'How do I see it? I just see it directly.'
Feeling reassured by Konan's current strength, Aoshi gave this answer inwardly to Pakura's question.
If it were his previous life, he might have agreed with Yahiko's ideals. But this was reality.
Aoshi would never naively believe in so-called peace achieved through mutual understanding.
He believed in only one thing—power.
In his view, if the ninja world were ever to truly achieve peace, it could only be through absolute unification.
Of course. He had no intention of saying something like that in front of Pakura.
Even though their relationship could be considered amicable now, they ultimately stood on different sides.
"What he said sounds beautiful," Aoshi replied calmly, "but it isn't realistic."
After that simple response, he didn't continue the topic. "Let's move. Everyone's already gone far ahead."
As the chief supervisors of this joint Chūnin Exam, the two of them needed to oversee the entire process from start to finish.
With that, Aoshi moved forward to catch up with the departing examinees.
Pakura followed closely behind.
---
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
After a grueling journey, the examinees finally arrived at the designated target location within Sunagakure.
This place would serve as their temporary resting area.
"Excellent. I originally estimated that only half of you would make it here," the chief examiner of the second stage said with a gentle smile, "but I didn't expect so many to arrive."
The speaker was a Sunagakure jōnin named Yusuke.
He was a puppeteer, highly skilled in both puppet techniques and poison crafting.
As he scanned the assembled candidates, his expression remained warm and approving.
"It seems you are all quite outstanding. I hope everyone performs well in the coming exam and successfully advances to Chūnin."
In truth, this result was largely thanks to Yahiko and his two companions.
Over the past three days, whenever someone attacked other examinees, Yahiko had actively stepped in to help.
And since Yahiko intervened, Konan and Nagato naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Of course, in order to avoid exposing the Rinnegan as much as possible, Nagato intervened the least.
If it hadn't been for the trio's actions, the outcome would have been exactly as Yusuke predicted—at most, only half of the candidates would have arrived on time.
During this journey, there were also those who attempted to band together to deal with Yahiko and his companions.
But all of them were defeated.
Though young, the trio's strength was anything but weak. They could even be considered the strongest team among all the examinees.
Once the troublemakers realized that Yahiko and his group were not easy targets, they had no choice but to rein themselves in.
Their original goal had been to eliminate competitors and increase their own chances of promotion.
But if confronting Yahiko's group resulted in their own elimination, that would be completely counterproductive.
"Tonight, everyone should rest well and conserve your energy," Yusuke announced. "The second stage of the exam will officially begin tomorrow."
Under Yusuke's arrangements, the examinees finished dinner and returned to their respective rooms to rest.
"Lady Pakura, Lord Hirakawa, your rooms are this way. Please follow me."
In front of Aoshi and Pakura, Yusuke appeared unusually respectful—almost eager to please.
Although they were all jōnin, he clearly understood that not all jōnin were the same.
Both Aoshi and Pakura could kill him instantly if they wished.
"Thank you for your trouble, Yusuke-jōnin," Aoshi said politely.
"Not at all. It's my honor to serve you both." Yusuke's face was filled with a flattering smile, completely devoid of a jōnin's usual composure.
"Oh, by the way, Lord Hirakawa," Yusuke added, "this is your first time in the Land of Wind. You may not know this, but desert sandstorms can be very strong at night. You should keep your windows closed."
As he spoke, he personally walked over and closed the window in Aoshi's room.
The room was sealed airtight. No sandstorm could possibly enter.
Watching his actions, the smile on Aoshi's face widened slightly.
"I really didn't know that. Many thanks for the reminder, Yusuke-jōnin."
"It's my duty." Yusuke remained deferential.
"Then I won't disturb you further. I hope Lord Hirakawa enjoys a good night's rest."
After watching Yusuke leave, Aoshi's smile did not fade—but a trace of shadow flickered beneath it.
---
Late at night, when all was silent.
Yet in the desert darkness, a group of fully armed, black-clad figures moved swiftly across the sand.
Judging by their direction, they were heading straight toward the lodgings of Aoshi and the others.
Their intentions were unmistakably hostile.
"Why are you so late?" As the group arrived at their destination, a dissatisfied voice suddenly rang out.
The speaker stepped forward. It was Yusuke.
"How are the preparations?" Ignoring his displeasure, the leader of the black-clad figures replied calmly.
"Don't worry. Hirakawa Aoshi and Pakura were careless. They've already been poisoned."
"This is my newest poison—colorless and odorless. When the target is completely unprepared, it restricts chakra flow."
Yusuke spoke with pride.
His confidence in his poison was absolute. And from his words, a terrifying truth was revealed—
He and the black-clad figures were accomplices.
Their target was Aoshi and Pakura.
Wherever there are people, there is competition. Sunagakure was no exception.
For the sake of personal ambition, some people would stop at nothing.
Yusuke's cooperation with these figures was driven by one desire—
To climb higher.
"Well done," the leader of the black-clad figures said casually. "Once the operation succeeds, I'll report to the elders and ensure you receive great merit."
This wasn't their first collaboration.
In fact, Yusuke's current position as chief examiner for the joint Chūnin Exams existed entirely because of the elders' backing of these black-clad figures.
"Once we seize control of Sunagakure," the leader continued, "you will become the captain of the Puppet Brigade."
Just as Iwagakure had its Explosion Corps, Sunagakure had its Puppet Brigade.
And becoming its captain meant truly stepping into the ranks of high authority. In the future, even promotion to elder—wielding real power—would not be impossible.
Yusuke's breathing quickened as visions of a glorious future filled his mind.
"It's time," he said eagerly. "You can go in now. Remember—be quick."
As he spoke, Yusuke stepped aside, clearing the path.
As for the night patrol ninja, he had already dealt with them.
The leader patted Yusuke on the shoulder and led his subordinates forward, ready to strike.
Then—A voice suddenly cut through the night.
"See? I told you he definitely had a problem, but you didn't believe me." A blue-haired man wearing sunglasses stepped out from the darkness.
It was Aoshi. Standing beside him was a Sunagakure kunoichi with an ice-cold expression, Pakura.
They had not fallen for Yusuke's trap at all. Instead, they had hidden nearby and overheard the entire conversation.
"Impossible!" Yusuke's confidence shattered instantly, replaced by panic.
"You—shouldn't you both be in your rooms?! How could you possibly—"
"How could we be here, right?" Aoshi finished calmly.
"The reason is simple. Your poison is impressive—but my medical ninjutsu isn't bad either."
In truth, Aoshi had already sensed something was wrong thanks to his Malice Perception ability.
Ever since acquiring it, he habitually used it whenever entering a new environment.
Better safe than sorry. Especially after his first experience in the Land of Rain—it had left him with a lesson he would never forget.
That was when he detected Yusuke's deep malice toward him.
They had never met before. There had been no interaction whatsoever.
Such intense hostility could not simply be explained by opposing stances.
From that moment, Aoshi had concluded—Yusuke was a problem.
After Yusuke escorted him and Pakura to their rooms, that suspicion was confirmed.
The poison had already been released into the rooms. Prolonged inhalation would gradually render the chakra unusable.
Slow to take effect, but difficult to detect.
Even Aoshi might have overlooked it if he hadn't already been on guard.
But since he knew the poison was there, neutralizing it was trivial.
Afterward, he used the Mind Transmission Technique—obtained after healing Yamanaka Fū—to inform Pakura.
At first, she didn't believe him. Only after persistent persuasion did the two decide to play along.
Which led to this very moment.
"Impossible… How could you decipher my poison so quickly?!" Yusuke roared in disbelief.
This was his masterpiece!
Pakura coldly demanded, "Who is behind you? Who ordered this?"
But clearly, no answer would be given.
"You idiots! Move now, or none of us will escape!" The leader of the black-clad figures shouted, launching himself forward.
The rest followed immediately.
"You're courting death." A flash of killing intent crossed Pakura's eyes.
Forming seals, several fireballs appeared around her, suspended in midair.
Each one radiated terrifying heat.
Upon contact, they would instantly evaporate the moisture in a human body—leaving only a dried corpse.
It was Pakura's signature technique. Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder.
The blazing orbs illuminated the dark desert night—
And delivered death.
Aside from the leader, who reacted with astonishing speed and barely evaded the attack, every other black-clad figure was struck.
Agonized screams echoed as steam burst from their bodies.
They collapsed to the ground one after another.
When silence returned—
They were nothing more than desiccated corpses.