Chapter 66: This is How We Kumo-nin Do Things
After entering the Forest of Death, Karui crossed her arms and chuckled. "If it's just stealing scrolls, this is too easy."
"So what now?" she asked, getting a feel for the environment.
"What else? We get the scrolls," Neji replied. He activated his Byakugan and scanned the area. "Left. Two kilometers. There's a Taki-nin team. Let's go and check them out."
Without another word, he was off.
As Neji's team was hunting the Taki-nin, a group of ANBU—Aoba, Yamato, Yugao, Hayate, Anko, and others—were moving through the forest, spreading out to cover the various sectors. There were twelve of them in total. They were there to proctor the exam and to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
At the same time, at another, secret entrance to the forest, three figures in animal masks were leaping through the trees.
"We're at the six o'clock position," the team's scout said. "The Cloud's entrance was at ten o'clock."
"Once we find him," the team leader said, "someone on the outside will disable the surveillance. We'll have five minutes to finish the job."
The three of them exchanged a look. "For Konoha."
After entering the forest, Guren summoned her white snake.
It sniffed the air, found Itachi's general location, and then slithered up onto her shoulder.
"The five o'clock position?" she said, her eyes narrowing. "That's pretty far."
"Who are you looking for, Guren?" one of her burly teammates asked.
"Just follow me," she said, and then she was gone, a blur of motion as she headed in the direction the snake had indicated.
The other two exchanged a look. Guren's attitude was strange. She seemed completely uninterested in the exam. Thinking of Orochimaru's methods, they realized that this was about more than just the Chunin Exams.
A team of Taki-nin was cautiously making their way through the forest.
Swoosh!
Three figures suddenly appeared on a large branch in front of them, looking down at them.
It was Neji's team.
"Hey, you brats from Taki," Darui said, "leave the scroll and get out of here. Go and tell your village elders you ran into the Cloud. They won't blame you for failing the second exam."
"What scroll do you need?" the Taki team leader asked, hesitating. "If we have the same one, you'll be wasting your chakra, and you might become someone else's prey."
"It doesn't matter," Neji said with a grin. "No one ever complains about having too many scrolls. And if you ran into a weaker team, you wouldn't let them go either, right?"
"Don't look down on us!" the Taki leader roared.
Darui was about to attack, but Neji was faster.
His chakra blade sang as it left its sheath. He leaped from the tree and, in an instant, he was in front of the Taki leader, his blade at his throat.
The man swallowed hard, feeling the cold steel and Neji's sharp, piercing aura.
"This is how we Kumo-nin do things. You got a problem with it?"
"Take the scroll! Just let our captain go!" the kunoichi on the team said, throwing a scroll at him.
Neji caught it and turned to leave. "If you'd just cooperated from the start... I hope we have a chance to cooperate again."
"..."
Let's hope not.
In the monitoring room, Hiruzen watched, impressed. "Such skill with a blade... I see a hint of the White Fang in him."
"You flatter him, Lord Hokage," Yugito said with a smile. "He can't compare to the White Fang. After all..." Her words trailed off. She didn't like the comparison. The White Fang's end had been a tragic one.
"Look at that Sound team," Koharu said, changing the subject. "They're avoiding all the other teams. It seems they're not in a hurry to collect the scrolls."
"Perhaps they've already found their target," Hiruzen said, his eyes following Guren's team on the screen.
Fugaku found Itachi on one of the monitors. Do well, Itachi. You must crush all the other teams and bring honor to the Uchiha!
In the three o'clock sector of the forest.
Mei wiped a bit of lava from the corner of her mouth and looked at the fleeing Konoha-nin.
"We have both scrolls, my lady," her team's sensory-type said.
"Too easy," Zabuza said, flicking the blood from his blade.
"The closer we get to the tower, the stronger the competition will be," Mei said. "We'll head for the center and eliminate as many teams as we can along the way."
"Be careful," her sensory-type suddenly warned. "Someone is coming. Two teams, six people."
A moment later, six Suna-nin appeared, led by a puppeteer named Yura.
"Our sensory-nin detected your powerful chakra from a long way off," he said, a dangerous glint in his eye. "I was wondering who it could be. So, it's the Mist."
There was a deep-seated hatred between the Sand and the Mist.
"It's your misfortune to have run into us," Yura sneered. "Be thankful the rules don't allow us to kill you after you've surrendered."
"Our lady is the student of Lord Gengetsu," the Kiri sensory-type said. "You think we're afraid of you?"
"Oh?" Yura said, his eyes on Mei. "Gengetsu's student? Then we should definitely have a good spar."
Neji was moving through the forest at high speed when he suddenly stopped. He activated his Byakugan and looked behind him.
Four kilometers away, three figures in animal masks were closing in fast. They were all Jōnin-level.
"I've been targeted by someone other than the candidates," he said.
"Is Konoha making a move during the exams?" Darui asked.
"They're on their home turf. They can do whatever they want."
Neji handed him the Heaven and Earth scrolls. "Take Karui and go to the tower. I'll catch up later."
"No," Darui said, shaking his head. "One of my missions is to protect you. I can't leave you now."
"I'm very fond of my life," Neji said, pointing to his Byakugan. "If I wasn't confident I could handle this, I wouldn't be sending you away."
Darui looked at him for a long moment, then sighed. "I can't change your mind. We'll be waiting for you at the tower. Be careful."
After they had left, Neji changed direction and headed east.
He saw the three figures pause, then change direction and follow him. The Hokage's personal ANBU? Unlikely. Danzō will have to take the fall for this.
"He's separated from his teammates," the Root ninja in the leopard mask said. "He's stopped in a small valley one kilometer away. There are no other teams in the area."
"A six-year-old brat," another said, his voice cold. "Even if he's detected us, what can he do? Let's finish the mission."
The three of them sped toward the valley, their movements bold and undisguised.
They're so sure of themselves, Neji thought with a cold smile.
Clang!
Just as the three of them were about to descend on him, all the monitors in the control room suddenly went black.
"There's been an accident," Hiruzen said, standing up. "Everyone, remain calm."
"Lord Hokage," an ANBU agent said, rushing in, "the surveillance system's wiring has short-circuited. We're working on it now. It should take about five minutes."
"Interesting," Yugito said, her brow furrowed. "Of all the times for a short-circuit..."