Chapter 373: That’s a Really Good Question That Is Hard to Answer
At this time.
Saki thought that she had seen everything clearly.
Especially when these things end up just making sense by accident.
This makes the question more interesting.
As she talked to Rin about this, she gradually became more clear about this matter, as if she had seen through everything that happened here.
"Hu..."
After hearing Saki's words, Rin couldn't help but take a deep breath. She had been taken away by Saki's thoughts. In her heart, she also felt that this was what had happened.
"This is such a big plan!"
Rin could not help but sigh. In her opinion, the only person who could think of such a plan was her Big Brother Shikaku. No one else had such an ability.
Especially after hearing Saki's explanation.
She felt more and more that this was the case.
His train of thought also became clearer.
"Big Brother Shikaku found Aoba and joined with Aoba to put on an act for us to see. This made us feel that Big Brother Shikaku does not want us to pass the Chunin Exam and let us feel that Aoba was on our side. Thus, we easily believed in Aoba. I really admire this kind of arrangement..."
Rin raised her hand and rubbed her temples. It was not that she could not judge at all. She just needed someone to bring her around. Therefore, if the person who takes her says she's wrong, then her thinking will easily be wrong.
At this time.
She could already be said to have been led astray by Saki.
After all, Saki didn't have anything certain, which was already the premise of this discussion. From the beginning, it was an analysis based on the premise that Aoba cheated.
"That's right!"
After hearing Rin's summary, Saki nodded continuously. She had already determined this situation. After that, she slowly said, "That's what happened. Both of us were tricked by Big Brother Shikaku!"
"If I'm not wrong..."
"Big Brother Shikaku's goal is to help us pass the Chunin Exams!"
"He knows how difficult this year's Chunin Exam is. He knows that if we don't get the answer, it will be very difficult for us to get to where we are now, so he has done so much work!"
"The matter that Iwagakure participated in..."
"It should be that Big Brother Shikaku deliberately did not tell us. In order to make us feel that it was because of our own ability that we could pass the Chunin Exams!"
"If it weren't for Aoba's acting skills being too clumsy and not controlling the intensity allowing us to break the record twice for no reason, I wouldn't have discovered such a thing!"
After that, she raised her hand and stretched out her third finger, shaking it in front of Rin.
"The third step!"
"I think Big Brother Fugaku is also involved in this plan..."
"His mission is to recommend Aoba to us!"
"With this method."
"We successfully formed a team with Aoba, and then we took part in the Chunin Exams and reached our current position!"
"Aoba should have known the answer to the written test in the first round and the location of Scroll of Heaven in the second round."
"This is why we can pass so smoothly!"
Saki pinched her chin and analyzed. After she first convicted Aoba, she found that all kinds of signs were developing in the direction she thought, and they were actually completely connected. This made her more convinced of her speculation.
Rin quietly listened to these words.
Her heart was already following Saki's train of thought.
"So..."
"When Aoba gave that piece of paper..."
"He already knew the answer at that time?!"
Rin felt that all her knowledge had been completely subverted. This was completely different from what she had understood at the beginning.
"That's right!"
Saki nodded again. Her eyes stared at Rin and said, "Now think about it, can Aoba really get the answer from the proctors easily using Shintenshin no Jutsu(Mind Body Switch Technique) as he said?"
"At that time, I also suspected this thing. I thought that Aoba might be lying. At that time, I thought Aoba might have some other method to get the answer, but I did not expect to get the answer before the written exam began..." Rin's face darkened.
This was not her fault.
After all, the Shintenshin no Jutsu(Mind Body Switch Technique) that Aoba mentioned really did not exist.
Aoba did not obtain the answer through such a method.
Of course.
If we must consider it from the perspective of cheating...
How Aoba got the answer through his system could also be considered cheating. However, this could also be seen as cheating through his strength and not knowing the answer before the exam.
However.
At that time, Aoba hid the part with the system from the two of them.
This also made the two of them start to think back to this matter with the mindset that Aoba cheated and discovered the problem here.
"I can now be sure that Aoba got the answer before the exam and memorized it all. Otherwise, even if he got the answer using Shintenshin no Jutsu(Mind Body Switch Technique), how could he memorize it without missing a word? There is a big problem here!" Saki analyzed.
"Indeed..." Rin nodded. Saki had convinced her.
"There is also the second exam!" Saki continued, "Aoba moved us when he signed the consent form first, but if Aoba knew the location of the Scroll of Heaven beforehand, then signing the consent form was not a big problem at all."
"This..." Rin was speechless.
"Although I chose the No. 19 entrance and Aoba didn't seem to have participated in anything, and you were the one who got the Scroll of Heaven, I think Aoba should know the location of all the five Scroll of Heaven. Moreover, he will tell us his analysis based on our location. You also heard Aoba's analysis, but it is actually quite far-fetched!" Saki continued.
"This..." This time, Rin was even more speechless because she did not listen to Aoba's analysis at that time.
"In fact, there should have been no problems here according to Big Brother Shikaku's plan. However, Aoba's grasp of the situation is really too bad!" Saki narrowed her eyes slightly. The look in his eyes seemed to have seen through everything here. This was not a simple matter. Aoba's strength was not good, and he could not grasp this level well. In the end, he didn't manage the time of customs clearance properly, and as a result, something like this happened.
"En..." Rin nodded as well. She had also discovered such a thing. After all, they passed the two rounds too smoothly. The two had barely done anything, yet they had broken the record.
"If I'm not wrong, we had broken the record twice in a row because Aoba's performance was too clumsy. This resulted in such a situation. They must have come here to put on such a good show in front of us so that the proctors and we would think that Aoba cheated. In the end, Aoba forfeited and let this matter rest." Saki said again. She had already discovered the secrets of these things, especially the poor acting just now. It made her even more certain.
"So that's how it is." Rin nodded. After that, she asked, "Saki, what should we do now?"
"Aoba has already forfeited, so what he has done has nothing to do with us. This should be Big Brother Shikaku's arrangement. Aoba was clumsy, so he let him take the initiative to forfeit. This way, there is no way to get back at the old scores. Moreover, Big Brother Shikaku has just said that what we need to do now is to prepare for the third round. If I am not wrong, the third round will have to rely on our own strength. There is no way to get any help." Saki analyzed.
"Is this really okay?" Rin faintly felt that they also cheated. Although the people who cheated were not them, they were on the same team as the people who cheated.
"Big Brother Shikaku and the others have spent so much effort to help us. If we retreat like this, then we will be very sorry to them. Moreover, our thoughts are the same. That is to pass the Chunin Exams. So, I think we should prepare and work hard for the third round!" When Saki placed her thoughts on the third round, his expression became a lot more serious. She said, "The three Iwagakure ninjas, Uchiha Kaede, and Hyuga Hanamichi, these people will pose a great threat to us. Our Chunin's qualifications are not very stable yet. Right now, it is only the beginning!"
"That's right. When it comes to the third round, it will be a one-on-one battle with them. We do have a lot of things to pay attention to." Rin nodded. It was her first time participating in the Chunin Exams, but she had previously seen the Chunin Exams' third round. She knew that the third round was open for viewing, and many people would go to the arena to watch the battle.
"It's good that we know about this now. Don't be too loud. This is the opportunity that Big Brother Shikaku and the others fought for us. We must see which team will pass the second round and become our opponents in the third round." Saki's eyes became determined. She only had one goal: to pass the Chunin Exams. Now that it had come to this, and she found that Shikaku was on her side, coinciding with what she wanted to do, then there was no problem.
"Um... That... What about Aoba?" Rin hesitated for a moment and asked. She had a good impression of Aoba; after all, he was a teammate who had fought together with them. Although this teammate might have been deliberately arranged, this short period of time was still quite happy.
"Aoba's matter has nothing to do with us. He can do whatever he wants. He is just a pawn, and now he has become an abandoned pawn. In fact, he said from the beginning that he only came to complete the task and not to make friends. Now it seems that he did not lie to us." Saki said indifferently. After she confirmed that Aoba had cheated, all of her views on Aoba changed. It could be said that she did not care about Aoba at all.
"Is he not considered our teammate?" Rin said with slight regret. She once thought that Aoba might replace Kaze and become a member of her team. They could still do tasks together in the future.
"It is obvious that he is not!" Saki shook her head without hesitation. Her eyes were fixed on Rin as she slowly said, "Aoba is a member of the Konohagakure Intelligence Division. He has nothing to do with us. He participates in this Chunin Exams with us only to complete a mission and obtain the mission reward. It has nothing to do with us. Moreover, just like I said just now, he is just a chess piece. If the person Big Brother Shikaku found is not him but another person, then the person we know is another person."
"I see..." Rin still felt a little regretful. However, she agreed with Saki's words and felt that it was indeed like this. Aoba was just here to complete a mission. For Aoba, they were just one of the many missions.
...
A few minutes ago.
Aoba strode away from the tower.
In fact.
In his original plan, he intended to forfeit at this time. This was a very suitable time.
Even if Shikaku and the others did not come in and ask who gave him the answer...
Even if Saki did not suspect him halfway...
Even if everything went smoothly...
Aoba's initial plan was to wait until all the teams who passed the second round gathered here and used the excuse of physical problems to announce his withdrawal from this year's Chunin Exams.
After all, that was what Kabuto did back then!
It was just that...
Aoba did not expect this.
The plan changed too fast!
Saki's divergent thinking ability made him a little amazed!
She actually directly suspected him of cheating.
However.
Aoba didn't have anything to explain.
What others thought of him?
He didn't care.
After all, it would be very troublesome to explain such a thing. It would also cause him to expose his strength. The result now, although it would affect his image in the two girls' hearts, he didn't care about such a thing. Instead, he felt that this was a more suitable solution.
"I have completed the mission!"
Aoba walked into the corridor and muttered to himself. He did not know about Saki's follow-up analysis, but there was one thing he would agree with if he had heard it. He was indeed completing a mission by coming here to form a team with these two girls.
However, it was not Shikaku's mission that he had to complete. It was Eaton's mission. After all, the person who asked him to register was the Konohagakure Intelligence Division Captain, Morino Eaton. This was one of the reasons why he could not find a suitable reason to refuse.
Of course.
Although the person who issued the mission was different.
However, the mission was no different.
It was just helping these two girls pass the first two rounds of the Chunin Exams.
Soon.
Aoba walked out of the tower and arrived at the entrance. He immediately attracted the attention of the two ninjas at the tower's entrance.
"It's him!"
The two ninjas immediately recognized Aoba. One must know that Aoba's team had broken the record of the second round and was the only team that had entered the tower. They could not forget such a person even if they wanted to.
Aoba did not care about the two ninjas.
He was very clear.
The second round was still ongoing.
The people in the Forest of Death were not allowed to enter and leave freely.
Even if he had forfeited, he could not leave the range of the tower.
However.
Standing here to get some fresh air was better than being suspected inside. At this time, Shikaku and Saki were both insides. The direction they suspected was different.
There was a risk of exposure if he stayed inside for a while longer.
Aoba directly leaned against the wall of the tall tower. He slowly closed his eyes and began to check the memories of the three Iwagakure ninjas here.
When the two ninjas saw this scene.
They looked at each other.
They could see the meaning in each other's eyes.
"He should be here to see who the opponents are!" One of the ninjas whispered.
"I think so too..." The other ninja nodded.
"This is the privilege to be first!" The ninja sighed. After all, only those who arrived first had the qualifications to wait here. If they were the ones who arrived later, there was no need to wait. They could directly see what the results were.
Gradually.
Time ticked by.
Aoba stood there with his eyes closed, immersed in the memories of the three Iwagakure ninjas. During this time, no one disturbed him.
No one came out of the tower.
Saki and Rin did not come out to take a look. In their hearts, Aoba was already a passerby, and they would not have any more interactions.
Shikaku and the others also did not come out. At this time, they were in the room on the tower's second floor, discussing who had given the answer to Aoba. They already silently thought that Aoba knew the answer beforehand. Otherwise, there was no need to forfeit. However, they did not know who the person who provided the answer was.
It was precisely because no one came out.
The two ninjas here did not know that Aoba had forfeited.
When no one came here to report, they turned their attention to Aoba. They also wanted to see what was so special about this young man that he could break the Chunin Exams' second exam record.
Another period of time passed.
Aoba slowly opened his eyes. There was nothing special about his eyes. It looked extremely ordinary as if he had just woken up.
"So that's how it is."
Aoba muttered to himself. He had almost finished checking the memories of these three ninjas.
These three ninjas had a lot of memories.
But not much quality content.
After all, they were just Genin.
He only needed to take a look at the critical point in time.
Through the memories of these three ninjas, Aoba roughly understood Iwagakure's plan and the situation in the battle with Kumogakure.
The relationship between Iwagakure and Kumogakure was not good.
However, Third Tsuchikage Onoki was still afraid of Third Raikage Ai, so even though he attacked Kumogakure, it was only a superficial attack. It was more like a strategic announcement that they, Iwagakure, also joined the battle.
However.
It does not affect their Iwagakure.
They had only tricked Kirigakure.
When Kirigakure's ninjas saw that Iwagakure was attacking Kumogakure, they wanted to take advantage of the situation and directly attack Kumogakure.
It was precisely because of the intelligence brought back by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
It made Kirigakure, who was like a vassal of Kumogakure, stand up and attack Kumogakure. It was also a declaration that Kirigakure resisted Kumogakure.
However.
It was precisely because Iwagakure had stopped attacking after one attack.
This directly sold Kirigakure out.
Now, Kirigakure was the main force standing with Kumogakure.
After Onoki spent some time and energy, he placed his attention on Konohagakure again. The one he wanted to attack the most was still Konohagakure.
After all, the environment that Konohagakure was in was too good!
In stark contrast to the harsh environment Iwagakure was in, Iwagakure's ninjas wanted to attack Konohagakure more and seize more resources from Konohagakure, including land.
This time.
Onoki decided to use the opportunity to participate in the Chunin Exams to personally come to the competition and attack Hiruzen in front of everyone.
As a result.
If there were no accidents.
Onoki was likely to kill Konohagakure's Third Hokage under the watchful eyes of everyone so that he could take revenge for the humiliation he had suffered from Konohagakure.
After killing Hiruzen.
He could take advantage of this opportunity to attack Konohagakure.
In Onoki's eyes, the current situation was the most suitable time to deal with Konohagakure.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure were entangled, using each other's full forces. No one had extra energy to care about this side.
Sunagakure and Amegakure were fighting together, and they were even busier with their own affairs.
At present, no force could disturb their Iwagakure's attack on Konohagakure. There would be no situation where some forces would take advantage of the situation and make the muddy water even muddier. There would be no big problems. No one would come here to divide the spoils.
Because of this.
Onoki decided to attack Konohagakure.
And the third round of the Chunin Exams was an excellent opportunity to attack Konohagakure. After all, as Iwagakure's Tsushikage, Onoki being present was normal.
"What a pity..."
The corners of Aoba's mouth slightly curled up. This place was no longer what Onoki had imagined. Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, these three ninjas, were very powerful Genin. They already had the strength of Chunin. Moreover, they did not come here to really pass the Chunin Exams. As long as they could reach the third round, they could let Onoki come.
However.
Now, this goal could not be achieved.
Iwagakure ninjas would not appear in the third round venue.
Because these three people were already dead!
"Why do these people like to fight in the third round?"
Aoba raised his right hand, pinched his chin, and put on a pondering posture. Not only did Onoki plan this time, but according to the original rhythm of the plot. Orochimaru also disguised as the Fourth Kazekage and attended the third round of the Chunin Exam, intending to attack Konoha.
Well...
While Aoba was thinking.
He gradually figured out the answer to this question.
During the third round, the Kage of the village that had participated in the Chunin Exams would observe together. In short, they would sit together. This was an extremely agreeable opportunity to get close to the other party.
As a result.
They could take the opportunity to launch an attack.
Not only could they plan properly, but they could also fight at a very close distance!
Especially for Onoki, who had a powerful bloodline limit that could launch an attack at close range, which could hit his target more effectively.
If his dust release could hit Hiruzen.
Then this battle could be said to have won more than half!
After all, the Hokage was already dead.
In that case, Konohagakure's combat strength would definitely be greatly reduced.
"What wishful thinking!"
Aoba muttered silently in a voice that only he could hear. In a short moment, he had already figured out the reason for doing so. It was indeed convenient and simple. The only thing he needed to worry about was that he could not assassinate in secret and needed to fight face-to-face.
Of course.
For Onoki, who wanted to use this opportunity to show his might, this was not a problem.
After Aoba understood Iwagakure's specific plan and the current war situation, he already had a rough plan in mind.
Just before he took the Chunin Exams.
Aoba had already guessed that Konohagakure was not far from participating in the war.
After all, more than half of the ninja world had already entered the Third Ninja World War.
Sunagakure.
Amegakure.
Iwagakure.
Kumogakure.
And Kirigakure.
The five large ninja villages had already entered the battle.
On the contrary, Konohagakure, who was the first to trigger the Third Ninja World War, was not in the midst of the war. This was obviously an abnormal phenomenon, and it would definitely not last for too long.
Sure enough.
Now, Iwagakure ninjas had come to their door.
"With Hiruzen's personality of, as long as there is no need to fight for such a thing, you must compromise, do what needs to be done, and take your time to see the rest."
Aoba said indifferently. After that, he gently waved his right hand, and a piece of paper flew out from his palm. It flew directly toward the top of the tower without attracting anyone's attention.
...
Slowly.
One night passed.
In this dark forest.
Occasionally, the sounds of wolves howling could be heard.
Aoba just leaned against the tower wall and did not enter the tower. His perception had already enveloped this Forest of Death and clearly knew where the people were.
Where was everyone?
He knew everything.
It was different from the two ninjas at the entrance.
Aoba knew that it was impossible for those participants to reach the tower tonight. According to their movement trajectory, they had not found the Scroll of Heaven yet.
As the sun rose.
A new day had begun.
Aoba still stood there, looking as if he was waiting to see who passed this round. In fact, he did not want to get involved in the muddy water anymore.
There were two groups of people here, Saki's team and Shikaku's proctor team. These two teams were suspicious of him. After entering, it would be disadvantageous to the stable situation that had already been formed.
Another half a day passed.
Aoba looked at the front of the tower. His dark eyes seemed to have passed the trees here and focused on the people who were rushing over quickly.
"They are coming."
Aoba said indifferently. Through his perception, he had already detected that a three-man team was running toward the tower at an extremely fast speed.
This way.
It could be seen.
They had found the Scroll of Heaven.
This was a very reasonable response.
After all, there were many dangers in the Forest of Death. Not only did they have to face all sorts of possible situations, but they also had to guard against the other teams that entered the forest with them.
If they got the Scroll of Heaven but didn't enter the tower.
The longer the delay.
The more likely they will have long nights and dreams.
After all, according to the rules...
It was not only about getting the Scroll of Heaven but that the three people on the team had to be fine.
"???"
When the two ninjas heard the words "coming" that Aoba had just said, a big question mark appeared in their heads.
Who came?
Where are they?
Why didn't we see it?
Was it real or fake?!
The two ninjas looked forward, but they did not see anything strange. They did not even see the slightest sign of wind or grass disturbance.
Really?!
Is it really a joke?
However...
Just as the two ninjas thought Aoba was joking, an extremely faint rustling sound appeared in his ears.
This was the sound produced by a ninja quickly shuttling through the woods.
Not only that.
To be able to produce such a sound.
It could explain...
That the speed of these people was extremely fast. They did not care about anything and used all of their strength to reach the tower as fast as they could.
This conveyed a very obvious meaning.
That was that they had already obtained the Scroll of Heaven. There was no need to hide anything. The most important thing was that they had to reach the tower as soon as possible. They did not want to waste more time here.
Time passed by.
About ten minutes later.
The sound became clearer.
Then a team of three people appeared in Aoba and the two ninja line of sight.
However, Aoba could not call their names.
When the team arrived, their eyes immediately focused on Aoba. Everyone's expression became nervous.
"This..."
When the two ninja guards saw this scene, they couldn't help but cry in alarm. When they heard the sound not long ago, they could confirm that someone would be coming.
However.
The young man not far away.
More than ten minutes ago, he had already determined that someone would come over.
So precise.
They really hadn't expected this.
'As expected of the person who broke the record of the Chunin Exams' record!'
The two ninjas of the two towers couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. Not long ago, they had looked toward Aoba to see if there was anything special about him, but now they understood.
His perception was very strong!
If there were no accidents...
This was a perception-type ninja!
After realizing this, the two ninjas looked at each other and nodded at each other. They already understood each other's meaning.
...
The team that arrived at the tower all looked at Aoba with extremely cautious expressions.
Aoba did not know them.
They did know Aoba.
After all, Aoba could get full marks in the first round of the Chunin Exams.
The more such a person was.
The more they noticed it.
For them.
Aoba was probably their biggest competitor in the Chunin Exams.
Now that they saw Aoba at the tower entrance and did not see anything else besides them, they suddenly became nervous.
"What are you going to do?"
In this three-man team, a person who seemed to be able to speak clearly asked Aoba coldly.
This person was wearing sunglasses.
His body was covered tightly.
Moreover, it gave off a different kind of cool feeling.
Aoba couldn't recall this person's name, but judging from his appearance and characteristics, he immediately guessed this person's clan.
Aburame Clan.
This person played with insects.
Aoba only glanced at this Aburame clansman and did not answer this person. However, the more he acted like this, the more nervous the three became.
"Are you here to snatch our scroll?"
The face of this Aburame ninja became even uglier. After he said this, his teammates also became extremely serious and cautious.
After they obtained the scroll.
They all thought of all kinds of dangers that might appear.
There was one point.
There might be people who would guard the tower entrance and snatch the Scroll of Heaven that they had in their hands. This was also what they were most worried about.
"You guys are thinking too much."
At this time, the ninja guarding the entrance said with a wry smile. The expression on his face was very strange. In his opinion, Aoba was here to see who had passed this round. Now, he was misunderstood as the person guarding here to seize the scroll.
"His team has already passed the second round. He wants to see which teams will also pass this round." The ninja explained.
"Is that so?" The Aburame ninja asked doubtfully. His gaze turned to the ninja guarding the entrance and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am the proctor responsible for registering those who pass the second round." The ninja slowly said.
"How do we register?" The Aburame ninja asked coldly. He wore sunglasses, so his eyes couldn't be seen. Moreover, his cold face looked as if there was no expression. This also made him maintain a very cool look when he spoke.
"Give me the Scroll of Heaven and Earth in your hands. I need to confirm it and then confirm if you have any injuries. If you all pass, I will record your exam time then you can enter the tower," The ninja said.
"Oh?" The Aburame ninja did not immediately take out the scroll. Instead, he looked at the ninja and then looked at Aoba. He said, "Why should I believe you?"
"???"
When the ninja heard this, he was stunned. This was really a good question that was hard to answer.
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