Kiyosuke, Asuma, and Guy's task was to escort these genin to Sunagakure.
They were also acting as temporary proctors. Any genin who failed to arrive within the set time would lose their qualification for the exam. Because Neji had been manipulating the scoring, the number of candidates ended up too high, forcing an extra elimination round to weed out the slower ones.
"To be honest, I didn't expect us to be going to Sunagakure too," Kiyosuke said as he bounced through the trees.
Beside him, Asuma replied, "Don't forget, Tsunade-sama also gave us other orders."
Tsunade had instructed them to keep an eye on the exams. If members of Akatsuki showed up, they were to alert each other immediately.
If possible, they were to capture them alive.
"They may not even show up. This exam could just be Sunagakure's way of cleaning out its own disobedient elements," Kiyosuke said quietly.
Because Gaara was a jinchūriki, he wasn't adored like Pakura had been. After he became Kazekage, opposition voices were everywhere. It was only because Pakura stood firm, and with the support of the Wind Daimyō, that Gaara had been pushed into the Kazekage's seat.
This Chūnin Exam might be the chance for Gaara's enemies to strike, and also the perfect opportunity for Gaara to expose and eliminate them.
"All we need to do is watch out for Akatsuki. The rest isn't our concern. After all, it's Sunagakure's internal affair," Asuma said, puffing on his cigarette.
"Mm! Kiyosuke, Asuma, don't let those kids outrun you! My youth is burning! Let's see who reaches the Land of Wind first!"
Guy didn't care about politics. Instead, he suggested a race with the genin and charged ahead like a cannonball.
Watching his retreating back, Asuma sighed.
"Guy is always this full of energy, no matter when."
"True. We should pick up the pace too. There's nothing else in our way, and soon we'll be out of the Land of Fire. After that, it's through the Land of Rivers, and then the Land of Wind… ugh, that environment really is unpleasant," Kiyosuke said.
The two sped up, keeping distance between themselves and the genin. After more than a day of travel, they finally entered Sunagakure.
"All right, time's up."
Kiyosuke checked the time. Together with Asuma, he blocked the remaining genin who hadn't reached the village.
"Enough. This is as far as you go. You're disqualified."
"What?! But we were so close! Please let us through!" The nearest ninja tried to plead, but the two rejected them coldly.
"Rules are rules."
Kiyosuke added, "As ninja, if you can't complete a mission within the allotted time, what kind of ninja does that make you?"
"But, we—"
"Hm?" Kiyosuke's glare froze them in place. The terrifying look made the group shrink back, silent as mice, not daring to utter another word.
"Enough. Someone else will guide you into the village to rest. Once you've recovered, you'll return to your own villages," Kiyosuke said before turning away.
Guy and Asuma handled the arrangements for those who made it on time. Kiyosuke glanced over the group—aside from Shikamaru, all of Konoha's Twelve were here.
Exactly as expected.
He nodded. The Sunagakure staff led both the successful and the failed candidates into the village.
As for the instructors, they were escorted elsewhere to rest.
They were given the best accommodations, though water was scarce.
Dinner, however, was lavish. The three of them ate heartily, chatting as they went. Outside, a sudden sandstorm whipped up, its scale surprisingly large.
"Hm? What's that sound?"
After finishing his meal, Kiyosuke was picking his teeth when he caught noises beneath the howling wind.
It sounded like fighting.
The building across the street was where the genin were resting. Through the shifting sand, faint thuds could be heard from inside.
"Looks like a fight broke out."
"Ahhhh!!"
A scream cut through the storm. It sounded strangely familiar.
"Wait… I've heard that voice before," Kiyosuke muttered.
"That's Chōji!"
Asuma recognized it immediately, his face paling. He rushed out into the storm.
There, he found Chōji, Ino, and Karin sprawled on the ground. Looming over them was a massive desert scorpion—easily twenty or thirty meters long.
It had enormous pincers, and instead of a stinger at the tip of its tail, there was a smaller claw.
"Whoa, that's one huge scorpion. Little lady, did you take it down?" Kiyosuke asked the dark-skinned girl standing atop the beast, with short teal hair and bright orange eyes.
"Mm-hmm! That was me!" she replied cheerfully.
"Thank you for saving my students," Asuma said sincerely. He then thumped Chōji on the head.
"And what were you doing sneaking out in the middle of the night? You know you're not supposed to wander!"
"Sorry, Asuma-sensei, Kiyosuke-sensei… I was hungry," Chōji said pitifully.
"You didn't have dinner?"
Kiyosuke frowned. "I thought meals were arranged for you all, and pretty decent ones at that."
"They're gone," Ino said, pulling herself up.
Karin added, "They started fighting, and in the end, no one got to eat."
"Ah, so that was the noise I heard earlier," Kiyosuke said, finally realizing. "All right, little lady, hop down."
"Huh? Old man, what are you going to do?" Fu asked curiously as she floated down.
Kiyosuke walked up to the desert scorpion, flames bursting from his palm as he engulfed the entire creature in fire.
Instantly, the blaze lit up the darkness. Even with the sandstorm raging, the fire pierced through it like a beacon.
Before long, a rich aroma spread through the air. Kiyosuke dispersed the flames, gesturing at the steaming scorpion.
"This thing's protein content is six times higher than beef. Plenty of meat to go around—dig in!"
"OOOOOH! Thanks, Kiyosuke-sensei!"
Chōji leapt to his feet and charged at the roasted scorpion. A round, even fatter boy from Kusagakure barreled after him, their shapes almost like rolling balls.
The others quickly followed. Food was food, and it was better than going hungry. Tomorrow was the second exam—no one wanted to face it on an empty stomach.
The Land of Wind was nothing like Konoha. Edible resources weren't just lying around. They needed to eat their fill while they could, or risk collapsing in the exams.
With a crunch, the scorpion's shell was smashed open, revealing tender meat inside.
"Itadakimasu!!"
Chōji shouted, biting into the flesh. The heat made him hiss, but the flavor was so delicious that he couldn't stop himself.
Seeing him devour it, the others hurried to carve off chunks, rinsing them quickly with Water Release to wash away the sand before eating.
No one wanted a mouthful of grit.