Deidara should be the first to arrive.
"Let's go take a look," Menma said.
The three landed on a horizontal branch of a giant tree near the outer edge of the tower, looking down at the open space in front of the tower.
The battle there has ended.
The open ground was littered with charred explosion marks and several pools of blood that had not yet dried.
Three examinees wearing headbands from Takigakure lay on the ground, two unconscious, and one trampled underfoot with his face buried in the mud, looking utterly wretched.
The one stepping on them was a very flamboyant blond boy.
Deidara.
He placed one foot on the back of the Takigakure examinee, while weighing a scroll of earth wrapped in black silk in his right hand.
Beside him stood two companions: Kong, with an indifferent expression, and Yunmu, dressed in a purple Gothic Lolita outfit.
"All done, um."
He casually tossed the scroll to Sora behind him, who caught it steadily and expressionlessly put it into his ninja tool pouch.
Mica stood beside Kong, her pale purple pupils scanning the surroundings with calm vigilance.
"The second one." Dida stretched and yawned. "I thought the candidates who passed the first exam would be amazing, but this is all? Boring, huh."
At that moment, Deidara suddenly raised his head and his gaze precisely locked onto three figures in the treetops opposite him.
"Oh?"
His eyes lit up, like a child who had discovered a new toy.
"I thought the first Konoha team to arrive would be that Uchiha." Deidara sized up Menma and the other two, a smirk playing on his lips. "I didn't expect it to be you guys, hmm—"
He weighed his fingers on his wrist, as if he was considering something.
Sora sensed his intention, frowned slightly, and lowered his voice: "Deidara, pay attention to the Tsuchikage's arrangements."
Deidara paused for a moment.
"Tch, I know, I know." He pouted, sounding both dissatisfied and resigned, and finally just let out a soft hum.
He turned and walked toward the tower's gate.
The three people opposite him nodded slightly and then followed Deidara's footsteps.
Mica, on the other hand, was handled with more care.
She gently lifted the sides of her skirt with both hands and gave a half curtsy to Menma, Naruto, and Hinata.
His purple pupils gleamed faintly in the twilight, and a slight smile played on his lips.
Then she loosened her skirt, turned around, and followed Deidara and Sora.
"Phew—" Naruto looked in the direction they disappeared, somewhat puzzled, and said, "These three guys—they gave off a really strange vibe."
"Besides the blond one, the other two—" Hinata said softly.
Her eyes were still rolling, and her brows furrowed slightly: "Their bodies are somewhat—empty."
"Empty?" Naruto asked, bewildered.
Hinata opened her mouth to try to explain, but she didn't know how to describe the feeling.
Mianma frowned slightly but remained silent.
Of course he knew what it was.
The androids: Sora Ohnoki and Mica.
In his memories before he traveled through time, it should be a product of the Boruto era.
It was an artificial weapon created by Onoki in his later years to make up for his regrets and fight against the crisis.
But now, they've appeared ahead of schedule.
"It seems that old man Onoki, even after submitting to the Land of Stars, has never stopped his ambition and is still thinking of struggling." Menma snorted inwardly.
He then snapped out of his thoughts and said to Hinata, "Ignore them, let's go inside."
He leaped forward and landed in front of the tower's gate, with Naruto and Hinata following closely behind.