"Huh? Xia Mu, you're already back."
Tenten, carrying a basket of groceries, was a bit surprised. "I didn't hear any movement at home just now, I thought you were still outside. I bought some groceries and told my dad, I'm staying here tonight too."
Xia Mu, however, looked at Tenten with a smile, a very bright smile, but didn't say anything.
Tenten became even more curious. She quickly put down the grocery basket and reached out to touch Xia Mu's forehead. "You're not hot. What's wrong? Why are you smiling like that?"
Xia Mu folded his arms and said, "Tenten, how about you scrub my back tonight?"
Huh? Scrub, scrub your back?
Tenten immediately blushed a little. "You still remember yesterday? I promised to listen to you talk about the Hyuga Clan while we were bathing yesterday, but I didn't say we'd bathe together. Besides, at our age, bathing together would be very dangerous. I, I'm afraid we won't be able to resist..."
"477" Xia Mu, however, laughed and said, "The Flying Thunder God Technique, I got it."
What?!
Tenten's eyes instantly lit up. She grabbed Xia Mu's shoulders and shook him. "Xia Mu! You really got it? Is it real? You really got it?!"
Xia Mu was a bit dizzy from being shaken and quickly held her still. "Of course it's real. Today, Aoba-sensei took me to meet Senior Mitarashi Anko and Senior Genma Shiranui. Because of my excellent performance all this time, they think highly of me, so they gave me the scroll. Look!"
Saying this, he handed the scroll to Tenten.
Tenten took the scroll, her hands trembling, but she didn't open it rashly.
She naturally believed Xia Mu wasn't lying to her, but suddenly getting such a powerful forbidden Ninjutsu made her feel unreal.
Xia Mu then reached out and pulled her into his embrace. "So, as a reward, can you help me scrub my back?"
Tenten reacted, subconsciously pinching his waist, and playfully scolded, "You're really something, only thinking about this little thing. I'm scared of you, isn't it just scrubbing your back? I'll scrub it for you tonight! I'll even take a bath with you, alright!"
Xia Mu was overjoyed. "Tenten, you said that!"
Tenten's face was bright red. "Yes, I said it. Anyway, we'll get married sooner or later, so I'm just giving you a head start. But you have to control yourself. We're still young now, we can't..."
"What if I can't control myself?"
"You have to control yourself even if you can't! Oh, you're so bad!"
The two of them flirted and teased, both their faces flushed. Thinking about bathing together next, they were both nervous and anticipating.
To distract himself, Xia Mu quickly sat down, pulled Tenten into his lap, opened the scroll in front of them, and looked at it with Tenten.
"Tenten, take a look. Remember it first. You can try to create the Flying Thunder God Technique, but definitely don't rush into cultivating it. It involves space traversal, which is very dangerous. Wait until the night of the first when I enter that special state, I'll try it first. That way, there's no fear of danger. Once I gain experience, I'll teach you."
Tenten naturally listened obediently, silently memorizing the contents of the scroll.
She wasn't embarrassed either. She and Xia Mu were one now, inseparable, and didn't need to be reserved at all, especially since she had given Xia Mu a reward.
Seeing that it was getting late, Tenten said with a shy tone, "Xia Mu, it's getting dark. Do you want to eat first, or bathe first, or, Wa, Ta, Shi?"
A standard Japanese-style temptation, Xia Mu's eyes darkened slightly.
"Then, let's bathe together first."
Saying this, Xia Mu immediately put away the scroll, pulled Tenten into the bathroom, and for a while, the bathroom was bustling...
Two days later, all the examinees received notification and quickly rushed to the entrance of the Death Forest to gather. However, to enter the gathering point, they first had to undergo a screening to prevent Orochimaru from disguising himself as an examinee and sneaking in again.
Xia Mu quickly scanned around and found that there were many fewer examinees than last time.
It seemed that Orochimaru had caused considerable psychological trauma to the examinees last time, and some people directly chose to withdraw from the exam.
The two Grass Ninja who had partnered with Orochimaru before were also gone, likely taken to the interrogation room to see if they had colluded with Orochimaru. The exam was out of the question for them anyway, as the two of them weren't enough for a team.
What surprised Xia Mu, however, was that the Sound Ninja Trio were still there.
"What is Old man Sarutobi doing?! He clearly knows that Otogakure is connected to Orochimaru, and this trio must have been sent by Orochimaru, yet he doesn't just apprehend them, and even allows them to participate in the exam. What is he thinking?! Is he planning to track the trio and find Orochimaru by following the clues?"
Xia Mu was puzzled and couldn't raise his questions at this time.
Soon it was Xia Mu's team's turn. After a face check by Anko and Genma Shiranui, they entered the gathering point.
Last time, Orochimaru killed that female Grass Ninja and peeled off her face to disguise himself, which is why they had to do a face check. However, they definitely wouldn't find anything because Orochimaru wouldn't disguise himself as an examinee a second time; that would be extremely foolish behavior.
Konoha naturally understood this, but they still had to screen just in case.
After Xia Mu's team entered the gathering point, they went directly to find their friends.
Kato Megumi also summoned Pakkun. "Pakkun, please remember the scent of these friends, especially Sister Tenten. The boss is worried about Sister Tenten's safety. Once we enter the forest, first lock onto Sister Tenten's location!"
Pakkun guaranteed, "Don't worry, Megumi. Although I'm not strong in combat, I'm a professional when it comes to tracking!"
Soon, Pakkun sniffed the scents of the Twelve Rookie Genin one by one.
He also chatted with Akamaru for a bit, talking about Inuzuka Kiba's sister's pet hospital. It seemed the service at that pet hospital was very good, and the dog food was delicious.
Just then, Tenten looked at Xia Mu and immediately couldn't help but blush.
She still couldn't help but think of the incident of bathing together earlier. Just thinking about the scene made her feel shy.
Fortunately, she was always cheerful and generous, so she didn't stammer when speaking. "Xia Mu, I know you're worried about me, but there's no need to go to this extent. With my current strength, I should be able to protect myself."
Xia Mu, however, shook his head resolutely. "I have a bad feeling, I think Orochimaru will appear."
Hearing this, Tenten couldn't refuse anymore, but she said, "Then how about this, you gather your team's scrolls first and then come find me. That should be okay. I'll also collect the scrolls as quickly as possible on my side. Then we'll meet up and go to the Tower together."
...Alright, be careful. I'll have Pakkun keep an eye on your situation at all times."
Xia Mu had to compromise.
He knew Tenten wanted to be independent and didn't want to always rely on her boyfriend's help.
If it weren't for the special circumstances, he wouldn't do this either, and he was just going to find Tenten to ensure she wouldn't be harmed by Orochimaru, not directly help Tenten steal scrolls.
However, Tenten's attitude was firm, so he could only let her. He would just have Pakkun watch out for any strange scents appearing around Tenten.