Yet he slowly lifted his head, and a new sense of determination appeared in his eyes.
"Sometimes, a team actually needs an idiot like him. When you're thinking about compromising, only someone like that can give you the belief to keep going."
A faint smile curled on Yuan Ye's face as he quietly thought to himself, "After all, some things are worth persisting for. At worst, we just accept defeat this time in the Chunin Exams. But you've made Saori lose consciousness... I can't hold back any longer."
His fists clenched tightly, causing the air to tremble slightly.
However, the enemy ninja across from him seemed unaware of Yuan Ye's mental shift, asking with slight disdain.
"Hmph, although it pains me as a fellow villager to interrupt your discussion before reaching a satisfying conclusion, who's to say this isn't just another delaying tactic? If you don't hand over the scroll immediately, then we'll have no choice but to take action by force."
Saying that, those standing on the trees cracked their joints demonstratively, hiding no trace of threat.
"Brother, when are we going to strike?" Yuuma seemed already bored; somehow, she had developed such a warlike personality somewhere along the way.
Through layers of vegetation, Shiki observed carefully while whispering, "Not yet the best timing."
"Aww, brother's being such a wimp! With our team's strength, even if Seiji alone took them on, he could totally wipe out these two weakened teams, right, Seiji?" Yuuma exaggerated slightly.
"No."
Seiji Ito replied simply, arms crossed holding his sword, his expression obscured in the shadows.
"Actually, both teams are pretty strong. We might not have an outright win even in direct combat. Our team definitely has shortcomings in ninjutsu. However, if we attack together, they probably won't have any chance to counter."
Then they all turned their gazes toward Shiki Uzumaki, waiting for his explanation.
"To be honest, I'm just being naturally cautious. It's better to end the fight with minimal effort. Because this exam is a chaotic free-for-all, you never know when enemies might pop up behind you."
There was also something Shiki omitted — especially those who should not appear in this exam at all.
Yuuma shifted her gaze back to the battlefield. "Looks like the team standing on the trees already won, right?"
"Certainly not," Ito stated coldly.
Responding to the threats, Shin Fujiwara No appeared afraid, tossing the Heaven Scroll to the opposing side under Shin Nosuke's fierce glare.
The enemies exhaled deeply, believing the battle finally concluded.
"Yuan!" Shin Nosuke roared, his burning fury almost devouring Yuan Ye alive.
But Yuan merely asked calmly, "Shin Nosuke, can you still use that technique?"
Shin Nosuke hesitated briefly, then his expression hardened. "Been waiting all along. Never thought you, Yuan, would actually agree to use it too, you bastard."
"Well, it does seem pretty unmanly to just back down like this. Even if we don't pass the Chunin Exams, there's always another chance in six months."
At that moment, they both formed hand seals in perfect sync.
Shin Nosuke no longer covered the wound on his right arm, letting blood spray freely.
"What're they up to?"
The victorious team, still caught up in their celebration, suddenly sensed something strange about their defeated opponents and stopped mid-celebration.
"Hey, if you don't stop right there, we'll have no choice but to keep attacking!"
Yuan Ye and Shin Nosuke furrowed their brows at the same time, yet smirked.
"Then why don't you try and make us, bastard?" they shouted in unison. However, as the hand seals were completed, their voices began changing.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
Both screamed at the top of their lungs, as though wringing out every last drop of chakra from their bodies.
This technique was a massive drain — pushing their very chakra pathways to the limit. Though it wouldn't cause lasting damage, it would definitely leave them unable to fight for the next day or two.
In effect, they were giving up on this exam entirely.
But who in their right mind would try to face that monstrous firestorm now — tripled in size by the wind?
"You were actually right, Seiji!" Yuuma couldn't help but show her amazement.
Yet at this moment, Shiki fell silent, firelight flickering across his face.
He watched thoughtfully as that all-consuming fireball roared forward — his very first fire-style ninjutsu had been the Great Fireball. Yet he never imagined someone else could produce such overwhelming power with it.
So when — when would he himself be able to master ninjutsu again?
Chapter 126: A Chance Encounter
Embers continued scattering faintly throughout the area, but now they posed no real threat.
"Curses! Never thought—never thought we'd lose like this." The opponents of Shin Fujiwara No struggled to accept how unexpectedly the battle ended in mutual destruction. They had clearly held the advantage moments ago, yet everything changed completely after just one jutsu.
"Teng San, this outcome was unavoidable," one of Teng San's teammates said trying to console him. "I think even regular chunin would struggle to resist that move here. After all, this is not a ninjutsu our level can withstand."
They barely had the strength left to stand — if they weren't ninjas themselves, they probably wouldn't have even survived the flames at all.
Yet their current situation still looked grim — lying amidst grass burnt to ashes, their clothes tattered beyond recognition, like beggars who hadn't changed clothes in years.
"But it's still so frustrating — we were clearly winning earlier!" Teng San clenched his fists angrily, slamming them against the ground, only realizing how powerless he'd become when his hands touched the earth.
"Hey, Shin Nosuke, are you finally satisfied with this result?" Yuan Ye grinned broadly, collapsing onto the ground as if having already claimed victory.
"Yeah, satisfied. Never thought there'd come a day when you, Yuan Ye, would agree to such reckless methods, hah! If Saori ever found out, she definitely wouldn't believe it. Then I'll tell her it's all thanks to a good-looking guy like me, Shin Nosuke—yeah, the one who finally got you to show some guts!" Shin Nosuke also lay on the ground. Unlike Yuan Ye, his expression carried toughness, yet was mixed with a childlike stubbornness.
The earlier [Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu] had drained every last bit of his chakra. As chakra is the fusion of physical and spiritual energy, running out of it meant he had reached peak exhaustion.
Yet his smile remained bright as ever—because he had finally taught those "damnable opponents" a lesson. Who told them to sneak attack us and even knocked out our beloved Saori?
"Alright, we should get going." Shiki Uzumaki knew he absolutely had no reason to worry anymore after seeing this scene.
Yuuma sighed helplessly after a long pause, saying, "Brother, you really are too cautious."
"Careful never hurt anyone, right? And look—it saved us the most trouble while still getting the job done." Shiki Uzumaki replied somewhat awkwardly but still tried to defend himself verbally.
Truth be told, if you're the team leader, this is definitely the smartest move. But to Shiki personally, it felt more like he'd scored a cheap win—which made the whole thing super boring.
Plus, it kind of gave him the feeling of being the bad guy.
"Man, being human sure is complicated."
Check out [BookHelper] at www.kanshuzhushou.com – Millions of popular novels, free to read, and ad-free forever!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>