More than a hundred people stood there, completely at a loss as to how they were supposed to react to what had just happened.
Nara Shikaku looked down at the unconscious Yamanaka Inoichi in his arms and sighed.
Just as he had expected, it wasn’t going to be that easy.
The small groups led by the various clans began discussing what they should do next.
Isamu’s main body was nowhere to be found, and they needed to be on guard against a surprise attack.
Shikaku handed the unconscious Inoichi over to Akimichi Chōza before joining everyone else in discussing their next course of action.
First of all, they absolutely had to secure a water source.
The facts had already proven that, given Isamu’s personality, if he didn’t try to poison them, then he simply wouldn’t be Isamu.
And water was the perfect target for poisoning.
They had to establish their camp near a stream, preferably at its source.
That had another advantage as well: they would have access to food.
Secondly, Isamu was very likely to launch a surprise attack.
During the night, they would need to arrange shifts for people to stand watch
Shikaku turned his gaze toward the group of civilian-born shinobi and then spoke to Minato Namikaze, who had come over as their representative.
“Minato, we have to work together”
After a brief rest, everyone began following the river upstream until they reached the point where it entered the Forest of Death the river’s uppermost reaches.
The various small groups then established separate camps along the river, leaving several dozen meters between each one.
Some of the shinobi had already entered the water to catch fish, preparing additional food.
The provisions they had been issued would only last three days.
There was certainly no harm in preparing some extra food in advance.
Under Shikaku’s direction, along with that of several other examinees with more experience, the hundred-plus shinobi began dividing up the work.
Some caught fish, others prepared food Naturally, throughout the entire process, they also kept people patrolling the perimeter and established a set of signals for emergencies.
For Academy students who had never been on a battlefield, being able to make arrangements like these was already an excellent performance.
Everyone praised Shikaku’s performance.
But the head of the Yamanaka clan was deeply troubled.
Through the crystal ball, he had seen that his son, Yamanaka Inoichi, had suffered a severe backlash after using his clan’s Secret Technique earlier, and he still had not regained consciousness.
The head of the Yamanaka clan knew the drawbacks of their clan’s Secret Technique all too well.
Interfering with another person’s mind, or even seizing control of their body, required the difference in willpower between the two sides to be relatively small.
The strength of one’s will or the strength of one’s spirit was influenced by both age and individual character.
For Inoichi to have suffered such a severe backlash, it meant that the difference in willpower between the two sides had been enormous.
Even a Jōnin would probably have suffered a backlash of roughly this degree.
Just what had this little brat been through?
“Third Hokage, Inoichi may not be able to continue.
I request that he be withdrawn from the examination.”
Compared with whether his son became a Genin or brought glory to the clan, he was far more concerned about his child’s condition.
Anything involving the spirit had to be treated with the utmost caution.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded when he heard the Yamanaka clan head’s request.
“Go ahead.
If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio was one of Konoha’s most renowned combinations, and Hiruzen was genuinely concerned about Inoichi’s condition.
Rather than having ANBU retrieve Yamanaka Inoichi, he allowed the Yamanaka clan head to go and bring him out himself.
With a Jōnin’s speed, he soon reached the Forest of Death.
After the Yamanaka clan head picked up his son and left, the remaining students felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow.
If this had been a battlefield, this would probably have been considered a “casualty.”
The two remaining members of the new generation’s Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Akimichi Chōza and Nara Shikaku, were especially filled with guilt.
Although the Yamanaka clan head had told them before leaving, “You two performed very well.
You’re even better than we were at your age.”
The guilt of having failed to protect their comrade still caused anger to burn within both of them.
Isamu!
The entire camp was immersed in sorrow over the “loss” of a comrade.
Everyone wanted to find Isamu and teach him a proper lesson.
And Isamu himself
At that very moment, he was lying comfortably in a secret chamber beneath the ground.
“This Earth Release: Earth Tunnel really is quite useful.”
The skill not only allowed Isamu to expertly carve out tunnels underground, but also came with a considerable amount of related knowledge.
For example, how to construct waterproof structures and how to ensure a steady supply of circulating air.
“I suppose this is the kind of technique that only a shinobi who has spent many years specializing in Earth Release could master.”
Isamu sighed in admiration.
During the one day he had entered the Forest of Death ahead of everyone else, he had dug out four similar underground chambers throughout the forest.
“If Shikaku’s head is still working properly, then he should have led everyone to establish their camp at the river’s uppermost reaches”
Isamu packed up his supplies and set out under the cover of night, attempting to use his Sensory Perception passive ability to locate everyone.
After proceeding cautiously the entire way, Isamu eventually found the camp at the location he had anticipated.
He quickly slipped into the nearest underground chamber.
From there, he periodically used his Sensory Perception to check whether anyone had separated from the main group.
The first night was the hardest to endure.
Although they had organized people to stand watch in shifts, they still couldn’t suppress everyone’s excitement.
Almost no one could fall asleep.
It wasn’t until the sun rose again that everyone realized something strange.
Aside from Yamanaka Inoichi, who had been taken away the previous day, they had somehow maintained a one-hundred-percent forehead protector retention rate.
“That coward must have realized how formidable we are.
He doesn’t even dare show his face.”
Someone from the Uchiha clan spoke with absolute confidence.
He then prepared to lead the other members of the Uchiha team out to search for traces of Isamu.
Shikaku had been about to say something to dissuade them, but a pair of blood-red eyes with a single tomoe turned toward him, silencing him immediately.
Someone named Uchiha Toki had already awakened the Sharingan within the Uchiha team
Wasn’t this cheating?
This was definitely cheating!
Just like Hyūga Hizashi, this was actually another “provisional Genin” whose strength already surpassed that of an ordinary Genin.
The only difference was that they had been trained within their clan and did not need to meet the “Genin forehead protector” standard to graduate.
“Wait!”
Shikaku called out and stopped everyone.
He wanted to end the examination early as well.
After all, his best friend had collapsed unconscious, and he still had no idea how Inoichi was doing.
Shikaku tried to persuade the Uchiha to join him in finding the other clans so they could discuss how to “capture” Isamu and end the examination ahead of schedule.
But they rejected him outright.
They said something about how the Uchiha clan did not join forces with weaklings and that they had their own methods, before walking away without another word.
The Uchiha’s refusal to cooperate gave Shikaku a terrible headache.
If the Uchiha could put aside their pride and work together with the Hyūga, then with the combination of two special dōjutsu and some proper planning, they might actually be able to find Isamu and bring the examination to an early end.
Unfortunately, ever since the Senju clan had declined, the Uchiha had regarded themselves as Konoha’s foremost clan.
From top to bottom, they were accustomed to looking down their noses at everyone else.
Only a very small number of them were capable of remaining rational.
Watching the Uchiha leave, Shikaku sighed.
With the strength of this Uchiha team, they could probably defeat even an ordinary Chūnin.
He could only hope that nothing went wrong.