Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

谷狻

Shikamaru and his team weren't the only ones with this idea; many other teams were scattered in different locations, clearly all wanting to be the "oriole lurking behind the mantis stalking the cicada." It's just unknown how many of them will actually be able to be the oriole, rather than getting pecked out or shot down by bullets.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I see!"

Tenghua perked up.

She could clearly see the colorful triangular flags stuck on top of a protruding stone pillar in the distance, and at the same time, she could see many figures approaching this place, not only on the ground, but also some flying in the sky.

but,

She is the fastest.

With a thought, the lightning surrounding his body shone even brighter.

He moved like lightning, reaching the top of the central stone pillar first. After a quick glance, he found that apart from slight differences in color, the colorful flags were no different in size and shape. He then picked out the most pleasing red and black flag and easily pulled it up.

just,

Right now,

The sand cloud that was flying steadily toward the central stone pillar suddenly accelerated, and a long sand hand stretched out and slapped down toward the wisteria, as if it wanted to smash the girl who had gotten there first into a pile of mincemeat.

However, the wisteria's reaction was—

He turned around and threw the colorful flag behind him.

He shouted loudly:

"Hotaru, catch!"

The next instant, the colorful flag slipped from his grasp.

Immediately,

The girl twisted and turned, the lightning that had just subsided on her body suddenly intensifying, and she leaped high into the air, actively meeting the descending sand hand. Her small katana, crackling with dazzling lightning, slashed fiercely at the sand hand.

Just one cut,

They defeated the Sand Hand.

"Hmph! Don't underestimate me!" Teng Hua landed steadily on the ground, looked up at the sand cloud in the sky, and was eager to have a good match with this unknown opponent. However, the shouts from behind forced her to abandon this idea.

"Wisteria, retreat quickly!"

Yakumo's instructions had been clearly conveyed to him.

With the team mission taking priority, we can't act impulsively based on personal preferences. We have to postpone the competition. However, this guy playing with sand doesn't seem like a pushover. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll definitely meet again, and it won't be too late to continue then.

Now,

Before Yakumo could urge them,

With lightning crackling around her, Fujika left the central stone pillar and reunited with Yakumo and Hotaru. They then advanced towards the outside of the training ground in the same formation. As long as they successfully carried the colorful flag out, they would pass the test. It has to be said that such a test was not difficult at all for a team like theirs.

But that's natural.

The first round of exams wasn't meant to pit these top-tier genin against each other, but rather to eliminate the second- and third-rate ones. The remaining elites would then face a much tougher selection process.

Gaara, standing atop the sand cloud, failed to land a blow, but he didn't relentlessly continue the attack.

He hadn't forgotten the examiner's warning.

Unclaimed flags must not be damaged maliciously.

If he were to fight that Konoha girl who uses Lightning Release, even he couldn't guarantee that the unclaimed banners wouldn't be affected. That girl is very skilled, and if they were to fight, he would have to take it seriously. If he accidentally damaged one or two banners and was judged as having lost, that wouldn't be in line with his goal.

Here,

It is not suitable to start a war.

"Next round... Konoha ninjas, I'll give you a good welcome."

Gaara raised his hand and another sand hand extended out. Of course, this time it wasn't to deal with anyone. He simply picked up a colorful flag from the central stone pillar, then rode the sand cloud back along the road to meet up with his two rather incompetent older sisters and brothers, so as not to be disqualified for taking too many flags.

that's it,

The two teams that arrived at the center of the exercise field first only briefly tested each other and did not engage in a major fight. After the test, they immediately went their separate ways.

Based on the performance of the two teams, the two spots for advancement are pretty much secured.

No team should be able to take the flag from them.

but,

This mild situation cannot last long.

Now only forty-eight flags remain on the central stone pillar, while nearly a hundred squads of genin are about to arrive. Once the few monster squads standing at the top seize the flags and leave, a fierce battle will immediately erupt around the central stone pillar.

Soon, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh teams arrived at the central stone pillar from different directions at almost the same time.

Looking at these teams, two are from Konoha, one from Kirigakure, one from Kumogakure, and one from Iwagakure. The two teams from Konoha are Team 7, which Naruto belongs to, and Team 3 from the previous year. The team from Kirigakure, needless to say, is Suigetsu's team.

The teams from Kumogakure and Iwagakure were clearly among the best genin in their respective villages.

"Humph!"

Sasuke snorted coldly, ignoring his opponents. He simply picked up a colorful flag, turned around, and left. No one stopped him. The others also tacitly picked up a colorful flag each and left immediately, just like Sasuke. There was no point in staying and getting entangled at this point.

Staying here will only lead to the arrival of the main force behind them, and they will be caught in the chaos of battle, which will not be good for them either.

Therefore,

It's better to evacuate before the chaos breaks out. There's no need to waste energy on this. They need to consider not only the first round of exams but also the details of the next round. After all, no one knows when the second round of exams will be held.

Will they be given a chance to recover and catch their breath?

Therefore,

It is essential to conserve your physical strength and chakra as much as possible.

In a blink of an eye,

Only forty-three flags remained on the central stone pillar. At this moment, the main force finally arrived, and squad after squad appeared around the central stone pillar. Then... a chaotic battle broke out instantly. One group rushed towards the stone pillar, intending to grab the flags, while another group chose to snipe at the enemy flag-capturing soldiers or to support their own. In short, the chaotic battle broke out just like that, without any surprise.

[Chapter 418. This is playing with fire!]

When Bai and the others arrived at the central stone pillar, the battle had already become fierce.

Hundreds of genin gathered in this small space, waving their weapons at each other. It has to be said that most of these genin mainly fought with taijutsu, and ninjutsu and genjutsu were not their main means of combat. They usually kept them as their last resort!

It can be said that detonating tags are probably the most powerful lethal means they possess.

of course,

In such a close-quarters combat situation, no one dares to pull out explosive tags and set off things randomly; it's not impossible to blow yourself up if you're not careful.

Furthermore, it takes time to detonate the explosive tag.

They don't have the swift hand speed of Jonin and Chunin. While they're busy triggering the explosive tags, they might get taken down by the enemy.

Anyway,

Based on the above and many other reasons that cannot be elaborated upon, the battle around the central stone pillar in the No. 15 training ground, though seemingly fierce, was indeed fierce, but the damage to the surrounding environment was limited. At most, a few stones were knocked down by shurikens, and the colorful flags were preserved.

When Bai and his group arrived, only two colorful flags had been destroyed in the struggle, and one unclaimed flag had been accidentally broken. The Cloud Ninja team that did this was disqualified by the examiner, and all members of the team were dragged off the battlefield.

The remaining colorful flags,

There are still fifteen strokes left.

In other words, after the initial seven flags were taken by the monster squads, another twenty-five flags were taken away one after another. This includes the three broken flags that can be seen nearby. It is possible that the twenty-five flags were broken and destroyed in a location far from the central stone pillar.

Overall, as the number of colored flags decreases,

The battles here became increasingly fierce and brutal.

"Rye, bring it on."

Shiro called out the pseudonym Shigego used.

In reality, they could have been the first to arrive at the central stone pillar, seized the colorful flag, and left. However, doing so would have been too conspicuous. They were impersonating genin from the Grass Village, and if they acted too powerfully, they would easily attract extra attention that they did not want at all.

Therefore,

They slowed down and only just arrived now.

Upon hearing Bai's command, Jugo charged forward without hesitation, heading straight for the colorful flags atop the stone pillar.

Even though he was restricted by the 'Eliminating Face Technique' and could not freely expand his body to perform the 'Sage Transformation', he was still as fast as the wind when he ran, relying on his superhuman strength. In an instant, he passed over the heads of a group of genin and leaped towards the central stone pillar like a ibex walking on flat ground on a cliff.

only--

"Don't try to get ahead."

"Take it down."

"Go to hell!"

Some of the genin who were locked in fierce combat paused, and both sides simultaneously hurled shuriken and kunai at Jugo in the air, intending to snipe this bastard who was trying to take advantage of the chaos. Of course, most of the genin, who were blinded by rage, had no time to spare and were completely absorbed in the battle.

That meant that less than ten people were free to attack Jugo.

Jugo didn't even glance at the petty actions of the small fry below.

They rushed straight toward the colorful flags.

Bai and Xianglin will handle the smaller fry; his job is to capture the flag, and he doesn't need to worry about anything else.

I see,

Before the shuriken and kunai could get close to Jugo, a long, thin stream of water, like a whip, meandered across the air, sweeping away all the shuriken and kunai, leaving not a single one behind.

"Water Escape: Water Whip".

This is just a C-rank ninjutsu.

However, even though it was just a C-rank water jutsu, it still showed considerable power in Bai's hands. Even though Bai had tried his best to hide his strength, it was necessary to do this in order to stop the attack of those seven or eight people. After all, if you want to win, you have to show some of your strength.

All I can do is pray that Konoha doesn't focus their attention on me.

After all, there are so many monsters that even he has to admit are exceptionally talented, but... what's with this faint feeling of being watched?

Is he the proctor?