Escape From Konoha

It rained continuously.

The atmosphere inside the tower seemed very quiet.

There were light but clear footsteps in the corridor, and when they walked to the door of a room, they knocked on the door three times, and a male voice came from inside the room:

"Is it Xiaonan? Come in."

With the permission of the people in the house, Xiao Nan twisted the doorknob and opened the door.

There was only one person in the room, Nagato, who seemed to have just finished his nap. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt and gray trousers. Akatsuki's uniform was casually placed on a hanger nearby and was not worn.

"You seem to be very tired recently, Nagato, are you feeling unwell?"

Konan asked with concern.

As the core of Yuyin, any problems with Nagato are put first in Xiaonan's heart, even more important than his own life.

"It doesn't matter. It's just that I recently repaired the golem and practiced too much, so I need to rest. I will pay attention to my body next time."

Nagato shook his head, signaling Xiaonan not to worry about him.

Practicing Yin Yang Dun, also fused with the cells of the first generation of Hokage Mu Dun. Only by physical strength, there are few ninjas in the ninja world that can compare with him.

This level of fatigue can be recovered after a short rest.

"Don't force yourself."

Xiaonan nodded, and after saying this, he did not dwell on the topic, but reported a message to Nagato:

"Itachi and Kisame are back."

Nagato paused slightly in picking up his coat and uniform, turned his head, and asked:

"Where's the Four Tails?"

"The operation was very successful. The four-tailed Jinchuriki Laozi was successfully brought back by the two of them, and he is imprisoned in the empty room next to 'Pain'."

Konan replied.

"It seems that Danzo didn't add oil and vinegar to this cooperation, which saved a lot of trouble."

Nagato seemed to be relieved.

This time Akatsuki organized the capture of the four tails, and Danzo's roots also contributed to it.

Without the clues and intelligence provided by Danzo's roots for the Akatsuki organization, if he wanted to capture the four-tailed Jinchūriki Lao Murasaki who was being monitored by Iwagakure, it would probably not be enough to mobilize only one team member.

After the five-tailed renzhuli disappeared a few years ago, Yanyin Village strengthened the control and management of the only remaining four-tailed renzhuli in the village. Even if Nagato is confident in the strength of Itachi and Kisame, if there are only two people who want to have a head-on conflict with the huge shinobi village organization of Iwagakure, it would be too underestimated the foundation of these big countries.

For decades, the Land of Rain has struggled to survive between the three great powers of fire, earth, and wind. Nagato is well aware of the military power of these great powers.

Fortunately, the matter of the Joint Chuunin Exams has attracted some of the attention of Iwagakure Village, and the secret activities of the Roots have provided reliable intelligence clues about the Four-Tailed Jinchuuriki Lao Murasaki, as long as Danzo does not commit fraud in this transaction. Therefore, the Xiao organization's capture of the four-tailed Jinzhu Li Laozi is a certainty.

"Danzo is plotting the position of the fifth Hokage. He doesn't want to cause trouble at this time. Besides, he is not too young. If you miss this time, you will never have the chance to become Hokage again."

"Anyway, the Four Tails are in your hands now, so hurry up and seal them, otherwise things will change."

Nagato put on his coat and said to Konan.

"Your body..."

"Don't worry, just sealing a tailed beast doesn't require much chakra from me, not to mention the help of the other members. If the tailed beast is sealed as soon as possible, I can feel at ease here."

Nagato pointed to his heart.

As long as the tailed beast is not sealed in the container that houses the tailed beast, the Golem of the Outer Way, there is a risk of being taken away one day.

But once the tailed beast enters the outer demon, in the entire ninja world, except for him who has the Samsara Eye, there is no other person who can make the tailed beast escape from the outer demon and regain its freedom.

"I see."

"Then let's go to the preparations, call all the members back, and seal the tailed beast."

Konan nodded and was about to turn around and leave the room when he suddenly remembered something and said to Nagato: "By the way, Orochimaru seems to have gone to the Kingdom of Wind. Do you want to call him back too?"

"The Kingdom of Wind?"

Nagato frowned, then relaxed.

"If I remember correctly, according to the news released by the big country, the country of the wind is the second test venue for the joint Chunin test."

"Yes, the test location is the famous 'Demon Desert' in the Kingdom of Wind. It is said that it was once the location of an ancient city. Even today, some ruins of the ancient city are still preserved. Could it be said that Orochimaru is Want to find something there?"

Xiaonan guessed.

Orochimaru is a ninja who is passionate about his own interests and thoroughly implements this joy of exploring the unknown. Relics of the Kingdom of Wind with a long history like the 'Demon Desert' are very suitable for Orochimaru's hunting targets.

"You are wrong, Konan. Mr. Orochimaru is not interested in the ruins in the Demonic Desert. He has probably already explored the weak defense areas. The reason why he went there was because he was one of the candidates. The 'thing' you desperately want to get."

"thing?"

Konan frowned.

"Mr. Orochimaru seems to have a deep grudge against his defeat at the hands of Itachi. Although he has been obsessed with immortality research over the years, he has never given up on the study of the Sharingan. The idea of ​​revenge against Itachi, It has become his inner obsession.”

Especially after learning about the connection between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, Nagato knew that Orochimaru had developed a stronger ambition in his heart.

And this kind of ambition will drive Orochimaru to take action uncontrollably.

Therefore, in Nagato's view, Orochimaru has only one purpose for going to the Demon Desert during this special period -

"Uchiha Sasuke! Mr. Orochimaru wants to get Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan, and then get Itachi's Sharingan, and fuse the two pairs of Sharingan that are related by blood to form a higher level Sharingan."

Nagato revealed Orochimaru's purpose of going to the Demonic Desert with one word.

"Just leave him alone?"

Konan asked.

Nagato knows Konan's worries, and at the same time, because of Yahiko's past incident, he has always been worried about Orochimaru joining Akatsuki.

If you want to tell who in the organization is the most wary of Orochimaru, it is undoubtedly Konan.

"Let him go. This is Mr. Orochimaru's personal matter. I will not interfere. Moreover, the stronger he is, it is also a good thing for us. Because I don't think Itachi can defeat Uchiha Ruri. . Uchiha Ruri is not only the holder of the Mangekyou Sharingan, but also proficient in senjutsu. The first Hokage who defeated Madara was also a ninja who could use senjutsu. It is an extremely terrifying and mysterious power that is different from conventional jutsu. .”

Nagato expressed his opinion.

"Is this so? However, that would require Uchiha Sasuke to also awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, so that this is possible."

"That depends on Mr. Orochimaru's own methods. Since he did not notify this party, it means that he does not want the Akatsuki organization to get involved. This is his private matter. It would be too unwise for me to intervene in the past. .”

"I hope he won't make a big deal out of it then. But it's true that he went to the Kingdom of Wind at such a critical time."

Konan hates Orochimaru, but he has to agree that there can't be any accidents with Orochimaru now.

"Because this is his only opportunity to directly contact Uchiha Sasuke. When the third exam begins and the candidates go to the Kingdom of Ghosts, he will no longer have the opportunity to attack Uchiha Sasuke."

Unlike the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Wind, which have huge gaps in their national defense capabilities, the Kingdom of Demons has a very strong defense system. If Orochimaru goes there, it will undoubtedly be a sheep in the tiger's mouth, and there is no difference between seeking death.

Bai Zetsu, who has extremely strong infiltration ability, has left countless corpses in the underground of the Kingdom of Ghosts over the years, and now he can't even make a splash.

Over time, Nagato completely gave up on spying on intelligence about the Kingdom of Demons.

Using this kind of heresy means there is no way to shake the internal stability of the Kingdom of Ghosts. It will only consume its own strength for no reason, and the gain outweighs the loss.

"It seems that is indeed the case. Then I will set up the sealing site now, but if you feel that your body is too reluctant, you can postpone the sealing until tomorrow."

After Xiaonan said this, she left the room without any hesitation.

After Konan left, Nagato's thoughts were no longer with Orochimaru.

For him, Orochimaru's increasing strength is far less important than his own increasing strength.

Over the years, his companions from the Country of Rain have made countless sacrifices to awaken the truth he recognized in his heart, making him truly realize that in diplomacy between countries, the stronger party will always have the upper hand.

Although he is a collaborator with Orochimaru, he will not put his real hope on an outsider who is not one of his own.

It is better to seek help from others than from yourself.

Only by becoming stronger can we gain the right to speak internationally.

If Orochimaru threatens the security of Rain Country, he will ruthlessly eliminate even the collaborators.

Peace in the Land of Rain can only be achieved through force.

Any compromise or concession will only encourage the enemy's arrogance and make our own people suffer oppression and bullying.

As for the so-called world peace, that is peace in the Rain Country, something that needs to be considered only after becoming stronger.

So to some extent, he agrees with what a certain man is doing.

Strengthen your own country first, and then consider the affairs of other countries after you have accumulated enough strength.

This is a gradual process. There must be no inversions or mistakes.

Therefore, the peace he wants to establish can only be world peace with the Kingdom of Rain as the core of the era. It is not a peace led by the Kingdom of Fire, the Kingdom of Earth, the Kingdom of Thunder, etc.

On such an issue that concerns the life and death of his country, Nagato can no longer allow himself to be naive.

"Qianba Shiraishi... Compared with those big countries, you and the Kingdom of Ghosts are the most terrifying enemies on the road to 'peace' in the Kingdom of Rain!"

The peace in the Kingdom of Ghosts is not the peace in the Kingdom of Rain.

Similarly, the peaceful era with the Kingdom of Rain as its core is not the peace that the Kingdom of Ghosts wants.

Every sovereignty and every interest must be fought to the bitter end without giving in.

◎

The second day.

Hundreds of candidates who rested for a night in the desert fortress have adjusted their condition to the best, and their physical strength and chakra have also returned to their peak state.

When I woke up in the morning, every face was filled with confidence.

It took a total of half an hour to get up at five o'clock, wash and dress, and have breakfast in the restaurant.

At 5:30, under the command of Jonin chief examiner Ma Ji, I came to the inner gate of the desert fortress.

After the black iron city gate of the fortress on the inside was opened, only a tall city wall that could not be seen was seen, forming a huge circular sand dune territory on the desert.

The terrain of this sand dune territory is undulating, and a large amount of weathered sandstone is randomly scattered without rules.

In the hazy wind and sand in the distance, you can still vaguely see the black shadows of ruins similar to towns, which are ancient ruins that have been abandoned for a long time.

The desert of demons.

is the name of this area.

The degree of danger in this desert area, even the ninja of Sand Hidden Village, would feel shuddering.

It is said that it is also very difficult for Chunin to pass through such an extremely dangerous area without injury.

Only Jonin can truly traverse through such a dangerous environment without injury.

When we came to the windy sand, the sky was bright and gloomy. The temperature in the air was not high, but a bit cold. However, the candidates were very energetic and no one showed their drowsy posture.

In order to meet the second exam this morning, they all rested early last night to recharge their energy.

Ma Ji and a group of powerful Ninjas stood in front of the examinees. In front of them, there was a table and chairs with pens and a pile of paperwork on the table.

Magee walked out of the queue of Jonin, glanced at the energetic candidates, coughed, and said in a loud voice: "This is the Desert of Demons, and it is also the place where the second exam will be held later. Desert Desert The scope of the examination is bounded by the walls on all sides. If any candidate moves beyond the city wall at that time, he will be disqualified from the exam immediately."

The candidates once again looked at the tall circular wall surrounding this desert area. Because they could not see the edge at a glance, they could not estimate the specific scope of the Demonic Desert.

Asuka looked at Cai. Cai opened his white eyes and shook his head at Asuka. Even with his white eyes, he could not fully see the specific scope of the Demonic Desert. Moreover, the range that Byakugan observed was probably only a small part of the Demonic Desert.

The Kingdom of Wind is vast and sparsely populated. Even though it ceded a piece of land to the Kingdom of Ghosts a few years ago, the area of ​​land it has preserved now ranks among the top among major countries.

The Devil's Desert is a special area used by Sunagakure Village to test the abilities of genin. The scope of the site is no smaller than the famous Death Forest of Konoha Village. Judging from its area, it probably exceeds Konoha's Death Forest.

The Death Forest has a radius of ten kilometers and a diameter of twenty kilometers. If the Demonic Desert exceeds this range, not to mention more than a hundred candidates, even twice as many candidates will have enough room to perform in this desert.

"The rules of the exam are very simple. I have two scrolls here, divided into 'Heaven' and 'Earth'. You have a total of forty-six groups, of which twenty-three groups will be assigned the Heaven Scroll, and the other twenty-three Each group will be assigned the Scroll of Earth. What you, as candidates, have to do is to snatch the scroll of the other group. There is no limit to the method. As long as you have both the scrolls of heaven and earth, and then arrive at the central control tower of the Demonic Desert, you will be considered qualified. , get the ticket to take the third exam.”

The rules are simple and easy to understand,

If the examiner is involved in the first exam, then the second exam is completely left to the candidates themselves.

Unless there are special circumstances, examiners will not appear to interfere with the conduct of the examination.

The unlimited means also means that this is a very cruel knockout match that will be accompanied by death.

As the examiner, Markey naturally noticed this.

"Because there is a risk of death, you have to sign an agreement here, indicating that any unexpected situations during the exam will be borne by you, and then we will distribute the scrolls to you. If you don't sign this agreement, you will You can go back to your village directly without taking the second exam."

Markey quickly glanced at the candidates and saw that no one questioned his words, and no one expressed unwillingness to sign the agreement.

They finally passed the first exam, and even if there was a risk of losing their lives in the second exam, they still had the attitude of giving it a try.

As elites, they bear not only their own destiny, but also the future of the country and the village.

There can be no retreat here, even in the face of the threat of death.

"Excuse me, Chief Examiner Jonin, is there a time limit for the second exam?"

It was Shikamaru who asked the question, and he hoped to get more information from it, which is also a topic of concern to many candidates.

Marky glanced at him and replied: "There is a time limit. The second exam has a total of seventy-two hours. Beyond this time, even if you gather the scrolls and come to the central control tower, it will be considered a failure. .”

"So, where's the food and water?"

Shikamaru asked again.

He asked in the cafeteria last night that candidates were not allowed to get extra food and water from the cafeteria.

Therefore, he had a guess that food and water could not be prepared in advance.

And Ma Ji's words also verified his conjecture, and he said in a cold manner: "You are already real ninjas, and the cruel world will not always tolerate you. Within seventy-two hours, you will have to provide all the food and water yourself." Solve it in the desert. In order to take care of you, there are water sources in some places in this desert that can quench your thirst. There are also a large number of alien creatures from which you can get meat. But remember one thing, those water sources may exist and ninjas cannot resist them. The viruses and those alien creatures also have powerful strength, and if you deal with them carefully, you will die."

Ma Ji's words made many candidates look embarrassed.

Not only do you have to face raids from the rest of the candidates, but you also have to deal with desert creatures that might attack you. And those water sources may have viruses and need to be treated before drinking.

Not only that, but the high temperature environment during the day will make people suffer.

This is simply an extremely difficult battle for survival.

It's really bad.

"Any question?"

Maki looked at Shikamaru.

"there is none left."

Shikamaru shook his head and stepped back.

"Then, start signing now, and then the scrolls will be distributed to you."

Marky ordered.

So the candidates began to line up, and began to sign their names on the paperwork on the table in an orderly manner.

After signing, it was already ten minutes later.

Everyone held the agreement and looked at Marki.

Markey continued: "Next, we will arrange for you to go to different starting points. At the starting points, you will get the scrolls belonging to your own group."

Ma Ji's words made Asuka frown.

He originally wanted to let Cai use his Byakugan to detect the distribution of the scrolls. After all, if he didn't prepare in advance, the same scrolls might become stronger by then, which was a waste of time.

And by doing this, Markey obviously made each group unaware of what the scrolls of the other groups were.

This method will lead to more intense fighting among the candidates.

Unlike the first exam, the difficulty of the second exam increased dramatically. In comparison, the first exam was just a game of house, not even a warm-up.

But no matter how meaningful it is, Markey sets the biggest rules in this exam, and they are the rules that every candidate must abide by.

Once you violate the rules, you will face the risk of elimination.

Taking the agreement in hand, all forty-six groups dispersed, and each group headed to a different starting point under the leadership of a Sunagakure chuunin.

About an hour later, Asuka's group followed Sunagakure Chuunin to a tall wall.

There was also a Sunagakure Chuunin waiting there. He was holding a scroll, and the word "天" was clearly exposed on the scroll.

Next to it is a radio device used for communication.

Bulky and bulky, this type of radio is relatively old-fashioned, but it is sufficient for long-distance communications.

The radio device is also imprinted with a colorful pattern in the style of an aster flower.

As the captain, Asuka took over the scroll of 'Heaven' from the Sunagakure Chuunin.

According to the exam rules, within the next three days, you have to get an 'Earth' scroll, and then take the two scrolls of Heaven and Earth to the central control tower to pass the test.

"Excuse me, can you start the exam now?"

Asuka asked.

The Sunagakure chuunin who had been waiting here from the beginning looked at the watch on his wrist and shook his head.

"It's six-fifty now, and there are still ten minutes until the exam starts. Then the exam will last until seven o'clock on the morning of the fourth day."

"Can I ask how far it is from the central control tower?"

Asuka asked again.

Sunagakure Chuunin glanced at Asuka, especially when he saw the forehead protector on his forehead, he felt it was very dazzling.

But considering that this was the Joint Chuunin Exam, it was not a good time to resolve personal grievances, and it was too rude and would make people think that Sunagakure Village was small-minded, so he had no choice but to answer lukewarmly:

"It's about fifteen kilometers from here to the central control tower."

Fifteen kilometers? Asuka frowned tightly.

It seems small, but considering that Aya and Korin's chakra is not in unlimited supply, it is impossible to turn on the Byakugan and Perception Ninjutsu at all times, because in order to deal with possible crises, chakra must be saved as much as possible. Therefore, the timing of using sensory ninjutsu and Byakugan must be strictly controlled to avoid insufficient chakra supply during combat.

Time passed minute by minute, and ten minutes passed quickly. At seven o'clock, the sun had come out, and the air began to feel stuffy.

"The exam time has started, you three can take action."

Sunagakure Chuunin said to the three Asukas.

Without any hesitation, as soon as Sunagakure Chuunin finished speaking, the figures of the three Asukas immediately disappeared from the place.

When he reappeared, he was running quickly on the sand and galloping forward.

"During the exam, water will be the most important strategic material. Cai, open your eyes and look for the area where the water appears. Let's go there and wait!"

The purpose of flying birds is very clear.

Since it is impossible to prepare water and food in advance, during the exam, in order to ensure the best condition of the body, obtaining enough water and food is a difficult problem that candidates must face.

Water, in particular, has a higher priority than food.

Then, just wait for the prey to come to you automatically in a place with sufficient water.

Therefore, the three Asukas turned on their speed to the maximum level at the beginning of the exam, found the water source area as quickly as possible, prepared traps in advance, and waited for their prey to be caught.

"What about the other groups? Do we need to make contact?"

Xianglin asked.

"No need for now. Now is not the time to think about them. We will wait until we get the Earth Scroll we need."

Although helping colleagues in the military is a natural thing for Asuka. However, whether the time of this competition is long or short, helping other groups to pass the level is something that should only be considered when your own group has passed the level.

Nowadays, I have too much to take care of, so making sure my group passes the level first is the highest priority task.