Chapter 181: Are We the Only Ones Playing the Fool in Kumogakure?

The leaders of each squad were at least elite jōnin. With advance access to the rulebook, everyone had a clear grasp of how this Chūnin Exam was supposed to be played. And yet… Despite all their preparations and thorough analysis, they found that they still couldn’t compare to most of Konoha’s teams. From start to finish—aside from Kyoichi voluntarily revealing the state of four different teams… The other Konoha squads had only appeared on screen once. And that single instance? It was when Asuma’s team encountered Samui’s team. Both sides tested the waters and realized the other wasn’t easy to deal with, so they backed off in mutual understanding, without escalating the fight. In other words— Most of Konoha’s squads had actively avoided combat and barely clashed with other teams in a way that would trigger a broadcast-worthy encounter. If this had happened earlier, someone might’ve accused Konoha of getting advance intel. But now? No one was that foolish. Advance intel? Sure, you might be able to gather information about the location of supplies or tools beforehand. But how could you possibly predict the movement routes of enemy teams? Impossible. That Konoha teams could evade everyone so precisely pointed to one thing: they were extremely strong when it came to intelligence gathering. If it were just one or two teams, that would be unremarkable. But all of them? That was downright suspicious. “Don’t tell me… Konoha used Transformation Jutsu to disguise themselves as shinobi from other villages?” Kitsuchi suddenly remarked. “I remember Konoha’s already mastered Hiding in Mist Technique—if they’re using that to pass as Kiri shinobi, no one but an actual Kiri-nin would ever suspect a thing.” The people of Iwagakure had deep memories of that Mist technique—they’d cursed Kirigakure in their hearts countless times during previous conflicts. So… Seeing Konoha’s near-total disappearance from the screen, that was immediately where Kitsuchi’s mind went. Yagura twitched at the corner of his mouth. It was… possible! The exam grounds were big, sure, but with this many shinobi, it didn’t make sense that not even one was spotted. The only logical explanation was: they had disguised themselves as other villages’ shinobi. But— After thinking a moment, Yagura added, “That alone wouldn’t be enough. Their intel-gathering must be insanely good too—almost like they already know which squads are in their surroundings.” Everyone caught on, nodding in agreement. If you run into a powerful team while disguised, you’d risk a deadly ambush. That kind of gamble would be suicidal without solid intel. Tsunade said nothing as she watched. Konoha… Wasn’t sitting around, of course. Just like they had guessed, most of the Konoha teams had indeed disguised themselves in the styles of other villages. Along the way, they’d even pulled off a few assassinations. Time passed quickly. Now, less than a minute remained before the first wave of “sweeps” was over. Teams were rushing toward the outer edge of the second ring. But then— The screen shifted to a closer, overhead view. At that moment— A signal flare burst into the sky above the jungle canopy. This was the center of the second ring. Everyone was quickly converging here. From this vantage point, both the inner and outer zones offered a clear view of each team's movements through the forest. “There really isn’t a single Konoha squad!” “Why are there still so many Iwa-nin teams?” “Our Iwa-nin have already been wiped out in several squads. How could there be so many left? They must be Konoha in disguise!” Kitsuchi was speechless. He hadn’t kept count, but under the savage assault of Kumogakure’s forces in the first ring, Iwagakure was down to just three or four squads at best. Kumogakure had taken heavy losses too. And yet… There still seemed to be no shortage of Kumogakure and Iwagakure ninja squads appearing here. Then… Yahiko recalled those "Kumo squads" from the first ring—armed with high-grade gear and showing near-perfect coordination. Clearly… Those teams were very likely Konoha shinobi disguised as Lightning Release and taijutsu specialists. And Konoha’s genin were capable of such things. After all… The other villages might not know this, but he did—Konoha’s training was downright inhumane. Every genin trained like their life depended on it. And more importantly… They wanted to. Damn it… A village with that kind of internal pressure—it would be more shocking if they didn’t pull something like this. “Cunning bastards.” That was the shared thought running through everyone’s mind. Even the chūnin leaders from the smaller villages were having second thoughts. At first, they’d believed Kumogakure had gone berserk, indiscriminately eliminating squads—including their own. Now it was clear. Someone had muddied the waters. Many of the eliminations might not have been Kumo’s doing at all. Kumo had just taken the blame. Now aware that Konoha’s genin might be in disguise, Kitsuchi and Yagura mentally braced themselves. As far as they knew… Sёarᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The teacher of Konoha’s current generation of genin was Kanda Kyoichi. That guy specialized in stealth and assassination. Of course… Deception and infiltration had always been a part of a shinobi’s arsenal. But until now, the Chūnin Exams hadn’t really tested those skills, so most genin never mentally prepared for them. But the Kiri-nin were different. Tsunade, observing the gathering public reaction and hearing Yagura casually echoing the suspicions, suddenly sneered, “Has no one noticed that Kirigakure’s numbers are off too?” “Uh…” At this point, they were into the second sweep. Most shinobi had been forced out of hiding and were heading toward the center. It wasn’t likely anyone still thought they could fool jōnin eyes and ears by hiding. And yet… The number of Kiri-nin was suspiciously low. A frowned. At first, watching the Kumo-nin tear through other squads like a scythe through grass, he had felt a flush of pride, thinking his subordinates had lived up to expectations. Now… Just how much of that was a façade? Probably only Konoha knew for sure. Meanwhile… Those “Kumo” teams were slowly being exposed. On the feed— Samui linked up with “Yugito.” But— The very next moment, she suddenly drew a short blade and lunged at her. Clang! The sound rang out crisp and clear. “Yugito” drew a dagger just in time to parry and leapt back, letting out a soft chuckle, “Oh? Pretty alert, aren’t you? You even tried to ambush me. Looks like… it’s time to get serious.” The next instant, mist surged forth. Mei Terumī! Samui recognized the voice immediately. She’d crossed paths with her once before—never expected she’d be the one disguised as Yugito. Fortunately, Samui knew Yugito’s movements and habits like the back of her hand. Otherwise, she really might have been fooled. The two teams clashed again on the outskirts of the second ring. At the same time… Similar scenes were playing out elsewhere. But— Shisui wasn’t so lucky. His team, disguised as Kumo-nin, ran into the real Yugito on the edge of the second ring. She didn’t seem to have caught on. But— Shisui had a feeling. She probably knew. “Retreat!” Shisui didn’t hesitate. Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu might be average in skill. They’d improved somewhat during training, but hadn’t undergone any drastic breakthroughs. Their greatest asset was how well they followed orders. Whatever Shisui said, they did without question. The moment he gave the word, all three turned and bolted—clean and decisive. “Pursue!” Yugito raised a brow. She didn’t understand what had tipped the enemy off. But— She wasn’t about to let them go. Yugito had survived this long not just on strength, but on her mind. And this was the perfect time to hunt. The squad before her… Was a real threat! The display feed quickly followed both teams. The jōnin watching understood the situation instantly. But the nobles and dignitaries outside the field were completely baffled. Aren’t they from the same village? Why are they running away?! “The battle is heating up! The two sides are locked in a high-speed chase. Clearly, Yugito doesn’t think the squad in front of her are her allies—they’re from another village in disguise!” “The Lone Blossom of the Clouds—not only blessed by the cat spirit, but seemingly gifted with its keen perception as well.” As the words fell… On screen, Yugito had already caught up to one of the Kumo-nin. Clang! Her kunai clashed against a blade—only for the weapon to twist strangely. The next moment, a dazzling flash of light erupted. Genjutsu? She immediately leapt back to disengage. Shisui followed up with another slash, but unfortunately, while Izumo and Kotetsu weren’t top-tier, they weren’t useless either. They drew their kunai to assist, and their coordination wasn’t bad. “Uchiha Shisui!” “That’s him! So fast—what was that technique just now? Why did Yugito suddenly retreat?” “He’s only six, isn’t he?!” Everyone was murmuring with amazement, eyes drifting toward Yagura. Kirigakure had faced Konoha many times. They should know about Kyoichi. And that technique… They had to recognize it! Yagura stayed silent for a moment, then said, “It’s likely some form of light-based genjutsu—manipulates brightness. Yugito was probably temporarily blinded by the flash.” But it wasn’t just genjutsu. This was sword-based genjutsu—used without hand seals, and seamlessly chained into a follow-up strike. If that sword had been a chakra weapon, Yugito would already be injured. Thinking of this, A let out a silent sigh. Kanda Kyoichi was terrifying—and so were his students. Only six years old! Once he matured and awakened his Sharingan… Konoha… Truly produced monsters with every generation! Meanwhile… Even Black Zetsu, watching from the shadows, felt a flicker of interest. Uchiha Shisui… Truth be told— He hadn’t expected Shisui to be this strong. Forget the Sharingan. Just his kenjutsu, body flicker, and taijutsu already put him above many genin several years older. And his potential was far from fully realized. In a few years, his physical and mental capacity would hit a major growth spurt. As long as he awakened the Sharingan, his future would be limitless. But… Precisely because he was so limitless, Black Zetsu hesitated. A genius this precocious had likely been too deeply influenced by Kyoichi. His thinking might already be solidified, and changing that would be extremely difficult. Worse still… There was always the chance that what looked like brainwashing was just a façade. If he turned traitor at a critical moment, someone like Madara couldn’t withstand the blow. So... After thinking it over, he dismissed the idea of abducting Shisui. Too outstanding— Sometimes, that very brilliance makes someone unfit to be a target. At that moment, the feed remained locked on Shisui's position. Everyone watched as his two teammates had already sprinted ahead and were setting up a few simple traps up front to cover his retreat. Only after confirming no pursuers were tailing him did they breathe a sigh of relief. The spectators outside couldn’t make much sense of it. But those on the inside were all quietly shocked. Those two genin... They looked like dead weight at first glance, but judging by their actions, they had chosen the optimal strategy for the battlefield. If Yugito and her team had pressed the pursuit, the traps might not have killed anyone, but they would at least have slowed the enemy down. And the fact that the two could rig them up in such a short time... ...was proof of their solid fundamentals as ninja. And to think— These were just civilian-born genin. What kind of monsters is Konoha raising in the next generation? The jōnin from the other villages exchanged uneasy glances.