We arrived quickly, even before most of the Taki team leaders, who had left a good while before us. Han was incredibly fast, showing no signs of fatigue at all. Being a jinchuriki definitely has its advantages. To be fair, I wasn't really tired either, but unlike me, Han's breathing didn't even quicken during the run.
Traveling as ninjas was interesting. While we could theoretically move at incredibly high speeds over short distances or in bursts, we had to pace ourselves over longer distances. This was why it took days to travel to another hidden village instead of just a few seconds.
I could technically use Hirenkyaku to get back to Konoha at incredible speeds, but it would be like a civilian trying to sprint the entire length of a marathon, basically impossible. Thus, our travel speed dropped considerably.
Yet, here was Han, running across a decently large city at speeds approaching the sound barrier. Genin would barely reach this speed in combat, yet he could just travel like this, as if it were a morning jog.
I doubted I could maintain that speed much longer; I still had a long way to go, especially in terms of endurance.
I looked at the genin gathered before us. It seemed the second stage would start soon, as the Taki instructors were conversing rapidly among themselves.
It was just my team and Deidara against the Taki genin; the others were eliminated, either due to being late or not finding the correct place.
aki had done an impressive job rigging the first exam, and I wondered how they would try to rig the second one. That question was answered quickly when the main examiner began to speak.
"Congratulations on advancing to the second stage," he said, his voice stoic and devoid of any pride in his villages participants.
"My name is Yoro, and I'm in charge of the second exam. Gather around!" he commanded, and the genin quickly gathered closer, eager for instructions.
"The second stage gives you exactly two hours to prepare. Use the time wisely," he clarified, though there was certainly a catch. "Now, each team must select one of the team leaders here to find and 'fight.' And, of course, you aren't allowed to choose your own sensei or team captain," he concluded, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
This was news to me. Nobody had informed me that I would be participating in this little game. Han looked equally surprised, releasing steam from his mouth when he heard the announcement.
I already felt sorry for the team who would pick him, only a little though.
The teams deliberated for some time, but unfortunately for my team, the Taki teams were much quicker in their decisions.
Instead of considering who would be the easiest to catch, Deidara was sizing up every team leader around us.
The only good thing for my team was a particularly cocky Taki genin, who for some unholy reason chose me.
While Izumi and Hana were still deciding, everyone else except for Deidara, had already made their selections, leaving them to try and catch Han.
I couldn't decide whether to facepalm or laugh. My bizarre luck had struck again, but this time, it was my team that would bear the brunt of it.
"Now! Each instructor will receive an item that you must take and deliver to the academy building by midnight. Precisely," Yoro said, further explaining the situation.
"The instructors must have this item with them the whole time and are not allowed to use lethal methods." He continued with a no-nonsense approach, providing only the bare minimum of information.
The other Taki ninjas distributed the items: simple sealed scrolls that were easy to carry in a pocket. Each scroll would presumably contain an item that identified its corresponding instructor.
The final rules were clear: The instructors must remain within the confines of the village, and lethal force is strictly prohibited. The genin squads had until midnight to find, defeat their assigned targets, and bring their scrolls to the academy.
I already regretted coming here, but at least I had the chance to deal with one Taki team.
Looking at the team that had picked me, I noticed they were gazing at me like hungry wolves, already convinced of their victory.
I don't think they got the memo.
Just by sensing chakra levels, I could confidently say that Taki didn't have anyone who would pose a significant threat to me.
While they had many skilled jonin, I grew stronger by absorbing chakra. Therefore, the more opponents I fought, the stronger I could become, and numbers didn't matter much against Senbonzakura anyway.
I turned to Han, who looked torn between giving up and wiping the floor with my team the moment they find him.
"Please don't damage them too much. They've never had the pleasure of fighting an annoyed jinchuriki," I joked, hoping he wouldn't beat them up too badly since I still completely suck at healing.
"I might give them the scroll if they impress me," he stated flatly.
That was understandable; there was no way they could win, so impressing him was their only chance.
Damn, I really wanted to see that fight. If only there were a way to be in two places at once…
I quickly stepped away, disappearing from the genin's sight, and created a shadow clone to which I handed my scroll.
If they actually managed to kill my clone, I figured they deserved to advance. It only seemed fair.
We had a grace period for two hours to hide or prepare to test the chūnin hopefuls. In the meantime, I wanted to observe the others and how they passed or failed, leveling the playing field in case there was more shady fuckery going on.
So, I created more shadow clones and sent them to spy on people, hiding underground to avoid detection.
As for my real body, I felt like making some food, and by the grace of the fuinjutsu gods, I always carried some supplies with me.
I genuinely had no idea why more people didn't do the same. You just seal everything needed into a scroll and then seal that scroll into yourself. Easy concept.
I was barely done setting up my makeshift outdoor kitchen by the large lake when Han showed up, carrying a large kettle full of water. He might want to wash down the bad tea he had before with something better.
"Looks like we both chose the beach as our proving grounds," he commented, a hint of surprise in his voice. It seemed we'd had the same idea.
"Not really. I just deflected my responsibilities due to a very convenient jutsu," I replied, getting a snort from the tall jinchuriki.
"Would you mind if I made myself some tea here? You carry better equipment than I do," he asked casually. Well, it's not like his company was unwelcome.
"Knock yourself out," I said, but his presence also gave me an idea. "Actually, would you mind helping me steam something? You could definitely do it faster than anything I have on me."
I unsealed a whole pork shoulder and some spices, earning me a curious look. A small kid holding a whole pork shoulder probably looked a little weird.
"One Steam Release pulled pork coming right up," I said. The only thing I needed was to create some kind of pressure cooker.
Fortunately, Crystal Release can do more than just kill people and drain chakra.
Normally, steaming would take around twelve hours over wood, but with a proper pressure cooker, it could be done in just over an hour.
And like my hamburgers before, this dish simply didn't exist in this world. I missed European food, too. Maybe next time I could try making pasta.
By the time I finished the dry rub, Han stopped looking at me like I was an alien and decided to humor me.
He quickly heated the crystal-made pressure cooker to the exact temperature. Now, all we had to do was wait.
Maybe my team could join us if they found us in time. I didn't expect the meat to last long.
Luckily for my team, they found Han pretty quickly, even though he made a token effort to conceal his chakra and scent. Hana was really becoming quite a good tracker.
Now, they only needed to impress a grumpy old man. Well, at least they should be done by the time the pork finished steaming. I'd just have to finish it over a fire instead of Han's steam.
I sat down right next to the pressure cooker, checking on it while keeping my eyes on Hana, Izumi, and Han, who was standing on the beach, menacingly. Let's see how they do.
Hana did not waste any time and rushed at Han, who stood there with his arms crossed, completely calm. She jumped into the air, followed closely by her dog companions, and they all began spinning violently.
It was a probing attack that would cause major damage to anyone unable to dodge. However, Han simply stood there and took the hit.
A small blast of wind erupted from the collision, and Hana was swiftly knocked backward by the force of the impact; her dogs quickly followed.
Meanwhile, Izumi aimed for Han's head and precisely threw a dozen of her chakra rods at him.
Han, however, flared his chakra, causing steam to erupt from his body, which stopped the rods from hitting their marks and made them ricochet around him.
"The scroll you need is on the chair right there," Han said, pointing to a small seat he had made for himself near the fire. "Get through me, and it's yours."
The challenge was issued. Hana picked herself up from the ground, dusting herself off and looking determined.
Izumi stared intently at Han, evidently trying to cast a genjutsu on him, but it wouldn't work. And if it did, Kokuo could easily snap Han out of it in no time.
The standoff didn't last long as Hana rushed in again while Izumi peppered Han from a distance with her Fire Style.
Han, simply took the hits, showing no signs of inconvenience, and remained rooted in place.
I sighed.
They would need to be more creative if they wanted to win Han's little challenge. At least they recognized that racing him to the scroll was pointless.
How they intended to distract him was a very good question.
Izumi could technically conjure something powerful enough to make him dodge, but Hana had nothing. Even her most powerful attack would just harmlessly bounce off him, and technically, it already had. Though her dog companions weren't able to hit him directly, her Gatsuga had done no damage to Han's armor.
Still, that wouldn't stop Hana from trying. Her dogs transformed into human-beast clones, all aiming to go full power with their next charge.
They spun violently once more and jumped into the air, creating four furious whirlwinds barreling towards their target.
Han shook his head. If he wanted to, Hana would be severely burned, or even dead, for trying to get close like this.
Just before impact, steam released from his armor, but he easily caught the still-spinning Hana with his right arm, stopping her in her tracks while completely ignoring her dogs, who rammed into him.
I would say the impact barely moved him, but that would be a lie. It didn't move him at all.
It looked more like a grown man playfighting with a toddler.
Seeing her teammate fail to inflict any damage, Izumi activated her Mangekyo. I might have to step in if things get too dangerous, most likely to prevent Izumi from injuring herself.
The chakra rods surrounding Han came to life, rushing back toward him much faster than before, barely missing Hana and her companions before crashing into Han's armor. A loud metallic clang echoed, and Han actually dropped Hana.
For a tiny fraction of a second, his chakra was disrupted, and she wriggled free, though only barely.
Han glanced at Izumi, his demeanor shifting slightly more serious. As someone who has fought for so long, he had undoubtedly faced many Uchiha during the wars. If he recognized Mangekyo, Izumi could quickly become his priority target.
"It's been quite some time since I've seen eyes like yours," he remarked, his tone calm and steady. However, Izumi likely perceived it as a challenge and charged forward.
The air shimmered bright yellow as she approached, and a nearly translucent ribcage formed around her.
I instinctively considered intervening to restrain her but stopped myself for now.
Using Susanoo could significantly impair a user's vision, and Izumi was using it for an exam. It was almost as recklessly stupid as trying to fight a jinchuriki during a war.
A stream of fire erupted from Izumi's mouth, prompting Han to finally counter with a jutsu of his own.
A massive wave of water shot from his mouth, overwhelming her flames and crashing into the Susanoo ribcage with a thunderous thud.
The force nearly made her lose her balance, but she recovered at the last second, managing to barely stay rooted in place as the water flowed around her.
Meanwhile, Hana narrowly dodged the deluge while aiming for the scroll, but Han's hand swiftly stopped her. He nonchalantly tossed her in Izumi's general direction as if she were a sack of potatoes.
The ribcage surrounding Izumi flared even brighter, and soon two arms formed around it. She charged at Han again, and he met her punch with one of his own, steam billowing around his fist.
Their punches clashed with a loud crash, but it was Susanoo that faltered first. The skeletal arm cracked and disintegrated, blown away by the force of Han's steam-enhanced strike.
The frantic hiss of steam escaping Han's armor ceased instantly; he was evidently trying not to hurt the young genin. However, Izumi seemed far from finished.
Her eyes were bleeding profusely, yet a victorious smirk spread across her face. Suddenly, multiple chakra rods appeared, piercing Han's arms and legs, completely disrupting his chakra flow.
That was all Hana needed to make a dash for the scroll, while Izumi prepared for another Susanoo punch.
She was pushing her limits, and even now, Han wasn't powerless.
A wave of heat washed over me as I watched the chakra rods inside Han's body disintegrate in an instant, likely a result of Kokuo's chakra. There was no way Han could produce this level of heat on his own so fast.
Although his control was still compromised, possibly even because of it, the power behind his next attack was immense... Damn the food.
I blitzed forward using Hirenkyaku, hoping to reach Izumi before Han's fist could connect with her Susanoo.
I barely managed to pull her out of the way, pushing her aside from the incoming blow.
The ground cracked beneath the impact, and a fierce heat wave enveloped me. I was barely far enough away to be out of danger, but Izumi's lower left leg was not.
Even though her Susanoo was active, that part got burned. Had that punch landed, she would likely have been out of the exams, if not her ninja career altogether.
I set her down once I landed and turned to Han, who stared at his fist in confusion. It was clear he rarely lost control, and the incident had shaken him a little bit.
At this point, he didn't even seem concerned that Hana had bypassed him and was now rushing for the scroll. Instead, he looked relieved that we had avoided a potential international incident.
Thankfully, he had held back his speed; otherwise, I would never have been able to rescue Izumi without serious consequences.
"I suppose the attack was meant to demonstrate the weaknesses of Susanoo," I remarked, to which he simply nodded.
"Those constructs of hers are dangerous... even to herself it seems," he replied, his voice still slightly shaken.
Meanwhile, Izumi was tending to her burned foot. Fortunately, it didn't appear serious, and Hana would likely be able to heal her up in no time.
"Didn't I tell you NOT to overuse those eyes?" I questioned, though it was clearly a rhetorical question. "Look at yourself; your vision must be significantly worse after this fight. And for what? A chunin rank?" I exclaimed, feeling exasperated and a bit angry. "How do you expect to earn your chunin title if you go blind in the process?"
I wasn't angry that she used Mangekyo; I was angry because she chose the worst ability against Han.
Using more chakra rods would have been the best strategy. Incapacitate him for a short while and have Hana attack him in melee while one of her dogs retrieved the scroll.
That's what Izumi should have come up with in that situation. But her troublesome Uchiha nature made her want to go punch for punch with a strong opponent instead.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose in annoyance, not expecting a response.
Why was Itachi the only somewhat normal Uchiha?
I shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts. I was hungry, and my team deserved a meal.
The only thing left to do was lightly toast some buns for the pulled pork.
The scroll could wait; it was highly unlikely that many teams had finished so quickly. And if Taki decided to cheat again, my clones would ensure I knew about it... and sabotage them in the process, if they could get away with it.
"So... we have the scroll now, right?" Hana asked, slightly confused about the last exchange of attacks.
Han nodded and started heading back toward the fire.
"You're more than strong enough to become a chunin. Now you'll have to show you're ready for it," he stated simply while walking slowly towards his seat.